Alligators in the Sewers

E.T. is a great movie, one of the most popular movies of the 80s.

One of the scenes that stands out to me is when the boys are excitedly talking about strange phenomena at the dinner table, and one of them brings up "Alligators in the sewers." Little Drew Barrymore, also at the table, hears this and says with sly skepticism, "Alligators in the sewers," like it's just stupy boys being stupy boys, like it's the crazy paranoid nonsense that it actually is.

And that's how I react when I hear someone say -

Transgenders in the bathrooms

What crazy, paranoid nonsense  What a stupid rabbit hole to go down.

The right is always trying to gin up nonsense to fire up their base. They're always picking boogeymen to chase to distract from the fact that their actual agenda (tax cuts for the rich, cutting social security, eliminating health care assistance, allowing deregulated corporations to run roughshod, and sacrificing public safety, just to name a few) is extremely unpopular.

Whether it's fluoride in the drinking water, anthem-kneeling sports figures, welfare moms, immigrant caravans, Teletubbies, or Taylor Swift, it's always something  Like a con man or magician shouting, "Don't look over there; Look over here!"

Our transgendered citizens are one of the easiest of our marginalized communities to pick on. It doesn't matter that they've always existed in every society, at every time. It's difficult for some to understand, but it is scientifically accurate that a person's brain (and soul*!) can be wired differently than their genitalia. 

It's easy to frighten those already on the right with images of men dressed as women invading public bathrooms for the sole purpose of ogling women of all ages.

Yeah.  Right. Someone who identifies as a woman, dresses as such, and THINKS as such is not doing it as an excuse to get into women's restrooms. Alk about your long con!

Is it impossible that a HETEROSEXUAL man would dress as a woman and get into the women's restroom? Maybe...but here's the critical thing to note - THEY"RE NOT TRANSEXUAL.

The primary driver of sexual and physical abuse is not the LGBTQ+ community. Transsexuals committing these abuses are rarer than people getting hit by lightning.

No, the primary driver of these abuses are authority figures in the children's lives who abuse their relationship - pastors, priests, youth pastors, teachers, coaches, and especially other family members, but the right doesn't seem to be worried about the real threat.

Of course, this fear has focused on public library bathrooms. All other bathrooms—in public places, in retail establishments, in restaurants—seem to get a pass.

So, please, can anyone explain to me -

Why are they focused exclusively on public library bathrooms? Even when libraries have single-stall, locking restrooms, it doesn't seem to matter. What is special about the library that they are being held out for special persecution?

Please.

Make it make sense to me.

I don't understand.

*yeah, I don't think a soul is a scientific term, but I nevertheless think it exists.

Migrating Up the River of Why

 

A meeting was held at the Pierce County Library yesterday (Monday, May 13th). The Pierce County Library Board was deciding whether or not to move the library from the Okefenokee Regional Library (based in Waycross) to the Three Rivers Regional Library(based in Jesup).

This makes no sense on any level. Pierce and Ware Counties are weaved together, with many people working, shopping, and churching in both counties. Many have family in both counties. Many visit both libraries. So, it makes no sense from a geographical and relational point of view.

It also makes no sense from the point of view of those who want to discriminate against marginalized communities. The Okefenokee Regional Library has been seized by extremists who have already exiled any displays of support for the LGBTQ+ community and other groups. The only identity politics allowed is white and Christian.

So, why go up the river? First, they had no choice. The local politicians on different area boards refused to fund the library unless they moved to Three Rivers. Why? Even with the domination of a board now sympathetic to the extremists? I don't know. I can't answer that. They have been very unclear publicly as to why they're doing this. If anyone ever figures it out, please let me know.

They may think that by making this move, they will satisfy those pushing the library to be more and more restrictive and more straight-jacketed into only presenting the Christian Nationalist point of view. Even at the meeting, people were commenting on going further, including transgenders and immigrants (?) in the bathrooms. One person implied the taking down of the mural at the Waycross/Ware County Library was a victory for the restoration of equality!

VICTORY FOR EQUALITY??????? George Orwell is a-flippin' in his grave!

I did not get into the meeting room. I lost my seat because I was ready to read for Story Hour. It was packed, so I had to stand outside. With my somewhat reduced hearing capacity, I missed much of what people were saying, particularly the board.

I behaved. I did not speak because I did not have prepared remarks and was afraid I would lose it. There are some who know my rhetorical skills and want me to speak more extemporaneously.

That is a mistake, and I proved it after the meeting. Coming out of the library, I saw the man who was freaking out about transgendered in the bathrooms. I asked why they were so concerned about the bathrooms in the library and not every place else, like at county and city buildings or the schools. I'd like to tell you he had a coherent answer, but he did not. The "conversation" went on and deteriorated from there on both our parts. I got louder and more strident, and so did he. I tried to walk away while he was calling me a wacko. I did not take this well.

I was not cursing, but I was loud and passionate, as I tend to be. I'm ashamed of how I behaved. It was a long and hard week. This was topped by being self-contained for years here, what with all the Trump and Christian Nationalist nonsense. I'm always on the verge of losing it, but normally, I can control it.

