Sunday, June 24, 2018

Random Thoughts June 2018

Politics are front and center of media these days, thanks to Trumpworld.  Every day... he does something to piss off the masses and prop up his minions.  If you support this monster, I don't have a lot to talk about with you.  You are backing a chronic liar and someone as close to the antichrist there's ever been since Hitler.
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I said it years ago when he got elected that I was worried... but NB premier Brian Gallant is driving our province further and further into debt, like his predecessors David Alward and Shawn Graham.  NBers go to the polls soon.  Will they choose more of the same yet again?  Yes, they will.  I've lost a lot of hope.
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I've taken a real liking to CNN these days.  They've taken on a galvanized anti-Trump tone that I think is necessary, simply because of the mere existence of Fox (or Faux) News.  Yes, it is flawed.  No, they're not truly a 'news' network, because they don't actually cover much real news.  But they do cover much of the truth that needs to get out there.  Watch Chris Cuomo's show on weeknights if you want to see what I mean.  #LetsGetAfterIt
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I do find it encouraging to see so many States south of us eschew Trump's pro-coal, pro-fossil fuels agenda and reap the benefits of renewable energy.  The only way countries can achieve true independence is to generate their own power through non-polluting means.  The tech exists.  It must be embraced, and we need governments brave enough to do so.
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The world seems to love Justin Trudeau.  In comparison to other 'leaders', yes, he is quite appealing, but that's setting the bar remarkably low these days.  I've not seen a prime minister as vain as he is, and so conscious of his own image over that of his policy decisions.  I'm not sure how much longer Canada can afford to vote red and blue.  If the definition of insanity is to repeat the same action over and over and expect a different result, then North Americans are truly crazy.
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Sometimes people ask me what music I listen to these days.  The answer would be, none.  Nothing new at least.  Music is made exclusively these days for young girls.  Nothing for the masses.  You won't see a whole lot of guys at shows by 'heart-throbs' like Bieber or Shawn Mendez or all-singer girl groups, or solo girl singers even.  You can argue the Beatles were a boy band, but they played their own instruments, without backing tracks, they all sung, and guys and girls equally loved them.  By the time the 2000's hit, that kind of act evaporated.  And here we are.
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Looking good for my Boston Red Sox these days.  One sticking point I have with the team... they've overtaken the Yankees as the highest spending roster in baseball.  That's not something to be proud of at all.  Hey... for years I railed against New York for having that distinction (I believe they are now 7th on the list), because ultimately I don't think it's fair.  It's also unfair to not criticize yourself if you assume that title.  But, I'm still a loyal Bosox guy.
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Speaking of sports and music, something that's always rankled me, especially since the 80's when the Reagan era changed the world for good - and for the worse - there used to be a time when anyone could afford to go see a game or show; bring their families or treat their friends.  Now it seems you almost have to be among the elite to do that.  Musicians and athletes get paid ridiculous sums of money to 'play' sports and 'play' music.  There's a reason they say 'play', because it's largely not 'work'.  Work is what you do at least 40 hours a week to survive, and even then, you likely don't get paid enough to eke out a very good living.  Not most of us.  Police, the military, civil servants, teachers, etc., actually work, and will never earn in a lifetime what some athletes and musicians and movie stars earn in a year.  There's a massive inbalance when such rich people get tax breaks and corporate welfare exists in a time when there are so many homeless and without adequate healthcare.
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I didn't read the book, but I did see the movie for "The Shack" recently.  Yes, it's a faith-based film, and that's not a sufficient enough reason for you to snub it.  It helped change the way I see a lot of things and helped renew my faith.  And I needed it...
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...because I had another visit from a friend of mine recently who's a sister of the Catholic clergy.  What I learned floored me.  She was oblivious to everything the Trump regime has done wrong in the world, telling me he's a great man who's done great things.  Her news source?  An outfit called EWTN, a Catholic based news channel online.  I've seen some of their ramblings, and it scares me.  To ignore the plight of the world as it's plunged into darkness by the likes of the far-right and focus on tunnel-vision for your own interests is blatantly ignorant and extremely dangerous.  It's not what they say so much as what they don't.  And my friend, the sister, and her fellow sisters, are not allowed to view any news sources besides what they are offered.  This is widespread, and a large part of the reason why there is so much deception in religious ranks today.  Our own Pope Francis is even ignored by these people.  If that doesn't scream that these are dangerous times, what does??
