and now Charlie…

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Illustration for Home Digest by Rui Ramalheiro
Illustration by Rui Ramalheiro

Kind of odd and creepy that I’ve been writing about Charlie. One of the main characters in my fiction (work in progress) is named Charlie. He’s a robot repair guy, not a journalist and not intentionally named after Mr. Rose. However, I’ve spent a lot of time with Rose over the past couple of years.  He’s the first person I see every day (on CBS Morning) and I’ve watched his late-night PBS show for at least 20 years.

With current comparison’s to the Pandora’s Box myth, I feel compelled to say that the aBoP (listed on my pinned post, of books and projects) is a reference to that myth.  I’ll  post an excerpt of my intro that explains why, but first I want to say how #SAD I’m feeling to learn of this dark side of Charlie Rose.
We all wrestle with addictions and kleshas (Buddhist term for our habituated tendencies) but so tragic to see a lifetime career in shreds over uncontrolled behavior.

Rose has discussed turning to meditation (over the past year or so.) Let’s hope he continues and that it provides relief and insight.  As I posted on twitter:  “We are definitely at an inflection point. Constant focus on sex and power in movies, TV and social media needs serious analysis and contemplation.”  We must also look at the intense violence that we constantly feed our youth.  These issues are all inter-related and entwined.  A society that favors explicit pornography, horrific violence and rarely focuses on positive values is doomed.

History does repeat, so take a look at the downfall of past great civilizations like Rome and Greece to see where we are headed.

With that, the Pandora story is very apropos so I will share how I explain it in the intro of my in-progress fiction:

“In the famous Greek myth, the god Zeus had a daughter named Pandora. When the time came for her to be wed, the king of fate and thunder gave his daughter, and her husband-to-be, a locked box (actually it was a large clay jar or pithos, but in translation it’s always been called a box.) The important part is the admonition that Zeus gave the couple: to assure your happiness, DO NOT OPEN!  Pandora couldn’t believe that her father would give her a gift she could not enjoy. So sometime after the marriage, while her husband was away, curiosity got the best of Pandora and she opened the gift. The most horrid things came flying out. She had unleashed all the evils of the world.

There are many variations of the story known as Pandora’s Box. I like the one that implies Zeus had locked up all the world’s troubles and entrusted his daughter to keep humanity safe.

What are the consequences of our 21st Century society’s lust, greed, and endless obsession for more (of everything)? How far can we go before everything collapses? Can we change our fate by changing our attitude? and what if we don’t? Perhaps this story will prompt you to ponder these possibilities.

So, why did I choose to call my story “a Box of Pandoras”? One of our favorite New Mexico governors, Bruce King, once warned our state legislators, ‘If you pass that bill you’ll be opening up a whole box of Pandoras.’  It became one of his trademark sayings. Rest his soul, we still laugh about it. But he (and Zeus) were right to warn about unleashing the world’s troubles.”  (c) 2015 – 2017

Now, I better get back to writing…

Franken Flak

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Seriously if the news media, or more importantly our Senators, cannot discern the difference between a silly prank and true perversion then it IS time to send all the bums home– reporters and lawmakers– and start over. We have enough idiocy in the WH.
FlakHack
Let’s start with FACTS. This photo of Al Franken is from 2006, during a USO comedy tour to the Middle East to “entertain the troops.” Notice the woman, Leeann Tweeden, another “performer” (she calls herself a “model” and sportscaster in her bio), is wearing a flak jacket. FULL STOP. While it may be considered poor taste to pose in the manner shown, that is not groping.  As one who was groped as a young TV reporter, I know the difference; most women do.

As for the alleged forceful kiss, that’s more complicated. While our so-called “President” admitted on video tape (in 2005) that he could “grab women by the pussy” and couldn’t stop himself from kissing them, he’s not under investigation for that.  Yet Senators, both Dems and Repubs, want to investigate Senator Al Franken over this “comedic” controversy.  It’s a huge difference that Franken, a popular comedian at the time of this photo, quickly apologized for his actions and actually welcomes an ethics investigation.  AND, Thursday (11.16), during a 45 minute segment on CNN’s “The Lead with Jack Tapper”, Tweeden accepted Franken’s apology, tearfully saying she did not want to ruin his political career.  If Franken is investigated, then Trump must be also.  If Franken is taken down over this, then Trump must absolutely be removed from the Presidency for admitting to far worse sexual assault violations.

At this same time we are hearing that 93-year old past President George H.W. Bush groped women when he was President and in his later years. Do you want to pull him out of his wheel chair and investigate him? Bring.It.On as the real pervert Roy Moore says.

What constitutes a pervert? Child molestation, is certainly at the top. That’s what Roy Moore is accused of–  preying on and attacking under age girls. I just heard Dana Bash on CNN discuss a “Creep List” that is well known in Washington, DC.  I doubt Senator Franken was on it, but I bet Trump is.  It includes politicians and lobbyists who reporters and staffers (mostly females) do not want to be alone with on an elevator.  If we’re going to open this long-hidden can of worms, then air it all out!

