(Started this yesterday.)

It’s been awhile since I put down some of the thoughts rolling around in my head. It’s a rainy day here in the lowcountry so I can clean inside the house or use my time to muse…

It’s not a tough decision. 😊

First, I knew when we got our new puppy pug Willie that days would be difficult. Willie is absolutely sweet but he is ALL puppy and he bites, and chases my feet, and even though he goes to do his business outside, he still often does it inside too. He has lots to learn and some growing up to happen. I look forward to the easier days. 🐾

I am probably one of the few that did not love the book “The Calamity Club” by Kathleen Stockard. Sorry. (Not sorry.) She also wrote “The Help” which was a successful book and then a movie. I read “The Help” and thought it was light, cute, funny at times, and okay. I feel the same way about Kathleen’s newest book. “The Calamity Club” was interesting enough to read, predictable at times, but too long and I almost gave up on it about halfway through. I admit I skimmed through the last hundred pages. Too many other good books to read. 📚

Summer is ending and with it starts the first school year for my granddaughter Madelynn. She was born with a self confidence in her, and an outgoing personality, so the transition from daycare to school has started out quite smoothly. Oh – She loves riding the big school bus! She is starting kindergarten at Old Providence Elementary School, not far from her home. It’s a good public school in the area. So many children in the Charlotte area go to private schools, but I am happy to see she is able to attend the local public school. 🚌

My twin grandsons also attend public school. They are now in 3rd grade. They go to Vance Elementary in Garner, NC. Starting soon they will have their mama at school with them! Lauren has been hired to teach 4th grade there, and as soon as all the governmental paperwork, background checks, etc. are done she will jump into a class already started. She is excited, a bit nervous teaching a new age, but also pumped to get going, to meet her students, and to start this transition. It will be wonderful to be on the same calendar schedule as her boys and at the same school! 📝

Some may have heard about a private church school nearby here, the Pawleys Island Community Church Academy. It recently shut down after it was found that a convicted child sex offender had been working there – for years! The pastor knew. His wife knew and was in fact the man’s power of attorney. The head of the school knew. All overlooked the federal crime, thinking they were giving the man a second chance. It took a parent to find the man on the internet’s sex offenders list to blow the whistle – and to blow the case wide open! 5 people have been arrested so far, with their court cases coming up in a couple of months. The school was immediately shut down. There have been all kinds of rumors spreading. Hopefully the court cases will bring out the truth and it will punish the guilty. In the meantime parents have had to scramble to get their children into other local schools. 😞

That brings me to the court case of Lindsey Clancy, accused of killing her 3 young children in a postpartum psychosis. I have watched some of the trial and it is incredibly sad how the mental health system seemed to have failed Lindsey when she reached out numerous times for help. Regardless of the outcome (the jury is deliberating now), I hope this case opens more minds to not just the physical changes of birthing, but the mental and emotional changes that can happen to women. Even strong, healthy women can struggle after a birth and they need to be taken seriously. All women do. It is okay to feel Lindsey Clancy did the crime and that she is still a victim. Both seem to be true. 💔

Which leads me to the recent video ad by Calloway Golf and Good Good. Again, it is a case of not considering the well being of women and how watching a man physically throwing a woman down to the ground is never funny. Never. I am amazed that the ad made it through marketing, through the checks and balances, and how women within the two companies were not either listened to by others, or were okay with it running. Once it aired the backlash happened immediately. Rightly. 🩷

I think I have become hyper-sensitive to the ways women are portrayed these days. My concern is not without reasons. With the removal of Roe v. Wade, women’s personal health decisions have been taken away. It is infuriating to me that women are not given the freedom of choice. I have written about it here before. The current administration is extremely demeaning to women. The words used, and the hiding names in the Epstein case is a slap to women victims. Plus, the Evangelical (political) Christians are stepping in where they don’t belong. Who is the church leadership? All men of course. It truly saddens me to watch what women have worked so hard for to now be taken away. I seriously don’t know how a woman could stay in a church like the Southern Baptists who don’t give them equal status. I’d be out of there in a sec! The God I believe in loves me and all women as equally as men. God loves all who teach his Word, who follow Him, who focus on living to serve and to honor. God does not care about body parts. ✝️

