Ennui

I am not sure how this post is going to turn out. There is sadness, frustration and, yes, resignation flowing through my thoughts and I am not happy with any of those emotions.

Is the sadness a result of the knowledge that most Americans are willing to accept what those in DC are feeding us? A consequence of years of misinformation from both the White House and Congress that we have gotten to the point of “accepting those things [we] cannot change”? Or, the realization that we CAN change them, but are too lazy to do so? What happened to the American Spirit? Yeah, sure, we make snarky, sarcastic remarks about the policies and lack of same of the Ego in Chief. We yell at the TV when yet another insane proposal is made by a member of Congress that we know will never see the light of day or Barry acts like a little child by refusing to meet with our most treasured ally in the Middle East because he chose to talk to a joint session of Congress without permission. We sigh at the announcement of more committees to investigate the findings of other committees that were formed to decide if the very first committee’s findings were just partisan hogwash. Then we let them spend money that we really don’t have to fund said committees, bitch about the national debt under our breaths and bemoan the fact that we can do nothing about it.

Trust me. I am no better than any other American. I bitch, piss and moan right along with the rest of you. I wrack my brain trying to figure out what my one voice can do to change what our nation has become. Talking to the television has become second nature. My dogs think I’m nuts. No, not nuts. Just frustrated. I believed our Constitution would not allow us to get to this point. I believed that those we voted into office would respect the most important document in the history of our great nation. Instead, most of those in DC seem to spend time emulating the NFL – trying to figure out how to run plays that avoid the defensive line our forefathers built to save us from what we have become so that they can score points for their personal campaigns. Just another check in the “win column” so that they can use that to hold on to their cushy government jobs and become Legacies in the DC world. Short of leaving our homes and parking our butts on their doorsteps 24/7 (which seems not to work well, either) what recourse do we have? Do I sound defeatist? Perhaps. I really am not that kind of girl. Believe me, I have been reading and studying a lot over the past few years. The only power we seem to have, short of physically removing those who seem determined to ignore the will of the people and undermine the good works our forefathers did, is the power of our words. However, if our words are crumpled into a ball and thrown in the trash time after time after time, who among us is willing to make the ultimate sacrifice and eradicate the cockroaches in the cupboard? Very few, I believe. We talk a good game. Then, we look at our comfy couches, flat screen TVs, fairly well-stocked pantries and sedentary lives and say to ourselves “Do I really want to jeopardize all of this for freedom?”

Freedom. Ha. Are we truly free when our government can tell us that we count less than those who cross the border illegally? That we should accept the fact that many American citizens will lose their jobs to H1B rated illegal workers who have been given Social Security numbers and drivers’ licenses? That the illnesses our children are contracting are just minor inconveniences we must endure in order to have a more affordable work force? Allow me a moment of immaturity. I have heard people labeled “stupid” because they believe the more recent epidemics of diseases that had been wiped out in America are the result of unvaccinated children crossing our border. You are “stupid” if you believe this is not the case. Immaturity moment has ended. Will those immigration advocates be so protective over illegals when the M13 roles double and triple in hard hit inner city communities and the death tolls rise, or will they join the rest of us in demanding better border security and a larger police presence in those areas? No, they will join in making more videos and organize demonstrations demanding the death of police officers. I used to criticize the police for accepting “toys” from the federal government – things that seem like overkill (pardon the pun) in small towns that previously knew nothing of violent crimes. I even deduced that they could be used if the Anointed One decided to declare Martial Law based upon some manufactured national crisis. That is a belief I still hold in the back of my mind, but after Ferguson I can sort of understand the desire of smaller police organizations to own equipment that can compensate for the lack of personnel if serious situations arise. Sort of…

Because Americans are constantly being pitted against one another based on race, ethnicity and religion day after day by the likes of Holder, Sharpton and Obama (and a whole host of others), we are ignoring one of the biggest threats to our nation since 1993. ISIS is not a threat to us since they are predominantly in Syria and Iraq? Really!?!? I am sure the rookie cops who were attacked by the man screaming “Allahu Akbar” and wielding a hatchet might disagree. Perhaps those who survived Fort Hood would have a thing or two to say about that. Or how about the family of the soldier killed at the Recruitment Center in Arkansas? The list can go on and on. Is it possible that the level of ignorance in the White House is so great that they believe one ocean will stop them dead in their tracks and put a halt to any violence in the United States? Does what people did 800 or 500 years ago in the name of Christ really even out the playing field? I guess we are supposed to accept the rapes, live burials, beheadings and burnings of live human beings because Christians committed heinous acts centuries ago. Just forgive and forget. We had our time, this is theirs. My inner angry woman keeps asking, “Is it January 20, 2017 yet?” I don’t know if our Republic can hold on that long.

