our IITOO is a racist.

 it's been an incredible disturbing and disheartening week.  and it's not that far into the week.  our nation is spiraling out of control and the GOP seems to have no interest in trying to right this ship.  they are weak of character.  our iitoo has the blessing of the clan and white supremacists(ws) and New-gnats.  they called to thank him for his support after Tuesdays hate filled attempt to try to make some moral equivalency of the racists that were protesting and those who were out there to protest against them.  loved this first picture that friend MT took at her dog, Morgans, Birthday party tonight.

 the rest are in Hatchers pass by the way.

 got called all sorts of names by a friend of a friend.  there was some craziness about these statues which have become the center of attention.  if they are taken down it is win for blacks and those who support the idea that we should no longer have statues of confederate hero's in public places.  one place is now saying they will remove and place in confederate cemeteries, which sounds like a really good way to deal with it all.  the people in the South i seemed to be getting into it with on facebook almost treat this like some golden calf.

 my thought after attempting to have rational discussions with some of them is that it's like talking sense to nonsense.  if you are fighting to keep them up you are actually on the side of the clan-newnats-w.s.  I'd rather see every statue get removed before i would side with these horrible people who of course, claim to be the patriots of our nation.  the confederates started a civil war and lost...of course, I'm told to get over the election results and they can't get over losing the civil war all these years later. now it seems they are ready and willing to attempt another civil war over these statues.

 of course, all the people who i argued with repeated state they aren't racist without being called racist...which i think if you have to work that hard to convince people you aren't racist....you may actually just be racist.  i think i stayed pretty rational and decent.  can't say the same for this other girl.  i wanted to say that she may actually be the one who is clueless about history because she grew up in the south and one has to wonder what sort of information they were told about what really happened during the civil war.  probably a bit slanted against speaking ill of the confederates. probably some clan influence at the school board level.

 i wrote a bit of a personal statement regarding these issues that i worked myself into a frenzy writing in my head as i drove to Seward yesterday.  i really just wanted to drive and try to clear my head.  it was all so upsetting yesterday.  i wanted to speak truth since so many of these people arguing on facebook kept saying they love iitoo because he speaks truth and just says it like it is.  never mind that the guy lies nearly constantly and only says it like it is in his imagined world in his head .

 to have a potus not call this what it is, domestic terror.  these guys surrounded a church the night before with tiki lamps yelling, jews won't replace them.  nobody wants to replace these guys, we just want them to go away...sadly, i saw a post from a relative who gives our iitoo an attaboy.

 it feels so eerie.  like you can see how it all happened in Germany.  like before this you thought that sort of thing was nearly impossible and wondered what happened.  something we never thought could happen here and you see how it does happen.  how people believe the unbelievable.  people standing in support of these fringe groups.  applauding our iitoo for not calling them out but for taking it out on the left.  he called it the alt left.  one joke i saw was like the alt left....what are they gonna do, hug you, bring you a meal.  it was pretty clever.

 of course, there is always a few in any rally, movement or protest that can take things too far.  but these clan/newgnats and ws brought guns, they have since said they are happy that the poor woman was mowed down and killed using is-is tactics.  they had put pamphlets out basically announcing their intentions to terrorize this town.

 in an interview with an ex RNC leader he said he feared the right would try to rationalize/normalize and make moral equivalencies with the groups on the left like blm.  of course he was right they did just that.  he said though that the difference is that blm is striving to be treated equal whereas the clan/newgnats and ws want to be superior.  they also have a long history of violence and murder among other things.  the blm has only had a few isolated incidences and they are not a band of thugs like the clan going around terrorizing and intimidating people.

 our nation has a long history of cruel treatment of blacks.  i spoke honestly about what our nation put these people through for generations.  i then tried to explain that before they are even born they are born at a disadvantage.  that even after they obtained freedoms they had many struggles related to the clan and the infiltration of the clan in governments/police and courts.  they eventually got to vote but it was limited and to this day many attempts are made to decrease their ability to vote.  we can't erase the past, but we can make the future better.  statue removal is mostly symbolic but it is the right thing to do in my mind and if you don't remove the statues at this point the clan-newgnats and ws put that in their win pile...the fact that they feel they have the government/potus on their side...and it appears they do, well that is just making them feel more emboldened.

 the south may rise again only to lose again.  i always think it's ironic that these same folks who fight for less and less gun control so they can as my brother would say be able to fight a corrupt government, they also are the ones who fight for our military to be stronger and stronger.  so the end result will be that those who rise will no doubt be taken out sooner and faster.  our nation may have to do just this.  it wouldn't be this iitoo to do it though.  at least not against these thugs.  of course, he may totally piss them off.  they did mention they were happy with him in office but would prefer someone more racist...as the guy interviewed said, "who hadn't allowed his daughter to be married off to a jew".  there were preachers from many denominations gathered in that church because they were planning on joining in song and prayer the next day with those protesting the clan/newgnats/ws gathering.  yeah, they sound like the bad guys in this picture

 the right seems to be in lala land, believing nonsense and believing that they are being treated so poorly.  that they are being so discriminated against.  all it takes is to recognize that some of us get an easier ride in life.  for myself, born white, stable family, good education, food shelter....

