Park Avenue Shooting and NYC ...

 

So this dude just walked right up with an assault rifle out in the open and nobody saw it/did anything until he got inside?

What the ???

So I've only been to Manhattan once in my life, and I hope to go again.

It was 1986, during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on a school theater trip. For a little naive suburban Cincinnati girl, at the time, it was eye-opening - but I loved it.

One of the things I remember most was there was a cop stationed at almost every corner in midtown back then - which apparently they don't do anymore.

Maybe because they have cameras everywhere now - but cameras don't stop men on a mission. Neither do cops already inside the building, rather than on street corners, watching everything they see coming.

I think this is a poor decision, not only for reasons such as this, but because a street-corner cop knows the neighborhood and vice versa - he's a part of the community, and thus he's twice as likely to protect it because it becomes personal - which also would help.

They're less likely to shoot people they see every day and know, right? 

Plus street-corner cops again can't hurt community relations with cops in this day and age?

In situations like this, the cop on the corner would radio in what he sees and the cops are there within minutes, right?

With cameras, you're lucky if somebody's actively watching, so somebody just reviews footage later and cops in the building are anticipated by the shooter - cops on multiple street corners are far enough away to see them coming.

I distinctly remember cops on the corner, back then, talking to the locals, but always watching.

They ignored the people smoking weed right behind them. They ignored the crazy lady running in between cars, screaming "No!" at them. That's just a normal Tuesday in NYC 😂

Instead, they were looking for something else - something they considered even more dangerous - someone like that dude.

Now, this next part is sort of random, it just popped in my head, but it's why I remembered that cop so well - so I'm adding it here, perhaps to not end this post on such a sad note?

Don't get me wrong, what happened was horrible - it's just part of my memory of that visit/cops on the corners back then.

So the cop and the guy he was talking to were at the next corner, across a side street we were waiting to cross. I guess the guy he was  talking to was a local shop owner because he wore an apron.

Regardless, both men shouted across the side street we were crossing, "Hey, how you doing?"

Now, being from the Midwest (and South), we weren't used to people shouting their salutations across street corners.  😂

Plus we were all walking with our group and our teacher and chaperones told us not to make eye contact talk to strangers.

However, considering one of them was a cop, we smiled and nodded at this strange sort of welcoming committee, while waiting for the light to change and cross over to where they were.

Shopkeeper Guy: "Ay, where you's guys from?"

David: "Cincinnati"

Shopkeeper Guy: (In the most NYC accent you can imagine) "Ayyyyy, 1, 2, 3, Cincinnati, all right!" 

Now, David - who was closeted gay at the time, being the 80s - walked ahead of us, and the shopkeeper guy leans over to my two girlfriends and me and says ...

Shopkeeper Guy:  "Ey, he walks sexier than you do, eh? But dat's okay, this is New Yohrk, baby! Hey, you's guys have fun, be safe, all right? " 

Then he went back talking to the cop. 😂

My friend - who later came out - heard him and turned around with a wink and we all laughed. 

NYC is where theater and artsy people belong, it was our mecca 😂

So of course, we went to see shows both Broadway and off-Broadway - we saw Cats, of course, The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Tony winner that year), Little Shop of Horrors, and Arsenic and Old Lace with Jean Stapleton and Polly Holiday.

We took the NBC tour at Rockefeller Center, saw the Rockettes, and Bryant Gumbel - the Today Show anchor at the time - walked right past us.

We stared at him starstruck like idiots.

(I wanted to ask him to introduce me to his co-anchor, Jane Pauley, a hero of mine, but I refrained.)

We saw the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, which was awesome - I advise everyone to see that at least once in your life!

And Amy Grant, another hero of mine at the time (for what reason I don't know) waved to us from her Macy's float 😂.

We had a Thanksgiving Dinner together in a local Art Deco diner, which was awesome!

Otherwise, we saw the usual, the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty.

We stayed in kind of a dump near Times Square, but we didn't care. We ate at the McDonald's there and I remember that a Big Mac, Fries, and a coke costs what it does now - about $12 bucks in 1986 (compared to about $4 bucks back home)!

We briefly went to 42nd Street for just a quick look because at that time, it was really run down and full of shady peep shows and "massage parlors" in the 80s. (I understand it's come up again somewhat now.)

Ms. Knotts also wanted us to see what the world was really like outside of suburbia, both the good and the bad, but only briefly on the bad.

We went to Greenwich Village to see some art exhibits and and shop at artsy stores and record shops.

And we went to see Trump Tower, which had just been built on 5th avenue 4 years earlier.

Honestly? 

Even though I was from the sheltered midwest  - I distinctly remembering thinking it was tacky, even in the tacky 80s -  a faux-gold shrine to himself! 😂

Too much shiny faux gold everywhere, like something that belonged in Las Vegas instead of NYC, especially on the inside.

Kind of a foreshadowing of who Trump the man was - flashy, fake gold and tacky on the outside, even worse on the inside, right?

Give me the Art Deco and Art Nouveau stuff any day, over 80s skyscrapers!

Not completely true - there are some modern all-glass skyscrapers I like, particularly the more artistic, tasteful ones built in the last 20 years,  and I love a panoramic city view - just not this one. 

Again, it just looked like it belonged better in Las Vegas, especially on the inside.

In fact, the only thing I liked about it were the trees on the outside ...

Only because they were the only trees in Manhattan except for Central Park! 😂

I know, all of that is random and neither here nor there, but I guess memories were sparked by this, right?

