QUESTION: Has the U.S. Select House Committee on Jan. 6th Hearings shown evidence the ex-President Donald John Trump has violated his oath of office to support and defend the Constitution of the United States presenting a clear and present danger to democracy?
President's oath or affirmation "I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."
10/13/22 SELECT COMMITTEE HEARING
Ex- President Donald J. Trump has been subpoenaed to testify before the U.S. Select House Committee on the Jan. 6th Hearings. Will he be able to find the truth to speak amid his many prevarications?
BETRAYAL
We might well come away from viewing all these Hearing sessions appalled at how many people in our government have betrayed their oath of office and our democratic republic.
"History of the Oath. At the start of each new Congress, in January of every odd-numbered year, the entire House of Representatives and one-third of the Senate performs a solemn and festive constitutional rite that is as old as the Republic."
U.S. Govt. form sf61 for all employees: "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."
RAINDROPS KEEP FALLIN' ON MY HEAD by B. J. Thomas
Burt Bacharach and Hal David wrote this song with uplifting lyrics for the 1969 film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.
Fall is teasing us with cool temperatures where I live in SoCal, but summer's heat will return for a few days before the coming week ends. Rain-promising dark clouds have been hiding the sun most days where I live only to release their much-needed moisture elsewhere. A sudden loud sharp clap of thunder as I write this has followed a finally left token amount of the wet stuff tonight for which I'm grateful in this drought-ridden state.
DEMOCRACY -- VOTING
November mid-term election voting has me reviewing my 5 page ballot that consists of federal, state, local municipal candidates and issues. Likely those of you in the U.S. are voting your own ballots or readying to do so on election day.
There is so much more at stake dwarfing the focus said to be primary such as inflation, immigration, environment to list a few issues. Those matters all become secondary to my voting only for those candidates dedicated to preserving our republic's democracy. They are the leaders I trust most to address our nation's problems with dedication to providing the highest degree of respect for truth and individual freedoms. Deniers of the 2020 presidential election legitimacy must themselves be denied my vote.
"May Gray" has greeted us many mornings with an overcast sky here in SoCal but one morning this past week the world darkened with the loss of children's innocent lives once again -- this time in Texas.
School shootings -- 27 this year -- NPR reports HERE. That's right, shootings in schools 27 times so far ... with seven more months left in the year! You've all heard and read by now about this "unspeakable tragedy" in Uvalde, Texas.
We hear all the same platitudes we've heard with every one of these indefensible human tragedies since 2012. Prayer isn't enough.
Weapons of war do not belong in the hands of civilians, those mentally ill, perhaps not even with teens whose judgement has not yet matured until well into their twenties as summarized by NPR HERE.
Our U.S. Senate has done nothing to correct the gun problem despite the fact the vast majority of the American people have called for reform for years.
"Australia, Britain, Canada, and other countries have enacted reforms ..." How they did it described in John Cassidy's New Yorker article "HOW TO PREVENT GUN MASSACRES? LOOK AROUND THE WORLD" you can read HERE.
In the Senate, legislative bills to address the issue passed by the House of Representatives, forwarded to the Senate, are not even allowed to come up for a vote. Aren't these legislators supposed to reflect the will of the people? Or is it only a few minority views that take precedence?
Those who misinterpret our constitution as to gun ownership rights to politicize the issue serve only to mislead our citizens that all guns will be taken from them. This falsehood couldn't be further from the truth.
I hope when election time rolls around that all those politicians stonewalling firearm ownership reform ... they certainly aren't leaders ... are voted out of office.
Jimmy Kimmel on Elementary School Shooting in Uvalde, Texas
Ten years ago Ronni Bennett wrote about the Connecticut Sandy Hook atrocity on "Time Goes By"HERE. Just substitute Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas for her words which apply to this recent massacre. This time 21 people -- 19 children killed -- an 18-year-old shooter.
Here's a taste of what Ronni wrote:
"No matter the gazillion words that have and will continue to pour forth the bottom line is that this is a gun crime. Got that? A person who was barely an adult himself shot 27 people with a lot of guns."
"...we must do something ... yeah, yeah, yeah ...
"... the NRA, its lobbyists and Congress members who readily accept that organization's campaign contributions will continue to make it easier to buy and own guns."
"...there will be a lot of calls for more armed guards in schools and no useful changes to gun laws."
Ronni hoped she would be wrong a decade ago when she wrote those words as I do now.
Law enforcement, school guard, with all their guns did not protect those children and 2 teachers from being murdered in Texas. The husband of one teacher died with a heart attack a few days later.
How many more slaughters over how many more decades must pass before we reform gun laws?