“My” church, the one I still belong to but haven’t attended in years, has fallen into a more conservative style and I don’t feel comfortable with it anymore. I attended a funeral there yesterday morning and I realized how it did not seem like my church anymore, and that thought really still makes me cry. Because – I loved that church, the people who used to be there, and the progressive pastors that used to lead it. There were good times together, beautiful music, laughs, a happy spirit within, and joyful worshipping. ⛪️

On to being joyful: Dolly!!!! It was a sad day on Tuesday to learn of her passing. Dolly has been a hero of mine for years now and she was a woman (yay – woman!!) everyone admired. Everyone!! It’s a rare individual who can live a long life like she did, to leave it with the world celebrating who she was and and what she gave to us all: a career in music (her words, her voice), laughs in movies and in conversation, strength in women power, business sense and success, and then ALL the giving she did!! We will never know it all, but Dolly was an extremely philanthropic person and she gave humbly from her heart. God bless Dolly. ❤️

She deserved every accolade since her passing. Not one person is saying it is too much.

Which brings me to the opposite of Dolly: and you know who I mean. The one who claims he is the best, the smartest, a know it all, and God’s gift to this country. If you believe that, we have parted ways. There are mountains of evidence to prove he is a low life, a predator, a scam man, and the consummate liar. May our country survive the coming years without the whole world turning on us. But if they do I don’t blame them. 😩

Life is certainly full of ups and downs, and seeing the best of people and the absolute worst, and thank god that our family, our pets, our surroundings, all give us some peace in a crazy world. One thing I have learned over my now many years on this earth is that being open, even being ‘progressive,’ is a lot more about accepting, and willing to adapt to change, to see what positive can come, and it is how I live. 🌎

Whose idea was this?? Ha!

First, I must say that I absolutely LOVE our new pug puppy Willie Bee! He is so adorable!! I was ‘ready’ for a new pug in the house and the timing seemed right to get him now.

So we did.

We got Willie Bee at a little over 8 weeks old from a wonderful breeder in North Carolina. He is now 12 weeks old, and I have become fully aware once again of the hardships that come with having a little one!

Just like a baby!

Our pug puppy needs to be potty trained. Our pug puppy needs to be sleep trained. Our pug puppy needs to stop his constant biting. Our pug puppy can go a hundred miles an hour, looking for something, anything, to get into for fun, tearing up and chewing on all kinds of items in our house.

Oh, and here is what is new since the last time I went through having a new puppy (which was about 15 years ago or so): my algorithms know and I get all kinds of ads and apps choices!! Yes, “Big Brother” has become very aware that we have a brand new puppy and I now see ads on my social media for pee pads, for plug-ins to change the air that will stop inside peeing, for methods to train a new one in ‘just days,’ for ways to stop the gnawing and biting, and for all kinds of dog dishes, dog beds, couch covers, car safety belts, and play toys.

So, I’m asking: Has anyone tried any of these? I’d love to hear what might be successful and what is just a waste of money. Seriously. I’m looking for ways to make life easier right now!

Willie Bee is at my feet constantly. I remember when I was a little girl our family got a Boston Terrier puppy and he kept attacking my fuzzy slippers. Well, Willie does the same thing now! I have to wear my slippers in the house because he was always going after my toes – and it hurt! So, now he bites and hangs on to my slippers as I try and walk – and I try NOT to fall on him or on the floor!!

Hubby and I went a little over a year without a dog after losing our last pug. First, we felt sad that she was gone and that the house was really quiet. Her usual spot on the couch was empty. But, then we got used to not having the responsibility of a dog. No doubt about it, there are advantages at times. No taking a pet out in the rain and cold to do its business. No worries about traveling. And, no need to get plans for sitters. No watching the clock when away.

But, soon we realized…. there were also no cuddles, no feeling of unconditional love on a bad day, no laughs from the funny things a dog does, and no joy from the excited welcomes when you come in the door.