It's not healthy, I know. But that is why I try to express myself through this blog or carefully prepared speeches. I am not a debater. I am not good at back-and-forth with unreasonable people. I wish I were different, but I'm not.

Please forgive me. I will do my best to keep the pressure cooker lid from coming off.

But these people...what a challenge.

Everything Changed: OHC Writer's Guild Writing Assignment #1

 Everything changed.  In an instant, my love was gone.

The bus stop was just a bench.  We were waiting for the 151 to the Palisades. 

The argument was stupid.  Meaningless.  Insignificant.  The same old thing.  My love wanted me to move away from my mother and come live with her. 

But I couldn’t leave.  My mother was too fragile, too dependent on me.

What did I know about fragility?

She huffed away from me, standing by the curb of the road, yelling at me to man up and break free.

Neither of us heard the truck.  The truck that was heading to the curb too fast.

I saw nothing until I heard the smack of her body against the oncoming truck. 

At first, she seemed stuck to its front, as if glued down somehow.  But that horrible image, forever ingrained in my mind, in reality only lasted milliseconds.

Then she flew through the air, at least twenty feet, landing harshly on the concrete, twisted like a rag doll.

It happened in an instant.  I would give anything for that instant not to have occurred.

Instead, it will haunt me forever.

The End of Reason

 

Well, the mural is gone. By a 6 to 3 vote, this unifying mural, a welcome to all groups and users to the library, displaying its varied patrons and wide range of resources, has been stripped away. The noise brought by a vocal minority convinced enough local politicians that welcoming everyone, particularly the LGBTQ+ community, was not the way they wanted to go.

It has already been removed. There is now only an empty wall to greet visitors. Are you welcome? Take a chance and find out.  

It is a sad day in this area's history. It is a giant step backward towards the bad old days of segregation and exclusion.

Some are happy that this happened. Others, although not thrilled with it, think that now that this concession has been made, those who are coming after the LGBTQ+ will just stop, having achieved their great victory.

If you are in the group that thinks this settles it, you are highly mistaken. They're not going to stop. They are emboldened to gut more and more. They will come after books, personnel, and anything else that doesn't meet their narrow views. They will reach beyond the LGBTQ+ community and try to censor and exclude history and any other book that doesn't meet their narrow views.

They want something other than a truly public library. They want a propaganda center exclusively for their own views.

They will not break our spirit. We are the library. We are the mural. We will never give up the fight to make the library for everyone.  

I'm a big Superman fan, and this quote is one of the big reasons why. A favorite Superman quote: "Dreams save us. Dreams lift us up and transform us into something better. And on my soul, I swear that until my dream of a world where dignity, honor, and justice are the reality we all share, I'll never stop fighting. Ever."

As far as the funding battles go, there is nothing left for local boards to use as an excuse to hold up funding. I have not heard anything definitive from the Pierce Boards, but to object now is just pure meanness and would demonstrate that you just really do not want a library in your county.

Please continue to support your local public library and the right for all to be represented and welcome.

I will continue to update you on the battle and the many services your local public library offers.

Be aware that Facebook is starting to take down some of my blog stories, claiming they are community spam. This is incredibly annoying, as most of the taking down has occurred on my T. M. Strait Page, which was explicitly designed to give access to my writings, especially from my blog The Strait Line.

It might be Facebook, or an individual might be reporting it as spam. I'm trying to get to the bottom of it, and I will report back any results—that is if you get to see this at all.

Libraries are for Everyone!

T. M. Strait

An Email to the Okefenokee Regional Library Board

I was asked to email the members of the Okefenokee Regional Library Board. As usual, I saw this request close to the deadline.  

For better or worse, this is what I sent:

 I am a library patron of both the Waycross/Ware County Library and the Pierce County Library, visiting several times each week.

One of the very best parts of this area is The Miracle League. A specially designed baseball field, with games played by young players with different challenges. The community has come together to support them with dollars, attendance, cheers, and love. Not everyplace in the Okefenokee area makes itself welcome to these marginalized communities, but this league does. It is truly a miracle.

There are not many signs supportive of marginalized communities in this area. There is no requirement to be overtly welcoming in our private businesses and churches. This is especially true of the lgbtq+ community. They are made to feel "less than" in many places.  

This should not be true in public spaces. Both our public schools and public schools should be overtly welcome to everyone.

And that is what the Libraries Are for Everyone mural does for the Waycross/Ware County Public Library. It is a vital symbol of inclusion. Taking it down would be sending a horrible message to our marginalized and, in some cases, persecuted communities.

But we need to be honest with ourselves. A virulent vocal group wants it taken down for one reason and one reason only.

The rainbow heart symbol.

That's it. Everything else is background noise.

Taking it down for that reason (no matter how thinly disguised) is discriminatory and against the law. If not criminal, there will be civil rights consequences, and rightly so.

No, it is not enough to imply that the library is for everyone without any symbols of support. The draconian display policy has already eliminated displays for book clubs and most special occasions, giving the library an empty, cold feel. The fear of showing any support for the LGBTQ+ community means stripping everything else away.

The LGBTQ+ youth, excluded and isolated, have a higher rate of depression and suicide, especially in the transgender community. The rainbow heart symbol, which has arisen such a fever of hate and intolerance, is necessary to show that at least one place in the area welcomes them.