Maybe this time no one will allow this assault to fade out of consciousness, moving on to the next story. Instead, holding all those legislators feet to the fire until they act to resolve this.
Maybe this time the people will keep the pressure on all those spewing the same ol' rhetoric so we can begin to end these horrors ...
"June Gloom", not just in the weather sense, has regrettably arrived early in a most unwelcome form.
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Eaglet Spirit was to be the focus of this blog post and then there was the unexpected tragedy above.
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I had to take a break once again from all that's happened here and elsewhere in our world to retain my sanity, so I visited the birds -- the Bald Eagle birds and their eaglet. I hope you take similar breaks for whatever gives you pleasure for your own mental health.
I don't forget what's happening, but viewing these eagles, especially any eaglets, or listening to music, and instances prompting lots of laughter offer positive health stimulation and healing to offset incessant brooding and worrying violence-laden events can trigger.
I will keep the pressure on for meaningful change in every way I can, however limited, but certainly by how I vote for all federal government offices -- legislators especially. Focus on local offices, also -- school boards, sheriffs, city councils, mayors, board of supervisors, state offices, and judges at all levels of government. I hope you and others will too.
Big Bear Bald Eagle couple, Jackie and Shadow, live in a nearby Southern California picturesque popular mountain resort area in a large twig and limb-filled nest 145 feet high up in a Jeffrey Pine tree. Their nest overlooking a scenic fish-filled lake of bluish water at lowered level now due to our drought is where they've raised their family each season. Their daily lives have been of ongoing interest on this blog for a number of years.
There's a live camera focused 24/7 directly on their nest, and a second wide angle camera focused on the tree area to cover eagle flights from a distance. This year only one of two eggs hatched an eaglet thought to be a female that local area school children named Spirit.
I checked in on the bald eagle family earlier one night this past week, heard coyotes howling in the distance. Then I saw Spirit awaken, to sit and scratch her baby fluff away from new adult feathers growing in while Mother Jackie continued her watch close by perched on the nest's edge.
Spirit is on fledge watch, could make her first flight from the nest any time now. She periodically jumps up and down, twists and turns, hops about from her nest's front porch to back porch, spreads and rapidly flaps those massive wings at an increasing rate to strengthen all her muscles, but just hasn't risked leaving the nest yet to soar in the sky. If you want to check in on Spirit, the link is HERE.
One afternoon mother Jackie and father Shadow were both at the nest with daughter Spirit. After eating the fish delivered and partially fed to Spirit she demonstrated all her flight preparation moves flitting from the front porch to the back porch. She bombarded her parents with lots of vocal "squees" communicating who knows what which they seem to understand but gave no sound response.
I peeked in on the nest later that night. Shadow had departed, probably to a nearby tree where he positioned himself as a security monitor. Jackie remained on the front porch with Spirit close by. A couple times mother with intense gazes joined her responding daughter as their bodies appeared to press close to each other.
I was startled twice when Jackie after glaring at something out of camera range suddenly leapt forward with slapping wing flaps in attack mode. It may have been the notorious flying squirrel, Fiona, or cohort Fast Freddy as these strictly nocturnal creatures attempt to invade the nest disturbing everyone's sleep.
Big Bear Eagles Fiona Proves That She is Indeed A FLYING Squirrel
(Thanks to Cali Condor and Friends of Big Bear Valley for this 2021-04-06 video)
"Upon seeing spread eagle Shadow, Fiona launches ... into the air .... Hopefully the landing was successful"... since "Flying Squirrels can't really fly".
These Bald Eagles are threatened by another proposed development in Big Bear once again I'm concerned to read.
Many letters of protest have been written to California U. S. Senator Dianne Feinstein and Senator Alex Padilla to aid in preserving these eagles' home there. A recent Chat post requests no more letters be sent to them due to "an amazing show of support". This Facebook link provides details of the Moon Camp Conservation Purchase HERE.
Local area school children also wrote letters to save the eagles their teachers report in comments on that Facebook site if you scroll down the screen.
More Moon Camp development information is provided about this threat to the Bald Eagles that can be read HERE.Increased fire risk is also reported which the Big Bear mountain human community wouldn't welcome either, any time, but especially not now in our drought-ridden state.
Friends of Big Bear Valley and Big Bear Eagle Nest Cam web site provide lots more particulars including photos and a history of the area HERE
Another major concerning issue for the lives of bald eagles everywhere is a report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. An alarming number of bald eagles (in recent years an endangered species), other raptors and birds are dying due to bird flu you can read about in this Phys Org. article "Bird flu takes unheard-of-toll on bald eagles, other birds" HERE.
I end this commentary on a cautious but optimistically hopeful note for long overdue resolution of these distressing human and avian challenges to all desiring to lead a tolerant peaceful life, or just to live -- period.