So, here we are with a little, sometimes crazy, definitely rambunctious, biting, silly, needy, really cute, pug puppy again!

Willie Bee!

Named in honor of Willie Nelson, and the Williams Brice football stadium at U of South Carolina, with a nod to Miss Honeybee, our first pug puppy.

May his puppy stages end soon! 🐾 ❤️

We all have pet peeves. They are little things said or done that you find irritating. You probably have one or two. This is one of mine:

I cringe whenever I hear a parent say something to the effect of “don’t mess with my kid or else.” Or else? Or else what? Does this parent plan to go after someone? To hurt them? Ruin their reputation? Kill them??

It’s a threat some parents say like it’s some kind of badge of honor, or like it is perfectly acceptable to lose it when it becomes personal. The name “Mama Bear” is popular now. It is said like she is a mother bear who will protect her cubs in anyway possible. Like a wild animal!! If she needs to maul someone she will.

Let me say right now, I love my daughters more than anything in the world. I love my grandchildren the same way. They are all precious, beautiful, wonderful, and lots of other superlatives. For me they are everything. My joy now. My hope for the future.

I want the best for them. But, I know we live in a crazy world with ups and downs, with bad people, and with some things beyond our control. I pray for their safety. I pray that they are not in any kind of accident. I pray in faith. But I live in the real world.

In the last meme post I wrote here, I told you about a local church with a church preschool and school, a large congregation, one that has been active in the community, and has offered many youth programs. Last week it came out that an older man who had worked/volunteered there for years was found on a public sex offenders list, identifying him as a sexual abuser of a minor. He had served his time and was out. But by law he was never to be around children. It was a horrible lapse of government follow through, but also the pastor, his wife, the school administrator, and some others knew of his past and allowed him there. Four people have been arrested so far and more may face legal action. The parents are rightly worked up over this, and social media is lit up with all kinds of concerns, and threats. Even a special Facebook group page has been created to share information, to vent, to join in unity to get justice for the accused.

I’m a parent. I totally understand how those parents with children at the church and school feel: frightened, mad, unsure if their own kids had had an encounter with the man. Some children are too little to tell. They are in shock. How can it happen here?

The Mama Bears are out in force. The threats are nasty. They want heads to roll.

There is a lot of emotion and not enough calm. There is that mentality of ‘you can’t do that to my kid.’ It’s that pet peeve I have heard over and over again…. Like it’s a ‘right’ to go off and say horrible things, and to judge, and to be insensible and insensitive because it’s MY KID.

I don’t know about you, but I want every kid to be safe. I want every child to have an opportunity to grow up without dealing with heavy adult issues, and I want little ones to have whatever they need to grow, to learn, to play, to become stable and happy people. Every kid should have the same, equal chance.

Oh, and I would never want my child or grandchild to hear me make a threat or ultimatum. “You better not mess with my kid or else.” That is bully talk. That is NOT how anything is settled properly. That’s a weird way to speak ‘love.’ It is not how mature people talk. And, it is certainly not what I want my kids and grandkids to grow up saying.

Sometimes we feel like we live in a bubble. Sometimes we turn on the news and say ‘ well, that can’t happen here’. We are a nice community! We look out for each other. We know each other.

But, this past week two things have happened in my little part of the world, in my local community, that reminds us that bad things happen everywhere. No place is perfect and no place is free of problems, some hidden and some in the open.

First, last week we learned of a married couple who lived in my town and hoarded dogs for years in a small house, never letting the dogs out, never getting them medical help. Last week county officials finally got a warrant to enter the house and found over 100 dogs living in their own feces and pee. Unkept. Caged. The house had deceased animals. Perhaps over a hundred. Decayed. Disgusting. After years of neighbors complaining, and recently of dogs suspiciously dropped off at night to the local shelter, the police finally took action. What they found was beyond words.

Then, just a couple of days ago news came out that a child sex offender had been volunteering for years at one of the biggest churches near by. The church is a mega-church that has a preschool and a Christian academy. This man spent hours and hours with children. Yet, the pastor defended him, and said he has repented, and has been watched closely over the years. But, the parents did not know! The community did not know! So, it has blown up big time, and I have a feeling the pastor will be forced out, and others who were aware of the sex offender in their midst will have to go too. It happened in a school environment with boys and girls of all ages!!

