Relative Something

*this* John W. Hays' take on things and experiences

Posts Tagged ‘political frustration

Dear America

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Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. Our country looks about as smart as a box of rocks right now. Has for the last umpteen years, really. Violations happen. Feathers get ruffled. Pearls clutched. Consequences unrealized. Guidelines get crossed. Rule of law, ignored. People march. Protestors and Federal Agents clash. Media flounders. President posts outrageous lies and intimidating threats. Ethics rules become a joke. Cash grabs abound. Allied countries dissed.

Oh, look! Something shiny over there. Ignore what the other hand is doing.

Just wait until the next election. That’ll show ‘em. Yeah, right.

People used to rage at the thought of pedophilia. Human trafficking was a most despicable act. Now, the most exposed ring of human trafficking pedophiles ever has been uncovered, and one of the key perpetrators gets off scot-free and is allowed to hold the highest office in the nation. Ignore the survivors.

Here’s an idea. When there is a civil war to end slavery, don’t let all the defenders of slavery go free to continue their inhumane treatment of others. And when a sitting President orchestrates an insurrection in an attempt to stop the counting of electoral college votes, formalizing the victory of his opponent, HOLD HIM ACCOUNTABLE.

Or, I suppose we could go through a laborious histrionics of official hearings and feigned media concern, wave our arms, and pull a giant dose of nothing out of a hat, subsequently letting the malfeasance continue at an ever-increasing rate.

How ridiculous do we appear to the rest of the world? At least the massive number of American citizens are armed with lethal weapons to defend themselves from the threat of the type of tyranny that is playing out right before the world’s eyes.

What’ll it be? An election or an armed resistance?

You know, I think there is a new movie out on Netflix, and if we place our sports bets correctly on one of the multitude of online betting sites that have achieved mainstream acceptance, we could come up with enough money to DoorDash some crappy fast food.

America, we’ll be just fine. Look how many Olympic medals the USSR was able to win under its oppressive All-Union Supreme Soviet state authority. Our new idiot leader will surely allow our professional (men’s) sports leagues to endure, especially since getting people to bet is easier than convincing them to pay a tax.

Dear America, we’ve made this bed, either by directly acting to make it happen or failing to uphold the ideals put in place to prevent it. Do not be surprised when (even more) bullets finally start to fly, or the next fair election never quite materializes. It’s all part of a long game plan that we’ve discounted at our own peril.

If you have the strength to love the inner souls of those who seek to terrorize and oppress, there is no better time to set your beams on high.

[big sigh]

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Written by johnwhays

January 23, 2026 at 7:00 am

Actually Happening

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Our politicians, all of them, have failed all of us by not holding each other accountable to the oaths of office they took to carry out the duties outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Unfortunately, bad people will take advantage of opportunities to do wrong when they get the chance. Groups of bad people playing a long game appear to have figured out a strategy to get around the guidelines of ethical behavior that our democracy assumed would govern the intended protections of having three separate branches of power.

One might surmise that money is the root cause of the mess we now find ourselves in under the current suspiciously elected administration, taking overt steps to achieve a fascist and highly profitable control of this country.

There was a time when a multitude of the actions currently playing out in plain sight would have led to arrest. Behaviors that once resulted in universal condemnation started being overlooked until it now seems as though no level of shameful words or actions will result in rational consequences.

It doesn’t paint a pretty picture.

To counter that, I offer a few pretty pictures I’ve taken and a thrilling distraction depicting an example that not everyone gives in to the lure of money over ethics or laws.

First, the distraction: Cyndie and I enjoyed the latest movie with Matt Damon and Ben Affleck together again, “The Rip,” for its crafty hold on maintaining an enduring tension throughout (it’s a crime thriller!), the great performances of all the actors, and the intelligent script. Pay attention and keep up. For added depth to this cinematic adventure, it is based on a real-life police raid in Miami. If you are up for a break from the tension of today’s news, this movie will let you vent some of that energy in the safe confines of home (it’s on Netflix) and get you to a rewarding (pun acknowledged) resolution after just 2 hours and 13 minutes. Don’t hold your breath the whole time.

