Another quick post - The public hearings have begun

The above illustrates what I think of Trump and his disaster of a presidency.  Although some good things came of it, the damage he did to public comity was akin to pouring gasoline onto a flame. Today was the first of the televised hearings of the January 6th committee. This started the process of demonstrating to the public that Trump was responsible for the Capitol Hill riots.

At this point, I have to note that I was not watching the public testimony on June 9th.  Instead, I read the online commentary, as I was at game night enjoying myself.  Given what happened that day, I can't see myself watching scenes from the riot without getting sick.  If one drinks the MAGA Kool-Aid, then what one sees will be what the former president wanted one to see - loyal Americans fighting to take back their government.  If doesn't drink the Kool-Aid, then one sees an insurrection in progress on January 6th.  Either way, this is not an event that can be allowed to happen again.

Hopefully, I'll be able to watch future presentations where the violence is downplayed.  It is important that we watch things like this, as our republic will die if our public ceases to be aware of what is going on in society from the viewpoint of an objective observer.

Sometimes, I let things slide

The title of today's entry may be a little misleading.  I'm not talking about not getting angry at something.  Instead, I'm talking about someone posting something political (and offensive) at work on office equipment and not planning on doing anything about it.

As I've noted before, my office is a model of diversity.  Somehow, we have people of all political persuasions working together.  Yet, one incident could set off a series of falling dominoes - and I do not plan on pushing that first domino.  For me, it is a female Trump supporter who has posted a "Brandon" sticker (a Trumpster's way of saying "Fuck You Biden") that bothers me.  No, it's not the idea that this seemingly sane person is a Trump supporter that bothers me.  Instead, it's the fact that she has affixed a political bumper sticker to her office equipment.

People will have very different views on life and yet work well together.  For the purpose of maintaining peace, I plan to let this defacing of office equipment slide - especially when I do not have to see it on a regular basis.  I just wonder what will happen to many of these Trump supporters if he is indicted, tried, and convicted.  How will these people keep their cool in the office when people like me start cheering?  Someone will push the first domino, and I don't want to be there when it happens....

A death of an acquaintance.

 

This picture has nothing to do with about what I am writing about today.  Yet, it was a reminder that I had to get around to writing about a death of someone I haven't seen in years.

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Years ago, I went to school with a man who joked about forming his own Klan.  (Spelling that word with a "K" is intentional.)  This man was raised by an intolerant Germanic father, and he inherited many of his attitudes from his dad.  At that time, I liked this person (I didn't have good taste in people then), and I ended up buying an insurance policy from him when he was in the insurance business.  

Over the years, we lost contact, and he went his own way with his life.  Yet, I was shocked to hear from him via Facebook, and I felt that he had the same attitudes he had in his past, as he was a Trump supporter. When he died, I decided to look at his Facebook page, and I was surprised by several things.  First, he was no longer posting stupid things on his Facebook page, and there was little trace of the Trump support he showed in the past.  Next, it appeared that he married again (he was already divorced once when I knew him), and that nothing showed up in his feed showing what this woman looked like. And finally, it looks like he had done a complete turnabout in regard to racial relations.

Sadly, I will not be in the NYC area when a memorial service is held for him.  I would like to find out what happened to him in the years since we were together.  I wonder what he would think if he were to find out that I am transgender.  Unfortunately, some things can not be known....


PS: I later found out that he was still on his second marriage.  Never trust personal data shared on Facebook.

Bahamas Cruise - Day 5 (Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas)

 

Great Stirrup Cay - NCL's private island.  It's a nice playground, but not one I wanted to bother with.  If NCL had bothered to build a pier, I might have gotten off the ship to enjoy a pristine beach.  But that was not the case for me.  

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This was another day that I decided to stay on the ship.  Most people had gotten off the ship, leaving the pool/hot tub areas relatively empty.  So I decided to take another soak, and got in the wrong tub.  No, it was not because there was anything wrong with the tub itself.  Instead, I was surrounded with Trump supporters.  One thing you can't do with people who have drunk the Kool Aid is argue with them using facts.  Instead I tried to shift the topic as best I could, so that we'd have more things we could agree on than get agitated about.  (When one of these people mentioned "voter fraud", there was no way that I was going to cite the Associated Press and its statistic regarding this crime in battleground states.  These people would never believe it.)  At least, I got deeper tan lines from sitting in this tub for an hour....

What I found most interesting about this stop was that Royal Caribbean's private isle was next door - Little Stirrup Cay.  Of course, they had to rename the isle "Coco Cay", so that there wouldn't be brand confusion between the two islands.

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Tonight's dinner was with the woman I met on the trip to Fort Sumter.  The specialty restaurant we visited was good as usual, and I continue to be impressed with what they can do with meat on a grill. Now if only, I could get their recipe for a grilled pineapple, I'd be in heaven.  But that's another story. After dinner, I went to the casino, and then to the lounge.  I had a good time, but was surprised to find out that the lounge singer didn't know (what I think are) well known standards, such as "St. John's Infirmary."  And there was another person in the audience who had the same feelings that I did.  Too bad that I didn't get the chance to meet her husband.  I'd have liked to meet someone who'd forget his wallet at home.  (He has to be worse at remembering things than I am, as I only forgot my jewelry before going on this cruise.)