Awards Announced for Saving the Country

 

 I've harped and hoped that the people that govern this country would come to there senses and restructure the tax system so that the billionaires would pay for their ridiculous profits with in kind services. I even wrote a post about my fantasies that things would actually turn out better after the pandemic.  This country has a deep and serious infrastructure problem that has only gotten worse after the last four years of ineptitude. Bridges are failing, roads are crumbling, and some buildings are well beyond their sell date. Also, stunningly many people are hungry and the schools need help. All this seems impossible to fix, no? It's not! Here are the handy dandy new tasks cheerfully assigned to the billionaires that I have read about who pay a very depressing near $0% of their income and profits for our country's well being.

pigs are more caring than...

Hello and welcome to the awards for saving our infrastructure and country.

1. Mr. Fly Me To the Moon Bezos: I assign the task of tackling an effective recycling program in this country. Lord knows, you have contributed, times a million, to the un-recyclable debris left in our garbage and land fills. As any good mother knows, "clean up after yourself, Jeff." Don't worry Jeffy, you will still have massive amounts of money and change left over from this endeavor to fly high.

2. Mr. Elon Musk: you are being given the honor of repairing all the roads in this country. You supposedly care about cars and here is your chance to prove it, and perhaps the safety of the people riding in those cars. It's part of the plan to keep the U.S. save without leaving the atmosphere.

3. Mr. Warren Buffett: as your name implies, you will undertake the job of actually feeding all of those in need. How, you might ask, can there be any hunger in America? You as one of the wealthiest men a must acknowledging we are one of the richest countries in the world. Perhaps you haven't grasped the full concept of sharing? Very simply put many people don't have jobs. Many of those jobs eliminated, the jobs were put on a plane or boat to other parts of the world for expressed purpose of the CEO's profits at the expense of the workers. You included. So feed the hungry, it will cost you a fraction of your wealth.

4. Mark Zuckerberg: oh you of the Facebook fame who constantly decries, no flies on me, you have the job of making sure all of the children in the U.S. have excellent educations. This will include courses on how to figure out if someone is hustling you. Facebook has been a champ of allowing falsehoods and spreading hate and you must turn this around. Easy peasy!  Information that is honest and true and doesn't hurt people.  You helped usher in the last administration and needless to say, but I will, it is now time to repent for your sins. Onward for fairness in education, truth and justice Mr. Zuckerberg.

5. To all the Waltons including Alice, Jim and Rob Walton: since the inception of Walmart you have ridiculously underpaid your workers and actually insisted that they get on welfare and food stamps. Wow, just look at all the money you saved for yourselves. I propose that you pay back wages in triplicate to all the former and current employees. Next it is essential that you pay back the basically hijacked monies to the U.S. government. This will  enriching our food banks and social security for the nation. No impoverished person left behind, I'm sure you'll agree.

6. The Koch Family: Remember your wealth started with your father and has been used to despoil this country. Not nice. You basically bought politicians with your wealth and basically started the Tea Party. Then you gave billions to the Trump election of course for more favors. Therefore your assignment is to devote the rest of your lives to cleaning up the environment, air, water and pollution which the last administration tried very hard to denigrate. We all can agree on clean air, water and healthy people for the USA, right?

Beware thinking you're immortal

Maureen Dowd's column in the New York Times "Fat Cats on A Hot Tin Roof" got me thinking about this very issue. The billionaires pay no taxes and try to convince all of us that they are good citizens. What roll of baloney is that? They're greedy and insensitive to the plight of ordinary, tax paying citizens. 

On a final note, you'll see that I didn't mention Bill Gates. This because, although I'm sure he also doesn't pay his fair share of taxes, he and Melinda have tried with their wealth to save humanity. They do contribute richly to the health and welfare of the world.

 

We are all going to die dear Billionaires. Wouldn't you like to err on the side of goodness and generosity with your vast wealth? You Can't Take It With You! Money can't buy you love! but it can purchase good will and admiration. I believe it's called a legacy. Just Do It.

Love, Susan R. Grout     administrator and cheerleader for the people and the country.  

susansmagicfeather 2021 Susan R. Grout

Is It Possible to Reduce Violence?