Great memory - the best of my senior year. 😊

That is because I was living away from home with a friend's family, my senior year of high school, and I wouldn't have gone if my theater teacher hadn't called and begged - actually harassed my mom - to help pay for it. 

(I put in $50 from my job at Baskin Robbins, the school putting in  the most after a fundraiser for the trip, benefitting myself and 1 other student who couldn't afford the trip, and I think my mom finally put in $200, after Ms. Knotts basically harassed her for a couple of months 😂)

Ms. Knotts originally didn't care much for me, being originally a fundamentalist Christian (she was a former nun who left the convent and became a liberal), but realized what had happened with my mom and we got a tad bit closer that last year - as much as I would allow because I didn't trust adults much then. 

I think she told me my mom spent most of her time trying to convince her what an evil piece of shit I was, so she said to her ...

"Regardless of how badly you think of her, I've had her in some class of mine every day for the last 4 years.  She barely said a word for 2 years in class, unless it was a part she was playing, but just over the last year, she's starting to come out of her shell. She has a lot of friends and is actually very funny. She's a good kid, doesn't drink or smoke or do drugs, never gets in trouble." 

"She's just trying to get all perspectives before making decisions, and there's nothing wrong with that. Let her see life outside of the little world she knows, just one time? 

I promise I'll make sure she doesn't do anything you'd disapprove of. This is a former nun, talking, remember. 😂Didn't you ever have a time in your life you wanted to know what else was out there? She's almost 18."

My mom actually didn't care what happened to me, after she kicked me out - which, mind you, was because I wanted to visit my Dad in Florida.

Well, not JUST because I wanted to visit my Dad -  but because I stupidly also told her that I wanted to hear his side of things, now that I was older, because I had noticed some stuff myself.

When I returned, she had my bags packed and on the front porch.

That's not what she told the rest of the family and church people, of course, but it's the truth - my friends and their parents knowing it was.

Short ending to that part of the story, I discovered that both of my parents are incredibly effed up, as I would be without years of therapy, and I'd rather be raised by wolves, so I kept living with friends my senior year 😂

Though my dad lied easier than he breathed, not everything he said was a lie.  However, his way of handling her particular brand of  severe mental illness that dipped into psychosis was to beat the shit out of her, revealing his own brand of severe mental illness.

But I had at least both sides of the story now, a trend I continued with people and situations for life - when possible, always get both sides of a story before you make a decision or porounce judgment 😊

So she didn't care what happened to me, but what she DID care about  was that a teacher, church pastors, and my friend's parents were starting to catch on - not because of anything I said, like she thinks - some stuff they said they'd noticed they wouldn't even share with me because they said I needed to figure it all out myself, but that she was not a well woman. 

Regardless, that was perhaps the one and only time, until college, a teacher even noticed me/tried to help - and I never forgot it and am grateful. 😊

Sorry about that, folks - hadn't thought about that in a long time, memories come up and I just go with it and write them out and be done with it, as they do.

Back to my point - think about bringing those community street-corner cops back, NYC and elsewhere?

They won't stop everything, but it helps foster community relations  - less cops and community as adversaries - plus they see much that way and can alert immediately rather than watching camera footage later?

PS - So I Did Watch South Park, Last Night (SPOILER ALERT) 😂😂😂

So I watched it last night - and LMAO! 😂😂

Despite White House rants, it's #1 on Paramount Plus (which I withheld canceling specifically for this purpose).

Although at times, I gasped and laughed - because I also imagine Trump must be blowing a gasket, right now! 

Let me just start by saying - if you are overly sensitive about Trump or Christianity - don't watch it.

Like I said in my previous post - from my recollection, it wasn't us liberals upset about South Park like the WH said, we're the ones with a sense of humor (thus why all the late-night talk show comedians are liberal).

Actually, what I recall  is the people most upset by South Park previously were ultra-religious people?

If you  have a sense of humor and can even laugh at yourself, and your religion (or at least the followers) - then definitely watch it.

It's pretty clear they either wrote or rewrote it within the last week - and OMG, they did NOT hold back and went full tilt off on Trump!

And it's amazing how much of what I wrote in my previous post (2 posts below) came into play.

Let's just say that Parker and Stone - being true, avid free-speech libertarians and atheists - made it very clear they do NOT like the government telling them what to do or believe, especially Christianity being forced in public schools.

But that's getting ahead of ourselves.

Again, in case you missed it in the title *SPOILER ALERT*

So the show starts with Cartman waking up to turn on his favorite show NPR so he can "laugh at all the liberals whining" 😂

However, there's nothing but static.

Cartman's mom explains that NPR is gone, the funding has been taken away.

Then he goes outside to his friends and rambles off some of his normal racist, bigoted sh*t, and they don't react at all and just ... walk away.

This puts Cartman in an identity crisis because he's not "special" anymore - everyone is racist and bigoted, no one reacts shocked anymore,  and that was his schtick! 😂

Then he goes to school, only to find the ultra-liberal principal, whom they used to call "PC Principal," has gone born-again Christian and has actual Jesus in the auditorium talking to the kids.

Cartman, being freaked out by it all, won't hang out with Jesus - so when he won't become a born-again Christian because he's told to, PC Principal threatens expulsion. 

Cartman complains to his Dad, who gets the town riled up about the right to choose faith and government control, and at first, they storm into the former gay teacher-turned-politician's house to try blame him for forcing things on him, but he's just sitting at home watching White Lotus with his partner.

