It's Okay to use the F Word

Oscar and Rudy have been with us for four months, and I can say with certainty that they're living their best lives. Lazy mornings spent lounging in bed (not that I ever did that much) are gone. I'm up before the sun every morning to let them out and fix their food bowls before heading out on a 2-mile (3.2 km) walk with them. It's a nice routine, but I must adjust my late-night TV viewing to get to bed at a more reasonable time. It's worth it, though. These little guys are happy in their new home.

Tammy will be tasked with the early morning duties in a few weeks when I go for knee replacement surgery. I'm dreading the disruption to our routine this will cause, but we'll get through it.

My mother would have been 96 years old today had she still been with us. This photo of her (May 4th, 2015) was taken on her last outing before she became ill and had to be admitted to the hospital and then to a senior care facility, where she spent months trying to regain her health before finally passing away on September 3rd—the same day I retired. She spent the last 20 years of her life as a widow. I was surprised that she was reluctant to find another partner to share her life with, as she was only 66 when my father died. 

Our country is facing a crucial decision this Tuesday when we go to the polls to elect either Harris or Trump as president, or to put it another way, when we choose between democracy and authoritarianism. It sounds hyperbolic when I write that, but it's what we're facing. For those who bristle at the notion, please open your eyes to what is happening and what Trump has been saying. He could not be clearer. 

Forty of Trump's forty-four Cabinet members and top advisors, and his former VP, Mike Pence, don't support him, with some referring to him as a fascist and a threat to our democracy. It's how I've seen him for years, ever since he strode out onto Lafayette Square, where peaceful protesters were tear-gassed ahead of his arrival in the days following the murder of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer.  

There he stood with his upside-down Bible, a book he had never read, a prop held in his hand. A strongman, or so he wants us to believe: a fascist.

His rallies have descended into a dark view of America as he rambles incoherently and gaslights his followers with fabricated stories about the evils of immigrants, punching down on both them and those in the transgender community. I expect as much from this vile man. I'm much more disheartened that Evangelicals at his rallies share in his enthusiasm for his marginalization of these people. Jesus is their mascot, not their savior.

Tammy and I have already voted: a straight blue ticket. Now we wait and see. 

This may sound overly optimistic, but I believe Kamala Harris will decisively win this election. The polls are as close as they can be, but I don't think they're capturing the energy and strong will of women and minorities to have their voices heard and, as Kamala likes to say, "turn the page" on this chaotic and divisive period. 

In my most optimistic moments, I think Texas and Florida are also in play as women there turn out to push back against extreme abortion legislation.

My main near-term concern is the lengths Trump and his corrupt enablers will go to steal the election from her by trying to muddy the outcome so much that the decision is sent back to Congress and declared a contingent election, where each state is given one vote, and where Trump would likely prevail. For that to happen, Republicans will need to hold the House with Speaker MAGA Mike Johnson doing Trump's bidding. Given the Republican Congressional track record of this last Congress, I don't see them retaining control. My other concern is how Trump and his followers respond to losing the election—I'm speaking of violence. It's an underlying theme in many of his speeches, and it should concern us all.

If you care about our form of representative democracy and about continuing the robust economy we're currently enjoying, I hope you'll consider voting and, if necessary, crossing party lines to elect Kamala Harris.

I would love to see her become our nation's first woman president. It's long past time. Let's do this!

Additional reading.

That's all I've got.