The forces that want to take this down will not stop there. Once they realize how easy it is to push the board around, they will come after books, book clubs, activities, and personnel. And how long before they come after books that, in their opinion, make other groups feel uncomfortable, censoring books that do not support their sense of history, or make their children feel uncomfortable? How long will we get to keep our biographies of Ruby Bridges or Rosa Parks? Will they want to take any book that shows the evils of slavery? Will they want the holocaust denied?  

Where does it stop?

Please stop the madness. Please show that this area is worthy of the marginalized communities in it.  

Just like the Miracle League, you can be a shining example of community support.  

Make it real.

Keep the mural up, and keep the library truly for everyone.

Sincerely,

Tom Strait

Suddenly Three Rivers?

Special for residents of Pierce County

 I am a proud resident of Pierce County, having moved here 27 years ago. My partner was born here and has been a lifelong resident. There is much to love about Pierce County. The people are friendly, kind, and always willing to lend a helping hand. My political bent differs from the vast majority, but I have never felt persecuted.

Pierce County Public Schools are fantastic, and they are one of the best systems in the state. Our son attended from pre-K to Graduation and received a first-rate education. It laid the foundation for him to graduate with honors from college, and he is now employed as a computer programmer.

In addition to the best parts of Pierce County, there is an added benefit of being close to Waycross. Many of us have friends, family, and jobs in Waycross. I worked at a Waycross CPA firm for more than two decades. As an inveterate community theatre hamwich, I have performed many Plays with the Waycross Area Community Theatre. We go to a church in Waycross. We often shop and occasionally eat a meal there.

We also use the Waycross/Ware County Library. They have specific programs, including book clubs, Crafternoons, and Eating Well with Chef Andy. But that only supplements our use of the Pierce County Library. We also use their services, and I often read for story time with Caboose Express.

All it takes is one library card to use at both libraries. Their services are closely related, and getting books from one or the other is easy. You can enjoy such services as Libby (ebooks and audiobooks), Kanopy (streaming service), Glass (for the hearing and sight impaired), and Mango ( learning foreign languages). All this and more comes from Pierce County’s affiliation with the Okefenokee Regional Library.

There is a fast-moving effort to move the Pierce County Library to the Three Rivers Library System based in Jesup. There may be legitimate business and patron reasons to consider this move. However, the decision is not being made methodically or with careful analysis.

Why? Because some local politicians and members of different boards operate from lies, rumors, and innuendo. And they are trying to force the local board into the move. 

They are willing to destroy the local library because they falsely believe that the Ware County Commission has given a list of specific demands for the Waycross/Ware County Library to give in to or risk being defunded at the end of June. Simply, there is no actual written list of demands. There can’t be.

Why? Because at the root of what they want is sheer discrimination against the lgbtq+ community, and they don’t want to run the risk of being blatant about their demands. This could engender exposure to lawsuits. So, they are trying to pass forward the risk to the Waycross/Ware County Library Board and, failing that, the Okefenokee Regional Library Board. This may be moot one way or another because of the regional meeting on May 6^th. Again, it’s hard to say what will come from it since the demands are not concrete.  

Interestingly, the same County Board that withholds funding also approved using an almost million-dollar grant to improve the physical facility of the Waycross/Ware County Library. This makes me believe withholding funding for the library is all storm and thunder, signifying nothing. It is just a tremendous bluff to see how far they can push the library to be discriminatory.

The Pierce County Library Board meets on Thursday, May 9^th, to decide whether to switch library systems. I am very sympathetic to what they are dealing with. Political blackmail is never a pleasant thing to see.

Clearly, I don’t want to see the library move to a more distant system that will have incompatibilities with our sister community, Waycross. However, if worse comes to worse and the Pierce Library moves to the Three Rivers System, I will continue to support and love our local library.

But this will not solve all the problems. There are groups in our community who want to exclude the lgbtq+ community from being welcomed or supported. They will be inspired by this move, inspired to come after the library even harder. Nothing will solve this until Pierce County stands firm against the forces that would destroy and diminish our public library. Otherwise, if they sense weakness, they will demand more and more.

Please support your public library and the fundamental ideal that libraries are for everyone. Make sure you communicate this to your local representative. Right now, a loud minority is dictating things while most of us remain silent.

I love our public library. I want to see it grow and thrive and serve everybody. I pray you do, too.

 

What I Love the Most

 I love my family. I love my God. I love my neighbor.

What I love to do the most is read aloud. Whether it's community theatre, being a lector/reader at church, or reading for the banned books series, I love doing it.

But what I love most of all is reading to children. Seeing their joy and response fills my heart with gladness.

I have been able to read via Facetime to my granddaughter in New York. She is my toughest audience in that she likes to move around a lot and show us many things, but I recently had the great joy of her calling me "Grandpa" for the very first time, just as she was turning 25 months old.

I have been able to read at Story Time at two of our local libraries, mainly at Pierce County Public Library. I love coming in on Mondays and reading for their Story Time.

This is just one of the many things our local library does. It has crafting times, book clubs, computer/internet access, gaming groups, Summer Kids' Reading programs, bringing in Bluey, a Pokemon festival, Bingo, and learning programs/assistance—this is just the tip of the iceberg.