Then one of the angry mob says "Okay, well, which fat faggot do we blame then?" (Insinuating it's the one in the White House.)

Now - I don't use that word and don't ordinarily condone it - but in this context, regarding Trump, it made me laugh.

Oh, but they do not leave it at that, oh no.

Cut to Trump at the White House, jumping up and down, threatening to sue everybody - done in chopped-mouth animated style (where the line of mouth separates the top of his head from the bottom, so that when he talks, his whole head opens and shuts).

On the walls of the White House are portraits of Trump doing absurd Superman-type things and/or himself trying to get a selfie while on the toilet for Twitter rants as well as ... these?

Oh, but this is mild compared to what is to come.

Then Trump climbs in bed with Satan (the only previous time this happened was with Saddam Hussein in the early 2000s, which Satan refers to as his ex-boyfriend.)

Oh, but it doesn't stop there  - the animation uses a picture of Trump's real face on a naked animated body trying to get Satan in the mood and entice him with his ...  tiny endowment ... which Satan  says he can't even see (nor can we).

However, Satan is no mood, Trump is even irritating HIM.

(Presumably because he's starting to lose his following.)

Cut back to Cartman, moping around wearing a black "Woke is dead" T-shirt - depressed - NOT because he was woke, but because he can't be a special racist bigot anymore because it is. 😂

He forces Butters into a suicide pact that if the world isn't woke again by Tuesday, they will kill themselves.

(Classic Cartman - as the self-imposed leader of his friend group - he doesn't like anyone else telling him what to do, but he tells everyone else what to do 😂)

The town is now in full revolt and when Trump finds out about it, he sues the town for millions.

Then he dances around the White House to the music "Jesus is money."

Then Jesus comes to speak to the town again and essentially tells them (paraphrasing): 

"Shhh, to keep your voices down. I don't want to go along with this either, but if I don't, they'll sue me too, like CBS/Paramount, and we'll all end up like Colbert!"

Cartman and Butters go ahead with the suicide pact, trying to off themselves with a hose in Butters' mom's running car - until they realize the car is electric and thus won't have the same effect/takes longer.

Meanwhile, Trump climbs back into bed and Satan is still not having it - he's starting to lose his following over the Epstein questions and says:

"All you keep doing is telling everyone to relax with the Epstein thing. Just answer the question, are you or aren't you?"

To which Trump tells him to relax.

Then the town agrees to a settlement of $5 million AND they have to put pro-Trump messaging advertisements on TV.

And here's where they really go after Trump.

For the ad, South Park uses full on AI - making it look like a fat, naked Trump has shed his suit and is now wandering through the desert for us - because he loves us?!?.

Worse, his tiny ... um ... appendage starts talking to him for direction/comfort!

Oh...My ...God! 😂

So ... that's essentially the gist of of Episode 1?!?

And all I can say is ... wow. 

And ... LOLOLOLOL. 😂😂😂😂

Like I said, if Trump sues Paramount-become Skydance again, it will reveal that in fact, the Colbert cancel was, in fact, politically motivated.

As far as reviews, I'd actually give it an 8/10 when comparing it to old South Park because it did seem a bit rushed - and yet I can't wait for Episode 2 - bring it on, South Park!

Traverse City Walmart Stabbing Attack ...

 

So here's the thing - we came very close to moving to Traverse City for a retirement job for Mark by July 1st.  

In fact, we had all but signed the leased on a new an apartment there - which was only about 3 miles from this Walmart. 

We were only waiting for someone to retire at the end of May and then Mark would take his position by July 1st.

However, instead of retiring -  the person actually passed away in April - and they chose to close the position instead.

I'm never glad anyone dies, of course.

But it's also spooky to think about this ...

The only other grocery store (Meijer) in Traverse City was on the other side of town.  

So the likelihood that either Mark or myself would've been shopping at that Walmart a mile away, on a Saturday, would've been ... well, we'll say higher than normal.

Scary stuff - hoping the 11 people injured will recover 😢

South Park Tackles Trump and Paramount ... and is Sorry/Not Sorry 😂

 

I have yet to see Season 27 yet, watching it tonight, so all I have to say without seeing it yet is ... perfect timing!

The history ...

South Park made a deal with Paramount for the show for $1.5 billion.

The show was held until the Paramount sale to Skydance was approved by the FCC/Trump Administration.

After the Paramount/Skydance sale was approved, this week, the show dropped yesterday - and it supposedly skewers Trump AND the Paramount-Skydance deal - essentially daring either to cancel them like Stephen Colbert.

So if Paramount/Skydance cancels them now, they would lose $1.5 billion AND it would reveal that Colbert's cancellation was, in fact, based on political reasons rather than  "financial reasons," as they stated.

Which we already knew was BS. 

Colbert's show was #1 in its time slot and was raking in big advertising dollars.

Plus you don't pay $1.5 billion for South Park in April and then turn right around and fire a moneymaker like Colbert if you're strapped for cash.

Therefore, the only "financial reason" that could possibly be legit is settling the lawsuit with Trump for $16 million and firing comedian and Trump critic, Colbert, in exchange for the FCC and Trump administration approving the sale of Paramount to Skydance 

Now, at first, I said South Park should've done this sooner about Trump - but then I realized it was actually perfect timing.

Brilliant, brilliant move.

They have responded to the White House backlash with a sarcastic apology - basically sorry/not sorry. 😂

The White House is ranting that we leftists criticized the offensiveness of the show for years, and now have turned tail.

