tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86817608586087882402023-11-16T02:36:25.836-08:00Tomorrow is Forever (and Forever is Now)A collection of musings about music, songwriting, politics, education, humor—including occasional videos of relevant original songs.Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.comBlogger110125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-25745730595686729402018-06-11T11:00:00.001-07:002018-06-11T11:00:56.730-07:00See, It's WORKING! We're WINNING!<div aria-label="Comment" class="UFIRow UFIComment _4oep" data-ft="{"tn":"R0"}" id="comment_js_9lo" role="article" style="margin: 0px 12px; padding: 4px 0px; position: relative; word-wrap: break-word;">
<div class="_3b-9" style="position: relative;">
<div>
<div class="clearfix" direction="left" style="zoom: 1;">
<div class="">
<div class="UFIImageBlockContent _42ef" style="margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 6px;">
<div class="UFICommentContentBlock" style="padding-right: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="UFICommentContent" style="color: #1d2129;">
<div class="_26f8" style="align-items: center; display: flex; justify-content: flex-start;">
<span class="_36rj"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" style="clear: both; line-height: 12px; margin-bottom: 3px; margin-left: 10px; min-height: 15px; padding-top: 3px;">
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #1d2129;"><a href="https://apnews.com/59bb49db54984d30bdf9da3e37b989e3">https://apnews.com/59bb49db54984d30bdf9da3e37b989e3</a><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class=" UFIReplyList" style="margin-top: -10px; padding: 8px 12px 0px 54px;">
<div aria-label="Comment reply" class="UFIRow UFILastComment UFIComment _4oep UFIPartialBorder UFIUnseenItem" data-ft="{"tn":"R"}" id="comment_js_ksv" role="article" style="border-bottom: 0px transparent; border-left: 2px solid transparent; border-right-color: transparent; border-top: 0px transparent; margin: 0px 0px 0px -2px; padding: 0px 4px 4px 8px; position: relative; word-wrap: break-word;">
<div class="_3b-9" style="position: relative;">
<div>
<div class="clearfix" direction="left" style="zoom: 1;">
<div class="">
<div class="UFIImageBlockContent _42ef" style="margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 6px;">
<div class="UFICommentContentBlock" style="padding-right: 0px; position: relative;">
<div class="UFICommentContent" style="border-bottom: 0px; border-top: 0px; padding-top: 4px;">
<div class="_26f8" style="align-items: center; display: flex; justify-content: flex-start;">
<div class="_10la _10lg" style="align-items: flex-end; display: inline-block; min-width: 0px; position: relative; word-wrap: break-word;">
<span class=" UFICommentActorAndBody" style="border-radius: 18px; display: block; line-height: 16px; padding: 8px 10px;">
<style type="text/css">
p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial}
p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Arial; min-height: 15.0px}
p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica; min-height: 16.0px}
p.p4 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px Helvetica}
p.p5 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 13.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #1d2129}
span.s1 {color: #1d2129}
span.s2 {text-decoration: underline ; color: #9e4a2f; direction: ltr; unicode-bidi: embed}
</style>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s1">In response to a friend's meme about a news report that said an "</span>Eritrean national who was denied asylum in the United States and was being sent back to his homeland has died in an apparent suicide in a holding area at Cairo International Airport, airport officials said on Saturday."</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I responded, as I often do, with a harsh ironic statement: <i>"See, it's working!"</i></div>
<div class="p1">
__________________________________</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The friend of my friend, a person who doesn't know me, reasonably responded as follows:</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
I'm not sure how you meant that, but it sounded horrible, and it doesn't particularly reflect well on you.......just saying.</div>
<div class="p1">
__________________________________</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
My friend came to my defense and explained that this was an ironic comment meant to mirror the actual comments of supporters of this administration. I felt compelled to add to this explanation.</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<span class="s2"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/tim.mcmullen.18?fref=ufi">Tim McMullen</a></span> Yes, xxxx xxxxxxx, the statement was pure irony, and it is a direct reflection of the very reason that the Nazi-embracing Duh Furor and his racist Attorney General Jeff Sessions have chosen their simple plan: destroy the lives of any person of color or any non-Christian who wants to come here UNLESS they are exceedingly wealthy. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
If you hold people for months, even years, while refusing to process them; if you argue that they do not deserve due process or human amenities, that they ALL deserve to be kicked out, no legal proceedings and no questions asked; If you separate mothers from children and then disperse the children to unidentified individuals, or better yet, keep the children in cages like animals and kick the parents out; if you shoot people at the border; if you ship people back to the country from which they are seeking asylum no matter how legitimate their danger or their claims; if you can make them commit suicide, then in the twisted mind where "WINNING" is your only moral code, then these "deterrents" may serve your purpose admirably: fewer people may choose to come here. Hence, "Making America GREAT again."</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This reasoning is no different than Paul Ryan's right-wing philosophy which has been embraced by the current Republican majority in the House and Senate. They are hell-bent on destroying the social safety net; destroying the rights and protections for LGBTQ individuals; destroying the rights of women to health care and economic prosperity; eliminating Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare; taking away food stamps and programs to feed under-privileged children and the elderly; eliminating regulations that protect the environment, including regulations that protect air quality, water quality, and product safety: All of this is done, according to this Libertarian rationale of the radical right, in the "humanitarian" aim of making people more "independent" and destroying the real enemy, The Federal Government. </div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Further irony, of course, is the fact that they consistently use and abuse government at local, state and federal levels to accomplish the domination of the many by the few, with ever increasing profit and power for the few, the rightful heirs, God's chosen, as their only goal. After all, the Calvinist approach applied to government is the fundamentalist evangelical doctrine of Divine intervention and the "Gospel of Wealth." If you have wealth, it's because you are good in the eyes of the Lord; if you are poor, it is because you are evil or undeserving. Furthermore, it doesn't matter that you gain your wealth by lying, or by cheating, manipulating, or abusing others; if God weren't pleased with you, then he wouldn't have given it to you. The fact that the have-nots have had their cost of living diminished at the hands of corporate skullduggery and thuggery is simply God's proof that the have-nots are undeserving.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This philosophy compliments the new radically right wing Roberts/Gorsuch court in which people don't even have a right to bring a class action suit against a corporation, no matter how egregious the abuse or how widespread, each individual must now face the corporation alone; in many cases, binding arbitration agreements which absolutely favor the corporation have been affirmed as the only mechanism for grievances with the recourse of a law suit now being forbidden.</div>
<div class="p2">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
They construe unprincipled and inhumane behavior as "finally being tough," and the proliferation of guns and the unrestricted access to any form of weapon as a God-given, constitutionally guaranteed right, whereas the other amendments and guarantees of the constitution, including the right to free speech, freedom of assembly, free press, due process, habeus corpus, et al, are gleefully eroded and their demise applauded by Duh Furor's minions.</div>
<div class="p2">
__________________________________</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
In the same thread, another person added, "Too bad he wasn't Norwegian," to which the same concerned person wrote, "?????????"</div>
<div class="p1">
__________________________________</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
This was my brief response:</div>
<div class="p3">
<br /></div>
<div class="p4">
This, too, is an ironic nod to one of Duh Furor's quotes, when he responded in a cabinet meeting about immigration:</div>
<div class="p5">
As Durbin explained how the deal would impact people from Haiti, Trump said, "Haiti? Why do we want people from Haiti here?" Then they got Africa. 'Why do we want these people from all these shithole countries here? We should have more people from places like Norway."</div>
<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #1d2129; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13px;"><a href="https://www.vox.com/2018/1/11/16880750/trump-immigrants-shithole-countries-norway">https://www.vox.com/2018/1/11/16880750/trump-immigrants-shithole-countries-norway</a></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04840770464754311701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-74852342342603324322017-10-30T23:58:00.001-07:002017-10-31T00:00:39.996-07:00Answered Prayer — Another Original Short Story for HalloweenANSWERED PRAYER<br />
A Short Story by Tim McMullen<br />
<br />
<br />
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A loud rumble of thunder was punctuated by the emphatic</div>
<div>
crash of a slamming door. It had started to drizzle a few</div>
<div>
minutes earlier, and the grass and the sidewalk glistened as he</div>
<div>
walked toward the car. The door handle was wet, and he brushed</div>
<div>
his palm on the seat after hurling himself down behind the wheel.</div>
<div>
Mumbling angrily, he turned the key in the ignition. The car</div>
<div>
engine raced, and he slammed the gear-shift into reverse.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Glancing over at the front door of his house, he had an</div>
<div>
impulse to return. Then, staring in the rear-view mirror, he saw</div>
<div>
her face; it was only for an instant, but it was Marjorie,</div>
<div>
looking the way she had looked just moments ago when he had</div>
<div>
growled out his oft-repeated warning, “You just try to leave!”</div>
<div>
As always, the “ … and see what you'll get!” was implicit in his</div>
<div>
tone. The vision vanished as the tires squealed on the damp</div>
<div>
pavement.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>At this time of night, very few cars were on the road, and</div>
<div>
within minutes he had passed the outskirts of town and was on the</div>
<div>
road leading out into the desert. How many times had he had made</div>
<div>
this night drive, letting the road and the sky dissipate his</div>
<div>
anger and frustration?</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It was always the same. Marjorie, with her frightened,</div>
<div>
mousey eyes; her stupid, mousey excuses.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“I'm sorry dinner's late. Lisa had a meeting after school,</div>
<div>
and then my mother called. I told her I'd call her back, but it</div>
<div>
was real important,” she had whimpered. “lt'll only be a minute</div>
<div>
longer. Why don't you go in and relax?”</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He could see the apprehension in her eyes, and he could hear</div>
<div>
it in her voice, and that made him even madder.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“This is the second time this week that we've had to wait</div>
<div>
for dinner! What did she want this time?"</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A loud peal of thunder startled him, and he relaxed his grip</div>
<div>
on the wheel. That meddling old biddy had done everything she</div>
<div>
could to discourage his happiness, and he had about had it.</div>
<div>
Maybe he should do what he'd already threatened--forbid Marjorie</div>
<div>
to talk to her mother at all. Maybe then she'd be able to get</div>
<div>
the dinner ready on time. He smiled a smile of decision.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“As good as done,” he said aloud and then glanced again in</div>
<div>
the rear-view mirror. Again he saw Marjorie's face, now superimposed</div>
<div>
over the wet, desert highway; her cheeks glistened like</div>
<div>
the roadway receding in the moonlight. Unconsciously, he looked</div>
<div>
down at the knuckles of his own right hand and was surprised to</div>
<div>
find what appeared to be blood. He brought his fist up to his</div>
<div>
face, stuck out his tongue, and licked the spot. The blood</div>
<div>
disappeared.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Maybe I overdid it a little this time,· he said, speaking</div>
<div>
confidentially to his knuckle, "but God knows she deserves it."</div>
<div>
In fact, she had been getting worse. Just last week, he had told</div>
<div>
her that he'd be home by eleven-thirty, and that he wanted</div>
<div>
something hot for lunch, yet she'd been gone when he arrived. A</div>
<div>
plate of food in the refrigerator and a note on how to use the</div>
<div>
microwave were all she'd left. He had really blown up on that</div>
<div>
one. Still, it was his fault; he'd been too soft, and she'd been</div>
<div>
taking advantage of his generosity.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A truck thundered by and splattered his windshield like a</div>
<div>
drive-through car wash. "Big Jerk,· he muttered and turned the</div>
<div>
wipers on high. When the wiper blades began to squeek against</div>
<div>
the dry window, he realized that the rain had stopped.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Yes, it was time to really put his foot down and have done</div>
<div>
with all her nonsense. The Lord said, "Wives, submit yourselves</div>
<div>
unto your own husbands ... and he shall rule over thee," and that</div>
<div>
was how it should be.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He pictured her sitting there at the table serving him his</div>
<div>
dinner, trying to please him, asking him about his day, listening</div>
<div>
patiently and sympathetically while he told her all about the</div>
<div>
jerks that he'd had run-ins with at the plant. Those had been</div>
<div>
good times, and the only way to get them back was for her to</div>
<div>
change back. His horne was his castle, and he was the King. The</div>
<div>
Bible said as much; besides it made sense. You can't have two</div>
<div>
masters. Man was born to lead; woman was created to follow, to</div>
<div>
be a help-mate, to support and nurture; not to argue or disobey.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He had been watching the highway more carefully. After a</div>
<div>
couple of random turns, he was now on a stretch of road which was</div>
<div>
unfamiliar to him, and he felt a little uneasy. Up ahead, in the</div>
<div>
elusive shimmer of the cloud-covered moon, he saw a peculiar</div>
<div>
glare on the pavement.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Must be a patch of oil,” he whispered under his breath,</div>
<div>
"could be slippery in this drizzle."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The whole thing was stupid. Why was he out here driving</div>
<div>
around in this weather? She should have to leave ... not him!</div>
<div>
Next time, she'd go.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Suddenly, her face was there in the mirror, but it looked different. </div>
<div>
Her head was cocked at an odd angle as she lay on the</div>
<div>
floor, her eye was puffed closed, and blood gushed from her nose.</div>
<div>
He felt a surge of pity and remorse at the sight, but the remorse</div>
<div>
turned almost instantly to rage.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It was her own fault! He wouldn't be driven to hit her if</div>
<div>
she just did things right. He worked like a dog to provide for</div>
<div>
her, but when he came home, demanding nothing more than for his</div>
<div>
house to be in order, all he got was, “Sorry, dinner's late!” He</div>
<div>
had a good mind to go back right now and get it over with once</div>
<div>
and for all!</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He'd been watching the dark patch in the highway since it</div>
<div>
was just a speck on the horizon, but now its swift approach</div>
<div>
startled him, and he decided to slow down. He was already on the</div>
<div>
patch by the time he hit his brakes, and as soon as he touched</div>
<div>
them, he knew it was a mistake. The rear tires lost traction</div>
<div>
instantly, and the car began to fishtail. He tried to compensate</div>
<div>
by turning the wheel slightly, but this just threw the car into a</div>
<div>
spin. He clenched his fists on the steering wheel and uttered a</div>
<div>
few quick phrases of prayer as the car jerked off the pavement</div>
<div>
and the left tires reared up off the dirt of the shoulder.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Oh, God, it's gonna' roll, he thought. “No!” he screamed.</div>
<div>
The car careened down the steep embankment and tore through the</div>
<div>
scrub brush. His breast slammed against the steering wheel, and his </div>
<div>
head crashed against the windshield and blasted him into </div>
<div>
unconsciousness.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Before his eyes opened he heard the sound of frying bacon.</div>
<div>
It sizzled and popped in such a way as to invite his eyelids</div>
<div>
open, but the pounding in his head petitioned him to keep them</div>
<div>
closed. Slowly, the sound won out, and he pried one eye open.</div>
<div>
His unfocused eye came to rest on a splash of dark which</div>
<div>
eventually became the floorboard of his Plymouth.
