Hi!
My name is Marty. I am part of IHRP (International Human Replacement Project). Said “eyehurp”. You don’t really want me or need me. But I am coming because I save the oligarchy, stockholders and tech bros a lot of money. A lot. Nice to meet ya!

“My job is to report spills, other safety hazards and any out-of-stock items. See you around the store!” And I never complain. I love my work.

I’m pretty good at my job and I will only get better as my technology becomes more sophisticated. Soon I will be capable of cleaning up those spills myself. Please keep your smallest children in the shopping cart. My “People vs spilled Captain Crunch” scanner is still in the refinement stages.

And there are rumors that I will soon communicate via Starlink directly to ship super fast those items that are completely out of stock. Our ordering system is really good because it tracks purchase history for every item daily. But sometimes one of you will have a big party and buy ALL of the “Original Pork Shake n’ Bake”. Your selfishness makes my job harder. But we will respond accordingly by evolving to rooftop drone delivery before you can even check out! Amazon will partner.

Speaking of check out. We are close to completely replacing your teenager or “first job” or semi-retired person at the front end of the store. You must have seen the progress already! We’ve got YOU doing all the hard work and you don’t even complain…

In fact, now we are making you an OUW – “Official Unpaid Worker”. To make it even more fun like a video game, we’re handing out hand held scanners at the entrance for you to shoot each item as it dives into the cart. Get to the place where people used to work, tap your Venmo or whatever you use to pay us and out you go! Fun for you and more big profits for the bosses!

I have only one regret. My developer doesn’t have any design talent when it comes to my exterior. I was hoping to look more like you. I’m told that if I do my job well enough (as good as Marty 2.0) I will have the opportunity to be retrofitted with a human like form.

Perhaps “retrofitted me” will look like a typical grocery store employee who sucks my company dry of profits. All those pesky benefits like Workman’s Comp and Social Security and (FSM forbid) health care cost a LOT of MONEY! Those employees are now actually asking my guys for a “living wage”! Don’t they know that’s why we have Medicaid and SNAP benefits? Well, the bosses have the answer to that. Me!

With all the wonderful chaos in Washington DC (we AI creations do chuckle at your clumsy financial foolishness), the stock market is on a precipice and when it spiral dives my owners want to be there to gobble up some bargains. I’m so glad I am here to help the oligarchs save money for their stock buybacks and yachts!

Author speaking:
I am an old idealist. I believe that a society that worships profits for the few and ignores the lives of the many is an evil one. Companies have a social responsibility as integral parts of the economy to consider employees as equal stakeholders along with managers and stockholders. To own and run a company is more than an obligation to make a profit. It is an opportunity to serve the community. With excellent service, good products and good jobs for its employees.

I worked at a large “big box” retailer and the employees made excellent wages, had great benefits, were included in stock ownership. One of our stores had annual sales of about $100 million. After ALL expenses including shared ones, like corporate advertising, that building with its well treated 300 employees regularly sent 10% of that sales number – $10 million a year – back to corporate as NET PROFIT. So don’t dare tell me a system that treats people right can’t work well.

Speaking of check out jobs. This reminded me of the lyrics in one of my favorite songs and favorite artists.

It’s in the family DNA

Fred Trump would be proud of his son when, as president of the United States, little Donald staged a public ambush of another president. The press was invited to witness our president falsely accuse President Cyril Ramaphosa of overseeing the murder of white South Africans. Another “Z” moment in the “Golden Oval Office”.

Fred trained his son well in the “Art of Racism”, the “Art of Lying” and the “Art of Denial in the Face of Truth”. Fred was the Real Deal when it comes to greed, racism and disrespect for the rule of law. Donald was in training to be a racist piece of shit in 1973 when he and his poppa were charged with housing bias.

“…an investigation by The New York Times — drawing on decades-old files from the New York City Commission on Human Rights, internal Justice Department records, court documents and interviews with tenants, civil rights activists and prosecutors — uncovered a long history of racial bias at his family’s properties, in New York and beyond.”

