No excuses -- wear a mask!

 Another friend of ours, Dennis M., has lost a half-brother to COVID-19. His mother and brother are trying to recover from it.

My friend from high school, Cyndy, has a son in NYC who recently battled COVID as well. All because his roommate thought it was a good idea to go to a gathering without a mask! Her son was taking precautions -- his roommate did not. Her son suffered because of someone else's thoughtlessness.

COVID-19 is not a hoax nor is it a conspiracy. Real people are dying. America has the highest level of infections and deaths.

When you speak of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, LIFE is first on the list. If you refuse to wear a mask out of some twisted sense of entitlement garnished with false indignation, you are basically saying that you don't give a shit if you're impinging on someone else's right to LIVE.

You don't care enough to do YOUR PART to stop this pandemic and save lives because you're a selfish asshole who cares about nobody but yourself.

With rights come responsibilities -- you don't get to do whatever you want, whenever you want, despite the consequences or harm to other people. Hence, the reason for speed limits, etc.

The promotion of ignorance and anti-intellectualism has led us to this point. The idea in this country that being a willfully ignorant and/or uneducated person is somehow preferred has turned this country into a global embarrassment.

Stop the bullshit. Wear a mask. Social distance. Do your part to quash this pandemic.

NO excuses. Shut the fuck up and do what is necessary.

Why I study forensic psychology and criminology

I've dealt with real monsters in my life, including being sexually abused by one of my ex-stepfathers and victimized by a sociopath in later years as well. I learned a lot from those situations; I refuse to be a victim and cower in the aftermath of events that impacted my life in countless ways. Instead, I will educate myself to avoid it from happening again in the future.

I decided that I was going to study forensic psychology and learn about the behavior and genesis of such behavior in these people. I also used to work in back records in a police dept in the late 90s. Doing so opened my eyes a great deal to the criminal deviance in society.

The psychology of people who commit heinous and despicable crimes offers much opportunity to not only take steps to safeguard oneself as best you can, but also to explore how we, as a society, may be able to safeguard ourselves better from such people in the long run. That is IF we see the signs and act upon them accordingly.

Unfortunately, we are now seeing this type of psychopathy unfold on a large scale. We are now experiencing just how much chaos, pain, and death can be imposed on an entire country when a malignant narcissist and likely psychopath is in charge.

Shame on you, Bill Bakula!

After watching the documentary about Walter Mercado, entitled Mucho Mucho Amor, it's clear that Bill Bakula is a shit human being who did a ton of financial, emotional, and mental damage to Walter Mercado.

THIS is why -- especially if you're a writer/artist/musician -- you should NEVER allow someone to take over your financial/business interests without having extreme oversight over them!

RIP, Walter Mercado.

Fuck you, Bill Bakula, you piece of shit.

My daughter's reincarnation story

I believe in reincarnation and have since I was about 9 or 10 years old. I suspect it's a scientific fact that will eventually be proven. Here's one story I can share:

When my daughter Britt was 3, she matter-of-factly informed me that she'd been a nun and had died in a church fire. I'd never taken my kids to any church -- and certainly not a Catholic church -- and she didn't watch shows about religion or nuns, either. I remember how shocked I was at first, but then I accepted it. To this day I still discuss it with Britt.

Interestingly, I wanted to be a nun when I was 7. I did not grow up Catholic. Paul, who did grow up Catholic, but who has been atheist for many years, always tells me that I should've been Catholic because I exhibit signs of Catholic guilt all too often. Interesting fact: a lot of ex-Catholics turn to paganism/Wicca. I think it has a lot to do with the ritual aspect of it. I love rituals!

What's more, I am also fascinated by nuns and rosaries, even though I'm pagan and a witch. I also love to watch/listen to Latin Mass (or Latin for any reason). We have a Latin dictionary here at home.

Britt and I have discussed it and I think it's possible we were both nuns and in the same sisterhood in a past life. That is what I suspect, anyway. My fascination with saints, rosaries, Mother Mary, Catholic church architecture, priests, exorcisms, and movies about nuns (the latest is Warrior Nun on Netflix) leads me to suspect there is something to it. I also believe that she was chosen to be my daughter for a reason and that this is not our first time around together.

Reincarnation has been on my mind lately, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on it.

What do you think?

Spineless cowards -- the lot of them.

Image source: Pixabay/geralt

Reminder: Trump has been fighting for over four years not to release his tax returns.

If Obama had done that, the entire GOP and sycophant MAGAts out there would've been screaming to high heaven.

In fact, if Obama had done or said any of the questionable or disgusting things 45 has, the GOP would've been in a near-constant state of apoplexy.

The GOP are spineless cowards. It also probably means 45 has a lot of dirt on them. But the GOP has chosen the battlefield they want to die on, so I say let them.

Example of white privilege: Trump was proud of 'grabbing them by the pussy.' What if Obama had said that? The rabid right-wingers would've been burning crosses on the White House lawn.