It is sad that recalling the days of Jim Crow, Watts, Internment Camps during WWII, the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki or the Sandy Creek Massacre in Colorado can be used time and again to classify us as a nation of hate and divisiveness, but we are Islamophobic when we mention the crimes against humanity committed by ISIS. Sorry, Barry, I would rather be classified an Islamophobe than declared dead after a terrorist attack on US soil – which is inevitable and a lot more imminent than you think. I agree that what has happened to minorities in our nation, or original citizens such as the Native Americans, were horrific. We have worked hard as a nation to correct those wrongs. Not perfect yet, but we have come farther than many other nations in the world to mend our wounds. Although, you seem to be doing all you can to destroy the good we have accomplished. We need to concentrate on the threats of today, not the mistakes made in the past, if we want to survive as a nation. But, I have resigned myself to the belief that you truly dislike America.

This may sound like a strong statement. Maybe if you, just once, sounded sincere when you talk about protecting us and our most treasured way of life I would not feel that way. Perhaps if you stopped blaming the past and started fighting for the future for the sake of our children and grandchildren, I would excuse you for some of your lack of enthusiasm. Sadly, I stand by my statement that you dislike America. You seem to want a Saul Alinsky “paradise”. Those who choose not to educate themselves may think this would be a perfect world if their only source of information was the wide-eyed oratory of cult-like liberal Alinskyites. However, his world is not much different from that of Lenin or Stalin and I WILL get up off my dead ass to protect my child, my husband and my country from the horror of a future like that. Mark my words…

Bring me your poor, your hungry, your Ebola infected!?!?

Panic in tough situations is not in my nature. I am more of a “take charge” kind of person who collapses into a gallon of Pabst once the emergency is over. So, I feel that it is important to be concerned about the possibility of Ebola spreading within our borders; I do not believe it is time to hit the panic button – yet.

The Ego in Chief’s actions might change my views about this (and other communicable diseases) if he stays on his current, extremely wishy-washy course. There are so many questions to be answered and contradictory statements and actions to be explained, but the American public will never be told the entire story until we are living smack-dab in the middle of it.

News was released yesterday of a memorandum from The State Department (copied to the Department of Homeland Security and White House) outlining a plan to allow patients with active Ebola to be transported to the United States from West Africa for treatment. Of course, Mr. Less-than-Ernest uhmmed and ahhhhed his way through a lame statement directing reporters to ask those Departments about the memo because the White House had not read it – or some other such blather. According to what has been reported, the total financial toll per patient will be approximately $500,000.00. Seriously? We just spent (more than likely) our next three years’ budgets on accommodating thousands of potentially disease-ridden illegals, feeding them, clothing them and shipping them via air and land across the country without our knowledge! But, we can’t afford more Border Patrol agents or a completed fence?

These are the questions I would love to have answered (but never will):