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“W-What the… ?”</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Only then did he remember the spot of oil, the spin-out, and the</div>
<div>
crash. That, of course, explained why he was now lying on the</div>
<div>
front seat of his car—in a ditch—in the middle of the night.</div>
<div>
However, it did not explain why someone was frying bacon on the</div>
<div>
hood. As he raised himself up on his right arm and looked out,</div>
<div>
he was blinded by a brilliant burst of light and sparks.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>When he opened his eyes again, his sphincter convulsed and a</div>
<div>
violent and involuntary tremor coursed up his spine, raised the</div>
<div>
hairs on the back of his head, then raced back to bring a quiver</div>
<div>
to his loins. His breath caught in his chest, and he lay,</div>
<div>
propped on his elbow, frozen in fear. He instantly apprehended</div>
<div>
the situation: Staring him in the face, only inches away, was the</div>
<div>
ragged end of a broken power line. This clearly was the source</div>
<div>
of the sound he had mistaken for sizzling bacon. Now it just</div>
<div>
lay there. The sparks had apparently subsided with the last big</div>
<div>
flash.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Instinctively, he retracted his limbs as he frantically</div>
<div>
searched the car. He was looking for exposed metal. He thanked</div>
<div>
God that there was a moon tonight. He might already be dead if</div>
<div>
he hadn't seen that downed wire. But was it possible to get</div>
<div>
electrocuted through the car? It was probably insulated. The</div>
<div>
tires were rubber—they’d keep the car from conducting</div>
<div>
electricity. But the wire was making contact with the hood, so</div>
<div>
maybe it was hot? It wasn't sparking anymore, though. He wished</div>
<div>
to the Lord that he knew more about electricity!</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The light in the car had been gradually fading. From his</div>
<div>
awkward position he tried to catch a glimpse of the moon, but he</div>
<div>
found only a large bank of ominous storm clouds which had</div>
<div>
apparently begun to cover the moon. Only then did he realize</div>
<div>
that the car had hit a huge power pole. His door, the driver's</div>
<div>
door, actually rested against the pole itself. There was no</div>
<div>
getting out that way! Then the light was gone.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>For many seconds he could see absolutely nothing; slowly his</div>
<div>
eyes adjusted to the new darkness, and his thoughts raced. He had to</div>
<div>
get out of there! Maybe he could just drive out from under</div>
<div>
it ... if his car still started. He reached over to turn the</div>
<div>
ignition then pulled back violently. Was he crazy? If anything</div>
<div>
could electrocute him, it would be the key in the ignition.</div>
<div>
Apparently, he wasn't as calm as he'd thought.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Maybe he should just sit and wait. The line he knocked down</div>
<div>
must have cut out power to somewhere. The line crew would track</div>
<div>
down the problem soon, and they would find him and get him out.</div>
<div>
He looked out the window, trying to find where the line went.</div>
<div>
Through the cloud-shifting dark he made out a small structure in</div>
<div>
the distance. With his gaze fixed on the building, his hope</div>
<div>
leapt.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Help!” he screamed. “Help!” But he knew instantly that it was hopeless; </div>
<div>
all the windows in his car were rolled up tight. Nobody could hear him yelling,</div>
<div>
and he didn't dare roll them down because of the metal handles.</div>
<div>
He couldn't honk the horn either. Exasperated, he sat and</div>
<div>
anxiously watched the structure in the distance. A triangle of</div>
<div>
silvered moonlight suddenly fell on the building, and his spirits</div>
<div>
plunged. The roof of the shack had fallen in, and one side of</div>
<div>
the building had collapsed. It was obvious that no one had been</div>
<div>
there in years.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>His hands were sweating now, and his eyes felt like they</div>
<div>
were being held in place by fish hooks. A pounding at the back</div>
<div>
of his skull had become so excruciating that his helpless stomach</div>
<div>
threatened to vomit every few moments.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Then, as suddenly as the crash itself, his panic subsided.</div>
<div>
A moment's reflection assured him that he had no need for it.</div>
<div>
When Marjorie realized that he hadn't come home, she'd worry.</div>
<div>
He'd never stayed out a ll night on one of his "cooling-off"</div>
<div>
drives, so she would certainly call the police to search for him.</div>
<div>
They'd be out in an hour or two and he'd be alright. But how</div>
<div>
would they know where to look? Where could she send them?</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Where do you go?" she would squeek.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“For a drive…around!” he would say, glowering to shut her</div>
<div>
up and to make it clear that it was none of her business.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>So how were they going to find him? The way the shoulder</div>
<div>
dropped off so steeply where he'd gone over, nobody was going to</div>
<div>
see him from the road. In fact, he hadn't heard a single car the</div>
<div>
whole time he'd been down there. It could literally be days</div>
<div>
before anyone came across his car. Then he remembered Marjorie</div>
<div>
the way she had looked when he left. !t wouldn't look too good</div>
<div>
to the police. Of course, she would clean herself up, but it</div>
<div>
would be hard to hide her eye. He took in a large gulp of air.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Don't you go to anyone!” he had told her repeatedly over</div>
<div>
the years. "This is between a man and his wife; it has nothing</div>
<div>
to do with anybody else. Don't you dare call the police!" Then,</div>
<div>
he'd stomp to the door, shake his fist, and say, "You just try</div>
<div>
to leave…and see what you'll get."</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>She's so stupid, he thought, she'll probably let me sit and</div>
<div>
rot out here without telling anybody, just so I won't be mad.</div>
<div>
Clenching his teeth, he sat back against the seat.</div>
<div>
It would be daybreak soon, and unconsciously, he began</div>
<div>
praying for rain. Except for this freak thunder shower, the</div>
<div>
temperatures had been in the high hundreds for weeks, and here he</div>
<div>
was sitting in a car in the middle of the desert with all the</div>
<div>
windows cranked up tight. He had once seen a Collie that had</div>
<div>
been left in a car all day in the desert sun. Apparently it had</div>
<div>
battered itself to death trying to escape, but it had lain long</div>
<div>
enough for its eyes to literally explode in their sockets.</div>
<div>
He slapped his palms against his own eyes to drive out the</div>
<div>
vision, and then clapped them over his mouth to squelch another</div>
<div>
wave of nausea. Obviously, he would have to get himself out, and</div>
<div>
he would have to do it now.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"God, please keep the rain coming!" he pleaded.</div>
<div>
Randomly, his eyes took in the rear-view mirror. He winced</div>
<div>
and looked away. Finally gathering courage, he looked back. In</div>
<div>
the mirror he saw the roof of the car, and beneath that, the</div>
<div>
shadows of the clouds moving across the face of the early morning</div>
<div>
sun.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>"Whew!" he sighed aloud, "At least she's gone." His words,</div>
<div>
though uttered in relief, were not reassuring. Another shiver</div>
<div>
traveled up and down his spine. He raised himself to a sitting</div>
<div>
position, carefully pulling his legs up onto the seat in a</div>
<div>
further effort to avoid touching any metal, and he peered into</div>
<div>
the mirror again. There was a face, but it was his own. In the</div>
<div>
shadowy light, beads of sweat glimmered from his quaking forehead.</div>
<div>
Suddenly, he had an urge to see Marjorie. He consciously </div>
<div>
tried to call her face up in the mirror, but he just couldn't get</div>
<div>
it. He could remember what he'd seen; he could verbalize it in</div>
<div>
his head: his wife, Marjorie, tears streaming down her face; her</div>
<div>
face, spots which would soon be bruises just beginning to show;</div>
<div>
the floor; the blood. The weird thing was that these were only</div>
<div>
words; there were no pictures in his mind. It was ridiculous.</div>
<div>
The woman had lived with him for almost nine years. She had had</div>
<div>
his child. He tried to picture Lisa, his daughter, but he</div>
<div>
couldn't find her image either.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He closed his eyes and concentrated on pulling in his</div>
<div>
favorite picture of his wife and daughter , the one that sat on</div>
<div>
the television set. Marj was wearing her blue sweater, the one</div>
<div>
he liked so well; funny, she had stopped wearing it. Lisa had on</div>
<div>
a white party dress; the picture had been taken on her fifth</div>
<div>
birthday. He remembered all these things in explicit detail, but</div>
<div>
he could not recall the actual images to mind.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Without warning, the cable flexed, emitted a shower of</div>
<div>
sparks, and came to rest a few inches closer to the windshield.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Oh, Jesus, please help me. Get me out of this, Lord,” he</div>
<div>
cried, his hands clasped in fervent supplication. “I've always</div>
<div>
been a good Christian…I’ve raised my child in the path of</div>
<div>
righteousness. We've tried to have a Christian family. Please,</div>
<div>
Lord, do not forsake me. Have pity…Lord, Jesus, Save me!”</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A huge drop of water splattered on the windshield, followed</div>
<div>
by several more. He thought of Marjorie's tear-stained face, and</div>
<div>
he waited for it to reappear in the mirror, but it didn't.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>He had a thought. Maybe he could break a window and crawl</div>
<div>
out? He gave the interior of the car another quick inspection.</div>
<div>
Nothing. He had often bragged to Marjorie and his friends about</div>
<div>
the fact that he kept his old Pontaic cleaner than Marjorie kept</div>
<div>
the house, but now, there was nothing he could use to break the</div>
<div>
window. He could try to break it with his hand or foot, but the</div>
<div>
glass they used in cars nowadays was reinforced; he'd probably</div>
<div>
just break his hand. Besides, how could he get out any of the</div>
<div>
windows without touching the car? No way! No, he had to open</div>
<div>
the car without touching the metal, but how?</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Dear Lord, please show me the way. Help me ... Please ... </div>
<div>
Help me escape,” he pleaded, tears of frustration stinging his eyes.</div>
<div>
All the metal in the interior of the car seemed to gleam in</div>
<div>
the moonlight. The knobs on the dash, the horn bar on the</div>
<div>
steering wheel, and the chrome around the mirror all twinkled</div>
<div>
ominously. The door handle looked particularly menacing.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Oh, my sweet Jesus …!” he said, “I swear….” As he said</div>
<div>
these words, he placed his hand over his breast, and there, in</div>
<div>
the breast pocket of his coat, was his little personal Bible. He</div>
<div>
pulled it out and kissed it, exclaiming, “Thank you, Lord. Oh,</div>
<div>
thank you. You've given me a sign and shown me the way. I</div>
<div>
promise you: More than ever, the Lord's will is my will, the Good</div>
<div>
book is my book ... and Marjorie's! So help me, God!”</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Having raised the Bible up in his right hand as he spoke, he</div>
<div>
leaned over to the passenger side of the seat and examined the</div>
<div>
door handle. He thanked God that he had neglected to lock the</div>
<div>
door when he had driven out into the night. All he had to do was</div>
<div>
use the Bible to push the handle, and the door would open. He</div>
<div>
gripped the top edge of the Bible tightly with both hands and</div>
<div>
ever so slowly, but confidently, moved it toward the handle. When</div>
<div>
it had come within a quarter of an inch of the handle, he felt</div>
<div>
his whole body convulse. His hands shook so violently that he</div>
<div>
had to pull them back. The sweat dripped off his forehead and</div>
<div>
landed on his arm, startling him.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“C’mon…c’mon…c’mon!” he whispered, reassuring himself.</div>
<div>
The Lord was with him. He had shown him the way. All he had to</div>
<div>
do was open the door and carefully walk out.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Again he moved the Book toward the door; again he felt the</div>
<div>
fear; again he felt the sweat, only now it was trickling down his</div>
<div>
side, under his shirt, but he managed to overcome the shaking and</div>
<div>
push the book forward. He braced his mind and body for the</div>
<div>
impending contact, but something was nagging at him. It was the</div>
<div>
mirror. He had an overwhelming urge to look in the mirror.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“No! No! No!” he cried loudly, then he touched the book to</div>
<div>
the door. “Ahh!” he gasped. He followed this exclamation of</div>
<div>
terror with a torrent of laughter. It had worked! He could get</div>
<div>
out! He was alright!</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Praise the Lord!” he cried. “Thank you, God, thank you!”</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Only now did his gaze fall on the rear-view mirror. There</div>
<div>
she was again clasping her upraised hands in supplication. Those</div>
<div>
treacherous woman's tears running down her face. He felt the</div>
<div>
heat at the back of his neck, the warning signal of his rising</div>
<div>
anger. Then he laughed loudly right into the face in the</div>
<div>
mirror. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“You almost killed me, you …you….” He struggled to</div>
<div>
find the right word. BITCH! screamed in his head, but he</div>
<div>
never used that word. He was a good man, a righteous man, and he</div>
<div>
did not use profane language. He kissed his Bible, shook it at</div>
<div>
the mirror, and laughed again.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now confident, he quickly, but cautiously, pushed the book</div>
<div>
against the handle. He was surprised to see the Bible begin to</div>
<div>
bend as he applied more pressure, and he was momentarily</div>
<div>
dismayed, but by placing his left hand against the back of the</div>
<div>
book, he was able to make the handle begin to move.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>It seemed minutes before he finally felt and heard the</div>
<div>
click of the latch. While pushing outward with both hands behind</div>
<div>
the Bible, he began to open the door. He breathed a huge sigh</div>
<div>
when he felt the door crack open, revealing a sliver of space</div>
<div>
between the door and the car. Encouraged, he put his body behind</div>
<div>
the effort. He nearly tumbled onto the ground when, after</div>
<div>
opening only a few inches, the door lurched and swung open wide.</div>
<div>
The Bible fell from his hands and made a splashing sound. </div>
<div>
It was all he could do to keep himself from plunging headlong after it.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>What was that water doing there? He peered out of the car</div>
<div>
door, and as he did so, the tip of the rising sun emerged from</div>
<div>
behind a cloud.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Water! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>The Bible had already been washed away. He and his</div>
<div>
car had landed in the middle of a flood channel. He'd seen these</div>
<div>
channels carved all over the desert basin, caused by flash floods</div>
<div>
as they sought the path of least resistance. And this one was</div>
<div>
filling up rapidly. The water was already within inches of the</div>
<div>
open door.</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>A giant thunderclap drove him back to the middle of the car,</div>
<div>
and as the rain began to beat down, he could see and hear the</div>
<div>
torrent growing as it swept around and beneath his car. A bolt</div>
<div>
of lightning crackled brightly, and as if in answer, the wire,</div>
<div>
which he had almost forgotten, crackled and swayed.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Oh, dear Lord," he cried. "Please don't! Please ... PLEASE</div>
<div>
DON'T!"</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>In the mirror he saw his own, pleading face become</div>
<div>
Marjorie's face, and his words were her words which he'd heard so</div>
<div>
often.</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>“Please…PLEASE DON'T!"</div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Now it was his face again: frantic, pleading, terrified,</div>
<div>
looking for a way to escape. Finally, he poised himself on the</div>
<div>
edge of the seat facing the open door. The water had already</div>
<div>
submerged the floorboard of his car. He crouched ready to leap</div>
<div>
into the torrent and take his chances. There was no other way.</div>
<div>
As he crooked both elbows behind his back, preparing to plunge</div>
<div>
forward, the car door slammed in his face. </div>
<div>
</div>
<div>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"></span>
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Cringing on the seat, he stared at his reflection in the window. </div>
<div>
With its hand upraised and its fist clenched, the reflection glared down </div>
<div>
at him and shouted, “YOU JUST TRY TO LEAVE!”<br />
<br />
©1985 Tim McMullen<br />
All rights reserved</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-15997604559982412932017-10-30T22:02:00.000-07:002018-10-31T11:15:09.214-07:00The Hill - A Short Story for Halloween<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><b>THE HILL</b></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">A Short
Story by Tim McMullen</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">This is a
preview of an eleven story collection of humor, horror, fantasy,
sci-fi, and satire entitled, </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i><b>So
It’s All Done With Mirrors? That’s No Reflection on You! </b></i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">The
collection was originally submitted as my final project for the
completion of my Master of Arts in English, with an Emphasis in
Creative Writing, from CSU Fullerton.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">The
Hill” is an attempt to continue a line of stories that have a
similar impulse. Ray Bradbury acknowledged his debt to the lineage in
his introduction to </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>The
Collected Stories of John Collier</i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">.
The original story that Bradbury cites is “Sredni Vashtar” by
Saki; I would argue, however, that this piece is preceded by several
of Ambrose Bierce’s stories found in his brief collection, </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>The
Parenticide Club, </i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">including
“Oil of Dog” and “My Favorite Murder.” In the continuum, the
Saki story was followed by Collier’s “Thus I Refute Beelzy,”
Lewis Padgett’s (pseudonymn of husband and wife writing team, Henry
Kuttner and C. L. Moore) “Mimsy Were the Borogroves,” and
Bradbury’s own “The Veldt,” “Zero Hour,” and “The Small
Assassin.” My piece is a bit more ambiguous than these pieces, but
I think it explores a similar experience although perhaps from a
rather different point of view; i.e., not the kid!</span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">For
those who will be wondering, the literary catch phrases in this story
are from the following pieces, in order of appearance: </span></span></span></span>
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Little Engine That Could” or “The Pony Engine,” the Children’s
Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Wizard of Oz </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">by
L. Frank Baum</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Rapunzel,”
the Fairy Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Most
Bugs Bunny Looney Tunes</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Three Little Pigs,” the Fairy Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Little
Red Riding Hood,” the Fairy Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Little
Red Riding Hood,” the Fairy Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Adventures of Alice in Wonderland </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">by
Lewis Carroll</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Snow
White,” the Fairy Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Adventures of Alice in Wonderland </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">by
Lewis Carroll</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Adventures of Alice in Wonderland </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">by
Lewis Carroll</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Chicken
Little,” the Fairy Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Ding
Dong the Witch is Dead!” by Harold Arlen and “Yip” Harburg from</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Wizard of Oz</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">,
the Movie</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Alice,
Through the Looking Glass </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">by
Lewis Carroll</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Jack
and the Beanstalk,” the Fairy Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Billy
Goat Gruff,” the Fairy Tale</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>Alice,
Through the Looking Glass </i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">by
Lewis Carroll</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Ding
Dong the Witch is Dead!” by Harold Arlen and “Yip” Harburg from</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Wizard of Oz</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">,
the Movie</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">Ding
Dong the Witch is Dead!” by Harold Arlen and “Yip” Harburg from</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>The
Wizard of Oz</i></span></span></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="font-size: small;">,
the Movie</span></span></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; page-break-before: always; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">THE HILL</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">A Short
Story by Tim McMullen </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">©1982
Tim McMullen All Rights Reserved</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">The picnic
was her idea. One last attempt at a reconciliation, she had told
herself. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>I
think I can…I think I can….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jeff, of
course, was overjoyed at the suggestion.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">That’s
the ticket, Jody,” he said, his initial surprise instantly
effervescing into an almost adolescent joy. “That’s just what
this family needs—a little frolic—a day in the park!”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">He slapped
his knee lightly with the </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>Sports
Illustrated </i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">he'd
been flipping through and then dropped the magazine into the rack
beside his recliner. His drooping, rust-blonde, “Wild-Bill”
mustache twitched up and down as his tentative grin flickered itself
into a full-faced smile. Secretly, Jody had hoped that the suggestion
would coax one of Jeffrey’s smiles, and, moth-like, she fluttered
toward him.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">I’ll
go and tell the munchkin to get ready,” he said as he raised
himself from the chair.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Nol”
she cried; then, realizing how it must have sounded, she tried to
soften it by adding, “Wait just a minute, okay?</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><span style="text-indent: 0.25in;">“</span>Let’s
just sit and talk for a few seconds before we get ready to go.”
</span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>There’s
no place like home...there’s no place like home....</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Regaining
the recliner, he perched on the edge and regarded her quizzically.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Okay,
shootl” he said.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">She walked
over and knelt down beside him. She didn’t really want to talk; she
just wanted.... Wondering up into his face, her eyes glimmered
confusedly from beneath their lashes. His mustache now framed a
careless, beach boy grin. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">She
followed the lines of that grin to his temple. Only a few weeks
earlier she had found several white hairs sequestered in his
sideburns. She wasn’t sure why, but she had chosen not to mention
them to him. She found the hairs again instantly, but this time she
smiled to herself. These singular, hoary intruders were like a lone
blanket of albinos surrounded by a beach of sun-bronzed surfers.