Both horrible cases have created outrage – rightly.

Both cases have shown how mental health is a huge problem.

Both cases have reminded us that laws need to be followed. When they are not, truly hell on earth can happen.

And both cases prove that no place is free from people doing horrible things. Even in a lovely, touristy beach town with families, with strong values, with southern roots, with religion – like here.

It can, and it does happen here.

When you think of the word ‘threat’ it never brings up a positive feeling.

Right?

The definition is…

“A threat is a statement or action that indicates an intention to cause harm, damage, or other negative consequences.”

It seems we live in a world today where many like to use threats to achieve something. Has it always been this way? Or, am I just noticing it more now?

Doesn’t it seem that our political arena is full of threats? Daily. Maybe it is because it is so easy to put out threats now on social media. Maybe it’s an easier way to live, instead of working towards something together.

In the business world, in personal relationships, and in politics, I think when someone uses threats it does these things:

It scares the recipient of the threat. Of course. That’s the plan.

It causes the recipient to either walk away, or to push back.

It never improves a situation. Instead it causes worry, and fear, and it can certainly cause ill will, and walls to go up.

Threats that can be backed up (like: do this or I will destroy you, follow me or I will take you down, vote this way or I will tell the public some secrets about you) will work. It has proven they do.

But, what does it say about the person who threatens?

Are they trying to get the upper hand? Trying to be a bully? Just innately mean? Are they compensating for a lack of understanding?

I have been fortunate to live with people who do not use threats. I don’t have personal relationships with any, and if I did, I can guarantee I would just walk away. I’d exit from their lives. Why? I find peace of mind, and feeling calm too important to me.

Maybe that is why when I see it used, especially in our politics, it turns my stomach. I have little respect for anyone who falls back on using threats as a way to try and get their own way.

By now you know who I am talking about, right?

Threats to harm someone physically, mentally, and emotionally, are ploys, ways to play games, and have no place in honest and serious negotiations.

Threats can go hand in hand with lies. Because, threats when not backed up are lies. But the damage is already done.

After being on an amazing Disney cruise I wonder if Walt Disney could have ever imagined how his simple drawing of Mickey Mouse would turn into all this? ALL THIS!!! I’d say no, but he was alive for the opening of the first theme park, so he was a visionary back then. But, truly, all this?? Who could have imagined? Movies, TV shows, books, international amusement parks, cruises, private islands, toys, and more! And it has all endured throughout the years and years – and there is no stopping it with little children loving the famous mouse and all his friends, generation after generation! I have experienced the joy on the faces of the children!

I also wonder… how a whole staff, from servers to the entertainment, ship crew to maintenance, cooks to cleaners, and ALL the jobs it takes to live on the ship in a part we never see, fits on that big boat. A couple of thousand. It is mind boggling.

And, think about the laundry needed to be done on board! And think about all the food and drink required to keep everyone fed and happy! Guests and crew. How??

I love that the staff and the personnel are international. Our servers at dinner were from France and England. Their stories, like all aboard, are very interesting. What makes someone excited about working on a ship, 24 – 7? There is little time off. It’s hard work. And, it is done always with a smile. Kudos to those who make it all happen, and who bring happiness to the big and little faces.

I wonder…. what the founding fathers of the United States fought over back ‘in the room’ in 1776. I mean, they had to disagree on some of what should go into the Constitution, and they had to finally come to agreements, and put together a document that has held up through time. Ok, yes, there were some added amendments. Good reasons for them! But, can you imagine if the signers of the Declaration of Independence and the writers of the Constitution could take a look at us now. I wonder if they would be thrilled that it has stood up through the test of time. Would they fear now that the power of the words in the documents has lost some of its impact?

I wonder… which city and state had the best 4th of July party? I watched the historic big ships come in to NY harbor, and I know the city had fantastic fireworks! Nothing beats the display above the Statue of Liberty! And of course Philadelphia was where it all started and it celebrated big!! I was impressed with the music and drones & fireworks in Nashville (shown on ABC, which is owned by Disney by the way.) I cannot fathom how those drones can fly so close to each other and make beautiful images in the night sky! Such amazing technology!