Uh ... if I recall correctly, it was actually mostly religious groups that had a problem with South Park, calling it "immoral?"

Now, I'm a pretty strong leftist Democrat - but I also have a sense of humor - and it never really bothered me - I laughed.

Also, I'm a leftist Christian, but I got the jokes they made about how Christians (and other religious groups) can be and laughed along!

Then again, I can laugh at myself, too.

Plus their jokes didn't perpetuate false stereotypes, it mostly made fun of people who did.

Like the racist and homophobic stuff that came out of Cartman's mouth WAS the joke - we were laughing AT him, not with him - much like we did Archie Bunker.

If I ever didn't like something or felt they took something too far, I just yawned and waited a minute - they'd move on to something else.

Now what IS true is that things are different now.

We're not laughing AT Archie Bunker or Cartman's racism and ignorance anymore, society is laughing WITH them, and worse - wanting us to fear and hate these groups, villainizing them. 

Now - Parker and Stone were originally clearly Colorado Republicans, which are more Libertarians - they did not like government intervention on anything, especially weed, sex, or religion (both being atheists) - and they loved their freedom of speech.

As atheists, they especially loved skewering religion, any religion, but especially Scientologists, followed by Mormons, followed by evangelicals.

Though that was clearly their politics, nobody was safe - right, left, or in between - if they thought you were ridiculous, you were skewered.

They skewered everybody and did not give a shit -  they just wanted to laugh.

And they often inadvertently made you think, had deeper insight into things than it first might appear, done hilariously.

However, as they've gotten older, I suspect they realized the power they actually had and influence.

There's a difference between using freedom of speech to make a joke by dragging your point out to the point of absurd VS. intentionally fanning the flames of hatred and fear, perpetuating wrongful stereotypes, racism, and bigotry or falsely accusing people of crimes they didn't commit for political benefit.

There's a difference between laughing AT Carman or ARchie Bunker and laughing WITH them. 

Also, remember they were/are essentially libertarians - and true libertarians, who understand what that really means, would never go for Trump's big government under the guises of the Republican party of small government.

They DID surprisingly support being vaccinated and most government actions during that time and came out with a COVID show - but I think this is more because they realized, like many of us did, the Trump/Republican backlash against COVID vaccination and government precautions was more political propaganda to get people out to vote rather than based on any fact or science.

They did make it clear in their show that sometimes these precautions went too far - but at the same time, doing so resulted in COVID .

Now - much like Mike Myers, the crude humor jokes began to get carried on way too long -  which is a dead giveaway they'd run out of material - but the other stuff is still gold.

We shall see what they do now ... I'll give a review soon 😊

Trump's DOJ, Ghislaine Maxell, and Her Lawyer Requests a Pardon

So Ghislaine Maxwell was interviewed by the Assistant Deputy Attorney for the DOJ for 2 days, this past week. 

Here's why that's not exactly the calvary stepping in it would've been years ago ...

Remember that Trump has fired anyone in the DOJ and FBI who did not support him since he took office.

Thus, he now has a stacked MAGA deck to do the President's bidding (or conversely, ignore illegal activity).

And when the interview ends with Ghislaine's attorney requesting a pardon, that's not a good sign.

In fact, it's a blatant attempt at shady deal or bribe being made - pardon as reward for her silence.

Now - I doubt Trump will pardon her because doing so would definitely implicate him and make things worse -  but you never know, he is getting desperate. 

Regardless, this leaves Ghislaine holding most the cards - if she doesn't receive that pardon, will she reveal more?

Maybe, but I doubt it.

Her telling everything she knows, on everyone, would result in more jail time AND countless lawsuits for the rest of her life.

Thus, this will still likely end as it always does - everyone with any federal justice authority is now in Trump's pocket, by his own design when he started firing DOJ and FBI people upon entering office - and nothing will come of it.

Rich, powerful, power-abusing people getting away with anything sordid they like and covering for each other.

UNLESS -  MAGA supporters continue to demand answers.

This has been the sole issue they appear to be less willing to look the other way on.

Otherwise, it's too late to remove hm from power now - he's stacked the DOJ and FBI deck in his favor.

And the SOTH, Mike Johnson, shut down  Congress early rather than vote on release of the government's Epstein file investigation.

The release of the grand jury transcripts from Epstein's trial have been shut down by a Trump-appointed judge (although that was lame anyway, it just would tell us what the jury thought about the evidence rather than the actual evidence.)

So MAGA, it's up to you. 

We tried to tell you from the start that his 15-year-long friendship with Epstein himself was shady, even more so than Bill Clinton's friendship with him, with Trump's quote from the October 2002 New York  Magazine interview proving he knew Epstein liked them young.

But you would not listen.

We conceded that Bill Clinton's association with him was shady as well - but still, you wouldn't listen.

Instead, you drug Hilary into it and made her the monster, though there is no evidence whatsoever that she had a close friendship with Epstein herself, was ever on his plane, or his island.

Despite her husband and Trump were known to have flown on Epstein's jet and to Epstein's Island - you zeroed in on her -  to include believing a fabricated, politically motivated ridiculous  propaganda about her being involved in Satanic pedophile cult through Ping Pong Pizza  in DC!

(Which even MAGA-supporting police and FBI have investigated and said was bogus political propaganda.)

And still, you believed it anyway, rather than focusing on her husband OR Trump - just because Trump said so and there was an election.