• We have sent some 3,000 troops to West Africa to build hospitals and assist with the current Ebola crisis there. Why are we putting them in harm’s way if the ultimate intent is to bring sick people here to be treated?
• Why did we send regular ground troops and not the Army Corps of Engineers and/or Seabees if the mission is mainly to build medical and quarantine facilities? Oh, that would make sense! Answered my own question, I guess.
• Part Two of the second question would be “Why are we putting them in harm’s way if the ultimate intent is to bring sick people here to be treated?” Why do we need to build facilities if the sick are not going to be there to use them?
• I completely agree with the Pentagon and DOD’s assertions that the troops should be quarantined on the base in Italy before repatriating to the U.S. for 21 days to ensure that they have not contracted Ebola. Why is it so obvious a solution to the Military brass, but not to you, Barry, or your minions?
• If planes can fly sick people into our country, why can’t they just send medical supplies to West Africa and let those people remain there? I am sure that the plasma from those who have survived Ebola can be transported safely by military aircraft and be used to treat patients in their home countries. Sorry, that was common sense. I will self-flagellate later 😉
• How can the government expect us to trust the CDC (also “the government”) when they say that doctors and nurses exposed to Ebola patients both in West Africa and here at home are responsible enough to self-quarantine when they clearly are not? I don’t know about you, but I have more respect for other people than to hop on a plane to Ohio or take a few subway rides through New York City when I know I am within the 21 day incubation period. Sorry you’re bored. Catch up on your reading. Perhaps refresh your knowledge of the nature of Ebola and the fact that you can go from asymptomatic to full-blown infectious in a New York minute. Just a suggestion…
• Perhaps the actions of the doctors and nurses who went to West Africa (or the nurse from Dallas who tended to Mr. Duncan) could be considered heroic. However, the “heroism” ends there. I see nothing heroic in not showing their fellow citizens the same respect and concern by disregarding all they know about this virus in order to satisfy their own needs. The nurse who was quarantined in New Jersey (until she whined so loud I could hear her in Colorado) is now openly stating that she will not be kept prisoner in her own home in Maine and fully intends to go out if she feels like it. Do they not remember taking the Hippocratic Oath? “I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sound of mind and body as well as the infirm.” (Lasagna, Hippocratic Oath).
• Why can you, Barry, not keep your damned nose out of the states’ business and stop criticizing them for initiating their own forms of quarantine for those arriving from the infected areas? Personally, I do not think they are carrying it far enough! Fever or not, anyone with a Visa from West Africa should be quarantined for a minimum of 21 days before being allowed to engage with the general public. I would even go a step further. Quarantine them in their respective homelands for 21 days before they can get a Visa in the first place! Uh, oh. More common sense. AND, I guess I am a racist as well. Shit… You are not taking care of the business that is your business, so the people have to do it for you. Believe me, if I was able to build a fence along our southern border, I would do it myself. I would build humane quarantine facilities in the Border States and examine people for any and all communicable diseases. They would then be held for the time recommended for each individual disease or virus until they are medically cleared. Finally, I would ship them back to their own countries happy, healthy and out of our hair!

Take care of your own before others. If grown people choose to put themselves in harms’ way, they must accept responsibility for their actions, heroes or not. Our soldiers might be members of a volunteer military, but they seem to understand what others cannot. The mission is to protect our country, our children, first and foremost – above all else. All you care about protecting, Mr. Obama, is your own skinny ass.

I would like to thank Antonio F. Branco for allowing me to use his wonderful cartoon in this blog. Mr. Branco is an extremely talented artist with a kick butt sense of sarcasm and an uncanny grasp of the importance of events affecting our nation. The link to his work is

http://comicallyincorrect.com/

I highly recommend a visit to his site. ~Katrina

Dear Mr. Obama…

Dear Mr. Obama,

I am the parent, husband, wife, sibling or child of a U.S. Military Veteran who sat (forgotten and neglected) on a waiting list with the Veteran’s Administration to see a doctor for treatment. I did not know my loved one’s name had been placed in a drawer, in the dark shadows of some bureaucrat’s desk. It no longer matters. They are gone now. If the list that contains their name is ever found, you can remove it. Your “help” is no longer needed.

I am a member of the Military who is still serving in Afghanistan. You know, one of the people whose life you put in jeopardy by again announcing a timeline for withdrawal of our troops. If my transportation home is a flag-draped coffin, please stay away when I arrive. My family will not need you to remind them why I am being carried by six of my fellow service members and not carrying my child in my arms for the first time.

I am a Border Patrol Agent who witnessed the death of Brian Terry at the hands of illegal thugs who carried weapons supplied by you. I look at the bean bag in my hand as I load my “gun” and wonder why I still do this when you have just released thousands of convicted illegal criminals into our system. I look across the border and think of Andrew Tahmooressi, a U.S. Marine being held in a Mexican jail because of a wrong turn. Then, I turn my head toward my home land and question why you have let illegal immigrant murderers and rapists run free while he sits there… My friend is in the ground, his family still has no answers and one of our Marines is held captive in a country that is supposed to be our ally.   Do you even care?

I am the spouse of a victim of the radical Islamist who killed 13 at Fort Hood. You remember that, don’t you? It was nothing but workplace violence according to your Attorney General. I and our 4 children are suffering not only from the loss of my spouse and their parent, but financially. Because of the bad decisions made by all of you in Washington, benefits we should be entitled to will not come. I work two jobs and my children have essentially lost both parents, although I am fortunate enough to tuck them in at night when my second shift allows.