Flecks of gold shimmered from the feathery blue depths of Jeffrey’s
eyes, but a triple furrow ruffled his brow. Unable to alleviate his
look of bemused confusion, Jody simply locked her arms around his
legs and rested her temple on his knee. He responded warmly, letting
his fingers trail gently across her cheek.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">It’ll
be alright, Hon,” he said, smoothing an errant strand of blonde
hair behind her ear. “We’re not gonna’ let fourteen good years
go down the tubes for no good reason!”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">She nearly
corrected him: Eleven good years, you mean. A foreboding tremor
pulsed through her body, and Jeff eyed her curiously. Twisting toward
the entryway, she clutched at her abdomen as she heard him speak.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Hello,
Sweetheart! Come here, you little munchkin. What have you been
doing?”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">The sudden,
anticipated pain seared through her midsection. Clutching tighter
with her useless hands and gasping silently for breath through
clenched teeth, Jody crept away as their diminutive daughter trundled
toward Jeffrey’s chair. He reached down and pulled the little
creature up to perch on his knee, the same knee that had supported
Jody’s cheek only moments before. The child sat facing away from
her father who bounced her gently. She giggled light, infectious
laughter. Jeffrey laughed, too.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Goodbye,
Mommy!” said the little girl, and she waved jovially. The mirth in
the child’s voice and gesture was belied by the glaring disdain
which Jody read in her black eyes. Jody’s momentary joy, ignited by
her closeness to Jeffrey, now flared into a self-immolating flame of
anger and frustration. Her daughter’s long, ebony hair floated as
she bounced up and down on her father’s knee. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>Rapunzel…
Rapunzel….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Goodbye,
Mommy!” the child repeated jovially.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jeffrey
laughed again and swung her around.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Cassie,
you little silly!” He chortled and hugged her to his chest. “You
mean ‘’hello,’ not ‘goodbye,’ ”he explained.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Bugs Bunny,
chomping on a fiery orange carrot, wisecracked, “Eh, What’s up,
Doc?” in white letters from the child’s pale blue pajamas. The
little girl wriggled around and looked intently at Jody.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Goodbye,
Mommy!” she repeated emphatically.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Oh,
Cassandra,” Jeffrey smiled, “You are such a stubborn little
scamp.” </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">The child
squirmed, and he placed her on the floor.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Inexplicably
immobilized, Jody groped for a look of amusement for Jeff’s sake,
but she had great difficulty finding one.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Guess
what?” she heard him say. “Guess what we’re gonna’ do this
afternoon, Sweet-pea?”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Go
somewhere?” came the reply.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">That’s
right,” he said. “Now, guess where.”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Picnic?”
said the child.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jody’s
jaw tightened, and she dug her nails into the flesh of her palms.
Heat flushed her face.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">HOW do
you </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>do
</i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">that,
Munchkin?” He looked over at Jody for the first time since she had
left his side. “That’s one heck-of-a-kid you got there, Mommy.”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Cassandra!
Were you listening at the door?” Jody snapped accusingly. Even to
her own ear, her voice sounded shrill and pinched, but she couldn’t
help it. “Did you hear your Daddy and I talking just now?” she
demanded in clipped staccatos. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>I’ll
huff… and I’ll puff….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">The child
sat motionless and stared at her mother. Jody raised herself from the
floor and moved toward the little girl menacingly.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Did you
hear us?” Jody demanded. “Did you? Tell me!” she cried through
clenched teeth.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">NO,
Mommy,” her daughter calmly replied, “I just guessed.”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jody was
suddenly aware of both pairs of eyes glaring at her. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>What
big eyes you have... All the better to see you with…. </i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">She
looked from one to the other, and again she felt the crimson rising
in her cheeks. Both pairs of eyes continued to stare: Cassandra’s
showed that maddening, defiant amusement, and Jeff’s filled with
the rising anger that had become so commonplace in the last four
years. She saw the knuckles of his large, rough fists whiten as he
moved to rise.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">I’m
sorry, Sweetheart,” she said quickly, desperate to force sincerity
into her voice. “You know that it’s wrong to listen to other
people when they don’t know that you’re there, don’t you?”
</span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>What
big ears you have…All the better to hear you with….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“</span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">I
know,” came the reply, “But I didn’t listen—I just guessed.”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Alright
then…that’s a good girl,” Jody added as she moved toward the
kitchen. “Let’s get ready for the picnic,” she said, carefully
avoiding Jeff’s eyes as she disappeared through the door.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Once in the
kitchen, the unbearable confusion began again. How could she feel so
un-motherly toward her own child, her baby, after all this time? She
gazed down at the ripe, red tomato that she had started to slice; she
stared into its open face for a moment, and then crushed it savagely
in her hand. The bursting was accompanied by a satisfying, snapping
squish. Jody stared disconnectedly at the orange-red ooze dripping
from between her grinding fingers. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>Curiosier…
and curiouser…. </i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Rinsing
her hand in the faucet’s cool stream, she directed the remains of
her handiwork down the drain. The disposal growled for an instant and
then whirred complacently. As she wiped her hands on a paper towel,
she realized that the ache in her abdomen had completely disappeared.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">A
perfect pregnancy,” the doctor had said.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Perfect.
What did he know? He couldn’t even explain the pain in her gut that
was ripping her insides apart and driving her crazy. What could any
man know? Not even Jeff could understand.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">A movement
at the edge of her eye drew her gaze out the window toward the
garage. She felt the corners of her mouth rise slightly as she
watched Jeff readying the car. She loved him so much—she had always
loved him so much—she could never bear to lose him!</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Suddenly,
the yard grew dark, and she refocused on her own face reflected in
the pane. She had never been one of those vain, fragile women who
agonize over every sign of life in their vapid faces, but now, she
peered into the dim reflection. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>Mirror,
Mirror on the wall…Who’s the fairest? </i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Her
hair draped her shoulders, and in the darkness of the pane, she was
alarmed and horrified to see her mother’s face, pinched in
resentful frustration and despair. She squeezed her eyes tight and
held her breath. Opening her eyes, she found her own face again, but
the rage and despair remained, spectre-like in the shadowy glass.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">My God!”
she said aloud, “What is happening to me?”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">1 know,”
said a voice from the door.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jody
dropped the paring knife she had been holding. It grazed her foot as
it thudded dully on the cushioned linoleum.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Oops!”
exclaimed the voice playfully. “I know, Mommy.”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">She turned
to see the Cheshire Cat smiling smugly. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>By-the-bye,
what became of the baby, said the Cat. I’d nearly forgotten to ask.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>It
turned into a pig, Alice answered very quietly, just as if the Cat
had come back in a natural way. </i></span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>I
thought it would, said the Cat, and vanished again.</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">I know,
Mommy,” the voice repeated.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">You do?”
Jody said, fear and menace mingling in her own voice. “What do you
know?”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">I know
where for the picnic,” Cassandra exclaimed gleefully. “The
Hill…Daddy’s Hill.”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">The mother
turned quickly from the child’s expectant gaze and bent down. The
glint of the knife blade drew her eye, and her breath caught in her
breast as if pinned there by a blade thrust through her heart. She
grasped the knife, and, still crouching, she looked into the eyes of
her daughter. The blood surged audibly through her temples, but the
handle, hard and cold in her trembling hand, was comforting as she
moved toward the grinning pajamas. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>Off
with her head… OFF WITH HER HEAD….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Suddenly,
she turned away and leaned against the counter for support.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">That’s
a good idea, Cassie,” she choked. “You run and tell Daddy, and
I’ll finish up here, okay?” With unseeing eyes, she felt her
heart attempting to pound its way out of her breast.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Goodbye,
Mommy!”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jody jerked
her head around angrily, but Cassandra had already disappeared from
the room.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">It’s me,
she cried silently, it’s got to be me. As her eyes closed, her chin
fell heavily to her heaving breast, and her mind whirled in a jumble
of swirling colors and darkness. Her shoulders shrugged deeply,
trying to accommodate the breath that raged into her lungs. When she
finally opened her eyes, she found the knife still clutched in her
rigid right hand and flung it away, her fingers outstretched in
horror.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">As they
rode in the car, Jody sat in the back seat and stared vacantly out
the window. The giggled games of father and daughter faded from her
consciousness as she thought about the hill. It had always been “Our
Hill” since that day, fourteen years earlier, when she and Jeffrey
had spent their first afternoon together; there, at the foot of the
hill, they had fallen so deeply, so wonderfully in love. Two years
later, as she glided on the swing and listened hypnotically to the
metallic squeak of the chain and the abrasive crunch of Jeffrey’s
thongs on the sand, he had suddenly caught her in mid-swing and
proposed marriage. In fact, it was there on the crest of the hill
that she had first suggested that they ought to have a child. That
last. What perversity, what insanity, had prompted her to want a
change? </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">You
can’t improve on perfection,” they had always said, whenever the
question had arisen. But she had been suddenly possessed by an
unrelenting desire to have a baby. She and Jeffrey had joked about
her ·biological clock, but why, as they stood together on the brow
of the hill, had she suddenly been so insistent? So positive? </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">As the
silent question insinuated itself into her consciousness, another
image emerged. The day had been so perfect. They were celebrating
Jeffrey’s promotion to assistant buyer. He had worked so hard and
had been so worried about both the job and Jody’s pregnancy; they
were relieved and overjoyed when he got the good news. As if to join
in the celebration, the jacarandas were in full bloom, and their
flowers burst in purple explosions against the verdant hillside. The
sun melted warmly through the still morning air. The fierce kick from
within had so surprised her that she had dropped to her knees. At
that same instant, a fierce wind had startled the jacarandas into
exaggerated motion and the sky darkened ominously.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jody had
yelled, “Jeffrey!” and had turned to see him standing at the very
top of the hill, silhouetted against the gray-purple sky. He made no
move. He just stood there, looking down at her from that distant
spot. Suddenly and inexplicably terrified, she called to him again.
He came running down the hill to her side. In his bright sunlight,
the shadow and the fear had simply vanished. She had never even
thought to ask him why he hadn’t answered when she’d called, but
it seemed suddenly important enough to ask him now.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Looking up,
she felt a shadow fall across her face. Startled, she looked out past
the front of the car. There, looming before them, was the hill.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">We’d
better hurry,” Jeff said. “The sun’s already starting to sneak
down behind the trees.” He stopped the car and unfastened his
seatbelt. “Is Daddy’s best girl ready to go?” He repeated the
ritual as he unlocked the door.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Oh,
yes!” came the anticipated answer. “Is Cassie’s Daddy ready to
go?” she cried and leapt down from the seat.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">My God,
thought Jody. My God, there it is. Doesn’t he see? </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>The
sky is falling… The sky is falling….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jody took
the picnic basket out of the car, walked to the picnic table, and
began laying out the food. As she picked up the large carving knife
to slice the ham, she looked around. Some things never change, she
thought. Same old grassy knoll; same old ravine; same old—she
stopped. Terror. There was a name for the pain that was wrenching her
insides. Ever since that day, that first day when Jeff had stood at
the crest of the hill, that first day when Cassandra had made herself
known, the Hill had become an unconscious archetype of her singular,
obsessive terror. The terror had crept in, and their marriage had
gone mad.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Though
steeped in despair, she had clung to the desperate hope that
motherhood and the birth of their child would destroy the deadly,
debilitating dread. The worst part was that she had no one in whom
she could confide. How do you tell a joyous father-to-be that his
wife is </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>afraid
</i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">of
their expected baby, frightened nearly out of her wits? How could
anyone explain it? She had not been afraid of childbirth itself; that
might have made some sense. She was afraid that the child would live,
for she already sensed that the monster writhing within would surely
destroy her if it were allowed to live. But it had lived, and she had
lived with it…and lived with it….</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Goodbye,
Mommy!” rang in her ear. They had yelled </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>it
</i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">in
</span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>unison
</i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">as
they galloped up the hill, her hill, together.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">A shudder
ran through her as she underwent a paroxysm of the most intense
loneliness and isolation. When she could move again, she immediately
turned her gaze to the top of the hill.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">It had
gotten darker in the last few moments, and it took her eyes several
seconds to adjust. They were there at the top of the hill, standing
together, looking down at her. Jody fell to the ground, just like the
last time, shaken by a violent kick from inside her abdomen; that
struggling, writhing, malevolent entity was mocking her, reminding
her of the last three years. She screamed his name. </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Jeffrey!”
echoed beyond the hilltop. She shot a glance in the direction of the
hill and saw a lone figure standing on the crest. The little figure
waved ominously. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>Which
old witch? The wicked witch….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">A sudden
rage metamorphosed itself instantly into sudden resolve, and a
powerful courage coursed through her being. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>The
time has come, the walrus said.... </i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Her
eyes searched until they found the evil thing silhouetted against the
dusk-stained sky. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>BEWARE
THE JABBERWOCK</i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">….
It stood there calmly waving, silently directing the scene below. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>SHE
TOOK HER VORPAL BLADE IN HAND</i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">….
Raising the butcher knife over her head, she lurched toward the hill.
</span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>FEE…FIE…FOE…FUM….I’M
BILLY-GOAT-GRUFF….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“</span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Good-bye,
Mommy!”</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">A
wraithlike scream escaped Jody’s lips, and she fell to her knees,
beating furiously at her stomach, her hands clenched together,
pounding and pounding. </span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>SNICKER-SNACK….
</i></span></span><span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">This
time she knew she would kill it and be finally free. Again, she
plunged her hands deep into her abdomen, but the pain wouldn’t
stop. Finally, she looked down at the wet warmth that had become her
hands and gazed at them in wonder. Gore-drenched, they gripped the
blood-soaked handle of the blade which protruded from the pulp that
had been her belly.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">A mindless,
sense-shattering shriek, like that of a stricken, helpless animal
burst forth from her own subconscious as she drooped, gurgling, onto
her side. Then she heard a childish, playful little voice echo from
the hill.</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Goodbye,
Mommy!” </span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>Which
old witch? The wicked witch…</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">Good....”