Are you starting to wake up now, that the thing you fear most - the biggest government cover-up artist is actually right under your nose, and has been the whole time? 

That the person you voted for/put in power has been pointing the finger at others to deflecting/project off himself for crimes that he actually committed himself? 

Are you starting to see that as much as you fear shady federal government actions, they do not exist in a vacuum - they are sponsored by corporate and billionaire money, regardless of which political party is in power, and always have been?

And yet you keep falling for and voting for it, as if the U.S. federal government and private business are fully separate entities, because it says so on paper?

Not yet?

Okay. We'll wait longer. 

PS - On Sharon Osbourne

 

Yes, I was very disappointed in Sharon's reaction to questioning on "The Talk"regarding her friend, Piers Morgan, and the ignorant, racist stuff that comes out of his mouth while attacking Meghan Markle, as I wrote a post about at the time.

(For the record, I can't stand Piers Morgan. His excuse for continuously attacking Meghan Markle, even resorting to racist remarks - because she "hurt" him by ghosting him, after being friends for only a few months - doesn't make him look any better. It makes him look like a  rejected obsessed stalker and Meghan appears justified, for catching on to what a twat he really is.)

Sharon did clarify later - which I added to that post - that she did NOT agree with Piers about Meghan, which would've helped, but then her "white fragility" reaction to being questioned about it all did not help her case.

Essentially, she made herself the victim in a situation that didn't require one (also stated in that post).

It would've been better for her to listen and self-examine, considering we're all guilty of subconscious inherent racial bias because of the culture we've been raised in, but she chose to become overly defensive instead, which was a shame.

Do I think that Sharon is a true racist?

No, I do not.

In most modern situations, it's not either/or anymore, there are levels of racism.

In Sharon's case, I DO think she's guilty of unconscious racial bias and may need to self-examine/open her eyes better to the inherent racism in our culture and how we contribute to it/enable it - whether consciously or unconsciously - as we all need to do.

And all of us white people have family or friends that say/do racially biased or even racist stuff that we used to sit quietly and politely on, that we now realize we should confront and respectfully let them know that's not okay, and sometimes we even need to distance ourselves over it - but that doesn't mean we won't fondly remember the good times. People aren't always and never, never just one thing.

But the reason we need to respectfully confront over inherent racial bias or even true racism, and even distance ourselves in some cases - because as I mentioned 2 posts below in the post about different kinds of bravery,  in dysfunctional groups, just because you are benefitting from going along with it doesn't mean everyone is - especially in cases where someone is being adversely effected or even harmed - because  it's the right thing to do and it's not all about you.

In racial scenarios, whether racial bias or true racism,  as white people, we are the ones semi-benefitting in our relationships with racist, semi-racist, or racially biased people, but people of color definitely are not - so it's important to respectfully point that's not okay, lest we enable it.

They probably won't change, especially older people, unless they're open to self-examination, but that's not the point. 

The point is, nothing changes in society until WE change how we respond to it, rather than sit silently and politely.

And yet again, that doesn't negate good times and memories, even if you've found you need distance - and you should hold on to those  good memories, there's nothing wrong with that. God knows there's enough negativity in this world and we can all use good memories.

So the post below is about remembering the laughs and leaving the rest, now that Ozzy is gone.

The 9th Life of Ozzy Osbourne: Unapologetically Osbourne

 (PS added) 

... ended yesterday, very sad news.

I wasn't a fan until I was much older (likely because I wasn't allowed to listen to him as a kid!) 

Plus the whole biting-the-heads-off-bats/birds thing made me skittish.

(By the way, the bat was an accident - he thought it was fake prop for the show. However, the bird was real -  he was of course high/drunk.)

In fact, it wasn't until I saw The Osbournes in 2002 on MTV that I started listening to his music - after I saw what a goof and a clawless kitten he really was, behind that scary makeup and image and former drug use - how much he actually loved animals and his family - and I realized it was just a gimmick to sell music.

Yes, he had been an alcoholic/drug addict and likely had mental illness - but having given up most of it (falling off the alcohol  wagon at the time of filming the show) -  he was basically a sweet, funny, family man that liked the F word too much 😂

No satan worshipping - they actually believed in/respected God (Ozzy is Anglican, Sharon is Jewish/Catholic) - no cult worship, no biting heads of live animals - just normal family stuff, with a dose of their signature crazy (in both the best and worst sense of the word).

Also, they were surprisingly British Conservatives (which is like a moderate Democrat in America). I didn't always agree with their politics, but back then, conservatives weren't as rabid as they are now!

He was very funny, very loving, very affectionate, very supportive of his children.  

In fact, he was very good with children and children loved Ozzy, like a big clown - maybe because he was a big kid himself. 

Ozzy and Sharon were both funny, but Ozzy in particular was very quick-witted (when you could understand him 😂 )

Yes, his relationship with Sharon was frightfully codependent and his family somewhat dysfunctional.

But at the same time, they were affectionate and spent most of their time laughing with each other - because they were (effing) hilarious!

Jack and Kelly bickered incessantly, and still do somewhat today, but you realize that's their love language - nobody else better bicker with their brother or sister!

In fact, that's the entire family's love language - giving each other sh*t, sometimes loudly with the F bomb, and sometimes age-inappropriate - but it's all to make each other laugh. 

(When the teasing goes too far/gets too mean, Ozzy and Sharon corrected them, too be sure, with a stern "Kelllly! No." or "Jacccck. No.")

