Tag Archives: impeachment

A word about optimism

From a Medium article entitled, How to stay sane if Trump is driving you insane: Advice from a therapist.

“There are times when optimism is not appropriate or possible, and this is one of those times. Our President is delusional, lying, or ignorant; disastrous climate change and war with North Korea loom; marginalized people in our society are suffering. Faced with these calamities, catastrophic thinking is a rational response.”

She recommends:

Radical acceptance. Clear eyed acceptance. Seeing things as they are now.
Feeling the inevitable grief.
Practicing mindfulness, in particular countering bad news with good (because pessimism is not useful either).

“You may object, “But I can’t just forget all the terrible things going on!” You are right. Mindfulness is not about forgetting. It is about shifting focus to what is most immediate and most helpful. We help no one by staying in our anguish for long. Bernie Sanders said it best: ‘Despair is not an option.‘”

These are digital collages that I made at four this morning. They incorporate quilts and photos of collages, so the layers are numerous, sometimes past counting.

The images speak for themselves but to name a few: the virgin atop a cathedral near Assisi as well as an Italian stone archway, an antique bird cage for sale in Essex, Mass. Quilts on the line in the backyard, a woven cloth painting, and another close up of patchwork. A SoulCollage (r) card made from magazine pictures.

As usual, I used Diana photo app for double exposures and Prisma app to create mosaics.

Rain will turn to snow

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And that’s how it’s been going.

Two weeks ago, I upgraded my phone. It had been years. It wasn’t holding a charge anymore and I got sick of walking around in the red zone all the time. Wasn’t gonna spring for another battery.

Meanwhile, the computer that has recorded our tv programs for two decades crapped out. Gonzo. It’s the only way I can see cable, whether recording it or not. Therefore, there was no Maddow or Nicolle Wallace on this historic day.

I watched a four minute clip of Nadler announcing the two articles of impeachment while sitting in the car, in the rain, before going into the office building perched on the Wellesley side of the Charles River where I get my eyes checked. New glasses are in order.

After dinner, K announced that the Christmas tree light cord overheated and needs replacing.

I’m sensing a theme here.

At least the mice are getting dressed for the holidays! Two are chatting away in the dark of a postal box right now, making their way down the coast of the Atlantic.

Indivisible phone call — voices of reason

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So who’s going to Pride?
I am! Yes, can’t wait.
It’s the 50th.
Who’s driving? Taking the T? Is it noon — 12:45?

There’s this dedication in Medford. To mark the graves of the enslaved. Going there instead.

Did you see Gillette’s trans shaving ad? So great! So great!

Did you see Kushner — disgusting. Axios? Australian interviewer. Three times saying about birtherism, “I didn’t have anything to do with that.” Wouldn’t say it was racist.

CNBC: Trump baby blimp

London? The baby in diapers blimp! McCain hat projected on building.
The Brits know how to protest! Feed him to the corgis.

He fell asleep during Queen’s remarks.
This long twitter thread on dementia. Quite advanced. Slurring, body twitches, wide-legged walk.Can progress rapidly. Only question is: what KIND of dementia?

Would we know the difference?

I called my rep: ‘take a stand on impeachment.’
What IS his stand on impeachment?
He says everything’s on the table. Like Pelosi.

Back and forth.

Argument against impeachment

what might happen in 2020.

Arguments for impeachment

political speculation has been wrong;
his base is already fired up (and what about the Dem base, BTW);
polls based on static view are bound to change after weeks of televised hearings (look what 9 minutes of Mueller did) (or is this Pollyanna-ish — after all he’s already an unindicted co-conspirator);
failure by the Senate to convict will be taken as a triumph, yes, but so will the failure to impeach. At least a trial in the Senate would put every Senator who votes with trump on the record.
It’s about the long game. If democracy collapses, it won’t matter that impeachment failed and if democracy survives, the record will damn trump-enablers eventually.

And then this:

“If you think the president has committed high crimes and misdemeanors and you move toward impeachment, that’s constitutional. If you think he’s committed impeachable offenses and you don’t hold impeachment hearings, THAT’s political.”

Why did Pelosi say, “Do you want me to send Elijah Cummings home?” WOULD the other investigations have to end?

What makes us think a ‘turbo-charged impeachment subpoena’ will fare better than a regular one, especially since the White House is now defying COURT ORDERS (Flynn disclosure ruling). Holy Christ!

He’ll start a war. That’s his fallback.

“If you think impeachment is political, then so is upholding the 14th Amendment.”

Ending on a high note? Today’s New York Times OpEd by David Brooks (gag), yeah, but his views are evolving. “The Coming GOP Apocalypse.”

“The generation gap is even more powerful when it comes to Republicans. To put it bluntly, young adults hate them.”

“The difference is ideological. According to Pew, 57 percent of millennials call themselves consistently liberal or mostly liberal. Only 12 percent call themselves consistently conservative or mostly conservative. This is the most important statistic in American politics right now.”

Well, this would’ve been more evident by now if it weren’t for gerrymandering.

What happened to our high note?

The court’s ruling on the census case soon.

Choose color. Eat. Laugh.

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It’s amazing what a dampening effect weather and disappointing news can have. Parts of Colorado got nine inches of snow! Don McGahn didn’t show up to testify and he’s not in jail!

It doesn’t help to be reading a book about a hapless, middle-aged failure whose failures would rank as astounding successes for me. K pshaws (he’s a champ), but still.

(Why continue reading it, you ask? Because it’s incredibly well-written and I want to know what happens).

A delicious homemade broth with ramen was a definite perk last night. We could walk there too, which was nice.

Another high point: a trip to a goodwill in a posh part of Denver where I scored some really good ‘cutters.’ The best one — a garment made out of African batik.

It’s a maxi skirt, so it’s a decent bit of yardage.

Also, I’m a sucker for stripes, so this beautiful cotton skirt grabbed my eye.

I photographed it on a quilt made for D (13 years ago?) to show the consistency of palette.

What colors draw you in, again and again? I’ve studiously tried to move toward a less saturated color wheel for years and not managed it. Tells you something.

This quilt represents probably as much success as I’ll get with choosing more subdued colors. It’s almost finished, PS.

This dress, while a 100% polyester, has just the kind of patterning that I love. Also, because it’s nearly sheer, it can easily be stitched on top of other fabrics. And check out the buttons!

So, what to do while Rome burns? Have a decent meal and indulge in colors that please you. Is that what I’m saying?

Maybe.

Guffawing over at twitter has its place, too.

Assisi sunny Wednesday

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Town is mobbed. Roaming packs of teenagers, hooting and hollering at all hours. Middle-aged tourists. Nuns and brothers. The daily walks produce one spectacular view after another.