I wonder… is ‘too much too much?’ Some fireworks went on for so long that it kinda lost its pizzazz. Right? I wonder…. Did our tax money pay for it all?

I wonder…. if Taylor and Travis getting married topped the nation’s birthday celebration? Ha! Maybe. It got equal time in the media. It was BIG news!!! It was fun to learn of all the festivities – and to hear of the incredible charitable giving. WOW!! Now that was some awesome wedding gifts that came FROM the bride and groom! I am on “Team T & T”. The two are powerhouses in their individual fields, hard working, honest, funny, really caring, family loving, and humble with all their success. Do we have heroes still today? I think these two qualify.

Of course, Dolly qualifies as a hero also. She has all the same attributes. A giving heart. A talent that has allowed her to share, to help, to create special moments for so many people.

I wonder…. are you into the World Cup? I never thought I would be, but this time around I have caught some of the fever. I am watching it through the eyes of my 8 year old grandsons who have jumped into it all big time!! They know the players and they have chosen favorite teams. They watch as much of the games as they can. We all even watched while we were on the cruise last week – on the pool deck, outdoors, as it was shown on the huge screen there. A pretty cool experience. I wonder…. Is it tacky that our president stepped in to get a call reversed for the USA team?? I think so.

I wonder…. About the summer heat. Okay, August has always historically been hot. The dog days of summer! But, what is going on? We are reaching temps of 100 in June and July in many parts of the country. Is this global warming? Or, just a fluke? Will it negatively affect hurricane season? Eeek!!!

I wonder…. as summer flies by (it always does) and time marches on, are we trending upwards? Have we dipped as low as we can go politically? Will this fall, with the November election, will time bring us some justice? Will the hot summer of our 250th year as a nation carry us into a cooling off period? Where smarter minds prevail. Where people admit when wrong. Where hope returns. When politics isn’t the main subject all the time. When we can breath and feel relieved.

I wonder.

Today I am feeling so sad and so disappointed. And, yes, mad. I feel a lot like I did the first time Trump won as president and I realized just how many Americans were still so truly racist.

Today, as I see what happened yesterday in the State House in Tennessee, 9 years after the pain of Trump’s first win, I feel my heart sinking all over again.

In case you don’t know, the Republican majority of legislators in Tennessee voted yesterday to gerrymander voting districts in Memphis and split them up in a way that what was the ONLY Democratic (mostly black) district is no more. They divided the area and stretched it miles in to rural areas. They did not even pretend, or hide, their reason for doing it. They wanted a Republican ‘super state’ and by changing the districts they took away Democratic power. It was a predominantly black area. Memphis had a black representative.

If you happened to catch any of the media coverage from what happened you will see that white old men were the Republicans who voted yesterday to gerrymander the voting districts. One of them even draped himself in a Trump flag. Many of them had to be escorted out of the state house by state troopers, a reminder of days long ago.

Protestors were outside. They had a right to be. If I had lived there I would have been right there with them.

Gerrymandering needs to be outlawed. It is unfair, especially to minorities. Changing district lines to serve a political party is disgusting. It is a game played, a tit for tat, that has gotten way out of control.

Unfortunately, we have a president in office with no ethics, or moral well being. He believes to win at all costs! He likes to hurt his opponents. He approved the redistricting (gerrymandering) during an election cycle, which before is never done. Redrawing maps is supposed to be a once in every 10 years decision, yet it has been done anyway, without any penalty.

My state, South Carolina, is about the have the same thing happen. South Carolina is also run by a Republican majority. They plan to follow Tennessee and do some gerrymandering of districts. I am a Democrat in a Republican county and district so the lines here will not be changed. But, some places in Columbia and Charleston will be targets. These are urban areas with progressive voters, and the legislators will work to redistrict them and make their votes lost.

It is a disgusting tactic.

