I slept well last night... and woke up mad as hell.

I slept well last night... and woke up mad as hell.

There is a mass shooting in El Paso, 20 people dead and 26 injured, and the next story in NY Times,  is another shooting in Dayton Ohio 9 are dead and 16 injured and I slept well last night.

I continue to sleep well at night, while We the People have detention centers, or dare I say concentration camps at our borders that are treating human beings less than animals.  My sweet DaisyBelle has more rights than they have.  Think about it, you can go to jail for killing and torturing animals in this country.  But who will go to jail for allowing the treatment of people and their children whose main crime is looking to escape violence and poverty for a better life in the country that is known for the free and brave?  Somewhere we should remind ourselves that they are human beings and deserve to be treated with kindness and care and not as an evil invasion. Apparently as the killer in El Paso showed, we are creating and an environment where hate of others based on their race or where they come is acceptable and that these "other" human lives are less valued than our own. 

Speaking of sleeping well, I walked DaisyBelle yesterday, as I do most weekend mornings.  We have a new walk through paths and walkways in downtown Austin making it easy to get around and from building to buildings, to Lady Bird Lake and a nice walk along Shoal Creek.  Let me be clear, these paths are great leading from towering condos and buildings that house the likes of Google, Indeed and Well Fargo.  In addition, along the way, there are a growing number of homeless people and even one with a dog.  As I walked DaisyBelle with filtered iced water for her, all I could think of is how much better our sweet dog lives. Not just here in Austin, or those detained on the border, but in a world struck by poverty, famine and terrorism she lives better and is treated better than many people around the world and as much as I love her this makes me sad. 

As I slept, did I mention well, there is an election brewing about the future of this great country of ours.   Do we live in a country that is the home of the Free and the brave?  Do we live in a country that leads the world in democracy and freedom?  That believes in human rights not just for those chosen or of privilege but for all humans?  Not just Americans, or those of a chosen race, religion or gender but for all human beings?  Where freedom and democracy have created a country whose citizens believe they have the chance to dream of a better life for themselves and their families regardless of who and where they were born?  A country that believes in science and that with innovation and leadership we can accomplish anything including a walk on the moon or even a rocket ship to Mars in my lifetime? 

Or, as I slept, are we a country who will side with our Amoral Commander and Chief who obviously believes that the only people who deserve a good life is himself and those who are around him.  Who apparently is willing to tell any lie to get elected, to spew hatred and lies about anyone who stands in his way, and apparently only really cares about himself and maybe the family near him and the people as they say "loyal" to him? A president who has no problem telling one lie after another because most of the people who elected him will believe him, and not the media, because he has done everything in his power to convince them that the media is wrong and not him. Watch this man, most tweets were about some UFC fight last night and not about killings in El Paso and Dayton.

As Daisybelle snored next to me last night, we have the majority leader of the senate bragging that he has secured the future of the supreme court for the next generation. Meaning that women's rights, minority rights, gay rights, humanitarian rights are threatened for the next generation.  Trump is an amoral man, who may not know what he is doing is wrong and evil but damn well be sure McConnell knows and he proceeds any way as he, his wife, his brother-in-law and more grow their own wealth on the back of the citizens he was sworn in to serve. 

Hell may have rooms waiting for the Trumps but there is a more sinister place waiting for McConnell and the senators who don't have enough backbone to stand up to their own party and speak truth.  For all those senators rubber stamping his nominees be warned look at the company you will be keeping as well as you seem to have forgotten the oath you took when sworn into the senate "“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter: So help me God.”

I slept well, as our government is threatening global peace and commerce around the globe with threats of tariffs on goods to slow down progress of economies such as China. China represents more than 18% of the world's population.  Will tariffs really change the balance of trade with a country four times as large as the US?  Or, will we create a generation of Chinese people who see our country as the reason their incomes and ability to grow out of poverty stalled.  Are we witnessing the creation of a new cold war?  and we haven't even touched on India, or other countries that with kindness and leadership we can help create economic progress and promote the value of free markets, democracy and human rights for all people. 

I slept well last night, while the senate confirmed along with Mueller that the Russians will continue to do everything, they can to mess with the US elections and the once shining light of democracy.  They do this by also sharing fake news and stirring up hate and underlying prejudice, fear and hatred of women, and trying to infiltrate digitally our systems to corrupt our elections. 

I slept well, while the president spews our hate and rhetoric against four women who don't look like him or his children.  He not only shows his own racism but incites others to as well.  He leverages these tirades not only to rile up his followers but it also distracts the press and the citizens from what he is up to across our borders, reducing the food available to poor families, failing to care for veterans, or solve any of the issues he committed to in the last election to take care of ordinary law abiding citizens in this country. 

I slept well last night, while waking up worried that neither political party has all the answers and wishing for the days when the two parties would actually talk and negotiate with one another for what is best for our country.  The democrats will be a great improvement, but how could they not be.  However, these times require more to recover from these last few years including new solutions not just old ones repackaged or dare I say re-financed.  We are adding to the debt of this country faster than ever, and that debt must be paid back.  Someone should remind the president this country is not one of his failed casinos.  Someone also needs to remind the democrats that adding debt will cripple the future economy and stability of this country, so as they look to tackle real issues that just throwing money at them is no solution.

I slept well last night, as Greenland is melting, and we argue over climate change and its cause. As I wake up every day there are news items highlighting that change and the threat to our planet and life.  How many more "hottest" months than ever do we need to have?  Do we watch Europe boil and not think there is something wrong here?  And yet, better to stir up fake news on the lack of proof than to do what needs to be done for a greener planet including investing in retraining workers and changing our energy economy to focus on renewable energies.  I heard on NPR that windmills and renewable energy are now as low or lower in costs than traditional power plants and yet we can get off our ass to do something about this?  and our president spews off fake news about the threats of windmills like Don Quixote creating fake news to protect the legacy energy industry that is melting our country and financing elections and increasing his wealth.

I slept well, until Lucky the cat was hungry, waking up with genuine concern for the generations behind me.  The younger folks I know have great ideals and show optimism for the future and yet with our current political and global world I wonder how long they can be a shining light of optimism.  I worry with all our digital innovation and technology we still aren't improving their lives and protecting their rights for the future. Are we creating a new level of a "class" driven by a new digital economy and a belief that technology rules above human intuition and kindness?

Did I mention I slept well last night?  Did I mention I woke up mad as hell, because what I share here appears as the new norm in our country and world.  Shootings, where our schools must teach teachers and children what to do in the case of a shooting not from our country’s enemies but from their neighbors or other citizens.  Is the norm continuing our evil at our boarders? Will our government continue to be bent on attacking civil rights, women's rights, and the ordinary citizen for the gain of our elected officials? 

I hope, we wake up, with this election ahead and that the states will successfully secure a free and accurate election.  I hope we have a population that is focused on a new path for our country and we will emerge once again as a beacon of truth and democracy for our planet. I hope the future is good night sleeps as we focus on the well being of all people, truth and freedom. 

But for this morning, I woke up just pissed off that I slept well!