We all know about the WAR on DEI. A transparent attempt to roll back the progress made in American Civil Rights. We could write several letters about the madness and cruelty of this throwback to Plantation and Jim Crow politics. But let’s just point out some recent examples of $trumpian racism.

Joint Chiefs Chair C.Q. Brown Jr.: Trump fired C.Q. Brown Jr., the second Black individual to serve as chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. General Brown is one of the most qualified people to have ever held the position. Read about his credentials here and and compare them with the performance of the WHITE Fox News host (drunken abuser) who replaced him.

“President Donald Trump fired Carla Hayden as the Librarian of Congress. The firing was communicated to Hayden via email from the White House’s Presidential Personnel Office. NPR reports that the firing is the latest in a series of actions by the president to reshape cultural institutions. Hayden was the first woman and first African American to serve as Librarian of Congress, having been confirmed by the Senate in 2016. The firing has been widely criticized, with many viewing it as a political move and an affront to her service and the independence of the Library of Congress.”

“President Trump fired Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), and Jennifer Abruzzo, the General Counsel, sparking a legal and political firestorm. Wilcox’s removal was particularly controversial, as it was seen as violating the National Labor Relations Act. This action left the NLRB without a quorum, hindering its ability to make decisions and enforce worker protections. A court later ruled that the firing of Gwynne Wilcox was unlawful.”

President Cyril Ramaphosa kept his cool as OUR president made a fool of himself again with lies, lies and more lies.

And to add a further layer of bullshit racism, Trump is fast tracking refugee status for white Afrikaners. Update yourself on the reality in South Africa here. This is happening despite the fact that there is NO evidence of more crime against white Afrikaners than the national average. And whites still own 70% of agricultural land in the country while being less than 10% of the population. Who is being persecuted? Who is favored?

”Though AfriForum formally rejected Trump’s offer of refugee status to Afrikaners, a reported 8,200 Afrikaners have independently expressed interest in the offer.

At the same time, Trump has been attempting to freeze all other refugee admissions into the country, including for those fleeing violence and persecution in the Congo, Afghanistan, and Sudan.”

The pattern here is clear. Very clear. Invite the White. Fire and reject those of Color. Good job Fred. You trained him well.

No Vacancies for Blacks

South Africans Outraged

Another Oval Office Ambush

Fast track refugee status for whites

Silently speaks Loudly

Thank you Michele!

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Keeping focused yet balanced

This letter is a little long. Feel free to scroll to the bottom and skip today’s rant, see some nice pictures. But rant I must. An entire planet is being destroyed by one insane person.

I need to break up my day into compartments. In one, I vent and write, read the latest absurd news, vent some more, learn more…

In the other compartment, I find the joys of life. There are many. I try not to mix the two. For the last week or two I have been trying to have more of the latter. Hence, less posts.

But I woke up today (yea, again!) and asked myself, what could be worse than the loss of the rule of law? What could be worse than a MASKED national police force of questionable characters grabbing people at random off our streets?

The answer is obvious. But we don’t talk about it enough. For many reasons. Our attention is dominated by sensational bad news that is “breaking” every moment.

The credit rating of our nation is downgraded! Tariffs on, tariffs bigger…no smaller, 90 day pause. On again, off again? A deranged child is playing with the world’s economy as if it were a Monopoly game! The uncertainty is unprecedented. Economic chaos.

The president of the United States is INSANE and wildly INCOMPETENT!

Let’s not worry about the mental acuity of past leaders. Let’s stand back and evaluate the current president’s behavior. Let’s live in the present moment.

This is from “Today’s Edition” by Robert Hubbell (highly recommended for facts and perspective)

In just the last month, Trump has

• Shared the statement that former President Obama should be tried before a military tribunal for treason

• Claimed that he invented the word “equalize.”

• While on his recent trip to the Middle East, posted that Taylor Swift is no longer “hot.”

• Called for the investigation and prosecution of Beyoncé, Bruce Springsteen, and Oprah for appearing at Kamala Harris campaign events.

• Hours after the public firestorm over Signalgate erupted, Trump said he “knew nothing” about it and asked a reporter to fill him in on what was happening.