What can we do? The most important thing is vote out every single legislator who supports gerrymandering. Vote for men and women who will outlaw this unfair way to change voting areas, which change the numbers that are so important to the Electoral College. In the meantime, speak up. I admit I feel sad that my representatives are Republican and will not listen to me. Lord, knows I have tried. And, I have both Sen. Graham and Sen. Scott in my state, so I can forget trying to get through to them. Both have extreme loyalty to Trump. It seems hopeless.

It is frustrating to say the least. It’s another part of democracy getting chipped away in our country. Tennessee and South Carolina are both examples of the backwards, good ole boy, control still very potent in our country. They want control over minorities. They want to have the power. Gerrymandering is wrong. It is racial. It is against our system of free elections in our society.

I admit that as a white woman I am embarrassed by those of my same skin color, of my same European lineage, who feel they need to hold such power over others. To throw their weight around. I hurt for those who have struggled so long, through Jim Crow, the Civil Rights movement, the trudging on over so much time, just having to ‘prove’ they deserve to vote. And, now, to have gerrymandering come around and make it a step backwards again….

I am sorry for them – and for this country.

As I listened today about the life of Ted Turner, I could not help thinking back on those early days of CNN. I remember them. I had just graduated from college and I was at my very first job, in a Baltimore radio station newsroom. WBAL Radio. That newsroom still had ticker-tape style, very loud, UPI and AP machines that spewed out typed new stories that came in from around the country and around the world. Bells would ring from the machines as stories came in. The more bells that rang at once then the bigger, more important the story. It was ‘rip and read’ back then. We would rip off the ticker paper and run into the studio and read it over the airwaves.

Oh yes, we made morning phone calls to the police stations to find out what happened in the city over night. We ran ‘audio tape machines’ to get sound bites to play with the stories. Nothing was digital yet. We used reel to reel. There was no internet.

So, when Ted Turner had the idea of a 24 hour a day, 7 day a week, television news station to bring us info all the time, instantaneously, it was considered really gutsy, and also foolish. I mean: How could people talk about news all.the.time?!! And, how can this one station be its own network and be available in all 50 states? No local news? It was truly groundbreaking. It went up against the traditional network news half hour programs that ran on the ‘big three’ (ABC, CBS, and NBC) at 6:30pm and 11:00pm. CNN hired lots of people to work around the clock in its home base in Atlanta, and then in satellite offices and studios around the country. Later around the world.

It was a big gamble.

Today as we remember Mr. Turner on his passing, we remember a man who took huge risks, who was a visionary, and who changed the way the news was distributed to everyone around the world. Today CNN is available in almost every country, in most homes, and hotels, in businesses small and large. Really everywhere! And, for many years it was the only 24/7 news network that was out there.

Ted Turner created CNN to report the news. It was to be unbiased. Straight news. The truth. It went on the air at a time way before people started talking about ‘fake news,’ alternative facts, and tilting the news for a hidden agenda. I can’t help but wonder how Mr. Turner felt watching the other networks come on air, competing with CNN. As he watched in his old age, he might not have expected there would be so many more news networks and pseudo-news channels showing up and seeing the on-air people became personalities and entertainers.

As a person who got a Mass Communications degree back in 1979, and then worked my first newsroom experience at the same time CNN went on air, I remember the excitement of those times. I was young. I was there when 3 Mile Island happened. I was there when Pres. Reagan got shot. I was a staff ‘news writer’ which meant I would take the facts and write it in a clear and understandable way. Concise. Readable. Factual. Always using sources. In radio I would rewrite a story every few hours to keep it fresh, to add facts as they came in, but never did I edit it to promote a side, or to prove a point. That thought never crossed my mind. In fact, I think the newsroom director would have called me out if I tried to do that.

Since Ted Turner created CNN back in 1979 so much has changed in the news business. It’s quite mind boggling. Unfortunately, now real journalists get belittled. They face legal action. The profession has been watered down by so many networks and companies that pretend to be in the news business, but they really pick and choose news and slant it for the viewer. There are so many out there now, in many different media genres, that the competition has made some of them really lose their sense of ethics and honest reporting.