Finally, Mr. “Reliable Sources” Brian Stelter, how can CNN do a political week in review (as Dana just did) and not even mention that in the House of Representatives a half-dozen Congressmen introduced FIVE articles of impeachment against so-called President Donald Trump, accusing him of obstruction of justice and other offenses. I call him “so-called POTUS” because I am not convinced he won legitimately.  I await the results of Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the 2016 election. That, my friends, is the primary issue we cannot be distracted from by cons, perverts and those seeking to sensationalize the news.  The entire White House administration is truly a “house of cards” scandal.

… and justice for ALL ?

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Statue of Liberty
Statue of Liberty

Hey #FAKE45, don’t threaten us with disrespecting the flag. Every day you disrespect “We the People“– Americans.  If not blacks, the #NFL, women, the disabled, Latinos, Hispanics, now it’s #PuertoRicans who face it, you did not realize WERE Americans.  You embarrass us and yourself every day. But, since it’s my compassionate side that I truly want to cultivate, despite my propensity to respond just as #Nasty and insultingly as you,  I offer a diagnosis instead of another insult.  It may sound harsh, but the truth is you are sick.

Yep, I honestly believe you are sociopathic, meaning you suffer from Antisocial Personality Disorder.  Only a professional can say for sure, but many of us see the symptoms:  disregard for the feelings of others, lack of remorse or shame, manipulative, extremely egocentric, and often lies in order to achieve one’s goals. Sound familiar?  Now, add to this the strong possibility of dementia. Dementia covers a large category of symptoms that can include Alzheimer’s, but also other brain trauma or disease.  Those symptoms are recognized by increasing disrespectful and aggressive behaviors. See a pattern? 

It’s no joke when many of us tweet begging the professionals to speak up and for Congress to consider the #25th Amendment— which provides for removal of the President in case of incapacitation. We could also call it the Captain Queeg clause  (Look up The Caine Mutiny.)

Peeps, when it comes to Trump, I have tweeted the answer to all your questions of “why is he so…”   He’s a demented sociopath.  It’s not a horrible insult,  I believe it’s true.  It is way beyond #SAD that a madman holds the nuclear codes and is ruining our beautiful America (in many ways.)  So, it’s not the players who #TakeAKnee  or #Nasty women (like me) who are denigrating this Country. It is YOU, Trump!  And, also our Congress who must open their eyes and See Clearly that it’s time to remove him. Otherwise, we may not have a nation left to defend.  Get busy!  You too, #Mueller!

#antifa ?

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Good grief, the mess in the US has become so bad I can’t even keep up with the factions and hateful hashtags!  aka # "what?"

The horrific clash in Charlottesville, VA (August 11 – 13) where an innocent woman was killed and many more injured has exposed yet another aspect of our national nightmare… an alleged violent far Left which the racists, neo-nazis and our so-called POTUS are calling #antifa.  I had never heard of it until this past weekend.  Apparently I’m not alone.  Just typing  “what is…  ” into the search bar, before I got any further, brought up hundreds of references to #antifa.  Use of this 1930s term appears to be a backlash to the term “Alt-Right”  (or Alt-Reich, as some have taken to calling extreme Trumpers.)  antifa

Antifa stands for anti-fascist. The original European movement was formed to resist the rise of Hitler and Mussolini.  The use of #antifa on social media seems to have gained momentum here in the US around the time of the early 2017 Berkeley protests where hate speech was not tolerated on that campus. Extreme white Nationalists, Trumpers and those labeled “Alt-Right” claim the violent left is the problem.  (Doing my best to report this in a factual way, but about to “go rogue.”)

The problem with blaming the left is that Trump encouraged violence at his campaign rallies whenever peaceful protesters dared to show up.  He penned reporters in cages and taunted his supporters to boo and hiss at them. Since allegedly winning (or being propped up by Putin) he has done nothing to calm any of the factions. In fact, he has plucked former subculture extremists, skinheads like Stephen Miller and blatant racists like Bannon, and put them on the Federal payroll in our White House!  Trump aligns himself with what had previously been a small, unstable faction. The REAL trouble, IMHO developed when conservative Republicans supported this sick movement in a greedy play to get their diabolic legislation passed.  Repubs were so desperate to get a “conservative” SCOTUS on the bench that they literally sold their souls.  The only thing after that you need to hear is Trump reciting “The Snake” poem and you’ve got the complete picture.  Anyone who voted for Trump should have listened more carefully about relying on a snake.

Back to a more balanced view, if some counter protesters in #Charlottesville were planning for violent clashes, wearing #antifa badges to incite trouble and especially if they came with weapons, then I hope local authorities get to the bottom of that.  We must see clearly that violence begets more violence.  Hate and intolerance is not a solution– only peaceful protesting can work.  We’re truly in a mess and the only way out is going to be a diverse, bipartisan coalition that can calm anxieties and fears on both sides.

For now, Karma is in control…

Good Karma?