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Pot is going to be legal in Canada for recreational use in a few months.  To the naysayers... until you tell me what you've done to further the laws to penalize drunk drivers or help those who've been victimized by them, don't tell me everything that's wrong with it.  I use cannabis oil to help me sleep at night, and it's done a world of good for my mental illness issues.  I know for a fact that alcohol is a depressant that has few redeeming qualities (and spare me the 'red wine is good for you' stuff... too much of anything will harm you, especially alcohol), and I've seen it strip the personalities away from far too many close to me, including my own father, whose life was lost because of it when I was a kid.  And don't give me the bullshit that marijuana is a 'gateway drug'.  It that's true, then what's alcohol?
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We saw "Avengers:  Infinity War" recently, and I was struck by how brave the filmmakers were at the choices they made for that movie.  It was by far the bleakest, darkest ending for a Marvel film yet, although to be fair, it's not unlike "Star Wars:  The Empire Strikes Back" in that clearly, the end is not really 'the end'; there's more to the story to come.  'Infinity War' is a 2-parter, of which the second part is coming next summer.  Still... that ending, though...
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Very interesting, too, to see James Cameron's short series on the history of science fiction on AMC recently.  I was especially jazzed to see Cameron sitting across the table from my film hero Chris Nolan talking about the relevance of time in sci-fi.  Interesting to note, they spent a lot of time talking about Nolan's "Interstellar", in which physicist Kip Thorne worked on the film for logistics, and actually came up with discoveries during the making of the movie that earned him a Nobel Prize.  I'm anxiously awaiting Nolan's next project.  I have no idea what he's doing next yet.  Also anxious for Cameron's continuation of "Avatar", which is set to revolutionize the movie-going experience yet again when its next sequel comes out in a year and a half.  Also interested in seeing what Cameron does with his beloved "Terminator" franchise now that he owns the rights to it again (or will very, very shortly).  He's co-writing what is essentially a sequel to 'Terminator 2', ignoring all the other T movies that came after that, getting "Deadpool" director Tim Miller to direct.  Even the original Sarah Connor will be back.
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It got off to a slow start for me, but the second season of "The Handmaid's Tale" has really come around.  That show makes me pretty friggin' glad to be a Canadian.  The parallels to that show and what's going on in the U.S. right now is alarming, unsettling, and serves as a warning of what's to come if paths are not changed.  Now if we can just get Elizabeth Moss (the show's main character Offred/June) out of the Scientology cult, it might look less hypocritical.
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I'm pretty excited about Paramount finally getting off their asses with the Star Trek franchise now, too, and looking to create a whole lot of new content based on that universe.  I love the new Trek show, "Discovery", and all the chances that it's taking.  It's sure to alienate some old fans while it creates more new ones, but I'm not one of them.  I'm desperately looking forward to Quentin Tarantino's take on Star Trek, of which a movie is in development for him to direct in a couple of years.  He wants to revisit some past stories on Star Trek series and expand on them, and there's such a wealth of stories to do that with.  Great stories, I might add.  I've often considered writing essays on some Star Trek episodes just to flesh out how important I think some episodes are.  I'd love to see Paramount issue a miniseries or cable movie based on the history of the episode/pilot "The Cage", in which the few remaining inhabitants of the planet Talos IV are looking to help their world continue its survival after it nearly annihilated itself with its power of illusion.  Kirk wasn't yet captain of the Enterprise, and the only familiar character to the original series as people know it was Spock.  I would love to know what led Talos IV to become the barren planet it became.
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"Stranger Things" season 3 is coming soon, looking forward to it.  It's fun watching these kids grow up in the 80's, as it directly appeals to my generation.  "Better Call Saul" drops its next season in August as well.  I want to see the further descent of Mike Ehrmantraut into the underworld, and what leads him there.  It's quite sad, ultimately.  Plus I want to see if Jimmy's brother is actually dead or not.  And how does Hector ultimately wind up in a wheelchair?
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That'll about do it for this installment of RT.  Thanks for reading as always. 




