Thoughts Before Election Day: Voltaire on the Parade of Absurdities And Atrocities/Injustices Before Us

(Editing in progress ...)

By now, you have made your decision already regarding who you are voting for, and you already know my position, so other than the below encouragement for ALL of us to think about more about what and who we are voting for, whether we realize it or not or if we've taken the bait being distracted/manipulated by more petty issues - I have nothing else to say, believe it or not!  😆

And to be honest, the constant barrage of flyers, absurd commercials telling half-truths and lies are all beyond absurd regardless of candidate, so I'm thinking "Who really believes this stuff?"

On a positive note, one of our candidates finally started focusing on what he stood for and his family, rather than just standing there calling us Democrats names like "Demrats" and idiots. 

It's like "Well, okay, since we don't know what you stand for or what your platform is or what you plan to do in office, and you have just made it clear you don't want our votes anyway based on party alone, so fine, we'll take our votes elsewhere."

I mean, bullying people to your opinion rarely works anyway.

I'm not sure what DOES work, but bullying them into it never works.😂

Well, on second thought - the current trend seems to be the more outlandish and crazy your accusation is about your opponent, even if you just pulled it out of  ... thin air ... DOES seem to work.

Truth doesn't matter - even if it's NOT true about your opponent, and actually IS true about you, but said in projection/deflection off yourself! 😂 (Cough, cough, who's in the Epstein files and who isn't.)

This reminds me of a quote by Voltaire.

(Yes, I know, Voltaire can be problematic, wait for my discussion on that later.)

Yes, I posted the quote correctly. Though the most common English quote tossed around saying "atrocities" versus "injustices" - it's  incorrect/mistranslation.

Because the quote is from Voltaire's essay Questions sur les miracles (1765) and goes "Certainement qui est en droit de vous rendre absurde est en droit de vous rendre injuste."

"Injuste" means "injustice" in French.

"Atrocités" means "atrocities" in French.

(I admit, I've never read it nor can I speak French - I just like to make sure the quotes I'm sharing are from the originals .)

Though injustice(s) and atrocities are not that far apart in meaning and both can be true, it's still a distinction that should be made.

Because although all injustices perhaps should be atrocities, they aren't - but all atrocities are unjust.

(No, this isn't a logic lesson, just saying while we're on the subject, Voltaire would be pleased, both with using his correct verbiage, as well as the logic I just used, so go me. And the next minute, watch me do or say something only a complete idiot would say or do 😂)

Perhaps they just used "atrocities" because it was better-sounding literary alliteration, who knows?

Speaking of contradictions, I questioned whether or not to post it because Voltaire himself was a walking contradiction.

A brilliant philosopher, public champion of civil rights, separation of church and state, and staunch public critic of both monarchies and slavery - but an absolute sh*t privately, that did not adhere to his own ideals.

For example, he invested in and benefitted from slavery himself, despite publicly opposing it, and when asked about writing about the atrocities of  slavery, he explained that he only used it to illustrate that it was a poor economic choice long term, rather than abolishing the practices due to being inhumane.

And he actually privately believed in the "natural order" of things, which is a complete contradiction to his anti-monarchy and anti separation of church and state writings - including that women and people with darker skin were inferior by design thus meant to serve.

Yeah, no  - more about that disproven nonsense in a second.

For now, it's enough to say that it was then that I realized that if I were to look for a single person in history that wrote some GREAT stuff that was ahead of their times that also WASN'T an absolute sh*t of a person privately, as a racist, misogynist, homophobe, and/or just plain crazy or mean - especially during colonial times - there'd be no one to quote 😂

Because the fact is, most of the people whose words we admire in history failed their own philosophies and religions in one way or another, by writing one thing and living another - especially during colonial times.

The same men waxing poetic against monarchies, advocating for separation of church and state and equality for all, privately either had blind spent or only meant it for themselves and other white men of their same social class and faith - everyone else should serve them after conquering them.

(Either that, or they simply didn't have enough guts to free their slaves in their lifetimes due to social pressure, making them cowards, benefitting from the system they condemned, and even in some cases, unable to engage in war that they, themselves, started with their words, relying on We The People to fight it FOR them ).

Thus, proof that even before the advent of social media, we had people writing revolutionary stuff with a quill and parchment, unable to back that up in real life.

(For the record, whatever I say here, I am prepared to back up/fight for in real life - and I have.)