I am the son of a Sargent in the U.S. Army who I never met. I do not know if my father is alive or dead. He is a POW in Viet Nam. Well, that is what we were told by some who were able to escape and come home. How can you allow Jay Carney to stand there in front of the American people and explain that Sgt. Bergdahl was released through a deal you made with the Taliban because Americans do not leave our soldiers behind? If that is so, why did I have to grow up without my father? What have you done to secure the release (or find the remains) of our men and women who are either MIA or POWs in Viet Nam? Nothing. Not a damned thing!

I am a former POW who was held in the Hanoi Hilton for 8 years. Our guards did not speak to us in English. In fact, they rarely spoke to us at all. They communicated through torture. However, even being isolated from my fellow Americans did not cause me to forget my native tongue nor did the North Vietnamese succeed in indoctrinating me into their form of Communism no matter how many days they withheld food and water, or committed unspeakable acts of torment and pain. I was captured when my helicopter went down. I did not leave my base to seek them out. I went into the POW camp an American, and I remain an American today – language, customs and all.

I am a NYC Firefighter (Retired) who is now battling a rare form of cancer. Although my doctor says it was most likely caused by the work I did at Ground Zero on (and long after) that horrific day in September 2001, I still await the help my country promised me. I know you were not in charge then, but you are now and any decisions concerning the care all of us were to receive were made under your watch. I watched many young men and women enlist after that day. Our small part of Staten Island felt like a ghost town when they left. Only a few returned. In speech after speech you have taken credit for “decimating” the head of the snake that is the Taliban. Why then, sir, are you reattaching it to the body by releasing the worst-of-the-worst into Afghanistan? Do you need a new “shiny thing” that badly? Maybe this disease is a blessing in disguise. I will doubtless be gone before the next terror strike on our beloved nation. In fact I pray for it to be so.

I am one of those told to stand down on September 11, 2012. I ran toward the fire despite those orders. I survived, unlike Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. We were under attack by terrorists, period. Now you have chosen to release five high-ranking members of the Taliban. How many times are you going to spit on the memories of those men?

I am a resident of Boston. Martin Richard was 8-years-old when he was killed by terrorists on our own soil during the Boston Marathon. Can you explain to his family why one man was so important that you had to send five Taliban members back to their homeland? Most likely not.

Sir, by your own words and actions you have proven that you would have done less harm to the American people by remaining either an ineffectual Senator or a Community Organizer. We do not need your perversion of the truth or stump speeches anymore. Do us all a favor and stick to golf. If you are going to spend our money, at least do it on something you don’t suck at.

Sincerely,

Those Americans Who Pay Attention

Ramble On…

As the old saying goes (sort of) “If y’all ain’t pissed, y’all ain’t payin’ attention.”

Problem is, everyday there is more to add to the Pissed List and my head is crowded with things that are so unjust, untrue, unfair and against all that I believe this country was meant to be.  I start to write and one personality reminds me of the Immigration debate, or another chimes in about the IRS.  One is incensed at the people who say “Let the NSA listen to me.  I have nothing to hide.  They’ll be really bored!”  (She had to be restrained and will not be contributing to this blog until she gets medical clearance…)   I almost lost another one over the Fort Hood Shooter trial.  It was close, but we talked him off the ledge.  I hesitate to even mention Benghazi.  You know – the imaginary terrorist attack on our compound that resulted in at least four deaths (of which we are aware).  As a matter of fact, I have a photo of the imaginary emergency meeting Barry held in the White House Situation Room that very evening:

Yeah, that Benghazi.  Or the ACA “train wreck” that produces new economic theories on why it will work every day (although no one can explain nor prove them).  Oh, and I have a new member of the round table who took on the task of figuring out WHERE al Qaeda ran to.  Far as he can tell, wherever the fuck they felt like as long as it was in striking distance of American installations, military personnel, embassies or civilians.

My most senior alternates are the Holderites.  They have been busy bees since the beginning of the Anointed One’s first term and have had little time to rest.  From the day he declared we are a “nation of cowards” – tell that to the families of the nearly 6,800 souls who lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan bravely protecting our country and way of life – to his avoidance of anything “Fast and Furious” related, Sir Eric has continued to slither away from the serious repercussions that should be his fate.  At the very least, a resignation after Barry’s first term would have been a gentlemanly way to exit.  But, you have to have class to be a gentleman.