Yes, it was reality TV, which we all know is contrived/staged - but in the case of the Osbournes, they may have set up situations for them to react to, but they really were just being themselves.

Unapologetically Osbourne - for better or for worse 😂

 

I think the first episode I saw was when all the dogs and cats - they had about 10 of them - were using the rugs as a toilet, which irked Ozzy to no end.

Just after 9/11, he complained to Sharon they were terrorists - "There's the al-Qaeda gang, right there, we found them. They're effing terrorists, Sharon!" 😂

This show aired literally just months after 9/11, when we needed to laugh - and we did - laughing and almost feeling guilty for laughing at the same time!

Always looking for his favorite cat, cursing every step of the way, but cuddling her when he found her, terrified the coyotes would get her! 😂

Always yelling "Sharonnnn!" for her to come fix everything so much she said she was going to change her name 😂

Then the episode where their neighbors were literally singing "Kumbaya" at 2 a.m. and Sharon and the kids asking them to be quiet, and when they wouldn't, they started throwing cheese, ham and then finally bagels over the fence! 😂

Then Ozzy wakes up - likely after drinking - and grabs a piece of wood, with Sharon screaming "Ozzy, not wood! No, Ozzy!" *Glass breaking*

Whups!

That was likely staged by the show/not real, and yet Jack was genuinely mad at whoever woke him up, he loved his sleep, so  who knows?

Sharon, of course, just found it all hilarious.

Or the episode where Sharon and his stage manager show him what the show is going to look like, including bubbles being released, and he says "Bubbles?!" Oh, come on, Sharon, I'm (effing) Ozzy Osbourne, the the Prince of  Effing Darkness! Evil, evil, what's evil about bubbles? When do the male models come out and start stroking?" 😂

I couldn't find the above-mentioned other moments in a clip, but that's the very first clip in this montage ...

This family has stuck together despite all of life's ups and downs, illnesses, cancer and Parkinson diagnosis, addictions, cheating, and major mistakes - and I'm sure they will continue to do so despite his loss - though it will be difficult.

Best to the Osbourne family and Rest In Peace, Ozzy - and thank you for making us all laugh at time we really needed to, just after 9/11 - especially considering the toll I understand it took on your family to do. 

And thank you for your haunting music as well as your fun stuff, which I didn't fully appreciate until I got older. 

Much love,

America 

______________________

PS - I thought I knew the story of how Ozzy and Sharon met, but there were some details in this interview that I didn't know ....

Different Kinds of Bravery, From Stephen Colbert to Jamie Lee Curtis

 

There are many kinds of bravery - all of which require personal sacrifice and risk on some level.

As for me, I cannot seem to find that fine line between bravery and stupidity. 😂

I have spoken truth to power and fought for the underdog and bullied since I was a child - IF - it was on behalf of others or the issue was bigger than me.

Yes, that often made me become the new target - sometimes with the person originally bullied who I was standing up for hopping on the  bully bandwagon, so happy the heat's off them - but I would do it again, because it's the right thing to do!

Unfortunately, power abuse is human nature. 

Because we're all still a bunch of monkeys, after all - proving it daily especially on social media.

Not all humans, but most, unfortunately.

For example, the CEO abuses power with a manager, who takes it out/abuses it on an employee, who takes it out/abuses power with their spouse, who takes it out/abuses their child.

There are many of us who are Bonobos, who either don't even have that as part of their thought process or try not to.

That doesn't mean we won't go apesh*t on someone for harming others, it just means it doesn't make us feel superior or better about ourselves to "punch down" on others.

HOWEVER, the caveat to that is, speaking up for myself, that's a different story.

I may do it -  but I will stammer and visibly shake when doing so.

The reasons for that have to do with my personal history - bad things happened if I spoke up for myself.

So typically, the issue has to be someone else or bigger than just me to truly speak up and take that risk.

I'm often like that kid, pointing out how the emperors or empresses aren't wearing any clothes.

But that fable doesn't finish the story - it doesn't tell you what happened to that kid who pointed it out later. 

Ya know what happened to that kid who pointed out the emperor wasn't wearing clothes?

The people who didn't want to see truth - out of fear or because they benefited from going along or just didn't want to - either gaslighted the sh*t out of that kid or took him out back and kicked the sh*t out of him to silence him! 😂

They did it so much that the kid started to believe he was crazy versus everybody else and that he deserved it and should never speak up again .

That's what happened to that kid - and I speak from personal experience.

Now, imagine that kid is Stephen Colbert, whom I wrote a post on immediately after it was announced.

Who will step up?

Because what that kid needs most right now is support - other people saying "I see it, too, they're buck naked."

Unfortunately, dysfunctional leadership of dysfunctional groups require enabling/support.  Since the enablers are benefitting from the leadership - or at least believe they are or will benefit -  they say nothing. 

Even those only in semi denial - the ones who somewhat know their leadership is scapegoats others, they still benefit from going along with it -  and they definitely don't want to end up like that kid for speaking up.

So who will step up to support Stephen Colbert, who just publicly said the emperor isn't wearing clothes? 

Jimmy Kimmel, there's one.

Jamie Lee Curtis for two.

But we'll get to what she said in a moment.

First, how much do we love Jamie Lee Curtis?

She speaks very bluntly and toughly, but she also has an extremely big heart for other people.

Jamie is brave enough to tell it like it is, very bluntly - but she's also brave enough to share her own vulnerabilities and mistakes, as well as show compassion and empathy for struggling others.