Mama Jackie brings in a live fish -
gives new meaning to sushi's sashimi.Cookie
whines, then feeding begins also with Simba.Papa Shadow arrives with another fish.Eaglets are rapidly growing in size -- dark feathers appear to be emerging
from fluffy fuzz.Weather conditions have been trending cooler
than normal with periodic wind and unusual rain for May.Quick real-time glances of the nest I’ve
taken during stormy times reveal parental efforts to shelter eaglets but they’re
much larger now and generally are exposed.
*** A question that persists for me:
Is there something fishy continuing in the White House to undermine our democracy with the effort to centralize power there by weakening the other government branches coupled with neutralizing journalists (Fourth Estate) who report facts and truth?
***
What If ..... If Only ..... Revisited .....
My recent May 5th post and
comments querying whether or not a spouse affects what one thinks of as success
reminded me of this. This is a refresh with some editing of a July 2007 post.
Occasionally through the years, in moments of contemplation, I've
thought about how an individual’s life might be different from the one they
have, based on circumstantial changes in their activities, events, residences,
other variables, earlier in their life.
What if, at various times, anywhere along the way, the twists
and turns of choices and changes affecting them were made in directions other
than the ones they did experience, thus leading to different outcomes or
destinations?
I don't think about this for myself, generally, from a sense of regret. I think
about it more from a standpoint of curiosity. I wonder how others view that
question? I've thought, wouldn't life be interesting if we could just put on
hold whatever our existence was at a given time. Then, we could go off on an
alternate route, full well knowing we could come back to the place we were
before if we chose, then resume life where we left off. I guess that would require a quite different life dimension for each of us since we would be affecting so many other lives. Perhaps that could be possible ..... in science fiction.
As for myself, I experienced events at four or five years of age I would like
to have avoided on both a personal and family level. An accident that comes to mind I only recall based on the details my mother described to me. I was perched behind the rider's seat reveling in the moment when my foot became entangled with the spokes of a moving bicycle wheel. The wheel spokes penetrated my
ankle, though thankfully left me with only a large scar present yet today. What
if... I hadn’t tried to find a foot rest for my tired dangling little legs, which resulted in me instead catching my foot in those bicycle spokes?
What if, some other changes, experiences, relocations, in my life hadn't
occurred? For example: What if... my birth family had remained intact? My experience of having my birth father remaining in our home could have offered me a different perspective on relationships.
What if... I had grown up and stayed in my birth city, or even the same state? My
circle of friends might have continued to be more centered on those there. I did retain one life long friend until she died a couple years ago, even though we had both left. But all the other friends I’ve made in subsequent relocations around the country I would never have known.
What if... my mother had not had some of the medical/sensory problems
she developed? My life would have been affected differently
if she had been able to return to her
teaching profession, or even expanded differently on her other skills and artistic talents.
What if... I had been able to continue my music, dancing
classes, develop other potential career interests and attend the private
university to which I aspired? My life career choices might have been quite
different.
What if... I had never lived for a few years in the country exposed to nature as a major companion?My appreciation and understanding of the environment and nature might
stem from quite a different perspective as a primarily city girl.
What if... I hadn't had to give away my dog when we moved?
My memory would be relieved of that emotional loss that I feel yet today.
What if... I had been allowed to accept the offer to ride a horse in Tucson, Arizona's annual western parade in that southwestern state to which we had just moved across country? I would
have treasured memories -- assuming there were no incidents with which this
inexperienced rider might have had to cope – which is why my mother didn’t give
me permission. She apologized for this in later life – but I reassured her she probably
made the wise decision.
What if... a generous family member hadn’t offered to loan me
the money to attend college in a day when there were no community colleges, scholarships
were limited, student loans were unavailable? I was so determined I would have explored
other means. I recall that included the possibility of enlisting in a branch of the
armed forces, despite the negative attitude of some in that time toward women in the military.
What if... I hadn't made what later seemed like foolish mistakes on
occasion? What if... I hadn't had those
instances in speaking when I "put my foot in my mouth"? What if... I hadn’t met some of the people
I’ve met, or I had met some others I didn’t meet? What if... so many more "what ifs"
that I could mention.
There is one interesting observation I've made over the years whenever I’ve
heard most people engage in "What if...?" speculation as I've mentioned here previously. Invariably,
whatever the past event or previous experience about which they are
speculating, their assumption is that the result would have turned out better
for them, "If only ...?"
How would my life have been different “if only…”? Would my life have been “better” – whatever that
means?I wonder, do others ever consider
the possibility the consequences just might have been much less desirable when
they envision their “What if…” and "If only..."scenario?