With all the incredible good the library does, it is hard to imagine that local politicians are trying to take it all down.

Why? I'm not sure. Nothing they're saying or doing makes any sense.

The investment in a public library far exceeds the cost. The help, particularly to the poor and disadvantaged, is immeasurable.  

So, why?

Rumors, lies, and innuendo.

They believe the worst rumors at face value without doing their due diligence. A small amount of investigation and verification will reveal what nonsense they are.

The worst part is that there are those in a position to challenge these misinformed individuals and don't do it. What if they were corrected right on the spot by somebody they respected?

Believing something to be true does not make it true.  

Much of this stems from the Ware County Board's self-created difficulties regarding the Waycross/Ware County Library. They want to take down a mural that declares the essential truth that Libraries are for Everyone because one of the 10 patrons has a rainbow heart in their picture.

That's it. Everything else is noise and fury. They don't want the library to acknowledge the LGBTQ+ community in any way, shape, or form. The library board has already stripped the library of virtually any displays. No book club displays, nothing for Black History Month, nothing for promoting anything. Now, there are blank bulletin boards, little to no displays of books, nothing. Why? In order to not being accused of discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, they'll just take down everything.

Make no mistake. The goal is not to take down all displays. They just despise the LGBTQ+ that much. It is hard for me to fathom such a level of hatred.

To be fair, some are not motivated by the rampant homophobia that is being orchestrated by a few far-right Christian churches. They are motivated by fear and cowardice. They see the avalanche headed toward them, and they are ready to concede anything to preserve the library.

I understand the instinct—I really do. It's hard to deal with politicians who operate from a base of fear and misinformation. But the forces at play will not stop. They will not be placated. They will keep coming and coming, taking away books, clubs, events, and anything that doesn't meet their narrow bigotry until there is nothing left but a hollow shell.

There are other issues that I hope to address soon, including a potential move by Pierce to another library system. But I'll let that be for another post.

P.S.

I have not written much lately. My elbow was inflamed like I was carrying a golf ball, making writing difficult. It's not gone, but it's tamed considerably, so I plan to write more frequently now.

Grandpa Funder!

 

One of the most popular events at our local libraries is the storytimes and crafts for children. Waycross/Ware County Public Library has Story Time for older children on Tuesdays at 4 PM and Toddler Time for the pre-K set on Wednesdays at 10 AM.

Pierce County also has a Story/Craft time on Mondays at 4 PM. This one is special to me because I have occasionally read a story. I hope to be there today to read The Silly Book by Stu Hemple. As a semi-retired community theatre hamwich, there is nothing I like better.

Recently, the parents who attend Story Time and/or Toddler Time with their children were horrified to find out that the library has not yet been properly funded and may have to close down at the end of June.

So, be prepared. These parents vote. They've got buttons, and they're prepared to make their voices heard. Local politicians and Christian Nationalist churches don't know what they have awoken.

They've got buttons that say Moms for Funding Libraries. And there are buttons for other family members. As you can see at the start of this post, I am proud to have a Grandpas for Funding Libraries button.  

And, yes, I am now officially a Grandpa more than ever! I have one Grandchild, a granddaughter, Retta, who is 25 months old today. She is way up in the Catskills Mountains of New York. We make video calls to her at least once a week. This Grandpa has been able to read her some stories, but mostly we just hobnob and watch her play.

Yesterday, however, was extra special. She called me Grandpa for the first time!

So, now it's super official! I am GRANDPA! Woohoo!

Special note: Grandpa Funder, along with many others, is ready to take on the so-called Daddy Defunder, the Ware County Commission Chairman.

The superheroes are ready to take on the supervillains.

Huzzah!

Libby Lets You Listen Too!

 

There's more to Libby than just ebooks and magazines!

Some, like me, prefer physical books, while others prefer to read books on a Kindle or other device.

Another group of people prefers audiobooks.  

Everyone has a different way of learning and absorbing information. Whether it's reading for pleasure or learning something you didn't know in history, how to build something, or positive affirmations, your learning style may be to use your auditory skills.

About the only time I can listen to audio is when I'm driving (preferably a routine route) or walking/mowing. Even then, I prefer podcasts or nonfiction.

Others prefer audiobooks. They are easier for them to concentrate on and read than the written word.

And as we know, LIBRARIES ARE FOR EVERYONE, and waalaa, oops there it is!

Get the latest audio fiction! Libby tells you how long it is and describes the book. This particular one offers seven hours of audio enjoyment.

Like nonfiction? There's this three-hour gem!

And, yes, libraries are for Christians too, including this 5 hour devotional. Seriously, it's better to find the stuff you want to read/listen to than trying to tell everyone else what they CAN'T read/listen to,

Although I don't spend much time with audiobooks, I would like to become a voice artist and record them. I have the voice and acting skills; I just don't have the technical skills. If anyone could ever help with that, I would be very grateful.

Anyhoo, this is another excellent service of your local library.

Now is the time to let the defunders know how much you love and appreciate your library!

When It Says Libby, Libby, Libby at Your Library, Library, Library!