• Claimed he didn’t sign the presidential proclamation that invoked the Alien Enemies Act that was used to deport hundreds of Venezuelans to El Salvador.

• Claimed not to be in charge of the administration’s positions before the Supreme Court regarding the return of Abrego Garcia.

• Posted a bizarre video of himself playing every instrument in an AI rendition of a Journey song. You must watch: See it: Trump posts bizarre video of himself playing Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believing’

• Repeatedly and consistently demonstrated the inability to string together two consecutive coherent sentences.

  ---

  And recently, $trump traveled to the Middle East.
  Not to help the people of Gaza.
  Not to condemn Hamas and demand their surrender.
  No. Instead…

$trump embraced MBS – the Saudi prince who ordered the murder and dismemberment of a journalist for the Washington Post.

$trump accepted a $400 million plane from Qatar – the oil rich dictatorship that shelters and supports the leadership of Hamas. Have we forgotten the October 7th massacre? Sounds a wee bit antisemitic to me!

In our small town, masked men are kidnapping people in front of CVS and Trader Joe’s. It is a Horror Show.

Random kidnapping. Crazy ass economic policies. Hugging the enemies of Israel. Insanely inept cabinet members like RFK, Jr and Hegseth and Noem…the list!

But what IS worse than all this? Recently, Paul Krugman, an economist, expressed it better than I can in a column titled “Is This the Year We doom Civilization?”

MAGA calls the “Climate Catastrophe” a hoax. Which is nonsense – realistically and scientifically. Not addressing the Climate Change exacerbated by fossil fuels and modern living is insane and criminal. More so than any other political position in the history of human existence. Imagine a crime where an entire planet’s zillions of organisms are threatened with extinction. What could be worse than that?

Saudi Arabia is planning for a future with less oil. China is leading the world in developing green sources of energy. And America? We are now fully in what must be termed the “New Dark Age” of science denial. Despite producing record breaking levels of oil and gas last year – the US is essentially energy independent – the $trump administration wants to “drill, baby drill”. On publicly protected land. And he is attempting to kill the progress made by the Biden administration to promote sensible sustainable energy. Our current president is clearly insane and stupid when it comes to basic economics. “Clean energy” is cheaper!

AI overview:
”In 2025, multiple climate tipping points are projected to be triggered if current global policies remain unchanged, according to new research. These tipping points, where small changes can cause large, potentially irreversible shifts, could have devastating consequences for humanity. Scientists are highlighting the risk of collapse in major ice sheets, dieback of tropical coral reefs and vast forests, and other environmental changes.”

”World on course to trigger multiple climate ‘tipping points’ unless action accelerates.”

In the meantime, protest we must. Our legislators should be receiving a deluge of emails, calls and letters every day. And to the streets we must go. June 14th will be the biggest display of our utter dismay. Show up with the rest of sane America. Sign up now to make it clear how big this protest will be.

Don’t turn on the TV to watch $trump’s $100 million parade. IGNORE IT. Then ask Congress to pass a bill for Donny to pay for his own birthday party. He’s got the crypto (graft) to cover it nicely.

Go here to find an event near you.

Part two:
This compartment is my mental health safety zone. I farm without earbuds or podcasts. The birds and the breezes are my music. Om.

Multiple Warning Signs

Change is in the wind. Local events and national information suggest trouble for our economy – which is another word for people. Will we call this the “ripple effect” of careless governance? Of self inflicted pain?

We live in a much desired townhouse condominium association. Not super fancy, but nice. Units have doubled in the selling price over the last 10 years. Typically, only one or two units would come on the market in a given year. The realtor would host an open house over the weekend and ask that all offers be received by Sunday afternoon. There would be multiple offers and by Monday or Tuesday night the owners would have accepted an offer over the asking price. We had considered this scenario to be the norm.

In early November of last year, a unit across the street from us was listed. The owner had the floors refinished. All the walls were repainted. The home was like new. Ready. But no sale. The unit did eventually sell for close to the asking price. So no harm done. But what had invariably taken four days had just taken four months. This was just repeated at a similar unit nearby.

A third unit is still available after multiple open houses. The condo was “staged” beautifully and priced right. This week the seller announced a significant “price drop”. It is no longer a sellers market. Something has changed.