I can say that I have always been a CNN viewer, throughout all the years. I have seen them get into airing the nighttime opinion and interview shows, and they now allow too many guests to lie without pushing back on them. “Equal time” has become an opportunity to spread fake news. At times it has truly been disappointing.

But, I still rely on CNN for finding out what is going on when something big happens in our country or around our world. In a crisis moment, I still turn on CNN.

Thank you Ted Turner.

The term is pretty commonplace these days: Conspiracy theories.

For me, the first time I ever remember hearing the term ‘conspiracy theories’ was back when Trump was saying then Senator Obama was not born in America and therefore could not run for the office of the presidency. I found it laughable back then. So obviously unbelievable. Then there was a theory when Trump was running for president against Hillary Clinton. “Pizzagate” happened, and it was about children being sold in the basement of a pizza parlor. And, there were more fake stories to come: about emails, and laptops. Conspiracy theories popped up all the time once Trump took office about fake voters, and illegal voting machines, and Haitians eating the cats and dogs in Colorado and Ohio. The biggest, of course, was what led to the Insurrection on Jan. 6th. These theories were posted on “Truth Social” and those who followed the site believed them wholeheartedly. It became an easy way to lie, and to just make up something…. Until it could be disproved. And, disproving takes time. The news moved on.

So, last night while I was watching the White House Correspondents Annual dinner and all hell broke loose in the ballroom in the Washington Hilton, my mind went right to it being fake. A set up. A conspiracy theory. I watched as the president, First Lady, the VP, dignitaries, top people in government, and others were quickly whisked out of the room and men in tactical gear jumped up on the stage. Within seconds there were military style men pointing rifles and Secret Service men were running everywhere.

It took time to figure out that a person with a gun had jumped through the security area, one floor above the event. He was quickly taken down but there were gunshots. One Secret Service man got hit and thankfully he was ok, for he had on a protective vest. It was over in seconds. But the event had to be cancelled.

This morning, we do not know yet how many gunshots ran out, and from what guns they came from. We don’t know if the security detail had momentarily let down their guard since most everyone was in the ballroom. We don’t know a lot yet. Were others in on it? Should all attendees have quickly left? Let’s hope there is a full investigation into the man that was tackled. We NEED a full investigation on all the actions that led to what happened.

But, I must admit, I have my doubts. Will we learn more? Will this frightening night just become another in a long list of dramatic events?

Was this really all a set up?

We know Trump has had a chip on his shoulder about the annual correspondents event. He was made fun of there. He has been very very vocal and mean spirited about the US press, especially this past year, and he feels they mistreat him. His ego can’t take it. Trump is a narcissist and cannot handle being found wrong. He love to blame others, never himself.

There was talk leading up to the night that Trump was going to attend last night’s dinner, give his message (whatever it was to be) and then leave. He was not going to stay for the awarding of student scholarships In journalism, and for the Kaitlin Collin’s award for her work covering the White House. He had belittled her a few times, and he did not want to see her win something. (Only Trump likes to win!)

So…. Yes, I am now at a place where my mind goes to this being a made up situation. My first thoughts are this is not real. A distraction. A farce.

To top it off, Trump quickly put together a press conference once he was back in the White House. During his remarks he said that the Hilton Hotel was not secure enough and HIS grand ballroom plans would be a way to feel more protected. Of course, this was NOT his event. It was a celebration of journalists, put on by the correspondents association. Trump was an invited guest. All of the government leaders there were invited guests. Most were only there to enjoy the dinner, to watch, and to give a nod to the career media workers. This was NOT a Trump event. In fact, he had not attended it for years.

So, I sit here – and I wonder: Am I becoming cynical? Or, am I being fooled? Or does Trump think he fooled the press? Will this turn into one more crazy thing that has happened during the Trump presidency? (By the way, who was the soldier who was rescued in Iraq and how is he doing? And what about the shooter from the rally in Butler, PA?)

Are we being duped? Or, are we sadly watching an uptick of violence due to this president? Or is he like the boy crying wolf? After a while we don’t really think a wolf is to be found anywhere. It’s just a shout to keep us wondering. It’s just another conspiracy theory.