 

I love to read physical books. I love the feel and the smell. I love to know how far I've got to go, to flip back with ease, and to experience the joy of a fun and clever bookmark.

But not everybody is exactly like me.

  Some prefer e-readers. They find it easier to hold, and the size of the print can be adjusted to whatever you want.

And your public library knows this.  

Which is why they offer the wonderful service of Libby...free of charge! It gives you access to hundreds of books and magazines, all available to lend.  

Like Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens?

You can read the ebook on your favorite online device!

Like magazines like National Geographic?

It's available! Along with many other magazines!

How about books and stuff for Young Adults and children?

Oh, yowza! Libby has got them!

How about Graphic Novels?

Oh, yaz! You better believe Libby's has them.

I could go on and on, for whatever interest or taste you have!

And it's all courtesy of your PUBLIC LIBRARY!

Don't let them defund the local libraries. Support them. Make sure civic leaders and others know you have the library's back.

LIBRARIES ARE FOR EVERYONE!

The Joy of Reading

 

I can't imagine life without reading.

And as much as I love reading the written word, that joy can extend itself to braille and audio for those who are blind or have limited eyesight. Even for those with perfect vision, their learning skills and preferred medium may be audio.

I started early. My mother taught me to read before I entered Kindergarten. I was reading information the teacher was writing that she didn't even intend for us - that caused some embarrassment.

By third grade, I was reading out loud to students during the reading time. The teacher learned that the class preferred me to her and that I could hold their attention better. So I read a book about Pocahontas and John Smith, and yes, it was the sanitized fictional version.

I skipped most children's books. The closest I came was the Doctor Dolittle series by Hugh Lofting and the Bobbsey Twins (a girl I liked was reading them, and it gave us a point in common).

By 4, I was reading and collecting comic books. By 8, I was reading science fiction magazines, including serialized novels like Robert Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

By late elementary I was reading all kinds of things, including books that were being weeded out at the Junior High Library  One of those books was Mein Kempf by Adolph Hitler  And that's how I became a Nazi...NOT  I thought Hitler was insane and a dangerous jackass. You see, sometimes you have to trust the moral and ethical basis you give a young adult is strong enough to guide them through a free society.

By early high school, I had discovered dystopian novels like 1984 and Brave New World, and those influenced me. Like Hitler, I realized how off-course we could get when authoritarian forces took hold.

As I grew up, a cornucopia of books opened up to me, from Lord of the Rings to The Game of Thrones, from Stephen King to Sara Pinbrough, from John Steinbeck to Colson Whitehead,  from Joseph Heller to Margaret Atwood, from Philip K Dick to Harry Turtledove.

I usually have 25 to 60 books on cue to read. I have a random number program to determine what I read next. And even if it takes a while, they all get read.

I have a lot of books, but only a fraction of what I've ever had. Over the years, I've given away enough books to fill a library the size of Pierce County's.

As my intense desire to own books has diminished, I have tried to slowly read more books from the public library. I'm up to two or three a month, including the Murder They Read Book Club that I am in (at the public library, naturally).

Books are only one of the important public services the library provides, But it's important to me, and it means so much to those who find $30 to purchase a book out of reach. It provides that great joy of reading to so many, and it helps fulfill one of the main missions of our public schools and libraries - to help provide an educated populace capable of critical thinking and contributing to the foundational strength of our democracy.*

Today, your public library needs your love and support. Make sure everyone you meet knows that you support the local library and that they need to urge local government boards to STOP holding up support and fund the library TODAY.

The situation in the Okefenokee Library Region is dire. If local support is not secured, they could be shutting their doors on June 30th. No more library for avid readers like myself or for those who are using the library for so many other important, special things.**

Reading is a joy. Reading is fundamental. Reading keeps us free.

Support freedom. Support the need for open public spaces. Support your local library.

And ensure that it exists tomorrow.

*constitutional republic, representative democracy, yada yada. God, I hate having to keep repeating this.

**to be addressed in future blog articles. The Strait Line is now wholly devoted to supporting the public library until the current funding crisis is over.

Public Spaces Under Siege

 

It is hard to marshall my thoughts in this dark and scary time.

I took so much for granted about the greatness and stability of American Democracy.*

I thought the great civil rights battles of sixty to fifty years ago were a sign that the moral arc of the universe was finally bending the right way.

I was wrong.

The battle is never over. The forces that would pull us back are constantly with us. If we don't fight back, they will overwhelm us and drag us back to a time when DEI doesn't stand for diversity, equity, and inclusion but instead discrimination, exclusion, and intolerance.

What a beautiful, inclusive, and loving statement the above mural is. And how sick and twisted are the challenges to it.

The concept of open public libraries is essential to the preservation of democracy. As our founding fathers advocated, a functioning democracy is dependent on an educated and informed populace. We must develop critical thinkers, not automatons ready to follow whatever authoritarian bully comes around.

Democracy is stronger when knowledge is available. A community is stronger whenever everyone is served, regardless of income or station.  

Marginalized communities and individuals need to know they have a welcoming, safe space to go to. There are so many places where they are made to feel uncomfortable and unwanted. Public spaces, including the library and our schools, should not be one of them.

If your ideas are strong enough, they should be able to survive and thrive in an open marketplace of ideas. As a devout Christian, I do not fear this marketplace. I thrive in it. Because I know how strong and loving my faith is.