She has always spoken her mind and been real with us - always. 

I remember way back when she was in True Lies, her showing us what her body ordinarily and really looks like, behind the Hollywood magic and when she's exercising for several hours a day for months for a role, as women do not have the time to do that and she knows it.

I thought it was an extremely brave thing to do, encouraging women not to aspire to look like she does in movies because it's not reality.

She also revealed that she once had plastic surgery on her eyes over a comment made to her by someone in the business, which she regretted and now refuses to get any plastic surgery, she just ages the way she's gonna age, while being as healthy as she can.

She's also been very open about her prior alcoholism and Vicodin addictions.

Most recently, she's used her own Oscar-winning success to help others with second chances - doing projects with women who have been mercilessly targeted and skewered by the press, like Jamie Lee Curtis and now, Lindsay Lohan.

As you may recall, Lindsay Lohan got skewered at the same time Britney Spears got skewered, in the mid-to-late 2000s, when social media was exploding, and I watched people - conservatives and liberals alike - skewer them both. 

Again, social media is essentially just more daily proof that we're all still just a bunch of monkeys 😂

When Britney Spears showed up on the VMAs completely out of it, out of shape and dancing like she didn't even know where she was, people had a field day with it - but I didn't.

Though never really a fan of Britney, I still thought it was extremely sad - and it mad me mad that the same people that made so money off of her put her on that stage, knowing she was out of her mind, as a joke.

It wasn't funny - it was horribly cruel and sad - so I turned it off.

No, I didn't go all "Leave Britney alone" on anyone, I just didn't participate in the Lord of the Flies bashing party.

Then we all saw a picture of an unconscious Lindsey Lohan in a car, with a shot straight up her skirt, not wearing underwear.

In fact, the most disgusting thing about that isn't that she's passed out in a car, it's the fact that paparazzi took advantage of her an unconscious state and took a picture up her skirt of her bare vagina!

But of course, no one said a word about that - it was Lindsey's fault that someone did that because she was blackout drunk. 

Again, NOT funny, cruel - and misogynistic.

And women were even more merciless than men about it. 

(Ladies, we need to stop doing that to make ourselves feel superior, all right?)

I know a lot of fellow very vocal liberals out there that went along with the LOTF parties on social media who'll now deny they did this until doomsday, or still try to claim she deserved it, but they absolutely did go along with the cruelty and misogyny of it all.

And men get wasted and do crazy sh*t in public all the time in Hollywood - do we see shots of their private parts while unconscious?

No, we do not.

In fact, former alcoholic/drug-addict Colin Farrell was passing out  publicly and seducing young girls in Hollywood, pretending he wanted a relationship with them, but actually due to some sort of "hit list" he'd made, at exactly the same time as Britney and Lindsey - Lindsey being one of his conquests, in fact - but no one said an effing word - they just quietly stopped hiring him in Hollywood.

In fact, the only way we found out how crazy and out of control Colin was publicly is because he admitted it himself when he got sober and made a comeback, apologizing to the women he'd hurt and for his prior behavior.

That's rare - other men do this every day without remorse, and we don't hold them accountable. 

Some say it's his sobriety that changed him, some say it's his son, who has autism, taught him empathy.  Maybe a combination of both.

Or worse, what about Alec Baldwin, who during the same exact time, punched paparazzi and left a verbally abusive voicemail for his daughter, Ireland, calling her a "Little Pig?" 

Nope - Britney Spears shaving her head and spaced out dancing on the VMA -  and Lindsey Lohan unconscious in the back of a car with paparazzi taking a shot up her skirt exposing her vagina - are somehow worse?

Regardless, I didn't think the targeting of Britney and Lindsey was funny - I thought these women are really struggling and need help - but all anyone can do is make themselves feel superior by skewering them. 

Enter Jamie Lee Curtis again, willing to work with Lindsey on a Freaky Friday reboot - with her own history of substance abuse and being given second chances later in life, now with an Oscar in her hand, happy to use her cred to help other women up, who have struggled in Hollywood.

So I read this quote from Jamie about what happened with Stephen Colbert ... 

"It's ... bad. He's a great, great guy. They also cut the funding to NPR and PBS. They're trying to silence us. It won't work. It won't work, we'll just get louder."

When I went looking for the video of it, I found it, plus a compilation of other celebrities giving their thoughts as well.

Rosie O'Donnell, who I have mixed opinions on, also said something I found inspiring.

She said "Be Brave ... be Stephen Colbert."

Now you may say "Well, these people are rich already, they can afford to lose their jobs, they'll be fine."

And that's true. 

However as I said - and DID - in THIS post from February - which I actually stated in my resignation letter :

"Lastly, since I've been so bold already, may I just say that we can watch sensitivity videos all day and sign off on them, vote against this stuff, like memes all day, but if we don't live it ...1

"If we don't speak up when it happens ...

.... if we don't even notice it's happening" ...

... if we don't make sacrifices to ourselves and even our own jobs to help ...

"Then nothing will ever change."


No worries - I'm with a new company now for the last 3 months and I am overwhelmingly happy - I feel like I've won the job lottery - especially at my age?

I went looking for work in my field, rapidly being replaced by AI, after my contract work dried up - and after 2 stinky choices - I have found the best job of my life! 

Seriously, if I'd made a list of everything I wanted in a job, this would be it.

It's so great, the people are so great, that I pinch myself daily and almost feel like I don't deserve it!

Again, old conditioning.