Lights on, curtains down, the ringmaster's leaving town.                                    All his bullies patrol the grounds, plotting revenge even now.                                                                             Susan Grout 2021

Is this what happens in the U.S. of A.? We read the statistics that more than 20,000 are dead by guns this year, and almost half of that statistic by suicide. But how do we stop this preventable carnage? Have we become immune to the people that are dead or the ones wounded behind these numbers? Can we agree to stop this neglect now?

You turned your back then you turn the page,                           planting a hole in our soul.                                                          SRG 

 There is no question that we have a repetitive problem in our country and the world with violence toward our fellow humans. The amount of damage is grossly underestimated because every act of violence impacts so many people, not just the ones being attacked.

Why is it I keep writing about the subject of violence, most often--- domestic violence, over and over again? The answer: I'm very lucky in my life to never have suffered at the hands of anyone who took care of me or was close to me. When I became a psychotherapist in my twenties I was shocked at the stories I was hearing from my clients. I thought, 'really it couldn't have been that bad. Could it?' The dawn of awareness kept on coming, client after client with stories from their relationships or childhoods that were living within their skins and brains. This led me to help start 'Volunteers Against Violence' in our small community. I went to workshops and needed to learn everything I could about this very under reported, very misunderstood reality. 

In order to start a group to protect the victims of abuse and violence we needed to verify and find out how extensive the problem was. Two women friends and I went to the various Sheriff departments in our area to ask this question "How common is domestic abuse and violence in our county" and they all basically said, "oh it's not that bad around here. We usually just break up the fights". Of course this meant leaving the scene, no protection for the families no consequences for the abuser. This, to me, was horrifying---abandoning the women and children, the Sheriff believing that the families would "just figure it out." No help.  

Today, strengthened by our community with a department and salaries for the workers, the group is going strong. Fortunately our community now has the renamed 'Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Services'. Also fortunately there are many other similar organizations though out many communities in the nation. The awareness has been raised because of a lot of hard work by many caring women and men.  We desperately need this intelligence to expand into the fabric of law enforcement. It's time to recommend the emphasis in the law enforcers needs to be on the abusers not on ignoring the families.  I keep reading about women who are being abused calling for help because they are afraid of the abuser. Worse many of these abusers have guns, guns and more guns. And sadly many times these calls are minimized or ignored altogether. 

Stunning crowds grew high on rage,                                                                       he left with a tarnished crown,                                                                               the circus is leaving town.          SRG

Even though de-funding the police has been unhelpfully touted as the best solution, reexamination on the tactics and methods used by the policed not only makes sense but is an obvious necessity.  This could start with less aggression used by the cops in making arrests. I'm curious, why not aim for a person's foot instead of their chests? Isn't that what sharp shooting is all about? Taser before bullets. Anyone have a good idea about that? How about using the very excellent social workers we have in this country to assist every police force? Then, how about paying those workers good salaries, as much as the police are given. 

I must give credit: we, as a country are making progress for women and on women's rights. Women are more protected and believed than when I started working on this problem of domestic violence in the '80's. The latest efforts are in the 'Me too' movement which is of course, years overdue. But it is progress. That's one reason why it feels demoralizing when the minimization starts up yet again about domestic violence.Example, is the January 6th,  sedition, which is of course was domestic violence encouraged and unleashed by #45 and his minions.

Why are people so afraid of giving our dear children lessons in kindness, compassion and love in the schools? In Denmark there is a program for children in compassion and caring. Why can't we have that instead of fighting about school prayer which conflicts with separation of Church and state.Why are some of the politicians afraid to stand up for the truth like teaching about inequality and racism and actual history that has been covered up for ages? Why are so many politicians and right wing newscasters in a rush to minimize the destructiveness of allowing citizens to carry combat weapons legally? Truly this makes no sense if we are attempting to minimize terrorism and violence. 

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Bring on the sun and the golden moon,                      return us to sanity from the gloom.                             Walk out proudly, feel the glee                             embracing peace for all to see,                                 embracing peace for the world to see.                               Susan R. Grout 2021

Isn't this what every human being wants, to be safe from violence, to be treated with respect, dignity and might I add, kindness? It seems to me if we were all following the wisdom of the many great thinkers of history we would all be actively promoting compassion, generosity, fairness, truth and love. 

susansmagicfeather 2021 Susan R. Grout 

Soggy Experiences With Great Female Authors and More

Last month I wrote about bathing with all male authors:

https://susansmagicfeather.blogspot.com/2021/03/bathing-with-john-odonohue-and-michael.html

so now with the strength of equality in mind,  I offer this post of bathing with great female authors.