 being born a different race/color can automatically close some doors through life or just make them harder to open and walk through.  there are other ways that i have seen people get that first step forward...born into money, born with some sort of culturally accepted beauty, that gets doors open, people are just nicer to you.  people are nicer to you if you are from a different place.  all these things.  it makes life easier or safer.  i remember shopping one day in DC.  the clerk was indifferent of my presence really until he saw my drivers license then he was suddenly all, "your from Alaska!".  when i was in my twenties i was more fit and probably a bit better looking and i got out of over 40 tickets before i was in my 30's. some of us just start with a fuller deck of cards as we go through life trying to completely fill it.  the blacks often start with fewer cards in this nation and when they do work hard to catch up...I've gotten ahead more by getting more cards so they seem to always be playing catch up.  this is true for others as well, some are born to terrible parents, some are born addicted, some have parents in jail, get beaten, are homeless, don't have regular meals...these all are cards taken away from that deck of cards that they have to try and make up.  life isn't fair...i get that, but we need to try and make it more fair even if it's not fair.  that is the kind thing to do and raising others up raises us all up.  the color of your skin should not make a difference in the life isn't fair thing.  we all have enough strikes against us as we try to make our way for the color of our skin to count against us.  more, who are white, need to just recognize this and make more of an effort to try and level the playing field.

 the GOP party who has for years claimed to be the party of morals, ethics, values and God are as far away from that as any party has ever been.  their base is clan/newgnats and ws and people for gun rights and against abortion.  that is what they vote on and they stick like glue because they have been made to be terrified of the left.  the religious right needs to figure out that God is not a member of the GOP.

 these pictures are at Independence Mine.

 today it was raining pretty hard.  i slept in of course, then had a few things to do around the house, make my mom's potato salad because apparently my friends love it.  who knew.  i always figured it was too bland for normal folks.  thanks again mom.  :-) love you, miss you.

 the party tonight was fun. lots of the dogs.  mine weren't perfect but they did do pretty great.  they are beat.  so much running.  it was pouring.  she had a cover over her deck and a little fire pit so it was cozy and i just kept tossing a tennis ball for the dogs.  at the end of the evening i had Tusker sleeping in my lap and Ivy Rose sleeping at my feet.

 yesterday i did not get a very early start.  i think the news and facebook sucked me in as i could not believe what was happening.  over and over with this iitoo i have been shocked by what he has said or done and how the GOP and their base just rationalize away all the absurdity.  have had little conversations with several family members and this week i have honestly avoided making calls because i fear that i will have to hear that they support this iitoo in his support of the clan/newgnats and ws and their actions this weekend...that they too put the blame just as much or more on those protesting this rally.  i guess i have to try to trick my brain into thinking that my family couldn't possibly side with these thugs in this...believe that my family would be appalled.  but at this time...I'm really not sure that they are.

 this is another thing that makes me thing of Germany and how this all happened with the nazi's.  how the people were led down this path that takes them to normalizing this hatred and not believing that they are being led down this path but instead believe that the hate is all against them and that everyone else is to blame.  i am saddened to think that if my family were in Germany in those days we may have ended up very divided.  that it may even be possible....but i can't go there.

 all i can do is continue to speak out, speak the truth, do my part to look at many sources for news and find the truth.  to support others and fight for those who need me to stand up and fight for them.  to do what Christ taught.  to love, to be kind, to not judge.  if only those who claim to fight in the name of God would step back and take a moment to ponder which side of this God would really want them to be on..surely God would not want them to fight in the name of the clan/newgnats and ws.

 i did finally get outside yesterday, and it was a beautiful day.  i stopped at the dog park, Ivy was a pogo stick.  she sometimes is.  we have good days and bad days.  then i had to get pick up some RX...because yes I'm still coughing.

 then we headed down the arm towards Seward not really knowing if i really planned on going all the way to Seward or not.  i stopped to let the dogs swim down the road to Portage.  then we did drive to Seward.  i only stopped for a few minutes at the Sealife Center.  i missed the pm feeding by minutes. dang.  then we hit the beach, more jumping.  beach is always relaxing....even for a few minutes.  then i just headed back.

 could have stopped in at the SeaLife Center again or any number of things but i just wanted to get home.  i just was happy to have made the drive. i needed it.

 the rain was pouring last night when i got home.

 the supreme court of India refused to allow an abortion for a 10 year old rape victim....the poor girl has apparently delivered a baby.  just popped up in my news feed.  this world is nuts.

 oh to be a bee, completely unaware of the craziness of politics.

 the iitoo is in pursuit of destruction of the earth and our national parks and monuments as well.

 it is all incredibly depressing.

 iitoo had business councils with multiple CEO's of companies.  they were resigning from this council so fast after Saturdays horrible news conference and then again Tuesday.  he tweeted that he was going to disband it really after they had all basically left it.  earlier this weekend he had tweeted a basic screw you i have CEO's lined up waiting to take your position....another lie.  so many lies and yet his sheep believe he speaks truth.  i know the only way they will believe the truth is if it comes out of Sean Hannity's mouth and that was lost months ago in iitoo arse.  never to be seen again.

 will end with some pretty wildflowers.

 we are seeing signs of fall creeping in.  the berries are coming out.  as i drove down the turnigan i saw patches of orange in the brush.

 the dogs have gone to bed and so must i.  it's almost 2 am.  yikes!! in the end you have to live with yourself.  you have to live with your decisions.  i couldn't accept agreeing with the clan/newgnats and ws.  my conscience is clear at this time.  what is right and what is wrong is clear.  they are bad.  they have terrorized for years. their history speaks volumes of the sort of people they are.  what hate they have allowed into their souls.  i can pray for them but i can't abide by them.

grateful for:  A.  distractions  B.  beauty C.  truth