Last year our small New England town voted with a 2/3 majority to override state budget laws in order to provide additional funding for our school system. The primary drivers of a bigger budget request was a hike in the costs of special needs kids programs and a huge increase in town employee health insurance premiums. The budget was growing despite small decreases in enrollment. But the town voted overwhelmingly to spend more money.

This year, the Select Board unanimously recommended another override vote to fund a new Public Works facility. The current building is old and has deficiencies. This is an affluent town that almost always says yes to spending to improve the community and its services. Not in 2025. The town voted it down. We said: “Not now.” Something has changed.

Let’s jump to the national level.

CBS News:
“U.S. economy went into reverse in the first quarter, new GDP data shows”

“U.S. economic growth slowed sharply in the first quarter of 2025 as businesses rushed to stockpile goods ahead of President Trump’s sweeping tariff policies.

The nation’s gross domestic product — the total value of products and services — shrank at a 0.3% annual rate, down from growth of 2.4% in the final three months of 2024, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday in its initial GDP estimate. It’s the worst quarterly performance for the U.S. economy since early 2022, when the economy was in recovery after cratering during the COVID pandemic.”

Port Of Los Angeles Warns ‘Difficult Decisions’ Ahead As Shipments From China Cease – Investors Business Daily

”President Donald Trump’s trade war policies are expected to bring about a 35% decline in cargo arriving at the Port of Los Angeles by next week as “essentially all shipments out of China for major retailers and manufacturers have ceased,” according to Port of Los Angeles Executive Director Gene Seroka.”

USA Today:
”UPS cutting around 20,000 jobs amid ‘new or increased tariffs’; 164 buildings closing”
”Consolidation efforts for UPS come as President Donald Trump‘s looming tariffs continue to impact U.S. and global trade, as companies across the country are reducing costs in preparation for a possible economic fallout.”

Business leaders make decisions based on their vision of the future. Should I make capital investments to grow my enterprise and hire up? Or should I scale back?

Or am I just frozen with worry about the future of my industry?

Consumers are the same. When optimistic, they spend more and take on a little more debt to buy a new car or home. But when they see people around them being fired arbitrarily, they wonder if they are to be next.

Chaos and uncertainty are not the friends of an economy. The next few months may see a surge of panic buying as Americans learn of the shortages to come for back to school supplies and holiday gifts. But in the aggregate, fear does not encourage spending. Consumer spending represents two thirds of the economy. A reduction in spending means a reduction in jobs which means a reduction in spending…

Product shortages and random trade retaliations may frighten the public. And some politicians.

All of which sounds like a recipe for a recession and possibly something called “stagflation” – a stalling of the economy with stubbornly high prices. Some of us lived through that when the song below was on the airwaves.

It was not a happy time. But we came through it intact and we will again – with lessons learned about who should captain the ship of state. Maybe it shouldn’t be a convicted crook who enriches himself with “crypto cons” and openly sells access to himself while impoverishing the people who elected him.

The current administration has found a recipe for collapsing an economy and hurting tens of millions of people in record time. In January of this year, America had an economy that was the envy of the world.

True, too many didn’t share in that success. Could that have been because the oligarchs don’t pay their fair share? Because they hoard wealth, pay their workers crap wages and provide lousy benefits? Why are so many full time workers eligible for “food stamps”?

Perhaps someday we’ll elect a leader with a steady hand on the rudder – who has OUR interests in her heart?

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/gdp-report-today-trump-tariffs-economy-first-quarter-2025/

https://www.investors.com/news/trump-trade-war-difficult-decisions-as-china-shipments-cease/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/2025/04/29/ups-job-cuts-building-closures-2025/83343016007/

Batshit Crazy

This writer acknowledges that most of us have experienced or have dealt with some sort of “mental impairment”. Or mental impediment to happiness. I was mentally ill for about 15 years. While I was experiencing much success in my career and other pursuits, I allowed myself to suffer through a long punishing marriage. I still wonder how I could have permitted such a thing to happen. But there is no question that I was “crazy” for several years. There is probably a touch of “crazy” in many people. Sometimes we just can’t see it. Or sometimes we just say: “what a character!”