Thursday, March 15, 2018

Sometimes, You Can't Make It On Your Own

Everybody knows about the Parkland shooting in Florida where 17 kids were killed recently. 

And everyone also knows about the efforts nationwide in the U.S. to enforce stricter gun control laws to prevent it from happening again. 

It happens every time there's a mass shooting in the States, which is a lot.  But there's something about this event that seems to be resonating a lot louder.  Kids are tired of feeling unsafe in their schools, and they're even more tired of people in authority not doing anything at all, whatsoever (besides bogus lip service), to forward their cause.  Let's face it, it happens with shocking regularity there. Sadly.  And, also, infuriatingly.

There are people to blame when things like this happen.  Victims and their families largely point fingers at lax gun control laws, and a lack of funding for mental health care for people in distress who culminate their free time on earth by easily purchasing an automatic or semi-automatic weapon at a gun show or Wal Mart with appalling ease to carry out their deranged plans.  The NRA and GOP both blame mental health issues and not a hell of a lot else.

I have a friend in the U.S. that I've known for a long time now who's a big proponent of the 2nd Amendment, which grants the people the right to bear arms.  Once upon a time, I was staunchly against gun ownership, outside of hunting rifles, as guns are built for one purpose, and one purpose only:  To kill human beings.  This is true.  They're not built for collectors, gamesmanship, or shooting bottles off of fence posts.  They're made to end someone's life.  Detractors will say it's for self defense. 

My friend explained to me that they live in a rural area where the police would have to take some time to get to them if there was some kind of incident where their property was being invaded, thus, they should have the right to protect themselves.  This makes sense.  If someone's breaking into your house and the police are ten miles out, it's probably far too late for their assistance.  Protecting yourself in circumstances such as this is quite warranted, provided said gun owner is responsible with their firearms.  My mind was actually changed when we discussed this.  It's hard to argue against ownership of a handgun when you're faced with such a dire prospect, even if the chances of it happening are quite remote.  So with utmost care and caution, I do agree with this person's stance.

I do not agree, however, that anyone outside of law enforcement or the military should be able to possess a weapon that can inflict mass casualties in a matter of seconds.  That's just ridiculous.  When it was revealed that the 18 year old shooter of the Parkland massacre had an abundance of them, it left the vast majority of us shaking our heads.  How could a teenager amass such an arsenal of military grade weaponry and not be noticed? 

But that's neither here nor there in the context of this blog.  The fact of the matter is, this individual (who I won't name for various reasons, fame being the biggest) was a sick man.  Barely a man, at that, by any definition.  He was a monster, a deranged villain of the people with a premeditated plan to carry out an attack that would inflict the most carnage possible.  Only monsters can do such a thing.  A sicko with a perverse agenda.

Upon stating that, I either elicited overwhelming agreement from the reader, with furious feelings that would make one call for the death penalty; or, if you're someone like me, you're asking a hell of a lot more questions.  A hell of a lot.

A child is born equal to everyone in God's eyes.  The moment that child is taken care of will help shape his or her destiny in the years to come.  In the post World War II era, people came back from overseas and got the help they needed to set their lives on a normal track.  Manufacturing, steelworking, textiles, you name it.  There was a need for it, and those needs were met.  Good money was made to help raise families and for everyone to prosper.  It's not a perfect world; obviously some will fall through the cracks, but the picture was a lot rosier then when it came to getting a decent paying job and raising a family.

Then Nixon showed up.  The republican party swapped platforms with the democrats.  Kennedy was assassinated.  Vietnam happened and spurred rebellion, which prompted kids then to stage a relentless peace movement across the country (sound familiar at all?).  Things settled down a little in the 70's, until Reagan turned up in the 80's.  Goodbye to unions and manufacturing and the good paying jobs that came with it; hello to trickle-down economics that turned out to be a farce and left millions upon millions poor and broken and homeless.  The 90's saw more war in the Persian Gulf for what was apparently nothing to do with Americans.  U.S. forces returned home with Gulf War Syndrome, PTSD, blown-off limbs and various diseases and largely no support to help them recover, thanks to governments that would not allow spending to happen to make it so.  Democrats would apply bills to the GOP dominated congress for assistance for veterans, only to not get passed, because after all, in the eyes of republicans, more military spending is far more warranted.  Don't forget the massive billions spent on the ridiculous nuclear arms race in the 80's, again pushed by the GOP.  The debt did indeed recover under eight years of Clinton, but once people got wind of a stain on a blue dress, impeachment enters (and fails) and republicans once again ruled the roost in the new century.  The twin towers are annihilated.  Welcome back, middle east war (with the wrong country, no less) and thousands more are killed, maimed, and sent home in the name of profits for weapons engineers like Halliburton, connected at the hip to the vice president.  Only this time, there's even less help and less political will to endorse help for wounded vets.

As is always the case, the democrats under Obama come in to clean up the massive mess.  And, as always again, congress is dominated in the second term by the GOP and stonewalls any democratic attempts to bring assistance to sick and wounded veterans.  But, the deficit again was largely cleaned up, left by the Bush administration, and hope was beginning to set in again.

Enter Trump.  I don't need to go into anything after those two words.

Today, poverty and strife is rampant across the U.S. and is getting worse.  The rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer.  The unemployment numbers and economy are great, though, showing a massive turnaround from the previous decade... but that began under the previous administration, which inherited the worst deficit and recession from the Bush-9/11 era. 

In Trump's America, racism, xenophobia and hatred are king.  It's inevitable with such discord that anger would descend upon American civilians in such a volatile environment.  With the air of such hopelessness flooding the land, it's bound to permeate itself into hostility and anger that, with the readiness and availability of something like guns and ammo present, can only culminate and continue with more desperation and aggression, in this case, in the form of violence against one another.  What a sad and hopeless state of affairs.

