I am CuTRis

Sometimes when I'm sitting on my patio grilling dinner and having a beer, I can almost forget that the United States Supreme Court does not represent My Views. I can almost forget the two party system is broken. I can almost forget that there is a war across the world that could turn into world war three. I can almost forget that we aren't still in a pandemic even though everyone seems to act like it's over. I can almost forget that the United States almost became another authoritarian dictatorship. Almost...

It's easy to blame the repeal of reproductive rights on men, or racism on Caucasians; but it's not that simple. In doing so, you become like the thing you say you despise. People are people regardless of gender or skin color. Some support your position and some don't. Those ideas are not exclusive to a particular gender or racial demographic. In fact, you may be alienating some of your supporters by perpetuating these ideas.

I keep hearing snippets about Republicans who are condemning interracial marriage ; which is something my wife and I have a stake in. So first, I’d like to point out that once we achieve a racial mix like, say, Cuba, with lots of mixed families and mixed people, it will be a whole lot harder to judge others based on their race. Because let’s face it, the liberal method of forcing equality doesn’t work very well. Interracial families are created by choice and by love, so that’s why it works. And finally, what will Clarence Thomas and Mitch McConnell do if their marriages are made illegal? Likely this will be more about “pick and choose” politics—like how unborn children should have more rights than their mothers; or how living children can become living targets for people whose rights to possess and carry deadly weapons needs to be protected.

The most fascinating thing about the January 6 Hearings, is not the bullying and deceit. Most reasonable people already knew that was happening. The true revelation is that the USA was well on its way to having an authoritarian dictator who would break laws and abuse trust to stay in power. This is also how Putin and others have remained in power. But the truly heartbreaking fact is, that regardless of the truth coming out, there are still legions of followers who will willingly follow Trump to hell. This should scare anyone, regardless of your opinions on issues or whether you tend to be liberal or conservative. Living under an authoritarian ruler is not something anyone should want.

I was doing some light reading, and this passage seems to have significance in our current world.

Stuck in time Spoken rhyme Broken heart Shattered art Left for dead Still unsaid... KJC-20220617

My wife and I have seen recently, how tragic events bring out the best, and the worst in people--who are supposed to be close. It's revealing to see who is trustworthy and who is looking for personal gain. There are a lot of unscrupulous people in the world. Some are pretending to be friends. Others attack when you are vulnerable. In the end, they have to live with their choices.

It's fun watching the old cartoons that I liked, with my son. But I did notice, that in the first cartoon Yosemite Sam kept getting sent to hell. In the second cartoon, a worm got drunk. There are some ideas in the old cartoons that were thought to be funny and innocent, that are now considered inappropriate today. Yet for all of the political correctness and censorship that is going on, I don't think society is behaving any better for it.

Police are now being prosecuted for wrongdoing. Now we will see if justice really exists in the USA, if Donald Trump is prosecuted. So far, the rich are largely immune to legal ramifications. Even (so far) those who try to illegally overthrow the government.

Yesterday started with brief fishing from the dock at Heston's, before heading to Grand Marais for shopping, and fish and chips at The Fisherman's Daughter, at Dockside Fish Market. Then, on a full stomach, we climbed a couple hundred stairs to see Devils Kettle falls. We stopped at Chicago Bay Market for some drinks when my wife received that call no one wants to get; that her mother had died. So after losing her second parent in the span of a few weeks, we stopped at The Outpost Motel, where the owners let us cancel--and we began the 5 hour drive home. We stopped briefly, at Gooseberry Falls for a break and arrived home at 10:24pm, reaffirming my dislike of night driving. 694 total miles for the trip, and many tears...

Today we rented a boat and motor and drove fast on the water. We jigged leaches in deep water, but the fish didn't bite. We were in Minnesota, looking at Canada. Eventually, we came back to the cabin to eat and then went kayaking.

Today we hiked Magnetic Rock Trail. We also climbed the Rocks at Seagull lake. Then me and my son went kayaking.

Nice cabin (White Pine). Lots of mosquitoes outside. Canada across the lake. It took most of the day to get here.

I'm not sure that this will ever sink in for those people who love their guns more than life itself. Perhaps if they had to witness the bloody aftermath that those who were first on the scene now have emblazoned into their memories... I'm not sure that would help, but it might be a good place to start. It's too easy to fall back on the stale excuse of taking away the "rights of the good people." If you actually had to witness a class full of elementary school students being gunned down, I think that might change some minds... If it wouldn't, then those people have lost all sense of what is good.