But if you really can't stand openness, then stop attacking public spaces and create your own private spaces that only allow your own indoctrination to shine through. Start your own private schools. Put a private library in your church or your beer-putsch-style political halls. Just don't come running to the state for your funding. Because they are obligated to serve EVERYONE, not just YOU.

This is not my last message on this subject. I will come back to it again and again. I would love for my blog to be about the eclipse, funny family experiences, pets, theatre, my Granddaughter, or even railing about Trump.

But that's not the time we live in. We must come to the defense of public spaces.

I'm open to suggestions. Anything. Let me know. Yes, I'm an introvert who has a hard time putting myself out. But this is too important.

Let's figure out what to do. If you love the library, now is the time to defend it.

*constitutional republic, representative democracy...whatever, it's all the same thing.  If you're snarling about my using the word democracy, you're part of the problem, not the solution.

Georgia Shoots for a Partial Eclipse

 

It's an omen!

Well, not really. It's an astrological event. symbolic of ... science.

It's not the Rapture, a theological construct less than 200 years old.

It's not a sign of the end times. It's something that has been set to happen at this time because, based on the movement of the sun and the moon and the earth, this is a scientific inevitability.

If it was truly supernatural in origin, you would hear the scientists say, "Oh, no! This wasn't supposed to happen right now! It defies the known orbits and movements of these celestial bodies!"

And...no one is saying that.

So, sorry. It briefly darkens the Ark Museum. It might pass over a couple of towns named Nineveh. No one is being raptured off the planet.

It is no more God-led than the recent earthquake centered near Trump's New Jersey golf course.

Will I be looking up at the eclipse when it passes this afternoon? No, mostly because I don't have the right equipment to do it. I have seen eclipses before and have not been particularly overwhelmed by them.  

From what I read, the eclipse in South Georgia will be about 70%. That may be enough to confuse some animals, but I'm not sure what we'll see without the right equipment. The best time estimate for peak coverage is around 3 PM.

I'll be home. I'll look to see if the yard gets any darker. Mostly if I see something, it will be via television.

I definitely will not look directly at it. I'm not stupid. I'm not Donald Trump.

Mystery Numbers

 

I'm not sure where they're coming from.

Last month was more typical. I received 1,046 views on my blog, The Strait Line.  

This month, so far, I have 8,688 views. I don't know why this month is substantially higher than last month. To date, I have 6 new posts in Mach, which is the same as in February. 

I know what it is not. It's not FaceBook because I get little to no response there. Facebook shows my Strait Line posts to few. Maybe because the blog is from rival Google. Maybe because it wants me to pay advertising money to show it to more people. I can't do that. My blog doesn't make money. I was lifetime banished from advertising more than a decade ago. 

I can see views made to individual blog posts, but I don't see anything explaining this month's numbers. Sometimes, my stories get reposted to more popular sites, but I don't know where.

It's probably some bot thing. I don't know. I'm trying not to get too depressed.

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Speaking of not trying to get depressed, I bought Mega Million lottery tickets. The jackpot was $1.1 billion, and I figured if I was going to lose, I might as well lose big.

Which, of course, I did. The odds are such that wasting a lot of money on the lottery is really stupid.

Oh, well. Never said I was a genius.

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There seems to be some joy in Biden's improvement in poll numbers in swing states.

But it's nothing more than a statistical tie for many of those.

Given what a lousy candidate and horrible person the Orange Conman is, I don't understand why anyone is supporting him anywhere.

But they are,  And now he's hawking "patriotic" bibles. I'm surprised they're not combusting at his touch.

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On a happier note, we are counting down the days (roughly 60) until we can see our Granddaughter again! We could see my oldest son in roughly two weeks, and my youngest son is coming home for Easter!

So, that's all good!

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Have a good week!

T. M. Strait

Toto Leads the Way!

 

Lost in the mists of time was the original intent behind L Frank Baum's purpose as a political allegory. He meant it to be a commentary on American politics at the turn of the century. There is a lot about agrarian versus urbanism in it. For example, the Scarecrow represents the farmer, and the Tin Man the industrial worker. The stuff about gold and silver (the slippers were originally silver, not red) related to the disputes about what should back the monetary system.

L Frank Baum's harshest criticism was reserved for politicians. They were blustery and full of falsehoods, serving, in the end, their own self-interest. They were frauds, snake oil salesmen, and grifters, promising everything and delivering nothing.

The chief fraudster is, of course, the Wizard of Oz. He has somehow managed to elevate himself to almost deity status. He hides behind smoke and mirrors, people believing he can do anything.

This illusion is shattered when Toto pulls back the curtain, revealing the wizard as a charlatan. He is nothing, a nobody, an empty suit.

Now is the time for a new Toto.

And that new Toto is...

Letitia James, New York Attorney General.

I don't know what will happen today. Will Trump engineer another delay? Will he continue to evade accountability?

I don't know. I hope not.

But whatever happens after this, the curtain has been pulled back. We've seen enough that even his most ardent supporters have to admit he is a raging fraud. He does not have what he's been telling people he has. Everything is smoke and mirrors.