Lastly, on this note of the same men writing the above and things like "all men created equal with certain unalienable rights; the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness" but only really meaning it for others exactly like themselves (or their own cowardice and implementing this personally in their daily lives) ...

Recently, we have seen a concerted effort to go back to a "conquistador" or conquest/colonizing country, forgetting that this is exactly what we theoretically were trying to get away from, when we built this country, and it's being done by propaganda to convince us if we don't make them the enemy/attack them first, then the people we're attacking will attack us first, though we have no proof of that.

(Your big clue should've been changing the name of the Department of Defense to the Department of War?)

I know that many people still today laud a conquering mentality as something to be admired - and by that, I don't naturally gifted with athleticism or strength or strategic prowess winning fair competitions.

I mean a return to misusing or abusing these gifts by using them for the wrong reasons - to overpower other smaller or more vulnerable groups or even countries (under false pretenses/propaganda) just to steal their resources, just because we can, as if this is a basketball game instead of an all-out raid on people's lives and livelihoods. 

(Though these groups or countries may be smaller and temporarily weakened by exhaustion from inner turmoil, this does NOT mean they are inferior or "weak" overall and thus "deserve" attack.) 

Others of us who like to believe or hope we've learned from history and hope to have evolved - we have nothing to prove or "conquer" but personal obstacles and insecurities, our goals, and fun/fair competitions  - and we would prefer truly seeing all men and women with different perspectives being valued as equal, allowing them to own their own resources - and if we WANT those resources, then share or obtain them the proper and humane way - pay them for it , through fair trade.

In fact, fair trade is SUPPOSED to be what a pro-capitalist society is about -  but it somehow devolves into power abuse,  fraud, stealing resources, and lack of consumer protection.

That circles us back to Voltaire's more private philosophy - natural order/selection.

First of all, social Darwinism/natural selection/survival of the fittest i does not exist - because there are factors at play in the human world that do not exist in nature that affect whether or not the "best" or "fittest" representative of our species survived - sometimes they shittiest did, in fact, through pure shittiness.

Secondly, define "inferior, " please?

If you mean just physical strength, what are you, a Nazi?

Because what is a weakness to some is a strength to others - and I wouldn't necessarily define "strength" in physical terms anyway, but if we did, although men may be physically stronger, many women can actually tolerate physical pain better than men (believed to be due to the evolutionary functional need of childbirth).

As for intellectual strength, that clearly is NOT exclusive to gender or race - but socialization DOES have much to do with it.

Regardless, some of us believe that just because you have greater  "strength" in anything doesn't mean you should use it/display it in situations that don't require it -  particularly against others you deem "weaker." 

In fact, misusing it in situations that don't require it is akin to being a bully and thus may actually be a sign of insecurity or even jealousy - as those secure in their own strengths have no need to display it or weild it as a weapon other than situations that literally require it of them.

Secondly, there's nothing "natural" about exploiting other people you merely perceive as weaker for your own gain anyway, and there's natural about it.

Like chimps, we are among the only animal species that becomes violent NOT just to eat, defend territory or survive - but also to also expand our territory for power and more resources than we likely even need compared to others - and in the case of humans, for economic gain.

However, even worse than chimps, we make excuses, try to convince others the people we hurt or stole from or cheated that they deserve it -  but the truth is, we're simply claiming things for ourselves we don't own, didn't earn, and didn't pay or trade for.

Along with that ugly truth is, whenever we overpower anyone through force OR deceit for these things, especially if smaller/less powerful than you - that actually reflects more poorly on YOU than it does on them!

So my only question to you before the election is - which type of person are you?

Are you the sort of person who values "conquest" over others  as some sort of affirmation of your superiority using any means necessary, imagining it's "survival" for you and your own family versus others as if this is a post-apocalyptic society, though you may already have more than most?

To include stealing their resources, either through direct military action OR deceit (or both), just because we can - as if this is a basketball game or board game, rather than people's lives and livelihoods?

Or are you the sort of person who believes in true, honest fair trade of goods and services with mutual benefit for both parties, as well as that people secure enough in their own strengths don't need to wield them as weapons over others, believe or prove superiority,  AND that we can learn more from others with different strengths?

Even more importantly, are you the sort of person who also realizes that We the People are the ones actually paying for these "conquests," but receiving NO benefits of them unless we're in the powerful inner circle already?

And lastly, proponents of this group realize above all the above this very real possibility most of all - that the more internal turmoil within our own country we have, the more it puts our own country at risk, just as the countries we've just invaded were - divide and conquer.