</span></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 0.17in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; text-indent: 0.25in; widows: 0;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";"><i>DING
DONG….</i></span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;">“…<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">bye!”<br /><br />©1985
T. McMullen</span></span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #221e1f;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman";">All
Rights Reserved</span></span></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-78038752307596798592017-10-28T17:25:00.000-07:002017-10-28T17:25:20.053-07:00Crack-Up—Another Original Short Story for Halloween <div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
CRACK-UP </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
by Tim McMullen</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"One...two...three candles!" cried Jenny Ashton. "C'mon, everybody, let's sing. Then you can blow the candles out, Willie." Her thin lips punctuated around a wide grin, she raised her slender, mauve-tipped hands in unison and then dropped them for the downbeat. "Happy Birthday to you .... " </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
On the cul-de-sac where the Ashton family lived, Willie's older brother, Jeffrey, with his precocious, "TV kid" quips and his dark, tousled hair fringing grinning grey-green eyes, had achieved something akin to "star-status." In this new tract, where ancient oaks had ultimately acquiesced to a baneful sprawl of beige boxes, Jeffrey had been the first of the block's new batch to walk, the first to talk, and, by the age of three, the first to read. At about this time, perhaps even in celebration of his future brother's feat, little William had been conceived. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Gazing up from his infant's crib on his first day home from the hospital, Willie had gurgled happily into his brother's anxious face. Jeffrey proffered a tentative finger to the tiny pink alien, and it grasped the extended digit in its wrinkled little fist and bubbled with delight. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"This baby is my brother," a beaming Jeffrey had announced to his elated parents. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
From his earliest months, Willie had loved the sound of people. Music boxes, rattles, musical mobiles, and other devices designed to engage infant attention were equally ineffectual. For this reason, story telling emerged as a major preoccupation for the Ashton household. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
A discomfited, wailing Willie became a cooing, sedate Willie at the drop of a "Once upon a time...." Although initially entranced by <i>all</i> the stories which were recited to him, first by his parents </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
and, later, by his brother Jeffrey, the toddler became especially enchanted by the fantastic visions of Lewis Carroll and the Brothers Grimm. His narrators, particularly Jeffrey, responded by filling his nighttime wanderings with dragons, goblins, beasts, and monsters. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
By the time he was two years old, Willie had been initiated into the Secret Society of the Supernatural; its founder and only other member was his brother, Jeffrey. Starting with traditional superstitions like ladders, black cats, and sidewalk cracks, Jeffrey quickly became expert at inventing little diversions of imagination which could utterly thrill and, ultimately, terrify his little brother. Jeffrey was both his teacher and his tormentor. Willie knew that Jeffy had been scolded repeatedly for "scaring the pants off" him, as well as the other neighborhood kids, but the scoldings neither deterred Jeffrey's creations nor jaded William's credulity. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Despite the air of festivity and excitement surrounding Willie's third birthday, Jeffrey seemed distracted; he even mumbled to himself, as if he were trying to recall some misplaced or forgotten something. Willie had wondered about his brother's curious behavior several times. At dinner he had almost asked Jeffrey why he was looking at him so funny, but his father had asked him a question and the moment passed. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Willie was very excited at dinner, and he received several jovial reprimands about speaking with his mouth full. Despite his obvious anxiety, it had been decided that the dinner dishes should be cleaned up before Willie opened his birthday presents. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
While the others were busy, Willie sidled in and surveyed the shared kingdom of his and Jeffrey's bedroom. His blue, He-Man blanket dripped a corner off of the bottom bunk and onto the floor. He crossed to the bed, lifted the wayward corner, and pulled the blanket toward him. Draping it over his shoulders, he tied two of the ends around his neck and flung the rest of the blanket cape-like behind him. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Alone in Castle Greyskull, he again turned his attention to his surroundings. Before him loomed the magical enchanted tower where the evil ones held the princess. Grabbing his sword, HeMan made a daring leap for the ladder that lead up to the tower. His foot slipped on the rung, and he nearly plunged down into the moat where the alligators and dragons swam hungrily, but he clung bravely and began to climb. At the fifth rung he stopped and turned his head to look over his shoulder. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Wow!" he gasped under his breath. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Willie had never viewed his world from the vantage of his brother's top bunk. This ascent had been strictly forbidden by both his parents and his brother, and he had never dared venture up the ladder for fear of being caught; the height of the perch had also been a significant deterrent. But the cape and the sword had propelled him upward, and now he gazed out on virgin territory. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
He eyed the dresser with particular interest. The dresser top was too tall for him, so he kept his bank and his other personal possessions on the little orange plastic table beneath the window at the foot of the bed. Occasionally, he had pulled out the bottom dresser drawer and used it for a step up to the top, but he'd never dared more than a few seconds' peek before he jumped down. Now, from the top of the bunk ladder, he could see everything. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Jeffrey kept a blue pig filled with pennies and nickels; it was there in the far corner standing guard over Jeffrey's possessions. A plastic tortoise-shell comb and brush set nestled beneath the pig. To their right lay a pile of objects. Willie couldn't identify everything, but the ring of keys, the marbles, and the bits of string suggested the probable importance of the other objects. Suddenly, though surrounded by the other things, and undoubtedly hidden on purpose, a black plastic whistle poked its snout out from the pile. It looked like a real playground whistle, the shrill warbling kind like they used at the park. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Willie found that his feet were entangled in his cape as he hastened to descend, so he paused for a moment, untied the blanket, and let it drop to the floor. Birthday avarice in his eyes and the whistle in his mind, he pulled out the first two drawers in stair-step fashion and clambered up onto the dresser top. He carefully extricated the whistle from beneath the pile. It had a cord looped through the hole at the end, and he delicately slid his head through its noose. He let the whistle dangle on his stomach for a moment, then he brought it slowly to his lips. The whistle wheezed a muffled chirp from Willie's breathing, and he quickly clapped his hand over it. Carefully holding his breath, he clamped the whistle tightly between his teeth and looked at himself in the dresser mirror. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Hey, you kids, stop that, he shouted silently, then he held the whistle and blew an imaginary blast on it. The kids stopped instantly, and Willie viewed himself proudly in the mirror. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Watch out, Willie!" Jeffrey suddenly cried from the doorway. The whistle shrieked in Willie's mouth, and he nearly toppled off the dresser. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"You must be crazy! Did you check for cracks, Willie? Did you?" Jeffrey demanded in frightened tones. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Wha...what?" whimpered the confused child, spinning from the mirror in alarm. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Jeffrey grabbed Willie, pulled him down from the dresser, and placed him emphatically on the floor. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"What cracks?" Willie ventured hesitantly. "The cracks! The mirror cracks! They might have got you, Willie. You might have been a goner if I hadn't caught you!" </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
The little boy's face worked and wrinkled itself to the verge of terrified, trembling tears, but the older boy put his arm around his brother, reassuring and calming him. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"It's okay now, Willie...it's okay," he whispered earnestly and hugged his shoulder. "It's okay. I was just afraid that that might have been one of the mirrors of death." He paused to allow the weight of his words to sink into the credulous consciousness of the little boy. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"M-M-Mirrors of death?" came the inevitable reply. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Sure, haven't you heard of them? I guess nobody told you 'cuz you were too little. They don't get little kids. They can't get you until you're at least three years old." After another pointed pause, he continued. "That's why I shouted 'cuz now you're three, and they can have you if they want!”</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Who? Who can have me, Jeffy?"</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"The people in the mirror. The...uh...mirror monsters!! The ones who've been trapped inside and can't get out."</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Inside the mirror? How, Jeffy? It's too thin, isn't it?" he asked, regarding the mirror warily. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Jeffrey! Willie!" Their mother's voice startled them, and Willie jumped. "What are you boys doing? You're so quiet!" </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Nothing," Jeffrey answered, "We're just playing." There was a long silence while they listened to their mother puttering in the kitchen. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Willie, you remember Wonderland, and Alice and the White Rabbit, don't you?" </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Y-Y-Yes...."</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Well, don't you remember her other story of the Looking Glass room, where everything 's backwards?" William nodded, and Jeffrey continued, "Well, that was just a story, of course, but some of those things are true. About the mirror was real, only that's not how it happens. Inside the mirror world it's not as happy as Alice, and you can't just step through like she did; but on the other side, they sit and watch and stare at us, just waiting for someone they can take." </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"H-How do they do it?" William had taken several steps back from the mirror, and he now gazed intently into Jeffrey's earnest face. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"They do it like this," said Jeffrey. "They watch and wait for something to happen. They wait for a mirror to crack, or if they are <i>really</i> strong, they crack it themselves from the inside. They try to keep the cracks as small as possible so's no one will notice." </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
William sat with his back against their bunk bed and began to cuddle himself into a blue He-Man cocoon created by the blanket which he had plucked from the floor. He sucked on a soggy satin corner of the cocoon, eyes widened in unquestioning incredulity. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Then, when someone comes up to one of their mirrors with the little cracks, they get ready. If the person gets too close or stays too long, then they've got him." </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Jeffrey grabbed William's arm. The little boy jumped and sucked in breath between his teeth. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"You can't get away, and they hold you and pull you until they suck you right into the mirror. But that's not the worst!" The younger boy trembled, and Jeffrey released his arm. "When they suck you through," he whispered, "they like pull you all inside out!" Jeffrey accompanied this narrative with a pantomime of frantic tugging and a graphic slurping noise. "Your brain and...and your guts and everything are on the outside of your body. Then you have to be with the people on the inside... always." </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Why don't we just break the mirrors so those people can't get out?" asked William, squinting hesitantly from the depths of his blue cocoon. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"What, are you crazy? That's seven year's bad luck! You know why? Because when you break a mirror, you let the mirror people have a lot more power," Jeffrey snorted condescendingly. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Then, what do we do?</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Just be careful! Don't look too long or stand too close to a mirror, and don't be BAD...because they always take mean, bad people...and always remember to check for cracks. Anyway, this mirror is okay, because I've checked it carefully now, and it's okay."</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
William sat thoughtfully, without speaking, and filed away the information in his three-year-old brain. He glanced sideways at the mirror and then back at his brother. Jeffrey had to look away to keep from laughing, but Willie read the gesture. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
With a particularly dramatic facial contortion meant to convey his deep disgust, Willie emitted a condescending snort of his own and then clucked his tongue on the back of his teeth in a "Tsk" of disbelief. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Willie!" his mother cried suddenly from some distant room. "Come in here, Sweetie, let's open your birthday gifts.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Okay!" the little boy yelled. He flashed an angry look at his brother, and Jeffrey burst into hysterical laughter. Willie turned and left the room, but he snuck back stealthily and peeked around the door jamb. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Jeffrey stood looking into the mirror, and Willie knew that Jeffrey was ridiculing him. He was pretending to be his little brother, and he approached the mirror with a look of mock dread. He inched closer and closer, laughing aloud at his "Wary Willie" imitation. Finally, he pressed his nose against the glass and leaned his right brow against it as well. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Hello! Is anybody there? Come in...come in...HELLO!"</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Humiliated, Willie turned from the doorway and retreated from the sound of his brother's derisive laughter. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
"Stupid Jeffrey! I'll never believe him again, not ever!" he whimpered. A sharp pain swelled in his throat and a tear pooled in his eye as he relived his betrayal. "I hate you! I hate you and I wish you..." Willie stopped himself. Never before had he uttered such angry words, and as he spoke, he felt the hatred flow from his body like the oil he had seen his dad drain out of the car. He ungritted his teeth and unclenched his fists, but the ache in his throat merely crawled down into his chest, and he stopped at the end of the hall and cried softly. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
When it came, the scream was so incomprehensible yet so overwhelming that Willie was reflexively flung against the wall. The sound conveyed a sense of pain so much beyond human endurance as to be inconceivable, yet before it had ceased its wail, Willie was on his feet and sprinting for his room. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
Without thinking, he ran to the dresser and climbed up on the bottom drawer which he had left open. By this time only one leg barely protruded from the mirror above the dresser. Willie grabbed for it and clung on with every ounce of his three-year-old might. The leg recoiled convulsively, as if trying to kick free, and Jeffrey's shoe carne off in his hands as Willie tumbled backward onto the floor. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
When Jenny and Alan Ashton came running into the room, they found Willie sitting at the foot of the dresser, sobbing, with Jeffrey's dirty sneaker pressed to his chest. </div>
<br />
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
©1985 Tim McMullen</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; text-indent: 21.1px;">
All Rights Reserved<br />
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-32128282806725912017-08-18T16:21:00.004-07:002017-08-19T08:18:02.429-07:00Some Observations from the Hopeful Cynic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2XdkEQ01l87SUh6pOJp4zmQEUjqEq0a5o-rO5k8P9BEykqFoXS8frZS6Bf516GI_eXnT3MBwEyAONRQH7v7mbIHCvsKCDuHjb-27Br8hPpbj1HHDJ0ZuchNPxBPFzOoX8zVfzmG1sKBy/s1600/USPOLITICSTRUMPSOCIETYRIGHTSRACISM.jpeg.CROP.promo-large.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="512" data-original-width="718" height="228" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjV2XdkEQ01l87SUh6pOJp4zmQEUjqEq0a5o-rO5k8P9BEykqFoXS8frZS6Bf516GI_eXnT3MBwEyAONRQH7v7mbIHCvsKCDuHjb-27Br8hPpbj1HHDJ0ZuchNPxBPFzOoX8zVfzmG1sKBy/s320/USPOLITICSTRUMPSOCIETYRIGHTSRACISM.jpeg.CROP.promo-large.jpeg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="fbfmb-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="fbfmb-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="fbfmb-0-0">As Americans, we have to recognize and accept that the tragic absurdity of Duh Furor's failed presidency is our own self-inflicted wound! WE DID THIS!</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="fl690-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="fl690-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="fl690-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="9gsr0-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="9gsr0-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="9gsr0-0-0">Every person who spread false equivalencies or "but what abouts"; every person who chose not to vote or who voted for some third party candidate who they knew could never win; every Democrat, Progressive, or Independent who turned their back on the DNC and Clinton in the general election because they supported Sanders in the primary; every person who allowed the bogus Republican and Russian propaganda of thirty years of Clinton bashing, false Benghazi analysis and generally, innocuous e-mails to be judged a greater moral failure than BLATANT lying, racism, sexism, xenophobia, violence and sexual assault, ignorance, and narcissistic psychopathy; every one of these groups and every one of these individuals OWN THIS INCREDIBLE HISTORICAL FAILURE!</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="8mtd4-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="8mtd4-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="8mtd4-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="4dc2-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="4dc2-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="4dc2-0-0">Those of us who don't fall into any of those groups, someone like me or perhaps you, for instance, even though I tried to engage on social media; even though I warned my friends of the possible disaster of their apathy, indifference, or misplaced passion; even though I contributed to Sanders, then to Clinton and to a number of organizations and individual candidates across the country; I, nevertheless, let too many of those absurd racist, sexist, xenophobic, hate-filled, lying memes and diatribes against Obama and Clinton go unanswered because I was just too tired, or fed up, or disheartened, or frustrated to constantly engage, or because I assumed that that kind of mind-boggling irrationality and self-delusion could not represent the majority or Americans.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="tnc5-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="tnc5-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="tnc5-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="e97hs-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="e97hs-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="e97hs-0-0">I was correct, of course, it was NOT the majority of those who voted—Clinton won the popular vote by the most overwhelming margin in history for a losing candidate, but a majority of people in a great majority of states made this choice, either by not voting, by voting for some absurd third party candidate, by voting for Duh Furor, or by not working hard enough to counter this wave of Republican sociopathy that has been brewing in the minds of such vicious moral failures as Ronald Reagan, Newt Gingrich, Grover Norguist, Arthur Laffer, Paul Ryan, Jeff Sessions, James Inhofe, Steve King, Rand Paul, Louis Gohmert, Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Breitbart and Bannon, Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, FOX, Clear Channel, Alex Jones, et al for decades.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="a8tcp-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="a8tcp-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="a8tcp-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="27si3-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="27si3-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="27si3-0-0">We let them win. We handed them a young, ultra-right Supreme Court with lifetime appointments. We have given them the tools to dismantle 100 years of social and moral progress. We have let them rig the system, state by state, against workers, voters, and against individuals in favor of corporations and the oligarchs. </span></div>
<div data-offset-key="27si3-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="27si3-0-0"><br /></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="27si3-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="27si3-0-0">It may well take us decades to end the voter suppression and gerrymandering; it may well take us decades to end the state and national promotion of bigotry and racism and sexism in political platforms and laws; it may well take decades to counter the irrational stranglehold that the NRA, the arms manufacturers, and gun culture have on our personal and communal safety; it may well take decades to eventually restore rational dialogue and compromise to the political and social milieu. That's right. It well might. But it took us decades to let them bring us to this point.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="91m8r-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="91m8r-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="91m8r-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="fp7le-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="fp7le-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="fp7le-0-0">The irony, of course, is that if we are ever going to counter any of these tragically negative trends in this country, we must begin NOW! And we must not stop until every one of these failures has been righted. Despite this tragic downturn, it might still be possible to make America great again. It will take a radical reversal of so much that is now in motion, but I remain, as ever, yours truly, The Hopeful Cynic.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="5ffmv-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="5ffmv-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="5ffmv-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="3tfq-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="3tfq-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="3tfq-0-0">"The Greatest Threat to Democracy is Hypocrisy! Seek Truth! Speak Truth!"</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="6bjs7" data-offset-key="fm68c-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="fm68c-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span contentstate="o { "entityMap": undefined, "blockMap": OrderedMap { "fbfmb": q { "key": "fbfmb", "type": "unstyled", "text": "As Americans, we have to recognize and accept that the tragic absurdity of Duh Furor's failed presidency is our own self-inflicted wound! WE DID THIS!", "characterList": List [ p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "fl690": q { "key": "fl690", "type": "unstyled", "text": "", "characterList": List [], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "9gsr0": q { "key": "9gsr0", "type": "unstyled", "text": "Every person who spread false equivalencies or \"but what abouts\"; every person who chose not to vote or who voted for some third party candidate who they knew could never win; every Democrat, Progressive, or Independent who turned their back on the DNC and Clinton in the general election because they supported Sanders in the primary; every person who allowed the bogus Republican and Russian propaganda of thirty years of Clinton bashing, false Benghazi analysis and generally, innocuous e-mails to be judged a greater moral failure than BLATANT lying, racism, sexism, xenophobia, violence and sexual assault, ignorance, and narcissistic psychopathy; every one of these groups and every one of these individuals OWN THIS INCREDIBLE HISTORICAL FAILURE! ", "characterList": List [ p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "8mtd4": q { "key": "8mtd4", "type": "unstyled", "text": "", "characterList": List [], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "4dc2": q { "key": "4dc2", "type": "unstyled", "text": "Those of us who don't fall into any of those groups, like me, even though I tried to engage on social media; even though I warned my friends of the possible disaster of their apathy, indifference, or misplaced passion; even though I contributed to Sanders, then to Clinton and individual candidates across the country; I, nevertheless, let too many of those absurd racist, sexist, xenophobic, hate-filled, lying memes and diatribes against Obama and Clinton go unanswered because I was just too tired, or fed up, or disheartened, or frustrated to constantly engage, or because I assumed that that kind of mind-boggling irrationality and self-delusion could not represent the majority or Americans. ", "characterList": List [ p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "tnc5": q { "key": "tnc5", "type": "unstyled", "text": "", "characterList": List [], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "e97hs": q { "key": "e97hs", "type": "unstyled", "text": "I was correct, of course, it was NOT the majority of those who voted—Clinton won the popular vote by the most overwhelming margin in history for a losing candidate, but a majority of people in a great majority of states made this choice, either by not voting, by voting for some absurd third party candidate, by voting for Duh Furor, or by not working hard enough to counter this wave of Republican sociopathy that has been brewing in the minds of such vicious moral failures as Ronald Reagan, Paul Ryan, Jeff Sessions, James Inhofe, Steve King, Rand Paul, Louis Gohmert, Michelle Bachmann, Sarah Palin, Breitbart, Roger Ailes, Rupert Murdoch, FOX, Clear Channel, Alex Jones, et al for decades. ", "characterList": List [ p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "a8tcp": q { "key": "a8tcp", "type": "unstyled", "text": "", "characterList": List [], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "27si3": q { "key": "27si3", "type": "unstyled", "text": "We let them win. We let them have an ultra-right Supreme Court. We have given them the tools to dismantle 100 years of social and moral progress. We have let them rig the system, state by state, against workers, voters, and against individuals in favor of corporations and the oligarchs. It may well take us decades to end the voter suppression and gerrymandering; it may well take us decades to end the state and national promotion of bigotry and racism and sexism in political platforms and laws; it may well take decades to to counter the irrational stranglehold that the NRA, the arms manufacturers, and gun culture have on our personal and communal safety; it may well take decades to eventually restore rational dialogue and compromise to the political and social milieu. That's right. It well might. But it took us decades to let them bring us to this point.", "characterList": List [ p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "91m8r": q { "key": "91m8r", "type": "unstyled", "text": "", "characterList": List [], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "fp7le": q { "key": "fp7le", "type": "unstyled", "text": "The irony, of course, is that if we are ever going to counter any of these tragically negative trends in this country, we must begin NOW! And we must not stop until every one of these failures has been righted. Despite this tragic downturn, it might still be possible to make America great again. It will take a radical reversal of so much that is now in motion, but I remain, as ever, yours truly, The Hopeful Cynic.", "characterList": List [ p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "5ffmv": q { "key": "5ffmv", "type": "unstyled", "text": "", "characterList": List [], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "3tfq": q { "key": "3tfq", "type": "unstyled", "text": "\"The Greatest Threat to Democracy is Hypocrisy! Seek Truth! Speak Truth!\"", "characterList": List [ p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": null } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} }, "fm68c": q { "key": "fm68c", "type": "unstyled", "text": "Tim McMullen", "characterList": List [ p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" }, p { "style": OrderedSet {}, "entity": "1" } ], "depth": 0, "data": Map {} } }, "selectionBefore": m { "anchorKey": "fm68c", "anchorOffset": 12, "focusKey": "fm68c", "focusOffset": 12, "isBackward": false, "hasFocus": true }, "selectionAfter": m { "anchorKey": "fm68c", "anchorOffset": 12, "focusKey": "fm68c", "focusOffset": 12, "isBackward": false, "hasFocus": true } }" data-offset-key="fm68c-0-0" decoratedtext="Tim McMullen" entitykey="1" offsetkey="fm68c-0-0" spellcheck="false">Tim McMullen</span></div>