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On the first day, actually in the first hour, of Anthony Scaramucci’s new gig as #Fake45’s White House Communications Director, he claimed Trump has “really good karma.” What? 😵
The hedge fund manager turned communicator is not Seeing Clearly* how karma works.

CNN’s lovable Jake Tapper wasn’t much clearer claiming karma “takes place in the next life.” Not necessarily.

It’s trendy thinking that yoga is primarily poses and postures and karma is only tied to the afterlife, but actually neither is true.  Yoga refers to practice, usually a spiritual practice, and karma is cause and effect (which can ripen immediately or much later.) Either way Trump is FAR from generating “good karma.”

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/07/jake-tapper-hilariously-mocks-scaramucci-for-insisting-trump-has-really-good-karma/

Nothing limits karmic consequences to a future life…  in fact, “extreme thoughts of malice” often ripen quickly (in this lifetime.) We can “purify” (clear karma) or continue on mindlessly, uncontrollably repeating our patterns (sound like our fearless leader?)  While “negative” actions can result in a miserable future life, in Buddhist thinking it’s also possible to prevent future rebirths through beneficial actions in this life. Who knew karma was so complicated, Moochie!

As you can see, it’s basically impossible for me to write about Trump without generating angst, anger and karmic consequence for myself.  It’s why I stopped blogging about him. I’m convinced the candidate and and his campaign colluded in Russian espionage to get into the White House and don’t understand why the “MSM” is so willing to accept that he won legitimately. Let #Mueller or a totally independent, bipartisan commission decide that.

Why am I and others so suspicious of Trump’s Russian connections? 1) there are an INCREDIBLE number of ties and links (to use Trump lingo) so many that a Buddhist might call it “auspicious” (but that exalted term is reserved for “good karma” not dirty tricks. ) 2) follow the money. Financial trails are quite revealing. In this case, after the Donald had stiffed all the U.S. banks (call that “bad karma”), he found friendlier funding sources through Deutsche Bank, Chinese and Russian banks and maybe some in Cypress.

And, it’s impossible to search Trump topics without encountering nefarious web sites. Russian and Ukrainian hackers and bots have created so many #FakeNews sites, that unless you are a savvy web user, you can easily get sucked into scam sites and stories. I’ve noticed that if I click on some of these dubious links I get virus warnings (from my non-Russian security software) and often my VOIP (internet-based) phone rings! This happens on my desktop PC. I don’t know what the karmic consequences are of following such links on a phone or tablet.  I try not to.

Bottom line: the difference between real news and #FakeNews is not what Donald Trump thinks; it’s actual, factual information on established news sites not made-up stories created by hackers. When reporters or journalists use the term “sourced” part of the sourcing is knowing who you are speaking to (okay, “to whom”– Trumpism is wearing down my standards.)

I could go on and on, but let me close where we began, with karma.  When asked about the Chinese military torturing and killing Tibetan monks, His Holiness the Dalai Lama has commented:  “No I don’t hate Chinese people for the terrible human rights violations their government engages in. But, I do feel compassion for the future suffering they are creating for themselves.” That answer, my friends, is good karma.

*Shameless plug for my book  😇

Fire Bird: Awakening

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FireBird2017February 27 marks the Tibetan New Year and another opportunity to start fresh, abandoning old patterns of hope and fear.  That is really the crux of Buddhist philosophy: staying present and mindful in THIS moment, rather than hoping or worrying about other outcomes.

On our Western New Year I wrote about Seeing Clearly (also the subject of my last nonfiction book, here on the main page.) Basically it means accepting what is. Seeing things as they are, without our filters and interpretations– just “as is.”

Whenever we struggle with our situation (whatever it is) we suffer. That is what Buddha is said to have realized back in the day, and what all the various Buddhist teachers express. Grappling with this concept IS our practice (as one of my favorite teachers Tsunma Pema Chodron) is fond of saying.  (It is my intention to title my next book Grappling, for that reason.)

The rub, for me at least, is even accepting that fact. I constantly want to say, “yes but…”  As in what about physical pain? What about the need to rise up and fight against fascism? (or hate, greed, torture, abuse.) Isn’t it lame to let go of the Valiant struggles? Isn’t that just caving in and giving up?  Words matter, especially in Dharma.  Acceptance vs. resignation is a favorite topic for grappling.  Here’s a podcast from the Secular Buddhist on that very issue (only 11 minutes and worth the time.)

So, the upshot (as Noah explains in the podcast) is about how we handle our moment to moment experiences; responding– rather than reacting emotionally– to whatever is occurring.  It’s about creating the space and freedom to respond, not resigning or surrendering.  The answer comes by grappling with this process and letting go of our reactive patterns. Translating that to our big concerns takes practice, unless you are so fortunate as experience instant Enlightenment.  🕉️  (More on that in a future post.)

As for the Fire Bird, it is part of the Tibetan astrological phases based on a lunar calendar. It represents passion and also awakening.  Beautiful image!