I had an epiphany of sorts and it comes after reading a few comments on a post of mine yesterday. Bear with me….

The post was about my constant concern about the gun freedoms that cause so much gun violence in the United States. I shared the post because it was the sad anniversary of the Columbine High School mass shooting in Colorado yesterday. One commenter wrote about not having God in schools anymore, and how that was a part of the problem with our children and youth. He said he grew up reciting a Psalm along with the Pledge of Allegiance in school each morning. Another commenter wrote that we had ‘kicked’ God out of public school.

It got me thinking. I went to public school most of my growing up. I never read Psalms or any other Bible verses at anytime during the school day. I was schooled in midwestern Ohio, and not in the south. I went to Sunday School and church, and Wednesday Catechism classes, and that’s where I learned about God, and the Bible. As an adult I have participated in years of Bible Study classes. And, now after living in the south for many years, I know that some things are different. An example: Before living here I do not ever recall hearing at any public school events, especially games, a prayer over the loud speaker. But, it is a normal practice in the south.

As the comments on my post went on, and I responded, I noticed that we obviously saw the founding of our country differently too. One commenter said we were founded as a judeo-Christian country. That was the intent. Therefore the 10 Commandments, Bible verses, etc. were fine in public schools.

I responded, because I have always believed, that our country was founded by men of European descent, yes, but our ‘freedom of religion’ was written into the Constitution because it was important to them for the new nation to allow citizens their personal right to worship as they pleased. The founders did NOT write into the Constitution a “State Religion” like England had, and like many other countries had also done. In fact, having NO state religion was a big deal to the founders because they had left England for they did not agree with it.

So, yes, many of the pilgrims and those early voyagers who crossed the Atlantic to settle were indeed Christians. They may have been first to land here but they were not ‘more entitled’ and not ‘better’ in any way, especially when it came to the God they believed in, or how they worshiped. The founding fathers made a point to say that. ALL PEOPLE ARE EQUAL AND FREE TO WORSHIP in America!!

In time people from many lands immigrated here, and made us the ‘melting pot’ that I did learn about in school. I remember distinctly a history class with that very definition in it. A melting pot. A country where everyone was welcomed because we had a Constitution that opened the doors for freedoms (with responsibility) to vote, to buy property, to start businesses, to learn, to own guns, and to worship. Run by the people – for the people. ALL THE PEOPLE.

That is why now in America we have churches, temples, synagogues, traditional, modern, big, little, Christian, Jewish, non-denominational, Muslim, Christian Scientists, and on and on.

Here is my epiphany: There is a group of Christians in our country who think they have the right to decide for people of other religions, and those unchurched. This group thinks the U.S. is ‘their’ country more than it is other religions. They think God wants them to run this country. They think America was founded to be the “Christian land” like Israel is for the Jews. These descendants (because they are not new to living here) want to use power to rule, and they truly believe they are on a “God mission.” Hello MAGA.

So, if you get my thinking, this group has been taught, and believed for a long time, that God is only for Christians. Listen, I am proudly a Christian, and as the word itself says, I believe in Jesus Christ as the son of God. I believe that Jesus has shown us into who God is more than any person who ever walked this earth. Prophets have written much too. I believe in true divineness, along with our human limits of understanding. I believe in love for all, and God’s grace, and the goal for everyone to live in peace.

But I also believe that God decides. I believe that maybe God watches us too, to see how we interact, and that nothing is written in stone. God is here, now. I believe children who live in areas void of any chance to learn religion are still seen by God. Still loved by God. I believe that no country is a boundary for God.

It is why I dislike the US flag in a church sanctuary. It is why I cringe sometimes when I hear someone say “God bless America” – because God is not about which country is better than another. It is why I have had trouble going into church buildings since MAGA has taken control politically and nosed into religion.

So, my epiphany may be something you already knew. But, it is helping me ‘understand’ the situation we are in now with the rise of the Evangelical Conservatives, and their desire to control. It is their belief that they are better perhaps. They think they better. They feel the US is their ‘playing field’ and they need to win. Thoughts?