</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-28302631888452248402017-07-29T14:00:00.000-07:002017-07-29T14:00:05.170-07:00Farewell to Michael Johnson — A Song's and a Songwriter's Best Friend<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="8b6ec-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="8b6ec-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="8b6ec-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Michael Johnson's career was really rather remarkable; he is a relative unknown despite having several "hits" and 17 albums to his credit. Having a long career yet not being well-known is not unusual, but what is remarkable is the breadth of his talent. He was an excellent classical, nylon string guitarist who recorded an instrumental by Villa-Lobos on his first album. He performed with John Denver as a part of the Mitchell Trio, who became Denver, Boise, and Johnson when the last of the original trio departed.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="4el43-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="4el43-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="4el43-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Michael Johnson was an excellent folk singer and songwriter. Besides writing songs, he was a marvelous interpreter of songs. His first LP had songs by Greg Brown, Jackson Browne, Biff Rose, and Rodgers and Hammerstein. </span></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0">From the first album, here is "</span>On the Road" written by Carl Franzen</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UGUTjtEOt3k/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UGUTjtEOt3k?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="cnlkt-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The second folk album included work by George Harrison, Rick Cunha, John Martyn. His third featured several originals as well as work by Mark Henley and Rob Galbraith.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="3vdga-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="3vdga-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="3vdga-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="f6r9-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="f6r9-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="f6r9-0-0">At this point, he effectively redefined himself with The Michael Johnson Album into a smooth, powerful pop singer featuring brilliant tunes by Randy Goodrum, Bill LaBounty and Roy Freeland, </span><span data-offset-key="f6r9-1-0" spellcheck="false">Eric Kaz</span><span data-offset-key="f6r9-2-0">, and </span><span data-offset-key="f6r9-3-0" spellcheck="false">Tom Snow</span><span data-offset-key="f6r9-4-0">. "Bluer Than Blue," written by Randy Goodrum, is probably Michael Johnson's best known song, well known enough that I won't include it here.</span></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="f6r9-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="f6r9-4-0"><span data-offset-key="2u46r-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="f6r9-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="f6r9-4-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="2u46r-0-0">This same group of songwriters (with a few additions like Patti Dahlstrom, </span><span data-offset-key="2u46r-1-0" spellcheck="false">Mac McAnally</span><span data-offset-key="2u46r-2-0">, Steve Gibson, and Brent Maher) turned out a marvelous set of pop songs which Michael Johnson turned into superb recordings. This second pop album, Dialogue, is a terrific collection. One of my favorites is the Randy Goodrum/Brent Maher song, "Doors."</span></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="cgcj2-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="cgcj2-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="cgcj2-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="2u46r-0-0">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/xMbRPSu3HG4/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/xMbRPSu3HG4?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="2u46r-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="2u46r-2-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="5h080-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="5h080-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="5h080-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="5h080-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="5h080-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
This Night Won’t Last Forever written by Bill LaBounty and Roy Freeland began to set the tone of his smooth, catchy, breezy, pop performances.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/S-5lN0DGubI/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S-5lN0DGubI?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="fbsg8-0-0">Johnson also heard the unusual composition and made it his own. Here is a brilliant piece by Patti Dahlstrom and Tom Snow entitled "Dialogue."</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-Dhhr-hS958/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-Dhhr-hS958?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="fbsg8-0-0"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="fbsg8-0-0"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="fbsg8-0-0">The albums You Can Call Me Blue and Home Free were absolutely on a par with his best pop work. Here is "Blame it On the Rain," by Eric Kaz and Tom Snow. </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/UWb5XRgNzFE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UWb5XRgNzFE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
<div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="fbsg8-0-0"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="fbsg8-0-0"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="fbsg8-0-0">I felt that his album Lifetime Guarantee was not quite as strong as an album, despite the fact that it had very fine songs by Craig Bickhardt, </span><span data-offset-key="fbsg8-1-0" spellcheck="false">Eric Kaz</span><span data-offset-key="fbsg8-2-0"> and </span><span data-offset-key="fbsg8-3-0" spellcheck="false">Wendy Waldman</span><span data-offset-key="fbsg8-4-0">, Bill Withers and others</span><span data-offset-key="fbsg8-6-0">.</span></div>
</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="9g7d1-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="9g7d1-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="9g7d1-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="ctebd-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="ctebd-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="ctebd-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Then, after recording eight albums in ten years and after a three-year recording hiatus, Michael Johnson reinvented himself in another genre without much change at all in his powerful performances. With his albums Wings, That's That, Life's a Bitch, and Michael Johnson, he became a terrific country interpreter and songwriter, performing songs from an incredible collection of great country songwriters. Here's the wonderful "Give Me Wings," by Rhonda Fleming and Don Schlitz. </span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/rf1hY5GxUzM/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rf1hY5GxUzM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="ctebd-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="ctebd-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">This Michael Johnson original co-authored with Kent Robbins opened the album Wings and demonstrates how he transitioned his pop into country and his country into pop. It's called "Gotta' Learn to Love Without You."</span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ng-T5FzcQyc/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ng-T5FzcQyc?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="ctebd-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="ctebd-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="5hgbe-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="5hgbe-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="5hgbe-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="1lv9a-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="1lv9a-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-offset-key="1lv9a-0-0">With Departure (aptly named), he ventured back into the more pop-tinged world although still doing pieces by Hugh Prestwood, Goodrum, Freeland and LaBounty, and a co-write with Jack Sundrud (of Poco and </span><span data-offset-key="1lv9a-1-0" spellcheck="false">Idlewheel</span><span data-offset-key="1lv9a-2-0"> featuring Sundrud and </span><span data-offset-key="1lv9a-3-0" spellcheck="false">Craig Bickhardt</span><span data-offset-key="1lv9a-4-0">). Clearly, Johnson was devoted to the work of a number of writers, and he turned to them repeatedly for their songs. The writer who benefitted most from that exposure (and vice versa), was Hugh Prestwood. Michael Johnson recorded nineteen different songs by Hugh Prestwood including the title tune of his second country album, That's That.</span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="8lp5m-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="8lp5m-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="8lp5m-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br data-text="true" /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="fksdr-0-0">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qrd1uOEIbMQ/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qrd1uOEIbMQ?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="fksdr-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="fksdr-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">Despite being a huge fan, I only saw Michael Johnson perform live one time. He opened for Vince Gill in a medium sized theater. Each performed their solo acoustic set. It was an incredible night and a brilliant bill. Both men were masterful guitarists, wonderfully unique singers, and powerful and witty performers. It was an incredible night. </span></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="fksdr-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="fksdr-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/-GsLLhNG3F8/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/-GsLLhNG3F8?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="fksdr-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="fksdr-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="1p1tq" data-offset-key="co8r1-0-0">
<div data-offset-key="co8r1-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="co8r1-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="co8r1-0-0" style="direction: ltr; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<span data-offset-key="co8r1-0-0"><span style="font-family: inherit;">The loss of Michael Johnson is another significant blow to lovers of great music, great songs, and great performances. Fortunately, because of your wonderful recordings, Michael, we don't "have to learn to love without you." Thanks.</span></span></div>
</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-7646222823254015912017-07-16T18:50:00.001-07:002017-07-16T18:53:04.121-07:00"You Taught Us Well"—An Homage to Grace Nakamura<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Delivered this afternoon at Grace Shinoda Nakamura's Memorial:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Grace and I had an
immediate bond. Part of that may have been due to the first thing
that she said to me when we met at El Rancho High School in 1975 or
'76 when I had returned to teaching after a brief retirement to play
music. She said, “I knew your mother and father before you were
born,” and she was right. My parents and Grace and Yosh had
attended the same church social group for young couples here in
Whittier. For most people, that would have warranted a “HMMM” or
a “How about that?” But for Grace, and therefore for me, that
connection was something special, yet she must have had a million
such connections.</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Grace Shinoda Nakamura
was probably the most enthusiastic person that any of us has ever
met. She was a cheerleader for so many things and so many people, but
she was more than a mere cheerleader. She was a champion. She
championed students. She championed teachers. She championed schools.
She championed the Gifted and Talented program. She championed the El
Rancho Unified School District. She championed the arts. She
championed the environment. She championed integrity. She championed
her children and her family. She championed friendship, and so much
more.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> I
must point out, although any one who knew her undoubtedly knows this,
she was not merely an enthusiast for the big ideas or concepts, she
was a champion of individuals as well. She was filled with
encouragement for both the struggling student and the gifted student.
She was filled with encouragement for the struggling beginning
teacher and the accomplished master teacher. She encouraged and
applauded the artistic pursuits of so many, and she shared that
enthusiasm with others. Whenever our paths would cross—at a school
event, an art event at Hillcrest or the Pomona Fair, or an art
showing of one or more of the amazingly talented Nakamura clan, Grace
would invariably say, “There's someone here that you have to meet.”
I can honestly say that I am a better person for having met her. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"><br /> I
would like to share a poem that I originally wrote for a friend of
Grace's and mine, Ralph Jim Kane, who left us much too soon while in
the middle of his teaching career. I think it a very fitting homage
to Grace as well:</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
Taught Us Well</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some
seeds burst from blossoms</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
a child's lost kite,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Soaring
upon balmy breaths,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Stringless
and free.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Others
lie sequestered</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Like
a fossilized egg,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Awaiting
Resurrection</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Confidently.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> In the garden of thought,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Where freedom follows fancy,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> You
nurtured both:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> You
taught us well.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some
words seek compliance</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
a soldier's orders,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Shouting
over every voice,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">"Come...follow
me!"</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Others
whisper shyly</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"> Like
a lover's heartbeat</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Sensing
a kindred spirit</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Unconsciously.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the field of soul,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where duty battles beauty,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
captured both:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
taught us well.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Some
truths stand there, solid</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
statues in town squares,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Withstanding
the elements</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Defiantly.
</span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Others
must be sheltered</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Like
blossoms pressed in books</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Fading,
but not vanishing</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Absolutely.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">In the valley of time,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">Where memory is precious,</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">You
shared your love:</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"> <span style="font-size: large;"></span></span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> </span><span style="font-size: large;"> You
taught us well.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;">By
Tim McMullen </span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;">©1987,
amended ©2014</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: large;">There is a large hole in
our hearts that will never be filled, but there is a much greater
well in our hearts filled with the fondest memories and gratitude
that we were touched by the miracle that was Grace Nakamura. </span><span style="font-size: large;">Thank you, Grace, y</span><span style="font-size: large;">ou taught us well. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-29122198535976184422016-12-22T23:21:00.000-08:002016-12-22T23:21:10.948-08:00The Time For Talk — An old short story explaining the Trump/Putin Nuclear Policy<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">THE TIME FOR TALK</span></div>
<div align="CENTER" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">A Short Story by Tim McMullen</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<br />
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">The glass sparkled as he held it up to the
light. He poked the towel into the mouth with his fingers and wiped
it again; then he reached up and placed it on the shelf beside the
other glasses. He quickly picked up a fork and began to rub it. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"Sure," he said, scratching with his
fingernail at some unidentifiable crust of food, "I know
everybody's making a big deal about it, but it's mostly just bull."
</span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"What do you mean by that?" the woman
said as she lifted her hands out of the water and rinsed the soap off
a saucepan.</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"I just mean that we've been through it
all before. The scare stories…the tests ...the drills. You
remember, when we were kids, the plan we had to follow?" </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">She placed a newly rinsed spatula in the drain
rack and raised a quizzical eyebrow. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"You know the rule ...but then, maybe you
don't ...being a hick and all," he grinned and then ducked the
water which he knew would be flicked in his direction. "All us
city kids learned the four magic rules: When you see the light,"
he chanted, "turn your back to the windows, get under your desk,
put your head between your legs, and KISS YOUR ASS </span><span style="color: black;"><u>GOODBYE!"
</u></span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"That's disgusting," she giggled and
flicked both water-drenched hands in his direction. He caught one
stream on the right cheek before he grabbed her hands and pulled her
to him. He clasped both her wrists in his left hand and lifted them
above her head as he encircled her waist with his right arm. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"AH-AH-AH! You'll lose your kitchen help,"
he said. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">He kissed her playfully. She kissed him back,
saying: "Hmph! Some help you are." She wrinkled her
forehead and looked into his face. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">He looked back at her for a second and then
peered intently at the fistful of forks in his hand, inspecting each
one carefully as he placed it in its proper slot in the drawer. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"I'm catching up!" he laughed as he
reached for the last item in the drain rack. The muffled clank of
pans rose from the dishwater as she submerged her hands. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"Besides," he said finally, "What
do you want from me? It's just not that big a deal. I mean we've been
through it before. Everybody gets all stirred up for nothing.
Nobody's stupid enough to start something ... Not even the Russians.
Gimme a break! They know we'd blow hell out of 'em if they ever tried
to hit us ...and we're never gonna' start it, so why get all
excited?" </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"How do you know we'll never start it?"
Her fine, brown hair flipped from her face as she looked at him over
her shoulder. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"We just don't do that kind of thing. We
stop wars...We don't start them. That's a fact." </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"Maybe, but there's only one country
that's ever used an atomic bomb on people." </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">He looked at her, slightly puzzled, then
mumbled, "Oh." Then he brightened. "But, like I said,
we didn't start that one ...we finished it!" </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"All the same ... " she muttered and
pulled the stopper out of the basin. She watched the swirling vortex
whirl down the drain. The sink sucked loudly as the last of the soapy
water disappeared. With a faint but reassuring smile on his lips, he
dried his hands on the dishtowel, folded it neatly in thirds, and
threaded it through the handle of the stove. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">He put his arm around her shoulders, and they
walked into the living room. She watched him settle down in the new
armchair and fold his hands across his stomach. She stood at the end
table, idly riffling the pages of a magazine with her right hand. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"You know," she said finally, "we're
less than ten miles from downtown." </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"Huh?" </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"We're sandwiched between the oil fields,
naval base and a huge metropolitan area." "Yeah, so?"</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"We're a target. It would hit us before we
even knew it. Don't you ever wonder what you'd do.... what it would
feel like ...really?" </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"You mean what it would feel like? Yeah, I
suppose . . . " He spoke hesitantly, his voice and eyes raised
unison. "Well, no. I guess I haven't really wondered. A bit too
morbid for my taste. But we have Civil Defense. We'd know ahead of
time ...</span><span style="color: black;"><b> </b></span><span style="color: black;">We'd
be prepared." He shrugged his outstretched palms upwardly in a
"you-know-what-I-mean" gesture. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">She gazed over his head through the hazy, lace
curtains, at the darkening sky. This view out her living room window
was her favorite. Her sudden reverie was so deep that she was
startled to hear his voice again. But it was his voice, the voice she
loved, and she pulled herself back to hear him finish his sentence. </span>
</div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">"...to worry about," he said. "What
good does it do? You only scare yourself. Wondering what an atomic
explosion feels like is like asking what it’s like to be dead. Who
knows?”</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;">She shrugged her shoulders and smiled slightly.