Looking down, here is one scene from the start of falling snow yesterday, and two from this morning:

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Written by johnwhays

January 17, 2026 at 11:06 am

Seeking Normalcy

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No masked soldier-looking thugs showed up to violently “detain” me over the weekend, despite my unwavering stance that their motives and methods are completely un-American and patently illegal. I’m stressed with concern over the odds of unjustified force escalating in the cities currently being targeted, either fabricated to create an appearance to their liking or as a result of threatened citizens lashing out due to fear and anger in a way that triggers an even harsher response from the goons.

It all seems like such a premeditated provocation with no valid justification, were our laws being respected in this country. There is no reasonable logical excuse that explains the actions of these military attacks on citizens. It is just plain wrong, but what is more frustrating is the fact that it openly continues to happen without accountability.

Maybe if I had just agreed to pledge my $5 a month to the non-profit political organizations that oppose the philosophy and behaviors of the current administration, this would have all been stopped before it started.

Cyndie and I are making plans to participate in the October 18 protests to stand among like-minded conscientious objectors and vent some of the frustration building up with each passing day. The absence of functional checks and balances being enforced to interrupt the sullying of our democracy is truly heartbreaking.

We are looking into the possibility of protesting in Hayward, WI, on that Saturday, as we are hoping to embark on a mid-October weekend visit to the lake place. It’s been a while since we gave Asher a chance to join us there, so we are planning to include him, too.

The possibility of rain yesterday came true for us, and as expected, it ushered in more seasonably cool temperatures. Maybe in two weeks, it will feel like October up north.

Today, we are breathing a sigh of relief and putting on long sleeves to enjoy a little normalcy for the occasion.

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Written by johnwhays

October 6, 2025 at 6:00 am

Trigger Pulled

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We had a full day yesterday with some rewarding outcomes, starting with a vision appointment for me where I learned my eyes are in very good shape for my age. Who wouldn’t be happy to hear their eye doctor offering admiration for the measurements resulting from tests? He probably says that to all his patients.

While I was in Hudson, I was able to pick up an online order that Cyndie had placed with Fleet Farm and then I made a stop at Menard’s to pull the trigger on buying posts and hardware for our shade sail project. I have settled on a supplier for the canopy but haven’t locked in which size I will order.

The first version of shade sail I was considering was a very expensive commercial grade, but further research uncovered a similar technology at a fraction of the cost that I am excited about. They provided a free sample of their corner hardware for attaching to anchor points and swathes of all their color options.

The new posts will be delivered next week but I plan to wait until I have the shade sail to lay on the ground for verification of post locations before digging holes.

Late in the day, we received notice that there would be a pallet of grain feed bags delivered which would be a first to our location from a different supplier than in the past. It was a BIG truck.

Sure beats tossing 28 bags by hand. Unfortunately, the temporary fill-in driver ended up spinning his tires when trying to back away from the pallet and got himself stuck in the barn. Between the two of us, we used a couple of tricks to get the rig unstuck with minor disruption to the dirt floor.

That delivery shenanigans happened just as our streaming program of “Boomers vs. Zoomers” by Jane Fonda’s Climate PAC and MoveOn was beginning. We donated money to their cause which provided a ticket to watch celebrities struggle for answers in a trivia contest.

I joined the program already in progress.

Their contest might have worked well enough as a fundraiser but it didn’t prove to be a knockout for entertainment value. The inspirational talks by a few key people, of which Jane Fonda was one, were another reason they were doing this program but I felt it was just more “preaching to the choir.”

It’s hard for me to feel the efforts of people and organizations trying to rally support against the ongoing destruction of our government are accomplishing anything that actually interrupts the nefarious activities underway. It seems like they are just collecting money, which is what the crooks currently in the White House are busy doing as well.

Bad air just keeps going into this balloon and all that happens is people talk about how bad it is and maybe we can slow things down or in a couple of years make it harder to inflate. I’d prefer someone just put a pin in it right now and pop the damn thing.

It is not crying wolf to say that there is a fox in the henhouse, the sky is falling, and the Emporer has no clothes.

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