There are a couple of things that bother the group (and our recently hospitalized colleague) about those who accept the government’s attempt to manipulate our 4^th Amendment rights.  What if the NSA decided to come to your home for dinner – I mean, just eat, have some wine, share a joke or two but not interrogate you or read anything – at a moment’s notice?  Would you let them in?  What if they wanted to have an agent sit next to you at work?  Or come to the Doctor’s office with you?  How ‘bout they hang out on the playground with your kids?  Would you let them go that far?  Well, by opening the door just enough to allow access to some information, you have given them a way to access it ALL.  Yeah, uhm, duh!?!?  The second part of this is, if the government does not wish to read the emails of a couple of hundred million citizens (sorry, Seattle), why do they now have our passwords?  Just a word to those who say they don’t care – take it from someone who has been through it.  You will.

As for the imaginary Benghazi scandal…does this mean that Ambassador Stevens, Sean Smith, Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty are still alive?  No, it doesn’t.  And, the Potus insults the families and memories of all of those who were killed or wounded on that terrible day in September 2012 when he goes off on his little temper tantrums about those meanies, the GOP.   I swear he reminds me of a three-year-old who puts his hands over his own eyes and believes that, because he can’t see you, you cannot see him.  “If I don’t look at the real problems, if I pretend they don’t exist, they don’t.  Hey, let’s talk about Trayvon Martin.  How ‘bout that economy?  Green jobs, green jobs, green jobs…Keystone Pipeline? Fifty jobs max!  Green jobs, green jobs…Pay no attention to the real issues behind the curtain!”

Now that the sound of crickets has quieted in the Situation Room, and Barry is trying to act like he gives a shit, all of a sudden notifications of possible al Qaeda attacks are popping up faster than the news can report them. (Man, I’ll tell you what.  Those buggers can terrorize like a son of a bitch when they are decimated, can’t they?)  Why?  What made Benghazi different?  It was September 11^th.  Other embassies were on alert.  Why have no survivors come forward?  Aside from the man at Walter Reed, were there others?   What made Benghazi different?

I have an issue (okay, I have millions of them, but let’s just concentrate on this one – smarty pants) with using the real names of the murderers of children, unarmed soldiers and other innocent people going about their daily lives.  So, we will call the jihadist in Texas the Fort Hood Shooter.  Clarify something for me if you can.  Does the following handwritten letter now officially classify the scum as an enemy combatant so that we do not have to pay him and the wounded and families of the dead get the military benefits they deserve?

Once these letters were sent, why didn’t the JAG’s office go to the Judge and petition to have the charges amended?  Isn’t it bad enough the surviving victims have to go through being questioned by the POS who killed their colleagues?  They are still being left in the dust when it comes to receiving the benefits to which they are entitled.

So, not the most organized thoughts in America, but we are going through some organizational changes and things should be back to abnormal soon enough 🙂

Under Penalty of Perjury…

My friend just applied for a Commercial Driver’s License Class A in the state of Colorado. He was required to bring his current Colorado Driver’s License OR Original Birth Certificate/Certified Copy of Original and valid Driver’s License from the originating state (which will be used to issue a Colorado Driver’s License), 3 pieces of mail proving that he lives where he says he lives – which should include utility bills – and a Health Card from the state of Colorado proving that he won’t drop dead behind the wheel anytime soon. “They was taking plaster tire tracks, foot prints, dog smelling prints, and they took twenty-seven eight-by-ten glossy photographs with circles and arrows and a paragraph on the back of each one explaining what each one was to be used as evidence against us” (Arlo Guthrie). Pain in the neck, but no big deal.

The application was signed at the DMV, as was the paper form of the new CDL permit, in order to ensure that he was the one who actually signed it. Makes sense, right? I mean, who wants some terrorist driving a truck into a building or loading it with explosives or chemical agents and blowing it up in the middle of one of our major cities?

I just have one question – how do they know he really lives where he says he does? He used the same proof to get his regular license as he did to get his CDL. What if he was a sugar daddy who paid his mistress’ bills? What if he paid for his elderly parents’ electric and gas? What if he went to some computer geek and had her create a bill with his name on it for $50? They don’t check. As a matter of fact, they didn’t even make copies of his proofs of address to keep in a file! Bloody freakin’ geniuses, they are.