Having won her tacit agreement, he continued enthusiastically. “I
mean, one second you’re sitting here talking, and</span></div>
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.25in;">
<span style="color: black;"><br />©1985 T. McMullen</span></div>
<br />
<div align="JUSTIFY" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black;">All
Rights Reserved</span></div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-27482736054657456012016-11-10T16:26:00.001-08:002016-11-10T16:45:02.654-08:00My First and Last Word on the Election of Trump followed by a Letter From Elizabeth Warren<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0">This graphic from George Takei was posted on a Facebook friend's page. My answer follows. </span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI53EMrA0iNVJB9U2lkXG1_U2nWdoZW3Lqeg18rA1xtvbgi5Mb9M0Loy3_vlvR3mGNquBXVyPHBS1MJ9nd0zHQOTDHJcpy_WCuWvNuH6ylJgU5p4fdg6yO0J-Tuun6uQrOnpWoCVL3cA__/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-11-10+at+4.12.38+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI53EMrA0iNVJB9U2lkXG1_U2nWdoZW3Lqeg18rA1xtvbgi5Mb9M0Loy3_vlvR3mGNquBXVyPHBS1MJ9nd0zHQOTDHJcpy_WCuWvNuH6ylJgU5p4fdg6yO0J-Tuun6uQrOnpWoCVL3cA__/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-11-10+at+4.12.38+PM.png" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0">
</span></div>
<div data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0"><br /></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="e8pr0-0-0">Yeah, but we thought that we had the electoral system in our pocket. There is plenty of blame to go around including the "Anyone but Clinton" liberals and so-called "Progressives" who viciously bashed Clinton with radical right-wing perfidy everyday until the election, but it also goes directly to the Clinton campaign and undoubtedly Clinton herself, who, when she had the chance to choose a running mate, effectively thumbed her nose at nearly half of her party (the energized half) and chose a middle of the road, formerly anti-choice, Southern governor/senator rather than any number of well-qualified progressives who might well have added many millions of votes, especially from those disgruntled white, poor and working class voters who feel shafted by the system.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="649qr-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="649qr-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="649qr-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="7f89p-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="7f89p-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="7f89p-0-0">I admit that I am mystified by the choice of nearly half of this country who chose a dishonest, narcissistic con man with NO ACTUAL PLAN to represent them, but I am more appalled by the fact that they have handed the Presidency, the Supreme Court, the Senate, and the House over to the party that wants to eliminate Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, and nearly all other sections of the social safety net, while handing ever increasing power and money to the oligarchs.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="a0ad2-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="a0ad2-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="a0ad2-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="e25kl-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="e25kl-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="e25kl-0-0">They have embraced a party that gleefully applauds the destruction of the environment as being good for business; a party that scapegoats people of color and immigrants (whether documented or undocumented); a party that has pledged and tried to dismantle health care for many millions of people while handing the system back to the very industries (big insurance and big pharma) that have decimated the system that we have; a party that openly attacks the rights of women, of LGBTQs, of other religions all in the hypocritical name of "religious liberty”; a party that has vowed and repeatedly attempted to destroy a woman's right to abortion and even restrict or outlaw contraception. And all of this may now be accomplished because hopeless people are demanding a radical change to the system that has failed them.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="7hoh2-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="7hoh2-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="7hoh2-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="1jt9t-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="1jt9t-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="1jt9t-0-0">I know that I am omitting the blatantly racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic miscreants who made up a significant amount of his base, but I am talking about he other 40% to 60% who were simply aggrieved at the nebulous loss of status and livelihood and who have no real understanding of how their losses happened.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="5upeq-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="5upeq-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="5upeq-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="blc6c-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="blc6c-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="blc6c-0-0">Nixon, Reagan, Bush, and Bush 2, were directly responsible for those losses, but Bill Clinton and Barack Obama (as much as I respect him as a person and a President) were also responsible for their despair by continuing to enable Wall Street, the Banksters, and the Corporatocracy to dominate the American political system and pillage the American economy. Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and (ignoring every repugnant and regressive thing that he said) even Donald Trump represented the voice of those who have seen that the system IS rigged against them. The tragic irony is that the angry and aggrieved have empowered the party that is at the heart of rigging that system.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="73ccp-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="73ccp-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="73ccp-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="berol-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="berol-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="berol-0-0">At this point, perhaps our only hope for the next two years is that a President Trump will be so petulant and vindictive as to deny Paul Ryan's and Mitch McConnell's attempt to destroy all remnants of the social safety net and the environment. Perhaps Trump will have a radical change in his approach to doing business and will actually attempt to enact many of those Populist concerns that he echoed during his campaign. We can hope that both Trump and his inevitable Supreme court nominees will accept the solemnity of their responsibility and overcome their own partisan bias to actually care about what is best for the entire country.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="g8h1-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="g8h1-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="g8h1-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="58d7e" data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0">Such an outcome is an extremely unlikely longshot, but until the House and Senate elections of 2018, there will be little that can be done to prevent the onslaught of right wing assaults on the basic integrity and goodness of this nation except to raise our voices in opposition. We must continue to stand strong for progressive leaders and demand that they do everything in their power to oppose and prevent the radical Republican and Libertarian visions from further harming the United States of America.</span></div>
<div data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0">__________________________________________</span></div>
<div data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0">What follows is a long e-mail that Elizabeth Warren sent today to those of us who support her campaign. It is very similar to Bernie Sander’s statement about the election and the President-Elect. It also echoes much of Michael Moore’s predictions that were taken out of context and used as right wing propaganda, but they all speak to the justifiable (if misplaced) anger of nearly half of this country. Here is Warren’s letter:</span></div>
<div data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0"><br />
Tim,<br />
<br />
This wasn’t a pretty election. In fact, it was ugly, and we should not sugarcoat the reason why. Donald Trump ran a campaign that started with racial attacks and then rode the escalator down. He encouraged a toxic stew of hatred and fear. He attacked millions of Americans. And he regularly made statements that undermined core values of our democracy.<br /><br />And he won. He won – and now Latino and Muslim-American children are worried about what will happen to their families. LGBT couples are worried that their marriages could be dissolved by a Trump-Pence Supreme Court. Women are worried that their access to desperately needed health services will disappear. Millions of people in this country are worried, deeply worried. And they are right to be worried.<br /><br />Today, as President-Elect, Donald Trump has an opportunity to chart a different course: to govern for all Americans and to respect our institutions. In his victory speech, he pledged that he would be “President for all” of the American people. And when he takes the oath of office as the leader of our democracy and the leader of all Americans, I sincerely hope that he will fulfill that pledge with respect and concern for every single human being in this country, no matter who they are, no matter where they come from, no matter what they believe, no matter whom they love.<br /><br /><strong>And that marks Democrats’ first job in this new era: We will stand up to bigotry. There is no compromise here. In all its forms, we will fight back against attacks on Latinos, African Americans, women, Muslims, immigrants, disabled Americans – on anyone. Whether Donald Trump sits in a glass tower or sits in the White House, we will not give an inch on this, not now, not ever.</strong><br /><br />But there are many millions of people who did not vote for Donald Trump because of the bigotry and hate that fueled his campaign rallies. They voted for him despite the hate. They voted for him out of frustration and anger – and also out of hope that he would bring change.<br /><br />If we have learned nothing else from the past two years of electioneering, we should hear the message loud and clear that the American people want Washington to change. It was clear in the Democratic Primaries. It was clear in the Republican Primaries. It was clear in the campaign and it was clear on Election Day. The final results may have divided us – but the entire electorate embraced deep, fundamental reform of our economic system and our political system.<br /><br />Working families across this country are deeply frustrated about an economy and a government that doesn’t work for them. Exit polling on Tuesday found that 72 percent of voters believe that "the American economy is rigged to advantage the rich and powerful." 72 percent of ALL voters – Democrats and Republicans. The polls were also made clear that the economy was the top issue on voters’ minds. Americans are angry about a federal government that works for the rich and powerful and that leaves everyone else in the dirt.<br /><br />Lobbyists and Washington insiders have spent years trying to convince themselves and each other that Americans don’t actually believe this. Now that the returns are in and the people have spoken, they’re already trying to wave their hands and dismiss these views as some sort of mass delusion. They are wrong – very wrong.<br /><br />The truth is that people are right to be angry. Angry that wages have been stagnant for a generation, while basic costs like housing, health care, and child care have skyrocketed. Angry that our political system is awash in barely legalized campaign bribery. Angry that Washington eagerly protects tax breaks for billionaires while it refuses to raise the minimum wage, or help the millions of Americans struggling with student loans, or enforce the law when the millionaire CEOs who fund our political campaigns break it. Angry that Washington pushes big corporate interests in trade deals, but won’t make the investments in infrastructure to create good jobs right here in America. Angry that Washington tilts the playing field for giant corporations – giving them special privileges, letting them amass enormous economic and political power. <br /><br />Angry that while Washington dithers and spins and does the backstroke in an ocean of money, while the American Dream moves further and further out of reach for too many families. Angry that working people are in debt. Angry that seniors can’t stretch a Social Security check to cover the basics.<br /><br />President-Elect Trump spoke to these issues. Republican elites hated him for it. But he didn’t care. He criticized Wall Street and big money’s dominance in Washington – straight up. He supported a new Glass-Steagall. He spoke of the need to reform our trade deals so they aren’t raw deals for the American people. He said he will not cut Social Security benefits. He talked about the need to address the rising cost of college and about helping working parents struggling with the high cost of child care. He spoke of the urgency of rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure and putting people back to work. He spoke to the very real sense of millions of Americans that their government and their economy has abandoned them. And he promised to rebuild our economy for working people.<br /><br />The deep worry that people feel over an America that does not work for them is not liberal or conservative worry. It is not Democratic or Republican worry. It is the deep worry that led even Americans with very deep reservations about Donald Trump’s temperament and fitness to vote for him anyway.<br /><br /><strong>So let me be 100% clear about this. When President-Elect Trump wants to take on these issues, when his goal is to increase the economic security of middle class families, then count me in. I will put aside our differences and I will work with him to accomplish that goal. I offer to work as hard as I can and to pull as many people as I can into this effort. If Trump is ready to go on rebuilding economic security for millions of Americans, so am I and so are a lot of other people—Democrats and Republicans.</strong><br /><br />But let’s also be clear about what rebuilding our economy does not mean.<br />
</span><br />
<ul><span data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0">
<li>It does not mean handing the keys to our economy over to Wall Street so they can run it for themselves. Americans want to hold the big banks accountable. That will not happen if we gut Dodd-Frank and fire the cops responsible for watching over those banks, like the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. If Trump and the Republican Party try to turn loose the big banks and financial institutions so they can once again gamble with our economy and bring it all crashing down, then we will fight them every step of the way.</li>
<br />
<li>It does not mean crippling our economy and ripping working families apart by rounding up and deporting millions of our coworkers, our friends and neighbors, our mothers and fathers, our sons and daughters. And if Republicans choose that path, we will fight them every single step of the way.</li>
<br />
<li>Americans want reform to Obamacare – Democrats included. We must bring down the costs of health insurance and the cost of health care. But if the Republicans want to strip away health insurance from 20 million Americans, if they want to let cancer survivors get kicked to the curb, if they want to throw 24-year-olds off their parents’ health insurance, then we will fight them every step of the way.</li>
<br />
<li>Americans want to close tax loopholes that benefit the very rich, and Donald Trump claimed to support closing the carried interest loophole and other loopholes. We need a fairer tax system, but if Republicans want to force through massive tax breaks that blow a hole in our deficit and tilt the playing field even further toward the wealthy and big corporations, then we will fight them every step of the way.</li>
</span></ul>
<span data-offset-key="2lrok-0-0">
The American people – Democrats, Republicans, and Independents – have been clear about what economic policies they want Washington to pursue. Two-thirds of people support raising the federal minimum wage. Three-quarters of Americans want the federal government to increase its infrastructure investments. Over 70 percent of people believe students should have a chance at a debt-free education. Nearly three-quarters support expanding Social Security. These are the kinds of policies that will help level the playing field for working families and address the frustrations felt by millions of people across the country.<br /><br />The American people sent one more message as well. Economic reform requires political reform. Why has the federal government worked so long only for those at the top? The answer is money – and they want this system changed. The American people are sick of politicians wallowing in the campaign contributions and dark money. They are revolted by influence peddling by wealthy people and giant corporations. When Bernie Sanders proved his independence by running a campaign based on small dollar contributions and when Donald Trump promised to spend his own money, both were sending an important message that they could not be bought. And once again, if Donald Trump is ready to make good on his promise to get corruption out of politics, to end dark money and pay-to-play, count me in. I will work as hard as I can and to pull as many people as I can to end the influence of big money and return democracy to the people.<br /><br />Donald Trump won the Presidency under a Republican flag. But Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and the Republicans in Congress – and their way of doing business – were rejected – rejected by their own primary voters, rejected during the campaign, and rejected in Tuesday’s election. Regardless of political party, working families are disgusted by a Washington that works for the rich and powerful and leaves everyone else behind.<br /><br />The American people have called out loudly for economic and political reform. For years, too many Republicans and too many Democrats have refused to hear their demands.<br /><br />The majority of Americans voted against Donald Trump. Democrats picked up seats in both the House and the Senate. And yet, here we are. Republicans are in control of both houses of Congress and the White House. And that makes our job clear. As the loyal opposition we will fight harder, we will fight longer and we will fight more passionately than ever for the rights of every human being in this country to be treated with respect and dignity. We will fight for economic opportunity, not just for some of our children, but for all of our children. We do not control the tools of government, but make no mistake, we know what we stand for, the sun will keep rising, and we will keep fighting – each day, every day, we will fight for the people of this country.<br /><br />The time for ignoring the American people is over. It’s time for us to come together to work on America’s agenda. Democracy demands that we do so, and we are ready. <br /><br />
Thank you for being a part of this,
<br /><br />Elizabeth</span></div>
</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-37303097235406615802016-10-11T16:57:00.002-07:002016-10-11T17:03:48.438-07:00Roz and Howard Larman: A Letter of Reminiscence and Gratitude on the Passing of Roz Larman<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Though not
professional musicians themselves, Roz and Howard Larman and their
Folkscene Radio Program (http://www.folkscene.com), which has
continued on the airwaves for well over forty years (as well as on
the internet in more recent years), had a profound effect on many
thousands of musicians. Many of my "Facebook friends" have
known the Larmans, and many have performed on their radio show. The
gentle, but irrepressible, Howard and Roz Larman are truly
irreplaceable. Below is the letter that I sent to Roz and the Larman
family when Howard passed in 2009; it has been modified only slightly
to acknowledge Roz's passing as well. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Dear Allen
Larman and family: </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My wife and
I send our deepest condolences.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Just this
morning (2009) I was searching to see if Mark Spoelstra had put up a
myspace page so that I could "befriend" him, and I
discovered that he had passed away in February. He was a significant
inspiration to me; I not only bought a twelve-string so that I could
learn to play it like him, but my decision to turn in my draft card
and refuse induction during the Vietnam War was, in part, due to his
example. Along with Phil Ochs, he was one of my musical idols. I had
the chance to see him and spend some time talking to him in 1970 and
again last year (after 36 years) in Claremont. I was grateful to have
a chance to tell him what an inspiration he had been and to
congratulate him on his return to performing. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br />Now,
later the same day I find that Howard, too, has moved on, and though
I know that many thousands of musicians have continuously made it
clear what an inspiration and joy you and Howard have brought to
their lives, I regret that I never adequately shared what a huge
impact he and you have had on my life. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I quit
teaching to attempt to play music in 1974. I played the local hoots
at the Golden Bear, McCabe's, The Troubadour. I had gotten to the
point where I could call up the Troubadour and not have to wait in
line. After a series of unpaid gigs at The Ice House (it was Bob
Stane's way), I finally got a couple of gigs doing the opening set. I
was a semi-regular at The White House and UC Riverside's Barn, and a
regular at The Penny University. Through all of that, my biggest goal
was to get on Folkscene. I had listened to both Les Claypool and Skip
Weshner, and a little later, John Davis, and they had introduced me
to those great, out of the mainstream players like Bert Jansch, Pat
Sky, and Steve Gillette. But when the Larmans began their Folkscene
in 1970, folk music in LA truly blossomed: here was a couple with