His lawyers plead that he does not have it and no one will bond him for it. Trump contradicts them by saying he does have $500 million in cash.

Somebody's lying. Guess who's my nominee?

He does not own what he says he owns. Much of his property is mortgaged for more than it's worth.

He's not rich. He's just playing a mammoth shell game, moving from one overinflated loan to another, spinning so fast that he hopes no one will notice how little is there. 

Not anymore. Thanks to our modern-day Toto, even the most resistant can finally see him for what he is.

Oh, he'll continue to blow smoke. He'll try to get away with fakery like the Wizard of Oz did—fake medals, diplomas, and ticking clocks. He'll use tennis shoes painted as if they were gold, NFT cards with AI images, and beg limited-income supporters to send him the money they need to live on.

But we all know now. The curtain has been pulled back.

We now must pay attention to the man behind the curtain. Not the myth, but the man.

The misogynist, racist, adjudicated sexual abuser, narcissist, grifting conman, the Wizard of Nothing - Donald J Trump.

Sleepy Time Monday Musings

 Pixie Dust has the right idea. Just crash after the sheer exhaustion of having gotten up and eaten breakfast.

How many of us haven't dreamed of doing that?

Habits are hard to break, though. Even now that I'm retired, my routine is too set to vary much. Once I'm up, I'm up until 11:30 to midnight.

Naps don't pay off for me. It will make it all that harder to sleep that night.

Saturday night was rough for me. I was awake quite a bit, stressed about a meeting I was going to have the next day. I don't have a lot of insomnia. But I have a night every once in a while that's a struggle.

It turns out that the meeting was nowhere near as bad as I feared. I lost sleep for no rational reason.

Some people seem to like to sleep a lot. There are tons of memes on social media about people who like to go to bed at 9 PM.  

I'm not built that way. I want to be awake and take in as much as possible.  

I am in bed by midnight at the latest and up by 6:15 to 6:30 most mornings. I usually get up once or twice a night for reasons that older men tend to get up. 90% of the time, I go back to sleep relatively quickly.

The bottom line is that I need about 5 1/2 to 6 hours of sleep a night. If I get more than that, it is harder to sleep the next night.

I like being awake. I can read more while I'm awake. I can enjoy life more.

I don't feel like I'm living with a sleep deficit.

Everyone is different. I hope you can appreciate that.

A Letter From a Re-education Camp

 Dear Maggie,

I can't seem to forget you.

They say that time makes you forget the details. Faces and voices of the past begin to fade. Everything becomes a hazy blur.

But that's not happening. I remember your hazel eyes, the aquiline sweep of your nose, the redness of your full lips, the auburn curls, the tiny earlobes, and even the location of the mole on your cheek.

I have no picture of you; it is just what I have preserved in my mind. But that is enough to see me through this nightmare. I refuse to accept that I will never see you again.

I'm not supposed to be able to write you. But I have managed to have smuggled to me this one piece of paper, and a small pencil nub. On one side is my note to you, and on the other is the menu for the week. Yes, they got it from the kitchen. The pencil nub was from the guard's station, pilfered by the prisoner assigned to janitorial duties.

Do not worry about me. I am doing fine. I don't like being incarcerated, and I miss you tremendously, but I can and will survive.

I am so happy that you were able to escape the Kingdom. I pray that you are safe. I won't say where I think you are for fear that this letter will be confiscated. Just know that I picture you there, secure and happy.

They have not tortured me. I have no information they desire. Let me repeat that. I know nothing that could help them in any way.

I do spend long hours in counseling sessions designed to convert me to their religion and cause, I listen carefully, but I remain the same. It does not help that I am a Christian because I do not hold to what they are calling Christianity.

That said, I will do what I can to secure my release. Whatever it takes.

And rest assured, I will see you again.

Love,

Gregory

This is flash fiction from a series of stories based on the Kingdom, a near future in which America has broken up into several territories/nations. Much of the South has become The Kingdom, where Christian Nationalists have achieved dominance.

The stories may not always follow from one to the other, as they are adjusted to meet a reasonable extrapolation of current events. Think of them like DC's Elseworld stories or Marvel's What If.

Maybe someday I will edit them into a whole.

How much I write of any one thing may depend on the number of views it gets. So far, following that logic, I should refrain from writing about anything.

Cage Match Re-Match

 

It's official! We have a re-match!

Whether you like it or not.

If you don't like it and did not vote in your primary for somebody else, you have no one to blame but yourself.

I'm not thrilled with the lack of real contest in our primaries and conventions. If we really like democracy, then we should consider competition essential.

That said, no matter how many choices we had, I would still vote for the same person - Joe Biden. Yes, he's old. Yes, he's not perfect. But the reality is that he has exceeded my expectations for what he has achieved.

The most comprehensive infrastructure and climate bills ever passed. Growth in the stock market, low unemployment, growing GDP and stock market, a return of manufacturing jobs, and recovering from post-COVID inflation as quickly as any nation on Earth. He has helped rally the free world to support Ukraine. I'm not happy with how he has failed to do everything to protect Gaza, but without a shadow of a doubt, he is doing more than what Trump would (who has just urged Netanyahu to "finish the job"). 

