Holidays
Let's all make a resolution now not to let the word "h***y" out of our mouths at least until the idjits start annoying us about a "Cyber Monday," which has now apparently morphed into "Cyber Week," which might be considered to justify e-mails along the lines of "Honeychild, this family observes Zero Electronics Month between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day." But we can try not to use the evil H-word to family members during the Thanksgiving feast.
I got it from Messy Mimi. Google credits Pat the Wine Guy, whose blog I don't follow.
Hurricane
Trigger warning: FOLLOWING THESE LINKS WILL RAISE YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE. (Fortunately, post-COVID mine's tending to run low again.)
First, meet the person blowing the whistle on FEMA and the Salvation Army. Fair disclosure: she is a politician. Fair disclosure: she seems to be considerably more efficient than the average pol, a macher, somebody Trump and Musk might want as a consultant for the Department of Government Efficiency.
It's getting chilly for tent living so where are the trailers that have been funded?
One of those "unintended consequences" things: The Salvation Army became a "public-private partnership" because government recognized that they were "doing the most good" of all urban missions. So, right away, some ways they were doing good stopped. Other ways...sounded better than they were; political grandstanding that had toxic effects.
Should the Salvation Army have been required to employ homosexuals? I say no; they were a church and had a right to employ only church members, or members of other churches with comparable rules. No church should ever have to employ anybody who violates its rules, even rules against wearing colored shirts...the Salvation Army didn't have that rule for all members all the time, but fundraisers were supposed to wear white shirts or sweaters under the red aprons. But lots of people thought it was wonderful that "gay couples" could raise funds for the Salvation Army, as no doubt dozens of them were just longing to do (/sarc). I'm not in favor of discrimination against people's private behavior in public workplaces, but in churches...Why would people want to raise money for churches that frown on their behavior, anyway? Why not organize their own missions, as the writer known as Starhawk called for Neo-Pagans to do? Right. I get it. Singing for the Salvation Army is fun, at least until the weather gets cold. So why aren't there non-church, even anti-church, missions for which people sing and ring bells and have fun?
Next chapter of the story, not reported: Evidence comes in that the Salvation Army has also been obliged to employ thieves. Since they can't screen for private behavior...
Money that was sent to Asheville was not just tax write-offs made by corporations the size of Lowes, though Lowes made a big one. Money sent through the Salvation Army? We are talking about sixth grade students' pocket money. We are talking about what people on disability pensions scrape out at the end of the month. I've raised funds for the Salvation Army and stooped down to hold the collecting pan for toddlers to drop their coins in.
Well. There is a difference, after all. Nobody cares about charitable fundraisers' personal relationships, but misuse of funds can kill a charitable mission. And what a pity if it fails to kill an allegedly humanitarian government agency, too, just as fast and just as dead.
I think the DoGE should make sure the feds specifically and directly pay for this. First: total ban on federal acquisition of any land in western North Carolina for another hundred years. Second: if any of these bureaucrats' jobs continue to exist, they should be reassigned by February 2025. Third: if any of these bureaucrats is free to look for work, person should be absolutely barred from working for any government office in any capacity ever again. I'd seriously consider requiring them to have CORRUPT tattooed on their foreheads. And, fourth: all of the tent village people's living expenses, until their homes are rebuilt and fully paid for, come out of the corrupt employees--let them live in tents.
Poetry
Jeanie, the surviving human of the Marmelade Gypsy cat, posted this photo from a trip to England:
,,,and it reminded me that one of the benefits of going to college is that when you see a beautiful image, you instantly think of beautiful words:
...and these days, once in a while, you can even find both online.
Wisdom, Native
California elder has many worthwhile things to say.
No comments:
Post a Comment