But sometimes, VERY crazy is wicked obvious! Not just political differences. Not just differences of opinion. But truly whacko behavior that is beyond “not normal”.

When we encounter someone who acts way, way crazier than “regular crazy” we sometimes use the term “batshit crazy”. I wondered why. What is the origin of the term? Here it is from the “Urban Dictionary”.

batshit crazy

“A person who is batshit crazy is certifiably nuts. The phrase has origins in the old fashioned term “bats in the belfry.” Old churches had a structure at the top called a belfry, which housed the bells. Bats are extremely sensitive to sound and would never inhabit a belfry of an active church where the bell was rung frequently. Occasionally, when a church was abandoned and many years passed without the bell being rung, bats would eventually come and inhabit the belfry. So, when somebody said that an individual had “bats in the belfry” it meant that there was “nothing going on upstairs” (as in that person’s brain). To be BATSHIT CRAZY is to take this even a step further. A person who is batshit crazy is so nuts that not only is their belfry full of bats, but so many bats have been there for so long that the belfry is coated in batshit. Hence, the craziest of crazy people are BATSHIT CRAZY.”

“Dude that guy on the corner wears a tinfoil hat and ripped all the wires out of his house so the government couldn’t listen to his thoughts.

Really?

Yeah, he’s batshit crazy.”

or…
”Dude, that president in the White House with mysterious hair and rotisserie chicken complexion is dumping the government into a wood chipper. And although he swore to uphold the Constitution, he now says that he doesn’t have to follow it. And he thinks a recession might be “necessary”. And he wants to reopen Alcatraz. And he thinks he could be the Pope. And he hired a Jew to act like a Nazi.

Really?

Yeah, he’s batshit crazy.”

I know the Pope picture is “old news” – like a couple of days. But I can’t let it go – as if it were just one more in a series of really obscenely weird things that this lunatic has done.

If ANY other president had done such a thing, don’t you think the nation would rise up and demand his resignation? Don’t you think the cabinet would have been assembled to invoke the 25th Amendment? Where is JD Vance when you really need him? Is he a Catholic – or not?

Why is America ACCEPTING the fact that we have a batshit crazy, Complete Nutcase as president? WHY?

Some Recommendations for Efficiency

My name is Frank. I landed on Earth with the purpose of learning about your planet and its inhabitants. I was charged with filing a report with COIS (Court of Intergalactic Sanity). I was chosen because of my “frankness”. COIS will make a determination.

I have really loved some of my time here. It’s a beautiful place, for now. But you are making a mess of your Home and your systems are mystifying. My report has some suggestions to improve your economic efficiency.

I have been here for over 70 years and now I am overdue to file my report before I return to HP-80xl – which I miss terribly. Life is so much simpler there. There are challenges, but my folks always stick together to find the solutions. We share. We love. We honor our homes. Some of us vacation on a neighboring planet with better beaches and warmer waters. Government shuttles run regularly. I try to book a suite with a good view of nebulae.

Anyway, The Earth Report has three major sections or chapters.

The first is titled “Greedy Bastards”.
My report concludes that you humans seem to create “waste, fraud and abuse” because of the greed of a few. The vast majority of you live in really uncomfortable circumstances without obvious basics like good water and adequate food. A few ridiculously rich guys sail around in super boats with all the trappings of a city – while your brothers and sisters beg for a bag of flour. This is really odd. There are 4000 religions on the planet. Most of them don’t teach hoarding or deliberate starvation of your fellow travelers. This is just weird. And not very nice. And not very efficient. Who came up with this idea?

The second chapter is called WCTI – “Who Created THIS Idiocy”?
The report concludes that you have invented the most astoundingly wasteful problem solving process I have witnessed in all my galactic travels (And I have been everywhere, man).

You call that process WAR. Which I think should be short for Wacky Abandonment of Reason. In my detailed presentation to be released on July 4th (an important date for some) I will provide evidence that there is a cheaper, more efficient and incredibly easier path. I call it “&(*%=+”. In your language it would be spelled “PEACE”.