What have we learned? In America, the GOP and MAGAts are perfectly fine with a rich, white man grabbing women by the pussy (which is disgusting, to begin with), but only if the candidate is WHITE.

They're nothing short of an ethically bankrupt Group of Psychopaths (GOP).

Unapologetically Calling Them Out

For people who are upset that I called them out on their behavior during this time of protests and civil unrest, understand that If I let that shit slide, then in my mind I am complicit and that is what led all of us here. If you are racist, I do not want to be connected with you. Go away and work on evolving toward being a decent human being.

• * Racism & white supremacy is NOT a difference of opinion. You like mustard over mayo? THAT is a difference of opinion.
• * Police brutality is NOT okay.
• * Murder by cop is NOT okay.

If 100 so-called good cops stand by and do nothing while 25 bad cops brutalize and murder, those so-called good cops are complicit and a bunch of spineless cowards for not stopping it or reporting it. One bad apple DOES spoil the entire bunch.

Police officers should be held to a higher standard and held accountable for criminal behavior.
Police unions should be held accountable.
City governments should be held accountable.

Before you talk shit about journalists and the media, you should know that I majored in Mass Communication/Journalism (Phillips University) and Applied Communication (at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) and have had over 200 paid pieces published in print and online over the last 23 years. I am a professional writer, a multi-published author, and a former print newspaper reporter who has many honorable and talented friends who work as journalists and in the media.

Journalists do the thankless and difficult job of upholding and defending the 1st Amendment right of FREEDOM OF THE PRESS. I guarantee I know more about what these people do than you ever will. If you're okay with police attacking journalists and shooting them with rubber bullets EVEN WHEN THEY'RE IN THE DESIGNATED MEDIA AREA, then you've got a bankrupt sense of decency. FREE countries have a FREE press, and the last I checked, America is still a democracy.

Don't go down these roads with me or you will regret it, because I will not hesitate to call you out on your racist, uneducated and/or ignorant bullshit. I don't care if you are family or not. You are wrong and I will not coddle you or excuse your outrageous, reprehensible viewpoints.

Try being a better person and NOT a proponent of racism, police brutality, fascism, xenophobia, misogyny, and homophobia? How about THAT?!

I've always been outspoken and unafraid to say the things that most people are fearful of bringing to light. I don't foresee that changing in the future.

If you don't like me, that's fine. Unlikely my life will be any different without you in it.

Reopen the Sandra Bland case!

The authorities need to reopen the Sandra Bland case. Her case still haunts me and has for a long time. She, too, was murdered by the police. She was a black woman. She didn't use her signal when she changed lanes and she ended up dead because of it.

You should not DIE because you forgot to use your turn signal. I guarantee you if Sandra had been a white woman, she would be alive today.

If you don't see a problem with all of this, you are BLIND or you don't give a shit because you suck as a human being. So many of you are sitting your asses up in a church every damn week -- or twice a week -- and being a hypocrite the entire time. Judging others and acting like you're better than everyone else, couched in your white privilege. When it comes to THOU SHALT NOT KILL, you get all silent when the person has a different skin color than you do -- ain't that right? Not your concern -- none of your business, huh? If this is you, you're a hypocrite.

So...what would Jesus do? If you're honest, you know the answer. Walk your talk. If you're a Christian, you know all of this is wrong and you should have the backbone to speak out and to stand up against it. If you don't, you stay home come Sunday, 'cause you're a fake-ass Christian and Jesus doesn't want nothing to do with your hypocritical ass!

Those for whom the above shoe fits, let me say that I know more respectable atheists, pagans, and Satanists than the lot of you.

Tired of my posts about racism? Imagine how tired black people are of being senselessly brutalized and murdered

If you're tired of my posts about racism, white supremacy, and fascism, then imagine how tired black people are of being brutalized and murdered for no other reason than for the fact that they are black.

I hope you're uncomfortable. I hope you're bothered by all the posts you are seeing. Maybe it'll eventually lead to a long-awaited epiphany for you.

I'm not black and I grew up having white privilege because of the color of my skin. This is NOT how it should be. This is wrong. It is shameful.

None of you white folk -- especially you white males -- had to worry about walking late at night to a store to get Skittles and an iced tea while having to worry that you might not make it home alive simply because of the color of your skin.

Why it doesn't 'seem a problem' to you or why you can't understand the reason people are protesting is because you have lived a very different life than if you were black. You're so oblivious because how can you even relate?

So, don't tell these protesters to 'go home' or to stop. Listen. Hear their voices. Absorb what they are saying and why. Then, as a society, let's actually do something about it instead of going back to the status quo. That shit doesn't work and it's wrong. These issues will not go away -- they will only get worse. Time to step up, America.

Be an ally. Don't stand by and allow these repugnant injustices -- these crimes! -- to happen. Don't turn a blind eye. Be part of the solution and not part of the problem.