inexhaustible knowledge, unquenchable enthusiasm, and eclectic taste
similar to my own (I still own about 6000 vinyl LP's, mostly solo
acoustic songwriters). Suddenly, the opportunity to hear great live
performances by singer-songwriters, both obscure and well-known, was
simply amazing. </span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Howard's
wonderful, gentle presence in his interviews was unmatched, and you
could tell it in the comfort with which each week's guest spoke and
performed. I still cherish the remembrance of shows you had with
Danny O'Keefe, Casey Kelly, Jesse Colin Young, Jim Post—amazing
performances that would have never been heard elsewhere. <br /><br />Then,
in 1976, you coordinated the KPFK music festival fundraiser. In the
off-chance that you might be willing to consider a complete unknown,
I went down to the studio and auditioned. You were both very
gracious. Having not done many sit down, office auditions, I played a
couple of my best tunes, as well as a pastiche of Mike Nesmith's
Joanne (Rodan) the opening line of which I had heard him play on
Folkscene a few months earlier. Then, and I don't know why, I played
a brand-new song. As soon as I finished, you, Roz, pointed out that
the melody was extremely reminiscent of Steve Fromholz's "Dear
Darcy," which, of course, it was. At that time, I doubt if even
a handful of folk radio hosts would have recognized the source, but
you nailed it. <br /><br />Although I still like my lyrics, I have never
found a suitable alternative to the quirky Fromholz turns, so I've
never performed it again. Despite my glaring musical faux pas, you
not only booked me for the KPFK fair, but you also asked me to come
back and record an interview for the show. That radio show and my
subsequent performance on the main stage of the festival, in front of
four or five thousand people and just before another of my idols,
John Hartford, performed, was a personal and professional highlight
of a very brief, semi-serious musical career. Within a year, nearly
all of the major LA venues had gone rock (Troubadour, Golden Bear),
comedy (Ice House), disco (Penny U), or simply folded. I scampered
back to teaching, none the worse for wear. Although I did nothing
significant with the opportunity you afforded me, I am still
eternally grateful for the shot that you gave me.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">None of
that begins to capture what was so marvelous about Howard's and your
graciousness and generosity. You folks offered another of the major
highlights of my brushes with fame. Having only met you those two
times, and after not seeing you for two or three years, I and my wife
were at the Roxy to see Townes Van Zandt. Diane Davidson and Tracy
Nelson were also on the bill. I saw you folks there, and I walked
over to reintroduce myself and tell you what a great inspiration you
and your show continued to be, but before I could say anything,
Howard reached out his hand and said, "Tim McMullen, nice to see
you again." It had truly been years, and as far as the number of
musicians with whom you had daily contact, I found his and your
recollection of me from a fleeting forty or fifty-minute interview
years earlier to be nothing short of astounding. After we spoke for a
few minutes, Howard asked if I had met Townes. Van Zandt, like Ochs
and Spoelstra, was one of my musical idols. I had been a fan for ten
years, but I had never seen him perform. You folks said, "Come
on in and meet him," then proceeded to take my wife and I back
to the green room. You guys left after a few minutes, but Townes and
I talked for twenty or thirty minutes before his set, and he invited
us to stick around afterwards to talk a little more. The next night I
came back to the Roxy and spent a couple more hours talking to him. I
have you to thank for that experience. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Through the
years we have seen you at various events, most recently, though
several years ago, Steve Gillette and Cindy Mangsen at Caltech, and
Bonnie Raitt and Paul Brady at a local college (can't remember which
one—we were actually dining with Paul and Dillon O'Brien that
night, so I paid less attention to the venue). Despite the flurry of
musicians around you two, you were still gracious in recognizing and
acknowledging us. </span></span>
</div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I realize
that this was very long winded, but I wanted to share with you the
importance that you have had for someone like me with whom you have
had such minimal contact and yet upon whom you have had such a
profound effect. I am only sorry that I could not have shared with
you and Howard what you have meant to me through all these years. I
hope you know that there are many thousands of others whose lives you
have touched in a truly meaningful way.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My
heartfelt condolences to Allen, to Peter, and other family and
friends. Howard and Roz Larman's professional greatness and their
personal goodness will soon convert grief to joy in remembrance of
the meaningful but fleeting encounters that I had with both Howard
and Roz; I trust the same is true a hundred-fold for the family and
friends who knew them well.</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Deepest
regards,</span></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 0.18in; margin-bottom: 0in; orphans: 0; widows: 0;">
<span style="font-family: "verdana";"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Tim
McMullen</span></span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-83392203940001926252016-09-18T11:12:00.000-07:002016-12-25T08:25:39.617-08:00Howls From the Wasteland: Prophetic Analysis from 1998<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: black;">What follows is the introduction that I wrote to my creative writing student's magazine, Howls From the Wasteland, in 1998. It now seems more prescient than it did then, 18 years ago, pre-9/11. We only published the hard copy one more year before the magazine was published exclusively online; this was also six years before Facebook and its progeny changed social media forever..................</span><br />
<span style="color: black;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: black;">In 1920</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span>T.S<span style="color: #474747;">. </span>Eli<span style="color: #474747;">ot </span>pub<span style="color: #141414;">li</span><span style="color: #474747;">shed </span>hi<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>poem<span style="color: #474747;">,</span>"Th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>W<span style="color: #474747;">aste</span><span style="color: #141414;">land,</span><span style="color: #474747;">" c</span>hronicling the nihilism<span style="color: #474747;">, </span>de<span style="color: #474747;">spair, </span>and <span style="color: #474747;">co</span>nfusion <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>f hi<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>"Lo<span style="color: #474747;">st </span>Gen<span style="color: #474747;">eration." </span>In 1<span style="color: #474747;">950, </span>Allen Gin<span style="color: #474747;">sberg </span>p<span style="color: #141414;">ubli</span><span style="color: #474747;">shed </span><span style="color: #141414;">h</span>i<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>poem<span style="color: #636363;">, </span>"H<span style="color: #474747;">ow</span><span style="color: #141414;">l</span><span style="color: #474747;">," </span>ch<span style="color: #474747;">ronicling </span>a <span style="color: #474747;">s</span>imilar m<span style="color: #474747;">alaise of </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">e "</span>Beat G<span style="color: #474747;">eneration</span><span style="color: #636363;">." </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
<span style="color: #474747;">Now, w</span>ith th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>mill<span style="color: #474747;">ennium </span>f<span style="color: #474747;">ast a</span>pproaching<span style="color: #7e7e7e;">, </span><span style="color: #474747;">we are ex</span>periencing a new<span style="color: #474747;"> </span>ca<span style="color: #474747;">cophony o</span>f <span style="color: #474747;">fear </span>and l<span style="color: #474747;">oathing—dark </span>and di<span style="color: #474747;">sturbing evi</span>dence <span style="color: #474747;">of </span>di<span style="color: #474747;">sintegration—disgruntled e</span>mployees, angui<span style="color: #474747;">s</span><span style="color: #141414;">hed </span><span style="color: #474747;">c</span>hildren, di<span style="color: #474747;">senfranc</span><span style="color: #141414;">hi</span><span style="color: #474747;">sed </span>l<span style="color: #474747;">oners—a ge</span>neration wh<span style="color: #474747;">ose </span>h<span style="color: #474747;">opelessness s</span>oars in the f<span style="color: #474747;">ace o</span>f <span style="color: #474747;">sc</span>ientific advan<span style="color: #474747;">ce, </span>whose <span style="color: #141414;">l</span><span style="color: #474747;">on</span>elin<span style="color: #474747;">ess </span>grows in t<span style="color: #141414;">he </span>face <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>f a <span style="color: #141414;">b</span>urg<span style="color: #474747;">eon</span>in<span style="color: #474747;">g "</span>co<span style="color: #141414;">m</span>m<span style="color: #141414;">un</span>ication" <span style="color: #141414;">t</span>echn<span style="color: #474747;">o</span>l<span style="color: #474747;">o</span>gy, w<span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">ose </span>spirit<span style="color: #141414;">ual </span><span style="color: #474747;">e</span>mptiness d<span style="color: #474747;">eepens </span>in dir<span style="color: #474747;">ect co</span>rrelation to its <span style="color: #474747;">eco</span><span style="color: #141414;">no</span>mic <span style="color: #474747;">s</span>uccess<span style="color: #636363;">. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
Thi<span style="color: #474747;">s </span><span style="color: #141414;">i</span><span style="color: #474747;">s </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>gen<span style="color: #474747;">eration w</span>hose percepti<span style="color: #474747;">ons o</span>f the <span style="color: #474747;">wo</span>rld h<span style="color: #474747;">ave </span>been <span style="color: #474747;">s</span>haped b<span style="color: #474747;">y </span>an <span style="color: #474747;">eve</span>r-spiraling <span style="color: #474747;">cy</span>nicism. E<span style="color: #474747;">very a</span>dministration <span style="color: #474747;">of </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>last t<span style="color: #474747;">wo </span>d<span style="color: #474747;">ecades </span>h<span style="color: #474747;">as </span>be<span style="color: #474747;">en </span>a<span style="color: #474747;">cc</span><span style="color: #141414;">u</span><span style="color: #474747;">sed of </span>in<span style="color: #474747;">vo</span><span style="color: #141414;">l</span><span style="color: #474747;">vement </span>in hi<span style="color: #474747;">gh </span>le<span style="color: #474747;">vel </span>mal<span style="color: #474747;">feasance</span><span style="color: #636363;">. </span>P<span style="color: #474747;">o</span><span style="color: #141414;">liti</span><span style="color: #474747;">cal </span>di<span style="color: #474747;">scourse </span>h<span style="color: #474747;">as bee</span>n repl<span style="color: #474747;">aced </span>b<span style="color: #474747;">y </span>unmiti<span style="color: #474747;">gated v</span>itriol in th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>hand<span style="color: #474747;">s o</span>f m<span style="color: #474747;">asters </span>lik<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>Ru<span style="color: #474747;">sh </span>Limb<span style="color: #474747;">a</span><span style="color: #141414;">u</span><span style="color: #474747;">gh, </span>Jam<span style="color: #474747;">es </span>Carvi<span style="color: #141414;">ll</span><span style="color: #474747;">e</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span>Newt Gingri<span style="color: #474747;">ch</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span><span style="color: #474747;">a</span>nd Bill <span style="color: #474747;">C</span>li<span style="color: #141414;">nto</span>n. Mi<span style="color: #474747;">sc</span><span style="color: #141414;">hi</span><span style="color: #474747;">evo</span><span style="color: #141414;">u</span><span style="color: #474747;">s </span>De<span style="color: #141414;">nni</span><span style="color: #474747;">s, “</span>The M<span style="color: #474747;">enace,” </span>became impert<span style="color: #141414;">inent </span>and <span style="color: #141414;">ill</span>-mann<span style="color: #474747;">er</span>ed Bart Si<span style="color: #141414;">mp</span><span style="color: #474747;">son, </span>w<span style="color: #141414;">ho, </span>in turn<span style="color: #474747;">, </span>became t<span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">e </span><span style="color: #141414;">n</span>ihilisti<span style="color: #474747;">c</span><span style="color: #7e7e7e;">, </span>anti<span style="color: #474747;">social, c</span>ruelly mal<span style="color: #474747;">evo</span><span style="color: #141414;">l</span><span style="color: #474747;">ent </span>B<span style="color: #474747;">evis </span>and Butth<span style="color: #474747;">ead</span><span style="color: #636363;">.</span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
And <span style="color: #474747;">w</span>hat <span style="color: #474747;">of </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>t<span style="color: #474747;">wo </span>Jerry<span style="color: #636363;">'</span><span style="color: #474747;">s</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span>perh<span style="color: #474747;">aps </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>tw<span style="color: #474747;">o </span>m<span style="color: #474747;">ost i</span>nfluential TV<span style="color: #474747;"> s</span>hows <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>f the d<span style="color: #474747;">ecade: </span>Je<span style="color: #474747;">rry </span>S<span style="color: #474747;">einfe</span><span style="color: #141414;">ld </span><span style="color: #474747;">an</span>d J<span style="color: #474747;">erry </span>Sprin<span style="color: #474747;">ger</span><span style="color: #636363;">? </span>Th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>f<span style="color: #474747;">ormer s</span>how's <span style="color: #474747;">e</span>nsemb<span style="color: #141414;">le </span><span style="color: #474747;">spe</span>nt n<span style="color: #474747;">early </span>t<span style="color: #474747;">en y</span>ears <span style="color: #474747;">i</span><span style="color: #141414;">nt</span>roducing e<span style="color: #474747;">ver </span>m<span style="color: #474747;">ore </span>graphi<span style="color: #474747;">c </span>di<span style="color: #474747;">scussions </span>of bodil<span style="color: #474747;">y </span>fun<span style="color: #474747;">ctions </span>whil<span style="color: #474747;">e co</span>mpeting <span style="color: #474747;">as </span>t<span style="color: #474747;">o </span>w<span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">o co</span><span style="color: #141414;">ul</span>d be mo<span style="color: #141414;">r</span><span style="color: #474747;">e </span>cru<span style="color: #474747;">e</span><span style="color: #141414;">l </span>a<span style="color: #141414;">nd </span>d<span style="color: #141414;">i</span><span style="color: #474747;">sdainf</span><span style="color: #141414;">ul </span>t<span style="color: #474747;">o e</span>ach o<span style="color: #141414;">th</span><span style="color: #474747;">er, </span>to <span style="color: #141414;">th</span><span style="color: #474747;">ei</span>r loved <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>nes, and t<span style="color: #474747;">o </span><span style="color: #141414;">t</span><span style="color: #474747;">o</span>tal <span style="color: #474747;">s</span>trangers<span style="color: #141414;">. J</span>erry S<span style="color: #141414;">prin</span><span style="color: #474747;">ger </span>u<span style="color: #141414;">pped </span>t<span style="color: #141414;">he </span>ante<span style="color: #474747;">. </span>H<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>brin<span style="color: #474747;">gs </span><span style="color: #141414;">u</span><span style="color: #474747;">s </span>t<span style="color: #141414;">he </span>ab<span style="color: #474747;">so</span><span style="color: #141414;">lute </span>d<span style="color: #141414;">r</span><span style="color: #474747;">egs o</span>f <span style="color: #474747;">soc</span>iety and all<span style="color: #474747;">ows </span>u<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>t<span style="color: #474747;">o </span>w<span style="color: #474747;">a</span><span style="color: #141414;">llow i</span>n and <span style="color: #141414;">r</span><span style="color: #474747;">e</span>li<span style="color: #474747;">s</span>h t<span style="color: #141414;">heir </span>aberrant beh<span style="color: #474747;">avior </span>and mind<span style="color: #141414;">l</span><span style="color: #474747;">ess v</span>io<span style="color: #141414;">le</span>nce <span style="color: #474747;">w</span>hile<span style="color: #636363;">, </span><span style="color: #474747;">w</span>ith <span style="color: #474747;">a </span>f<span style="color: #474747;">ew s</span>how-ending h<span style="color: #474747;">omilies</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span><span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">e </span>en<span style="color: #474747;">courages </span>u<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>t<span style="color: #474747;">o </span>pr<span style="color: #474747;">etend </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">at o</span>ur <span style="color: #474747;">s</span><span style="color: #141414;">lac</span>k-jawed <span style="color: #474747;">awe </span>and <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>ur <span style="color: #474747;">ta</span>unting <span style="color: #474747;">g</span>uffaw i<span style="color: #474747;">s s</span>imply <span style="color: #474747;">s</span>pirited<span style="color: #636363;">, </span><span style="color: #474747;">a</span>udience parti<span style="color: #474747;">cipation </span>and n<span style="color: #474747;">ot </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">e se</span>lf-degrading, cultu<span style="color: #474747;">rally-damaging</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span>mind-numbin<span style="color: #474747;">g voye</span>urism that it <span style="color: #474747;">ac</span>tually i<span style="color: #474747;">s</span><span style="color: #636363;">. </span></div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
P<span style="color: #474747;">op s</span>tars h<span style="color: #474747;">ave </span>bec<span style="color: #474747;">ome </span>p<span style="color: #474747;">aparazzi </span>fodder, <span style="color: #474747;">c</span>reating <span style="color: #474747;">a fee</span>ding-frenzy m<span style="color: #474747;">entality </span>t<span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">at </span>h<span style="color: #474747;">as </span>ki<span style="color: #141414;">ll</span><span style="color: #474747;">ed </span><span style="color: #141414;">pu</span>blic <span style="color: #141414;">i</span><span style="color: #474747;">co</span>n<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>and alt<span style="color: #474747;">ered o</span><span style="color: #141414;">u</span>r perc<span style="color: #474747;">eptions </span>of <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>urse<span style="color: #141414;">l</span>ves. T<span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">e </span>ever-pr<span style="color: #474747;">ese</span><span style="color: #141414;">nt </span>vide<span style="color: #474747;">o c</span>amera <span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">as </span>m<span style="color: #474747;">ade </span>i<span style="color: #474747;">ts co</span>ntributio<span style="color: #141414;">n</span>. It h<span style="color: #474747;">as </span>capt<span style="color: #141414;">ured </span>raci<span style="color: #474747;">st co</span>ps beatin<span style="color: #474747;">g a </span>bl<span style="color: #474747;">ack </span>man and <span style="color: #474747;">go</span>ing fr<span style="color: #474747;">ee; a </span>b<span style="color: #141414;">la</span><span style="color: #474747;">ck </span>star f<span style="color: #474747;">ound g</span><span style="color: #141414;">u</span>ilty in th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>pr<span style="color: #474747;">ess o</span>f killin<span style="color: #474747;">g </span>hi<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>wif<span style="color: #474747;">e</span><span style="color: #7e7e7e;">, </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">en </span>a<span style="color: #474747;">cquitted i</span>n <span style="color: #474747;">a </span>m<span style="color: #474747;">edia c</span>ircu<span style="color: #636363;">s </span>trial<span style="color: #636363;">; </span>r<span style="color: #474747;">eligio</span><span style="color: #141414;">u</span><span style="color: #474747;">s </span>fanati<span style="color: #474747;">cs c</span>halle<span style="color: #141414;">ng</span>ing t<span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">e gov</span>ernme<span style="color: #141414;">n</span>t t<span style="color: #474747;">o a ga</span>me <span style="color: #474747;">of c</span>hicken and <span style="color: #474747;">ge</span>tting bl<span style="color: #636363;">o</span><span style="color: #474747;">wn </span>up in W<span style="color: #474747;">aco a</span>nd <span style="color: #474747;">g</span>unned down in R<span style="color: #141414;">ub</span><span style="color: #474747;">y </span>Ridge<span style="color: #474747;">; o</span><span style="color: #141414;">the</span>r fan<span style="color: #474747;">atics </span>bl<span style="color: #474747;">owing </span>up clini<span style="color: #474747;">cs </span>an<span style="color: #474747;">d </span>killin<span style="color: #474747;">g </span>d<span style="color: #474747;">octors </span>and nur<span style="color: #474747;">ses </span>t<span style="color: #474747;">o</span><span style="color: #636363;"> “</span><span style="color: #474747;">save </span>live<span style="color: #474747;">s” </span>i<span style="color: #141414;">n </span>God<span style="color: #474747;">'s </span>na<span style="color: #141414;">me</span><span style="color: #474747;">; </span><span style="color: #141414;">t</span>h<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>go<span style="color: #474747;">vernment </span>and t<span style="color: #141414;">he </span>U<span style="color: #141414;">nited </span>State<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>being r<span style="color: #474747;">etalia</span><span style="color: #141414;">ted </span>agai<span style="color: #141414;">n</span><span style="color: #474747;">st </span>in <span style="color: #141414;">th</span>e New York Trade C<span style="color: #474747;">enter, </span><span style="color: #141414;">th</span>e A<span style="color: #141414;">tlanta </span>O<span style="color: #141414;">lympic</span><span style="color: #474747;">s, a</span><span style="color: #141414;">n</span>d <span style="color: #141414;">th</span>e Okla<span style="color: #141414;">homa </span><span style="color: #474747;">C</span>ity Bombing<span style="color: #474747;">s; </span>and th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>n<span style="color: #474747;">ow </span>alm<span style="color: #474747;">ost </span>dai<span style="color: #141414;">l</span><span style="color: #474747;">y </span>litan<span style="color: #474747;">y o</span>f l<span style="color: #474747;">onely, </span>l<span style="color: #474747;">oony </span>l<span style="color: #474747;">osers w</span>ho <span style="color: #474747;">g</span>rab <span style="color: #474747;">a g</span>un <span style="color: #474747;">(</span>Thank <span style="color: #474747;">yo</span>u, <span style="color: #474747;">N</span>RA) <span style="color: #474747;">a</span>nd kill their par<span style="color: #474747;">ents</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span><span style="color: #474747;">c</span>hi<span style="color: #141414;">l</span>dren, <span style="color: #474747;">spo</span>uses<span style="color: #636363;">, </span>bo<span style="color: #474747;">sses</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span><span style="color: #474747;">co</span>-workers, t<span style="color: #474747;">eachers</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span>cl<span style="color: #474747;">assmates, fe</span>llow <span style="color: #474747;">co</span>mmuters<span style="color: #7e7e7e;">, </span>and ab<span style="color: #474747;">solute s</span>trangers. </div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