In this day and age where bullying is frowned upon and its perpetrators punished, and such measures are clearly not working, a harder, more detailed look at the picture is warranted.  Punishing the bullies is one thing.  It's easy to take a bully, tell him or her that their actions are wrong, and marginalize them for what they've done.  That's one way to deal with it.  But it's not really working, is it?  Maybe it's time to take that skipping record and flip it over and see what's on the other side. 

So once again, a child is born equal to everyone in God's eyes.  Then, it's up to us how we mold that child.  It's the luck of the draw in a world where not every family has an equal shot at doing a good job at raising a family.  In the case of the Parkland murderer, the odds were stacked against him very early in his life.  He wound up not being raised by his parents at all, but shuffled off from one foster home to another.  If children need anything in their lives, it's stability.  And without it, depending on the environment surrounding them, lack of that stability can wreak some very tragic consequences.  None more extreme than what happened in Parkland.  Now there are calls for this kid's head to roll. 

Upon further public investigation, we learn that the shooter had a history of mental illness and a very, very difficult upbringing.  I say "upbringing" very loosely.  More like slowly lowered into the fire.  I'm not sticking up for the kid.  Rather, I'm trying to look closer at the dots in the picture, which too many aren't doing.  I'm asking only one question about this entire affair:  What made this man, who is, again, barely a man at 18 years old, become the notorious murderer that he's become? 

Victims and their families are entitled to be furious at the event that took place in Parkland.  Even locally, the people have the right to have their emotions upended in the face of such shocking, ugly tragedy.  If your child was murdered in school by a sick (literally) individual with a gun that should never have been available in the first place, you'd likely wish for the same fate for the gunman.  I probably would!  Thus, the death penalty is being sought by prosecutors for this heinous event.

But we as a civilized society need to find the strength to look deeper into the abyss that is the mind of a killer.  We need to know what made him tick.  What led him to do the terrible things he's done.  Would he have done this had he been born into a family with more stability?  If other kids hadn't made his life the hell that he supposedly lived?  Would he have done it if he wasn't able to so easily acquire a weapon like an AR-15?  I sincerely doubt it.  So do you, deep down, even if you disagree on the surface.

Moreover, he was afflicted with mental illness that he wasn't born into, but developed under the circumstances that his life dropped on him.  He was a mentally ill person for a long time who needed help.  The signs were already there that he could be a problem.  Even the FBI tremendously dropped the ball on stopping this outcome in its tracks.  It has ignorance written all over it; it'll go away if we just don't pay attention to it.

The big reveal here is, to those who don't know me, that I'm a sufferer of mental illness myself.  My upbringing was rough.  I was bullied, had an alcoholic father, was brought up poor, suffered numerous serious injuries both accidental and self-inflicted, did poorly in school because of it all, and may well have turned out quite differently if not for the iron wall of support that was my mother.  I still suffer today and deal with it on a daily basis.  In fact, as I write this now, I'm on leave from work due to my illness.  The differences between the shooter and myself is, there was help readily available, though our mental health processes here in Canada need some serious tweaking; but I got it - and it may have made a massive difference that guns aren't readily available like they are down south, or I may have done myself in very long ago. 

Most people who know me will tell you that I'm a pretty nice guy, that I'd do anything to help, not to toot my own horn.  But that's how my mother raised me, and my siblings set the same example.  I was fortunate to have a support system that the mass killer apparently didn't. 

So to hear the NRA trumpet in the media along with Trump and his cronies that the Parkland killer is a 'monster', 'crazy', a 'maniac', and a 'mentally deranged sicko', make my blood boil.  They are essentially telling all of us dealing with mental illness are crazy sickos, ready to shoot up the town if we can get a gun.  This is the most intolerant that people in authority could possibly sound in the face of such a crisis. 

We with mental illness are definitely ill, and need treatment, and maybe medicine.  Some of us need supervision.  But to say that I am mentally ill, with the connotation that I chose to be that way, is absurd beyond levels I can't describe.  And watching Trump and the NRA spew their hatred toward people like us, and re-marginalize us after much progress has been made, is both heartbreaking and infuriating.  True to most GOP standards, it turns the clock back on any progress that has been made in recent years, and incites more hatred, fear, aggression and ignorance toward us.

I guess the reason I took to writing this is, to anyone that it may reach, that if you do not suffer from mental illness -- you need to seriously consider matters far more deeply than just what you see on the surface before you pass judgment.  Please.  Those of us with mental illness issues did not ask for our condition, and don't want it.

To those of you that do suffer, you need to know that there are others out there that are looking for you, and looking to help you.  You need to talk to people.  Get help from a professional, because as a famous band once said, sometimes you can't make it on your own.  But get help, do whatever it takes to get it.

Because you matter, and you WILL make it.