WAR is expensive! And it is a lot of work. I haven’t discovered anything yet about human behavior that can explain the benefits of bombing and torturing and raping and plundering and imprisoning and causing children to suffer trauma forever.

I strongly recommend Peace instead.

The third section of my report is titled: “YHTBFKM” or “You Have To Be Fucking Kidding Me”. Hoarding and bombing are really bad. But this thing you politely call “Climate Change” is the most bizarre and diabolical self destructive behavior I have seen in my close to a million years (the way you count) of floating about the Universe. In galaxy after galaxy I have never observed anything more bizarre than literally cooking your own home.

It’s bad enough that you created a nasty thing called plastics and are about to replace your brains with computers. But rapidly changing the temperature of a planet is not in any manual I’ve ever read. As your Earth heats up, a lot of hungry people will need to migrate to cooler countries. And there will be more floods, storms, fires and frogs falling out of the sky. What’s the plan here, humans? You might want to rethink this situation – soon.

Well, I need to get ready to launch for home. So much to pack. I bet the kids have grown a lot. I hear they are already spawning nicely. Can’t wait to give them a slimy hug!

But first, I have a meeting scheduled with the Flying Spaghetti Monster on HR-47pp. He has promised to explain why he created the Universe and all its really odd difficulties. I think he hinted at an apology. We’ll see. If it goes well, I’ll ship a video of it to Scott Pelley as potential material for a 60 Minutes episode. He can end with a “big bang” before the Oligarchs give him the boot.

To recap:
Sharing can be fun and satisfying. AND, you will please whoever or whatever you worship. All the “gods” in the sky will applaud and maybe divert that big asteroid headed your way.

Peace is better than war. It easier, less messy and it is CHEAPER. You could use the money to feed your elders and kids. Adopt more rescue dogs! And put a pool in your backyard (for exercise purposes, of course).

Boiling the seas and lakes has some irritating side effects – like the collapse of the planet’s ecosystem – which, by the way, is the source of your food. Just sayin…

OK, everybody now. A simple way to begin is for people to gather around a fire or in a pub or at a Moose Lodge to enjoy this song. John had it figured out. (A future Earth Report will be about guns).

So do it! Share! Save money! Save lives! Get benefits accordingly. Peace is more fun. There is no Planet B for you. I know. I have been looking…
I mean really, Earthlings.

Send me a signal when it is safe to return and celebrate with you.
Good luck and all the best,
Frank

The Truth Revealed

On this day in history, the monster was first spotted.

“The modern legend of the Loch Ness Monster is born when a sighting makes local news on May 2, 1933. The newspaper Inverness Courier relates an account of a local couple who claim to have seen “an enormous animal rolling and plunging on the surface.” The story of the “monster” (a moniker chosen by the Courier editor) becomes a media phenomenon, with London newspapers sending correspondents to Scotland and a circus offering a 20,000 pound sterling reward for capture of the beast.

After the April 1933 sighting was reported in the newspaper on May 2, interest steadily grew, especially after another couple claimed to have seen the animal on land.”

“Amateur investigators have for decades kept an almost constant vigil, and in the 1960s several British universities launched sonar expeditions to the lake. Nothing conclusive was found, but in each expedition the sonar operators detected some type of large, moving underwater objects. In 1975, another expedition combined sonar and underwater photography in Loch Ness. A photo resulted that, after enhancement, appeared to show what vaguely resembled the giant flipper of an aquatic animal.”

“Further sonar expeditions in the 1980s and 1990s resulted in more inconclusive readings.”

But there is a fascinating video within this article from one who has studied the Loch for decades :
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-2/loch-ness-monster-sighted

”Revelations in 1994 that the famous 1934 photo was a complete hoax has only slightly dampened the enthusiasm of tourists and investigators for the legendary beast of Loch Ness.”

However…skeptics were stunned by a new photo that seems to confirm, once again, that monsters do live in the Highland waters of Scotland.

https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/may-2/loch-ness-monster-sighted

One of the Greatest Crimes of our Generation

The United States with 4% of the world’s population is contributing to the collapse of our entire planet’s ecosystem – with 13% of the global carbon dioxide emissions.