I am proud to be in the latter group that genuinely does view all humans as equal with unalienable rights despite race, faith, ethnicity, gender, or sexual orientation, and that these rights should be extended to other humans around the world despite citizen status - as our own constitution protects noncitizens with undergoing due process of law in its 5th amendment clause -  rather than  justice being rendered by brute force by jack-booted thugs in costume in the street!

If you agree with me, thank you, glad to have you aboard.

If you don't agree with me, totally okay - and though I can't find "love" for some of your politicians, I still love YOU as my fellow countrymen and women - -  and I hope you can find it in your heart to do the same for me, though you may disagree with me.

And though totally okay with you disagreeing with me, can't say that I don't pray you'll join me at least in this perspective, if nothing else ...

...  if we don't stop this mentality and internal turmoil now, we may find ourselves suffering the same fate as the countries we've just invaded attacked military for their resources - being left wide open to other countries for conquest/invasion ourselves, Russia, China.

Also, historically, once-great nations/civilizations who lived by the sword, died by the sword -  either directly, by being conquered themselves - or a slow, painful death by stagnation/lack of progress due to underlying superiority beliefs lying underneath, as well as internal conflict (and in some cases, genetic issues due to inbreeding, also caused by false superiority beliefs).

Those who instead learned to trade to gain resources and learned from/valued new perspectives, not only survived, but thrived.

So my question before you vote is - which type of person/mentality are you? 

Regardless, I encourage to just GO VOTE!!!

Ya feel me on that, at least?

Roku Home Page Today, Honoring Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard ...

 

If you stream using a Roku stick, then you know the home page is a moving animation of "Roku City,"  an animated landscape featuring iconic references to our favorite movies and shows, which changes with the seasons, new streaming debuts, and paid commercial ads (like Capital One or Coca-Cola). 

Your job, as the viewer, is to name as many  and it is your job, as the viewer, to name as many as you can.

On the Roku Theater Marquee, though it is usually a premiere of a big box office movie now streaming, when someone in the entertainment world dies, they often give tribute here.

Today's tribute is the most iconic line that Patrick Stewart uttered as Captain Picard from Star Trek - "Make It So." 🥲

This, of course, means "Make it happen."

Thus, with this election week coming up, let's remember Patrick by saying "Let's DO this,  fellow Dems - MAKE … IT … SO!" 

_______________________________________

PS - I have seen the resurfaced clips of him dressing down James Cordon, praising his harshness with Cordon onstage as "owning him."

However, IMO, that wasn't Patrick's finest moment - and the only time I know of where I think he publically acted an ass - and neither came out of that looking well.

Patrick later apologized to James for that, having imbibed too much liquid courage.

I think it was meant to be a sort of humbling of James Cordon, whom we all watched get a little too big for his britches, who became  infamous for being very nice to the biggest celebrities in the room, but snubbing or being rude to the "nobodies." 

I think that's essentially what Patrick was trying to say that night, because you can hear it in his overall message to him. 

Patrick can't stand that sh*t - because he was a very direct, genuine person and can't stand phoniness or arrogance in celebrities, especially the younger ones.

Also, though not public knowledge and his children never spoke on the matter, Patrick himself said his greatest regret was being an absent father for his children, being overly obsessed with work and that he was paying for it now.

I think coming from a household with Domestic Violence, he initially had difficulties with knowing exactly what a father and husband were supposed to be and only knew how to work as escape from home life. 

So ... when we lost Dolly, we could not find a flaw.

With Patrick, though rare flaws appeared, he always apologized for them and took responsbility.

Only the bravest and best of men are capable of that. 

Just As I Hit "Publish" on the New Post Below, I Heard Patrick Stewart Died ...

 

This makes me so SO sad!

In fact, I had just put him in my post about people from the UK I'd like in my neighborhood that I was working on and he was on it already.

Ironic that he died after a "brief battle" with Lewy body dementia - because his character on Star Trek, Captain Picard, struggled with an incurable brain virus that caused a more slowly progressing dementia that they couldn't fix even in the 24th century. 

In fact, in the show "Picard" on Paramount a few years ago, he actually dies from this and heart issues, but his consciousness is transferred to a "golem" or clone body, which also dies in the last season, until Q brings him back.

So all of these years, we thought that Q - played by John de Landis - was an annoying, troublemaking, sometimes cruel superior life form/alien, who just popped up whenever he felt like it just to annoy Picard, just because he could.