Also again, when you start to believe you deserve better, you will receive better and stop putting up with crap because you think you deserve it.

Don't throw Karen tantrum over it -  just quietly resign, leaving a letter - period. 

Regardless, not long after that, former President Barack Obama also saw the warning signs and said similar in a speech to Hamilton College on April 4th:

"It has been easy during most of our lifetimes to say you are a progressive or say you are for social justice or say you’re for free speech and not have to pay a price for it. It is up to all of us to fix this ... the citizen, the ordinary person who says: No, that’s not right.”

If you didn't see the warning signs then, I hope you can now, or are at least starting to?

If you can't because of your fear of the government, remember this - our U.S. government is nothing without the monetary support and influence of already wealthy and powerful private corporations, organizations, and private citizens - in the US, the government just does their bidding and vice versa.

So if you're distrustful of the government in general, try not to forget that?

And Republicans continue to get people to vote for that same system, despite it cutting their own financial throats, using fear tactics about immigrants and LGBTQ and imagined Christian persecution to distract you from that fact.

In fact, Donald Trump himself is ruling with fear.

Ruling through fear is the hallmark of tyranny - not to mention, something Christ would never do.

Fellow Christians, I'm talking to you, now - despite whether or not you agree with Trump's policies, do you really want a government that rules by fear, with the backing of corporate America?

Would Christ EVER support anyone who rules by fear?

Are you really for freedom of speech for everybody, or just yourselves?

Are YOU willing to speak up, despite your own perceived (imagined) benefit from Trump, for the powerless who are not?

Or will you continue to enable this broken system of the rich and powerful controlling it all, imaging you'll receive some benefit for doing so, but never do?

Think about that.

Or  ... we could all be more like Stephen Colbert, Democrats and Republicans alike,  and speak truth to power abuse.

Or we could be brave like Jamie Lee Curtis, doing the same, but also having a different kind of bravery - having the courage to not only reveal her own struggles, but to show empathy and compassion for others struggling.

We could be willing to make personal sacrifices on behalf of what you claim to believe and vote for or there's no point in voting for it, liking posts and memes, because you do not mean it.

We talk the talk - now will we walk the walk?

I have done so once over this political nonsense, and though I don't have to with my current job, I would do it again.

Because these issues are BIGGER than me.

Now it's your turn.

.

WSJ: Who Provided You With This Alleged Epstein Birthday Album?

To be fair, I can't see the original article without a subscription, and I haven't had a subscription to the WSJ since Rupert Murdoch - former owner of Faux News - erm, I mean Fox News - took over.

Thus, I'm reading articles from the subscriptions I already have for the info and none of what I've read so far answers that question in my title.

So the gist of it is, the WSJ dropped a bombshell article showing a note allegedly written by Trump on Epstein's 50th birthday album compiled by Ghislaine Maxwell, that said “Happy Birthday — and may every day be another wonderful secret,” as well as included a drawing of a naked woman.

In response, Trump said on Truth Social: "These are not my words, not the way I talk. Also, I don’t draw pictures."

Okay. Then what are these, sold at auctions?

To be fair, he later clarified in an interview that he "doesn't draw pictures of women."

Then he does what he always does - sued them.

News flash for idiots - suing enumerable people on a nearly monthly basis doesn't make you look innocent - it makes you look like a (guilty) Karen, trying to bully people into silence.

As for the WSJ, I'm no fan since Rupert Murdoch bought it - but all I can say is, I hope it's authentic?

Trump's signature is very distinctive.

But here's the bigger question no one's asking ...

Who provided the Epstein birthday album that Ghislaine Maxwell made for him, anyway?

As Democrats, if we don't ask questions like this, preferring reliance on belief alone, then we are just as bad as MAGA.

We still need to very careful -  ferret out fact versus fiction regardless - because just 1 fake piece of "proof" can wreck the whole case.

Having said that -  hell, yes - I totally believe he was buddy-buddy with Epstein, and at the very least, knew he liked underage girls, but that is based on what I've seen, heard, and read with my own eyes.

There are numerous pictures, videos, and articles from the early-to-mid 2000s - but more importantly, this New York Magazine article from October 2002, where Trump said of Epstein:

"I’ve known Jeff for 15 years. Terrific guy. He’s a lot of fun to be with. It is even said that he likes beautiful women as much as I do, and many of them are on the younger side.”likes them on the younger side."

That's a flat-out admission that Trump knew Jeffery Epstein liked underaged girls - a full  4 years before Epstein was arrested in 2006.

I've posted that many times, along with the pictures and videos.

The problem is, right-wing news outlets and social media - did NOT. 

So most of MAGA is just now hearing this for the first time.

In fact, I forwarded it my close friend, Marian, not long before she died (killed by a drunk driver in 2023).

She was a very devout Christian, who after previously stating Trump had "bewitched" the nation, suddenly flipped to support Trump, and the Epstein thing became big issue for her.

Her big thing was the Clintons and Bill Clinton's close association with him, which I don't doubt, either!

However, she was blown away by that article and Trump's quote.

She'd never seen it, and she wondered why no one ever told her, why the right-wing news she was watching never mentioned it nor even hinted at the the long friendship between Trump and Epstein.

I said "Sometimes, Marian - the smeller is the feller. You know this already from my family 😂"

She laughed, and said "Isn't THAT the truth!"

As a result, she said she'll still see how it shakes out, but she didn't trust anyone rich and powerful anymore, regardless of political party. 

Amen. 

Truer words have never been spoken.