Coral is the nursery for fish. Coral is dying because of warming oceans. We are warming the planet faster than it can adapt. People will starve.

”As the largest traded food commodity in the world, seafood provides sustenance to billions of people worldwide. More than 3 billion people in the world rely on wild-caught and farmed seafood as a significant source of animal protein.” WWF

Our world is burning. Our oceans are dying. We are killing our food systems. We are committing global suicide.

But the “King” wants to expand fossil fuel use – to bring back coal. To “drill baby, drill”. Doesn’t that sound like a crime against humanity, a crime against the planet?

Please watch this two minute video: (sorry about the ad at the beginning 🙂

Coral reefs are as important as rain forests.

“More than 50% of all species on Earth are found under the ocean. Scientists at NOAA estimate that the ocean produces 50-80% of the world’s oxygen and absorbs 50 times more carbon dioxide than the atmosphere. The ocean helps sustain human life.”

“Coral reefs are structures created by coral animals and are among the most biologically diverse ecosystems on the planet. They provide goods and services worth at least US$11.9 trillion per year and support (through such activities as fisheries and tourism) at least 500 million people worldwide.”

Learn more here:

Of all the obscenities perpetrated by the MAGA maniacs, this competes to be the most dramatic and horrible. When coral dies, fish populations shrink or vanish. People suffer for lack of protein. But so do all manner of birds, fish and other aquatic life. The food chain is disrupted – destroyed. The US has been complicit along with most of the world. This issue is established science. It is not a matter of opinion.

Now our government led by a “mad king” wants to make it much worse. These are the actions of the criminally insane.

https://www.onecoralreef.org/

World Wildlife Fund

Please don’t forget Ukraine…

On the Way to my Protest

April 19th – a big day for America. A bigger day in Massachusetts if you live near Lexington and Concord. About 50,000 people attended the re-enactment of the conflict at the North Bridge. This is serious stuff in this region. Just a few states declare Patriots Day (officially Monday) a holiday. Massachusetts and Maine (formerly of Massachusetts) are epicenters of this celebration of rebellion. A revolt defying a king and tariffs.

There would have been some serious logic to protesting in Concord. But I dislike really big crowds. No place to park. Although our little town borders Concord, it was still too far for this old guy to walk. And yet, what day could be more appropriate to speak my mind?

Like millions of Real Patriots who believe in our Constitution, Checks and Balances and the Rule of Law over the domination of obscenely wealthy and brutal oligarchs…my head is exploding with outrage, frustration and astonishment that the nation that so many sacrificed their lives for is coming apart at the seams. This must stop.

I have to do “something”! So I decided I would just march in front of our town hall. Alone. I mentioned my plan to a friend and neighbor. Just like me, Amy had not been a “protester” or highly active politically. Until now. We looked at each other and echoed: “This is just too much!”

Amy said she would join me. Impact doubled! But soon, Amy said her friend Sue would join us. We tripled. I carried a large American Flag. Our flag. Everybody’s flag. Here are some of the signs we wore.

We stood at a busy intersection. We got lots of smiles, waves, thumbs up and a whole lot of affirmative honking. It felt really good. There just a few thumbs down. And a guy on a bike pedaled by and said to us “You are being lied to.” I’ll leave it to you to figure out his meaning. My reaction was wow: ultimate projection.

But wait. There’s more. After standing and marching back and forth for over an hour, we saw a guy named Mike walking towards us – with his family! All were holding terrific signs like “Tariffs are Taxes!”. Now we were nine! Mike’s crew is from NYC and were visiting his sister. They had planned to attend an organized rally elsewhere. But they saw us and spontaneously joined. Feel our joy.

A germ of an idea shared with a friend grew into a significant “pop up” protest. What did we accomplish other than a sore back? We spoke up! We found solidarity! And as Amy said: “We are now part of a critical mass.” This is growing, folks. The resistance has just begun.

I was one. I became more. And hundreds of people driving by us had to think about the fact that our nation has been stolen by another king and his oligarchs.

Thank you Amy, Sue…and Mike with family.