Picard seemed to be his favorite toy and he'd invariably show up at the worst possible times - and he had the ability to stop time or create time travel and torture Picard with regrets.

HOWEVER, in the very last episode of Picard, Q finally reveals that although he's not God, he IS a special breed/highest order of "Watcher" (angel) assigned to watch over humanity (though there are other watchers over other alien life forms), who is both in awe of humans and disgusted by them, but can do nothing to them without higher council approval.

He reveals the reason he has done all to Picard all these years is because he has been training Picard to become a Watcher assigned to watch over humanity himself, having been one - as the higher council believed Picard was among the best of us humans and we needed him, but they had to test him during his worst moments, including ridding him of a human's worst fear - death.

So Picard thanks and hugs Q (below) and Q says it has been his privilege to train him and bids him a permanent farewell, he's not likely to see him again - and then Picard becomes a Watcher himself. 🩷

At least that's what I recall, it's been a few years.

Very cool spiritual-esque ending, right?

Very much a departure from Star Trek, which unlike Star Wars, left little to no room for God or spirituality or "magic" - and thus many didn't like the "Picard" series, but I did.

Everything was still explained by science, to include Q himself, basically an energy form that can take whatever shape it wants and use any wormhole to get anywhere, anytime, and can stop, create a ripple in, or reverse time, for the group or just for one individual, like a practical joke, and then heckle humans about their reactions to it, if he likes.

So in the end, Star Trek allows for the intersection of science and spirituality, essentially explaining that it's all just a matter of perspective - in other words, spiritual matters can be explained by science - but does that make them any less spiritual?

Regardless, Picard becomes a Watcher over humanity - how I wish that were true - for both the character and the human playing him, Patrick Stewart, right?

Regardless, thank you, Captain, Godspeed -  watch over us well  - on to new frontiers ...

PS - And yet, God? 

Not sure what's up lately, but it seems like you're taking all the wrong (white) people!?!

They have been the closest thing we've had to angels on earth in one way or another -  we needed them during these trying times -  but okay, have it your way. I guess.

On the other hand, I'll try to remember the entire point of the arc of Picard's story that I just mentioned above -- "some things are blessings in disguise" - either to keep that person from suffering more or to prevent others from suffering, either now or in the future as a result. 

(Not everything, but some things).

Hoping that's true, I know a couple of things in my life has been - I just wish more had been? lol

And it's a cool thought that loved ones watch over us after they pass.

A lovely thought, anyway, right?

Mark's Super Spooky Ghost Story, Just In Time for Halloween! 👻

 

Okay, true story - this just happened last week.

Now, before I tell it, you need to know that when FCPS bought the old Lexmark building, they found black mold and had to clear it before they could move in and it's tested every year no - which very well COULD explain this.

Nevertheless, here's what happened ...

So Mark was working late and went to the 3rd floor to get some supplies, which have to wind through a bunch of cubicles to get to.

He went in the supply closet and was loading a cart, when he hears a woman's laugh/giggle from one of the cubicles - first one on the left outside the supply closet. 

He wasn't scared, he just thought "Oh, someone else is working late, I better step out and let them know I'm here so as not to scare them."

Instead, HE was the one who was scared - because THERE WAS NO ONE THERE.

Not at first, though - he thought they must've gone to get coffee or use the restroom.

So he goes back to loading his cart and then senses that someone is behind him. 

Again, he wasn't scared, thinking whoever it was just returned from the bathroom or getting coffee.

So he turns around, just in time to see a shadow figure of a person, which disappears within seconds!

So then he starts frantically going around the floor looking for somebody, anybody to explain it, going "Hello? Anybody here?"

Nope - there was no one there at all - and he checked the next day to see if anyone worked late!

So he called me just before coming home and goes "Some freaky shit just happened ..." and proceeds tells me. 

He says he's not going to tell anyone else because he hasn't worked in this department all that long and is afraid they'll think he's nuts.

I said "Well, it could be power of suggestion with Halloween, but ya never know, maybe they HAVE experienced something? Halloween is the perfect time to tell these stories, though, so you have a good excuse lol."

He stays for another hour to do his work and nothing else happens.

Today, he decides to tell the coworker that he's closest too, Corey, Halloween being a good excuse to tell spooky stories.

So Corey says he hasn't experienced anything himself, but others have - and they call that area "The Mousetrap."

When asked why, he said he thinks it's because the way the cubicles are arranged like a maze.