Is our federal government any better? (Really…you have to think about that before you answer it? Geesh…) Well, actually they are a bit more polite than some of the people at the DMV. Our government provides her citizens with a quick way to register to vote in federal elections. It is called the “Voter Registration Application”. The application is a simple postcard that is mailed to the address printed on it within a certain amount of time prior to the date of whatever election you wish to vote in. However, “Please do not use this application if you live outside the United States and its territories and have no home (legal) address in this country…” Shit, I know that I would definitely follow the rules if I were a foreign national bent on the destruction of the United States or an illegal immigrant wishing to skew an election in favor of those who desire to give me amnesty. THEY SAID PLEASE FOR GOD’S SAKE!!!!

I am not even going to get into the whole Arizona ET AL. v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, Inc., ET AL. case that was just decided by the Supreme Court. Come on, we all knew that Arizona was not going to win. It is about the stupidity of a system that blindly allows ANYONE – dead, cloned, illegal, terrorist – to register to vote without showing any proof that they are who they say they are. And, the proof that an individual must produce when they actually go to the polls is ambiguous at best:

“First Time Voters Who Register by Mail
If you are registering to vote for the first time in your jurisdiction and are mailing this registration application, Federal law requires you to show proof of identification the first time you vote. Proof of identification includes:
A current and valid photo identification [which can be purchased for a fee from your local forger] or a current utility bill, bank statement, government check, paycheck or government document that shows your name and address [which can be purchased for a fee from your local forger].

Voters may be exempt from this requirement if they submit a COPY of this identification with their mail in voter registration form. If you wish to submit a COPY, please keep the following in mind:
Your state may have additional identification requirements which may mandate you show identification at the polling place even if you meet the Federal proof of identification.
Do not submit original documents with this application, only COPIES.”

Okay, I am going to get into the Arizona ruling for just a sec… Why did they shoot down Arizona’s Proof of Citizenship Requirement because they felt it went beyond the requirements set forth by the federal government when the federal government advises applicants that “Your state may have additional identification requirements which may mandate you show identification at the polling place even if you meet the Federal proof of identification”? Huh?

Still wonder why our voting system is screwed up? Still wonder how Barry won? I don’t.

Worth Repeating…

I know some of you have already read this, but in light of current events I felt it might be even more relevant today.

TWENTY-FIFTY

A short story by

Katrina

Dew had settled on the grassy meadow, reflecting the fiery orange of morning sunlight.  An ant pushed his way between the blades in search of food.  He sensed something in the distance.  It was quite cool beneath the cover of the overgrown meadow.  The earth was very soft and difficult to traverse.  Yet, the ant kept his pace and trudged onward.

Lily had been watching the determined insect for a while now.  Occasionally she would place her finger in his path to see if he would turn back, or find a new route to his destination.

Behind her stood an old farm house badly in need of repair.  The porch had sagged almost to ground level, the shutters long gone.  Tattered curtains waved from the windows in sync with the morning breeze.  Lily heard the muffled sounds of people coming to life.

She was almost always the first to awaken.  At 12, she was considered old enough to start the cooking fire and put on coffee, when the government included it in the ration packages (or “rat packs”, as most Commons called them).   The breakfast skillet was warmed on a grate next to the coals inside of the fire ring.  Most days, breakfast included liquid eggs, veecon (a tofu product formed to resemble bacon) and soft corn tortillas.  Lily did not prepare the meal.  That chore was left to her older brother, Lyle.

“How long you been up?”, her mother asked as she walked toward the fire ring.

“Oh, about an hour or so.  The ants were in our cooler box again.”

“Damn!  Did they ruin anything?”

“Nope.  Got ‘em before they could do much harm.  Wish we could find a better spot for the food, Mom.  Why don’t we put it in the house?”

Her mother sighed and looked to the sky.  “Lily, I TOLD you if we put it inside, the ants will be INSIDE.  I don’t particularly like sleeping with ants, do you?”

“No.  I just hate fightin’ ‘em every day.  It gets to be a real pain.”  She reached into the cooler box and retrieved a glass bottle containing their weekly supply of soy milk.

Lily was not old enough to know the taste of cow’s milk.  As a matter of fact, the only cows she had ever seen were in picture books.  That might not have been so odd if she lived in a big city, but she did not.  Lily lived on her Grampa’s old dairy farm.  Thirty-five years ago it was the Number One dairy in the state.  Their milk was distributed all over the country.