I won't go on and on about Trump. Anyone who reads my blog knows how I feel about him.

Every day for the past nine years has been an utter embarrassment to me that anyone would support this racist, misogynistic, narcissistic, adjudicated rapist adjudicated fraudster four times indicted with a total of 91 counts, twice impeached incoherent orange conman. Shame on you if you're still with him.

But...speaking of still being with him, Pierce County continues to outshine in its extremism.

I keep waiting for the big turnaround, but the Democratic Party's share of the vote keeps dwindling.

Here is the county vote in yesterday's primary, as reported by The Blackshear Times:

In the last two general Presidential elections, Trump has garnered about 87% of the total vote.

How about this time?

*

It just keeps getting more depressing. Unless they're people we know that are not Trumpers, we have to keep our mouths shut or risk dehumanizing vilification.

Only Republicans go to heaven, you know. At least per our very active and loud Christian Nationalist churches that dominate Pierce County.

It's hard. But I hope people across the nation recognize the danger Trump poses.

* This vote total represents only 17.53% of the county's registered voters. I'm sure this was somewhat reflective of the real lack of competition. Nevertheless, I don't know for any reason why the vote percentages would have been higher if more people had voted.

I'll Meet You at the Oscars!

 

Actually, no. I won't meet you at the Oscars. I wasn't there. I didn't even watch the Oscars. It's my further devolvement in my interest in movies.

Well, not really. But it does represent my decline in watching award shows. This year, I got the idea that Oppenheimer would clean up, and no mystery was involved. 

And that's what happened, with Oppenheimer winning 7 awards, including Best Picture.

The only real surprises came before the awards when actress Margot Robie and director Greta Gerwig were not even nominated for their work on Barbie. In the awards, it was a bit of a surprise that Lilly Gladstone did not win for Killers of the Flower Moon.

One of the great changes in my life is that, over time, I have seen fewer and fewer films at the movie theatre. The reasons for this are many. My boys are grown, so we don't see that many together (Benjamin has indicated interest in seeing Dune 2 with me, but we have yet to be in the same location to do that). Alison did not grow up going to the movies like I did, which was about one each week. My 68-year-old bladder makes me take more breaks during a film, missing more minutes.

The primary reason, though, is that I am a steamaholic. I spend money on these streaming services, and they get movies so quickly that it makes more sense to see them at home. It's nice seeing them at home with our homemade snacks, our pets, and the coupe de grace—being able to pause during bathroom breaks.

Oppenheimer, for example, can be watched on Peacock. We have yet to do it, partly because it's three hours long. We may have to treat it like a miniseries and watch it over a few days. Oppenheimer is the story of the man who led the invention of the atomic bomb that may someday end us all. Briefly, it is a feel-good story.

I'm going to rate all movies that I haven't seen and my interest in seeing them on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being low and 10 being high.

Oppenheimer is a 9.

From IMDb: A cranky history teacher at a prep school is forced to remain on campus over the holidays with a grieving cook and a troubled student.

It can be seen on Peacock. Pair it with Oppenheimer and make a night of it—or a day—or two days.

My interest? 6.

From IMDb: Auschwitz commandant Rudolf Hoss and his wife strive to build a dream life for their family in a house and garden beside the camp.

It won best sound because despite how idyllic they try to make it, you can hear sounds from the camp that destroy the illusion.

To date, it's only available to rent/buy on services like Prime. Stay tuned.

My interest? 7

Barbie is a great movie, as Barbie becomes more real and aware as the film progresses. I have seen this movie, and it is fantastic, 

It is available on MAX (more commonly referred to as HBO).

From imdb: The incredible tale about the fantastical evolution of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life by the brilliant and unorthodox scientist Dr. Godwin Baxter. 

So...like the Bride of Frankenstein?

It's listed, in part, as a sci-fi epic. Hmmm. I may need to find out more about this.

It's available on Hulu.

My interest? Originally a 4, but now that I've read more about it, I'll bump it to a 6.

Childhood friends are torn apart when one moves from South Korea. Twenty years later, they meet each other again.

It is available on Paramount+, and the fantastically free library service Kanopy.

My interest? 5. On the surface, it's not my kind of movie, but I've heard many good things about it.

From IMDb: A woman is suspected of murder after her husband's death; their half-blind son faces a moral dilemma as the main witness.

A legal drama? I'm in!

It is only available as rent/buy on services like Prime, but I'm sure it will eventually come to something if I'm patient.

My interest? 8.

This is a movie about the musical conductor Leonard Bernstein. I don't know what else to say about it.

It's available on Netflix.

My interest? 1.

I seen this one! It took us two nights, but we did it! It's almost four hours long.

I had recently read the book that it's based on, and it was a pretty good rendition of this horrible incident in American history. Another thing that didn't teach you in high school history class.

The ending was a little strange and not what I would have wanted, but overall, this is a great movie demonstrating the horrors and greed that a dominant culture inflicts on an oppressed culture.

It's available on Apple+.

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I'm bad and forgot to get a picture of American Fiction, a movie about a writer who writes a book that's meant to challenge the media's profiting from Black entertainment. 

It's listed as a dark, high-concept comedy and satire.

It is currently available on MGM+.

My interest? 5.