Then Corey tells him to tell their boss, S, who has her own story.

They walk to S and Corey says to Mark, "Okay, tell S what you just told me, your building ghost story."

So Mark starts, and S interrupts him and says: 

"Wait, before you start this story, let me guess where you were to prove my own - The Mousetrap on the third floor, right? First cubicle on the left of the closet." (It was.)

"People think we call it that because of the cubicles - and we do -  but there's a second reason - because of what it used to be when Lexmark owned it." 

"After my own experiences there, I did some research on this building. No one has died here, for sure, but the third floor USED to be where Lexmark stored printing and other chemicals. You had to wear a special suit to enter. Some people reportedly did develop cancer later." 

"Also, as you already know, that's where they found the black mold that delayed us moving in 5 years ago." 

"Thus, the REAL reason why some of us call it The Mousetrap - once exposed, you can't leave or what? lol "

"Twice, I could've sworn somebody was standing there, but when I looked up, it was a shadow person that disappeared within seconds. The hair on the back of my neck stood up. Never heard anything though. It must like you lol."

Great, so ... my husband is hallucinating from residual black mold or old chemicals OR some giggly entity not of this world is in that space has a crush on him - and these are my choices?!? 😂

Insert prayers of protection or talisman here.  😂

But mwahahaha, Happy Halloween!?! 👻👻👻

Milwaukee Brewers Make History!

 

They just won the world series!

So I have a friend that lives in Wisconsin that I met in school who is an avid Brewers fan.

She and her hubby and kids are going to the parade tomorrow.

(Yeah, good luck with having anyone show up for work and school tomorrow, Wisconsin 😂)

I told her to have fun, but be safe - from drunks, mass shooters (wear flak vests maybe?), and from ending up on the national news.

Scratch that - if they end up on the national news for just, like, celebrating, then call/text me immediately.

If they set are involved in like, setting something on fire or are twerking on a lamp post or something, then really, I don't want to know. And I saw nothing 😂

Just kidding - she would never do that. I think. But people do weird stuff when their teams win, as we know full well from living in Lexington and if UK even makes it into the final four, stuff gets crazy, and there WILL be couches and cars on fire or overturned/thrown out windows, climbing up on lamp posts and twerking or swinging off them, and mass injuries with ER visits 😂

In fact, if you Google "Fans setting stuff on fire after win," Google gives you New York after the Knicks won and several instances in Lexington, Kentucky after UK won.😂

(Ah, I'm so proud of the fact that we apparently have so many pyromaniacs here, using UK's wins as an excuse to be destructive.)

Nevertheless, Congratulations! Have fun, Wisconsin!

So THIS Was in Our Garage This Morning ...

Nyaaak!

JUST. KIDDING!

Not our garage, but in our neighborhood - spotted on our way to the neurosurgeon's office this morning, I did a double-take.

Hahaha - that is AWESOME!

(No, btw - that is not a real person in their garage, it's a poster fitted over their garage door.)

Otherwise, I'm sick of this bitch showing up in every ghostie video that say things like "REAL GHOST SIGHTING."

Wow, she gets around, huh?  😉

Girl needs a haircut, a new wardrobe, and some therapy. 😂

(Come to think of it though, so do I 😂 - hopefully less than THIS girl, though?)

Mwahahaha, Happy Halloween Week!👻🎃

Lexington Bumper Sticker Making Fun of Conspiracy Theories 😂

 

Hahahaha! 😂😂😂

Do you get it?

It's taking something we all know exists, especially in Kentucky, but pretending it doesn't anyway.

(It has nothing to do with her feelings about horses, by the way, she's just making a point - hilariously.)

Even funnier are the comments underneath the Reddit post ...

'

My favorite ... 😂😂😂

This one needs explanation ... 

So the ginger ale brand "Ale-8-1" is made here in Central Kentucky. Like our basketball team, people love it and are very protective of it and get crazy if you diss it.

(I admit, I'm not a fan, but don't tell anyone or they'll run me out of town with pitchforks and torches.)

Neither is my husband from Detroit. 

He likes ginger ale, but it HAS to be Vernor's made in Detroit. 

He only wants it when he's sick or for the Christmas tree (drink up, merry little tree, nothing but the best for you!) - and we could previously only get it at Meijer (although I think Kroger sells it now too.)

Now, if she makes one about Kentucky basketball, she will not just get her car keyed or run out of town, but likely tarred and feathered as well on the way out!  😂