Then  came the Great American Clean-up.  In Two Thousand Fifteen, the Government mandated zero-methane output nationwide.  Cows, pigs, sheep and other “ranch animals” were rounded up and sold to Canada or Mexico.  Meat products were purchased from those countries, if you could afford them.

The Clean-up ruined her Grampa financially.  The only reason they still had a house to live in was that a parcel of the dairy farm had been paid off long ago and her Grampa had never borrowed against it.  He was “asked” to do the Patriotic thing and donate the balance of his land to the “Corn Co-Operative”.

Fossil fuels were available only to the Protectors, Techies or the Government.  The traditional Military had been dismantled in Twenty-twenty and replaced with an organization consisting of former members of some of the larger private security firms.  The borders were policed remotely via monitors, only a few actual Protectors were needed to respond to escape alerts put out by the Techies.  America no longer sent troops to foreign lands.  The largest national security issue was citizens who wanted to leave without special permission or a work Visa.

Windmills crowded the landscapes from Coast to Coast.  Solar panels popped up like ugly dandelions.  Television and radio were obsolete, as were laptops and PC’s.  All communication was regulated by the Fairness Commission and transmitted via cell phones.  Every citizen was issued a phone when they turned 5-years-old.  It was to be carried with you at all times.

Lily did not attend school.  She had Vid-Ed for 4 hours every day.  The Education Commission had been nationalized and all children received the same education in every part of the country.

Lyle called the family to breakfast and they gathered around the picnic table to eat.  This was Lily’s favorite time of day.  Sometimes, Grampa would tell stories of the days when he would attend automobile races with his father.  Or when he went to a place called Iraq so that America could be safe.  He spoke of the 50 states that made up his country.  Alaska had long since become a nation unto itself, and Hawaii had been lost to North Korea in Twenty-Ten.

Three other states – Michigan, Maine and Washington – had been traded to Canada for gold.  California became a part of Mexico in a deal with the Mexican Government that was never clearly explained.  “No one cared”, said Grampa.  “They were a pain in the ass anyway.”

“Good Lord, Dad!” said Lily’s mom.  Suddenly, a large hand clamped over her mouth.  It was Lily’s father.  He held his wife close and whispered in her ear, “Do you want to go to jail, Susan?”

He loosened his grip and Susan took a deep breath.  “It just comes out sometimes.  I mean, it’s just a saying.  I wasn’t, you know, praying or anything.”

“We don’t want to take any chances, Susan.  So far, we have been left alone.  I don’t want to risk that.”  He reached for her and held her tightly.  “I’m sorry.  I love you.”

Soon, it was time for Vid-Ed to begin.  Lily’s father, grandfather and brother left to work in the Corn Co-Op.  Their hybrid hummed as it went down the dirt road and disappeared into the horizon.  Her mother retrieved some water from the rain catcher and began to clean the breakfast dishes.

Lily moved to her makeshift desk on the far end of the porch and turned on her phone.  Class began with a salute to the New America as a circular sunrise over a red, white and blue horizon appeared on the screen…

Picky, picky, picky…

Correct me if I’m wrong (oh, silly me.  I know you will!), but didn’t we just go through a whole “Minutemen are evil, rotten vigilantes with too much time on their hands and too much hate in their hearts” thingy?  I mean, the poor illegal immigrants just wanted a place to live and a steady income to support their families back in Mexico, right?  Besides, we Americans were just too fat and lazy to do the jobs they are willing to do.  Heck, we felt SO bad that we even let them have a couple of GM plants to help their economy.  Besides, the border violence is our own damned fault because our gun laws are too liberal.

Well…how come the government is now asking for volunteers from the National Guard to patrol the border between Mexico and the U.S.?  Hello?  Is there anyone in Washington, DC who can explain this?  Why – if the borders aren’t as bad as we thought and, well, the illegals are just fun loving family guys – do we need a volunteer Border Patrol?  And an unarmed one at that?  What good are they gonna do?  I can see it now… “Hey, dude.  I wouldn’t climb that fence if I were you.  Yo, hey DUDE!!!  You know, that’s just not right, man.  I’m tellin’ ”

Come ON, people.  This borders (no pun intended) on the ridiculous!  I can see soooo many Saturday Night Live routines coming from this one.

By the way, congrats to the Senate Democrats on achieving their filibuster-proof majority.  But, dude, Al Franken? Seriously?