I'd like to welcome Mary Oliver, Nancy Hathaway, Jane Austen, Isabelle Allende, and Anne Patchett to the bathing experience. It's what makes thinking in the bath worth every single drop of water.  

Women poets are an unusual lot: none of us monied, few of us famous and all of us parceling out parts of ourselves in small but important increments.                                                                    Susan Grout

 I know I'm not alone in believing many of us through out the pandemic turned, with good reason, to poetry to soothe our souls. Combine that with a warm bubble filled bathtub and you have near perfection. Mary Oliver's observance of nature at it's most surprising and tender makes all of us more observant and aware of the glories of nature. Mary Oliver steadily hands us a quiet soothing moment in each of her beloved poems.

Nancy Hathaway who wrote on the Friendly Guide to the Universe gently and humorously informs us about the entire Universe through stories, mythology, science and observation. Planet by planet, star by star, quarks and more filled the tub with glee and intelligence. 

Jane Austen, who for me and billions of other women [and a few men], is a personal favorite has kept me fascinated and engaged since high school. Jane Austen started writing as  was a very young woman of 19. Think of it, her several excellent books have been cherished for over 200 years. I'm not embarrassed to admit that I've read Pride and Prejudice more than ten times and had numerous enjoyable viewings of the series on TV [the one in the '70's and the one in the 90's] and all of the movies. How extraordinary that in the early 1800's  she would claim Elizabeth Bennett as her hero. She set about to make Elizabeth Bennettt be  a woman who absolutely defied convention and is a model for females thinking for themselves. Grand. We, as women, owe her a debt of gratitude.

Here's a darling incident about a female author: I was in a Cafe in a small town in California where my younger son lives. As a treat we had brought our granddaughter to the cafe and told her she could order whatever she wanted. We got our croissants and other pastries and settled in at the outside tables. As we sat enjoying the weather and our coffee, in strolled this extraordinary vibrant older woman. She had bright exciting lipstick, black dramatic hair, a flared colorful skirt with a wide belt and a smile that lit up the outside. Following close behind was an elderly man who was, not happily, in charge of her miniature dog. I said at once, "Isabelle?" and she swooped down to give me a generous hug and she said, "it's so good to see you!"  Now I have a pleasant but fairly ordinary looking face and am frequently greeted by strangers as if they know me. Isabelle said, "I must send you and your granddaughter my latest books!" While I rushed inside to grab a pen and paper to give her my address, my husband asked Isabelle "how do you know Susan?" She said, "oh, probably from one of my book tours." I had never met her before. I was so thrilled to meet one of my favorite authors I said not a word. Returning home days later I received a book In the Midst of Winter for me and the promised book for my granddaughter. Isabelle Allende is someone so generous with her self as well as her books. What a treat! I've been a fan and admirer from afar for years.

Ever since I read and loved Bel Canto by Anne Patchett almost twenty years ago, I've read every one of her books. My imagination says that if I met Anne, like I did Isabelle Allende, she would be a friend. She is warm and genuine in her writing and picks interesting subjects. Her latest Dutch House is a good example, heartfelt, compassionate and breathes life into a family drama. Anne Patchett also is someone who puts her money where her mouth is and owns a bookstore in Nashville. I truly love a bookstore owner that has nothing to do with Amazon.

My next author's post will have to include other female favorites such as Ruth Ozeki, Amy Bloom, Lorrie Moore, Elizabeth Berg, Fanny Flagg. Stay tuned, stay aware of the rich possibilities for a pleasant soak or a long leisurely plunge into a chaise in the summer.

I'll close with a poem I wrote many years ago. 

The Intense Labor of the Poetic Aesthetic     Susan R. Grout

Writing and rewriting sometimes makes the verse worse.

Inspiration without hesitation, a trim hymn, a cozy poesy,

   beat their feet in quick retreat, leaving in their unruly tide

   strident verse I'd rather hide.

 Then raucous ramblings revert to rhyme,

   blurts and bleeps three quarter time,

   ghastly grasping the garbled glop, 

   along the page I'd like to stop.

What could have been, can never be, 

   for I've retired the liberty 

I am caged and bullied by the page. 

susansmagicfeather 2021 Susan R. Grout