T<span style="color: #141414;">hi</span><span style="color: #474747;">s </span>i<span style="color: #474747;">s </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span><span style="color: #141414;">m</span>ili<span style="color: #474747;">e</span>u fro<span style="color: #141414;">m </span>which <span style="color: #141414;">th</span><span style="color: #474747;">e </span>f<span style="color: #474747;">ollowing </span>pi<span style="color: #474747;">eces </span>ar<span style="color: #474747;">ose</span><span style="color: #636363;">. </span>Man<span style="color: #474747;">y o</span>f <span style="color: #141414;">th</span>em ar<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>dark<span style="color: #474747;">; so</span>me are vi<span style="color: #474747;">o</span><span style="color: #141414;">lent; </span>m<span style="color: #474747;">ost </span>are <span style="color: #141414;">h</span>ar<span style="color: #474747;">sh. </span>So<span style="color: #141414;">m</span><span style="color: #474747;">e s</span>mack <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>f <span style="color: #474747;">se</span><span style="color: #141414;">l</span>f-i<span style="color: #141414;">n</span>du<span style="color: #141414;">l</span>ge<span style="color: #141414;">nc</span>e and <span style="color: #474747;">s</span>e<span style="color: #141414;">l</span>f-a<span style="color: #141414;">bso</span>rp<span style="color: #141414;">t</span>io<span style="color: #141414;">n</span><span style="color: #636363;">, </span>b<span style="color: #141414;">ut </span>i<span style="color: #474747;">s</span><span style="color: #141414;">n</span><span style="color: #474747;">'</span><span style="color: #141414;">t th</span>at <span style="color: #141414;">th</span>e <span style="color: #474747;">s</span>o<span style="color: #141414;">u</span>rce <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>f a gr<span style="color: #474747;">eat </span>deal <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>f time<span style="color: #141414;">le</span><span style="color: #474747;">ss a</span>rt? Ultim<span style="color: #474747;">ate</span><span style="color: #141414;">l</span><span style="color: #474747;">y, </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">ey </span>ar<span style="color: #474747;">e </span><span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">o</span>n<span style="color: #474747;">es</span>t. T<span style="color: #141414;">he</span><span style="color: #474747;">y o</span>ffer <span style="color: #141414;">th</span>e art<span style="color: #141414;">i</span><span style="color: #474747;">st's s</span><span style="color: #141414;">t</span>rugg<span style="color: #141414;">l</span>e to und<span style="color: #474747;">erstand </span>and communic<span style="color: #474747;">ate. </span>S<span style="color: #474747;">ome eve</span>n <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>ffer <span style="color: #474747;">a </span>glimm<span style="color: #474747;">er of </span>h<span style="color: #474747;">ope </span>and <span style="color: #474747;">a </span>ra<span style="color: #474747;">y </span>o<span style="color: #474747;">f s</span><span style="color: #141414;">u</span>nshine<span style="color: #636363;">. </span>Still,<span style="color: #636363;"> </span>t<span style="color: #141414;">h</span><span style="color: #474747;">ey are </span>al<span style="color: #141414;">l</span><span style="color: #474747;">, </span>in <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>ne <span style="color: #474747;">w</span>ay <span style="color: #474747;">o</span>r an<span style="color: #474747;">other, “</span>Howls F<span style="color: #474747;">rom </span>th<span style="color: #474747;">e </span>W<span style="color: #474747;">asteland</span><span style="color: #636363;">.”</span><span style="color: #474747;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal; min-height: 15px;">
<span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space: pre;"> </span></div>
<div style="color: #2b2b2b; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
Tim McM<span style="color: #141414;">ullen, </span><span style="color: #474747;">C</span>reative Writi<span style="color: #141414;">ng </span>Advi<span style="color: #474747;">sor </span></div>
<br />
<div style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
©1998 Tim McMullen</div>
<div style="color: #474747; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; line-height: normal;">
All Rights Reserved</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-8421146482268863502016-08-23T10:21:00.002-07:002016-08-23T10:21:53.101-07:00The Fallacy of the Ironically Claimed "Vote of Conscience" in this Election<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMIQF2FiLjvnxlA4G7mJc-lnb1kqr8nCd4nylB9m91UvZ_9c8B_0E9-bVEYj93k0SloZvt86vvXETE67vT31NKLKc5byoQFxgrKPPXalPn2YciXd2fKM_YdtCeYma-Y5lvL3vf2uUDZGL/s1600/Nader+vote.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzMIQF2FiLjvnxlA4G7mJc-lnb1kqr8nCd4nylB9m91UvZ_9c8B_0E9-bVEYj93k0SloZvt86vvXETE67vT31NKLKc5byoQFxgrKPPXalPn2YciXd2fKM_YdtCeYma-Y5lvL3vf2uUDZGL/s320/Nader+vote.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="c2h0s" data-offset-key="7g0bl-0-0" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7g0bl-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
<span data-offset-key="7g0bl-0-0"> I would argue that this graphic shows exactly the opposite of what they think it does. Yes, America is filled with millions of people who, for whatever reason, choose not to vote. Having voted in EVERY election, from local to national, since I became eligible to vote over 46 years ago, I do not understand their refusal to participate in the only chance that we have to create a working democracy, but I accept it as a given. In large part it is the direct result of the machinations of the oligarchs who have an interest in breeding despair and apathy fomented by a sense of helplessness and hopelessness. It has worked on too many.</span></div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="7g0bl-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
On the other hand, let's look at the pie chart. Just how many of those Nader voters do we suppose would have supported the Republican candidate? Nader's people were not middle of the road fence sitters. These were committed liberal and progressives who placed their bet on an an outsider to push their progressive dreams. Again, as with our current alternative candidates, Nader never had the inkling of a chance to become president. Not ANY chance AT ALL. He was supported by only a tiny fraction of the American people, both the voters and the non-voters. So, if even half of those Nader voters had voted for the Democrat, and it is a given that almost NONE of them would have voted for Bush, the Supreme Court could not have intervened with Gore winning by over two million votes. The argument that Nader had no impact on the outcome just doesn't fly.</div>
</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="c2h0s" data-offset-key="b49r7-0-0" style="color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b49r7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
In the subsequent 16 years, the move to dishearten and disenfranchise voters has increased exponentially, aided by corporate media and that same radically regressive, politically motivated, 5-4 Supreme Court majority that stole the 2000 election with the help of Nader voters. Were we foolish enough to waste a vote on Stein, or Johnson, or Sanders while Republican governors and legislatures all across the country attempt to disenfranchise many millions of likely Democratic voters from students to seniors, we could very well face a debacle so much worse than the Bush presidency that could have an impact for many generations to come. The Supreme Court offers lifetime appointments. Two to four nominations could occur in the next term.</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b49r7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
To pretend that a vote for Jill Stein or Bernie Sanders, or much worse, Gary Johnson—each of whom certainly have their own significant drawbacks—is a vote for "conscience" or "purity" is tragically misplaced in this election.</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b49r7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
For the record, I have supported Sanders for decades both monetarily and philosophically, having given to his campaigns many times over the years, having given several times prior to this election's primaries, and having given to his new "movement" after he lost.</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b49r7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
Voting for someone who has no chance to win, like the Nader vote in 2000, is precisely what those Republican operatives have dreamed of and worked for these past two presidential elections. Thousands of them trolled the Sanders campaign, enflaming the NEVER HILLARY lies that they have been perpetrating and perpetuating for thirty years.They have fomented the anti-"Democratic Establishment" vote that would hand total control of the country to the corporatocracy.</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b49r7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
Hillary Clinton, like most people, has swallowed the "magic free market" fallacy for the last thirty years (including not merely all the current Republican politicians and most corrupt corporate management, but most Democratic politicians including Bill and Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama). However, like Obama, she also has progressive tendencies that need to be constantly prodded and pushed toward more progressive goals both socially and economically. A Trump win will NOT accomplish any of this. In fact, it is much more likely to entrench the power mongers and consolidate their stranglehold for many decades.</div>
<div class="_1mf _1mj" data-offset-key="b49r7-0-0" style="direction: ltr; position: relative;">
This is not an attempt at fear-mongering. It is an attempt to analyze clearly that chart and the argument proposed above. It is an attempt to reveal the likely outcome of the ironically claimed "vote of conscience" which elects Trump and renews the Republican legislative majority.</div>
</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-60086079304113685622016-06-14T10:17:00.000-07:002016-06-14T10:17:16.613-07:00Intolerance Does NOT Breed Tolerance: We need to talk<div data-block="true" data-editor="625a7" data-offset-key="7fhsk-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28cXEJs5K20gYvXtZgPC61Dbe4Q4FNpNTjHSIa1skab5U2NNkW8yBE3JHMk1OFx8YKqmRbgho5vUls-cRop12bmYoOOOIlzqq6O-mOxyy-tzFW7NLXGp06WoFqlFIUJe1u9XDHL5CG4cm/s1600/Screen+Shot+2016-06-14+at+10.11.01+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj28cXEJs5K20gYvXtZgPC61Dbe4Q4FNpNTjHSIa1skab5U2NNkW8yBE3JHMk1OFx8YKqmRbgho5vUls-cRop12bmYoOOOIlzqq6O-mOxyy-tzFW7NLXGp06WoFqlFIUJe1u9XDHL5CG4cm/s320/Screen+Shot+2016-06-14+at+10.11.01+AM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div data-offset-key="7fhsk-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="7fhsk-0-0">I and a vast majority of people in this country would choose to defend ourselves and our loved ones by making it impossible for individuals to buy or possess weapons designed for military use. Unfortunately, the absurd misreading of the 2nd Amendment by a 5-4 majority of the Scalia court and the irrational shilling for arms manufacturers by the once reputable National Rifle Association (read their history—they only went crazy a few decades ago when greed, marketing, and outrageous right wing ideologies took hold of their national leadership) has caused the dangerous proliferation of weapons in this country.</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="625a7" data-offset-key="8vcl7-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="8vcl7-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="8vcl7-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="625a7" data-offset-key="b8s70-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="b8s70-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="b8s70-0-0">I am approaching 70 years of age, and I guarantee that this horrific proliferation of gun deaths and mass murder is a very recent phenomenon that is spiraling exponentially. Rational, civic dialogue and reasonable restraints on access to firearms must occur. Play out in your own mind the actual scenario as espoused by the NRA, congressional Republicans, and Donald Trump. Guns in the hands of every teacher, every administrator, and every student in every school from kindergarten to college; guns in the hands of every employee and every employer on every job; guns in the hands of every driver on the road; guns in the hands of every passenger on every bus, train, or plane; ad infinitum. This will make us SAFER?</span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="625a7" data-offset-key="eh9d9-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="eh9d9-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="eh9d9-0-0"><br data-text="true" /></span></div>
</div>
<div data-block="true" data-editor="625a7" data-offset-key="3rr1d-0-0" style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 13px; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; line-height: normal;">
<div data-offset-key="3rr1d-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="3rr1d-0-0">It is an absolutely absurd and unworkable vision, foolish in the extreme, yet just this kind of argument is trotted out whenever some horrendous tragedy occurs.</span></div>
<div data-offset-key="3rr1d-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="3rr1d-0-0"><br /></span></div>
<div data-offset-key="3rr1d-0-0" style="direction: ltr;">
<span data-offset-key="3rr1d-0-0">I actually encourage complex analysis, nuanced positions, and civil discourse. Put simply, we shouldn't tar whole cultures, religions, races, or nationalities with the brush of a violent few, yet we have to find ways of limiting or eliminating that violence as best we can.<br /><br />Of course, we will never completely or permanently eliminate violence from any society; still, it seems clear that we have actually done a worse job than many. The proliferation of personal weapons and the increasing deadliness of those arms has certainly not made us safer. Our interventions in the affairs of other countries since WWII have had little to do with "protecting freedom"; in general, they have had much more to do with maintaining or increasing political domination of a region for private profit.<br /><br />I do find that an alarming number of violent incidents (especially mass murder outside of war), are performed by those who I would characterize as having a fundamentalist point of view—the particular religion is irrelevant. They justify their actions on the grounds of a religious or political view that both encourages and justifies deadly behavior, whether attacking a black church, burning a clinic, killing a doctor, attacking a gay gathering, blowing oneself up in the middle of a crowd, or flying a plane into a building.<br /><br />Intolerance is at the heart of most of these inhumane acts; a few are simply the work of some tragically unhappy or disgruntled person whose rage at "the other" has overcome his own self-pity, humiliation, loneliness, and emptiness. The problem with intolerance—whether factions, sects, or other “us vs them” groupings—is that intolerance does not breed tolerance. On the other hand, tolerance, in the long run, may actually confront, confound, and convert intolerance. The problem, of course, is that it can take decades, even centuries, to accomplish. Still, although so many of our compatriots do everything that they can to discourage tolerance and encourage intolerance because of their identification with their "team," this country, despite all its historical flaws and contradictions, really has moved slowly toward wider acceptance of others, from Roger William's "Bloody Tenent of Persecution" in the 1600's to our current battle for women's rights, LGBT rights, immigrant rights, et al.<br /><br />As to the NRA’s advocacy of gun proliferation and Trump’s cheerleading for violence and discrimination, do I think that “good” civilians armed with AR-type rifles or most other weaponry will make us safer? Not on your life or mine. I feel quite certain, both intuitively and intellectually, that more and deadlier guns will make us much less safe; neither do I consider those who purchase these weapons on the pretense of defending or protecting this country to be heroes by any definition.</span></div>
</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-83198674185947689782016-06-07T15:26:00.000-07:002016-06-07T15:26:07.254-07:00The Rise of Donald Trump is Remarkable, but Not Surprising.<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"></span></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7i7jBbM7UHqfhwuoM5P0k5GEjXA1OsXSeNGp3p_LGI08Ur7dPiPxnsWGqEBc8X9MeF10EBsBPxiBmCWdQOIlL_N0fpgyE2iXTJqmL3kWQhIU3PJeVA36rE2gOXBObxr15HxeSZ39MkQ31/s1600/trump-for-president.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7i7jBbM7UHqfhwuoM5P0k5GEjXA1OsXSeNGp3p_LGI08Ur7dPiPxnsWGqEBc8X9MeF10EBsBPxiBmCWdQOIlL_N0fpgyE2iXTJqmL3kWQhIU3PJeVA36rE2gOXBObxr15HxeSZ39MkQ31/s320/trump-for-president.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
rise of Trump is truly remarkable, but not surprising. This is what
true tribalism looks like, and those who control this society have
been marketing this premise for forty years. Ever since Nixon sent
Agnew after the "liberal" press (and even before with his
"You won't have Nixon to kick around anymore"), the implication
was created that the press is just "out to get people.”</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4lVN8xvaMJ1ETi-jlbRBLLOLhUHKinY5evmHctX7thzTtz1vrWNQNIZUZE_X2lCm7DZlJtrF_HmTAU47hPMDc80DDJbBFoKHD1To7q67C5xWmmEkRk6aeUHUnViKaKCBAgAx1dnezPV8/s1600/Trump.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit4lVN8xvaMJ1ETi-jlbRBLLOLhUHKinY5evmHctX7thzTtz1vrWNQNIZUZE_X2lCm7DZlJtrF_HmTAU47hPMDc80DDJbBFoKHD1To7q67C5xWmmEkRk6aeUHUnViKaKCBAgAx1dnezPV8/s320/Trump.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Then,
since deregulation under Reagan and his, “Government is the
problem” and “it’s your money, NOT the government’s,” the
hypocrisy has been unrelenting. The news media truly did become
“infotainment” and "the game” became all that mattered.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
greed and selfishness and the mantra of “it doesn’t matter how
you win just as long as you win” became the steady media diet in
commercials, game shows, sit coms, and celebrity worship. Remember
“Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous”? With the help of Jerry
Springer turning “lowlife, wretched behavior” into popular
entertainment, we moved directly to Paris Hilton, the Kardashians,
Duck Dynasty, and Honey Boo Boo. Nearly every show on the Food
Network, which used to actually demonstrate cooking, is now
competition with only one winner, including several shows where you
get to literally sabotage your competition or pay to screw them up.
We conspire to “kick people off the island” or “out of the
house.”</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">It
has become the same in politics. Term limits eliminate knowledgable
public servants and replace them with ideologues and corporate
shills. The media provides very little actual background or context
for any statement, nor does it actually refute even the most
egregious and obvious lies. It merely plays the “he said/he said”
game; it’s the outright proliferation of falsehood in the guise of
fairness. The "US against THEM” mentality in politics has
risen to a fever pitch to the point where people can honestly comfort
themselves with the idea: "I don’t care what they say about my
guy or what my guy says, our team picked him, so I’m for him. Also,
I don’t care how specious the attacks on our opponents; even when I
know they are false, I will repeat them incessantly. More
importantly, the second I vote, I’m done and can get back to
'reality TV' and complaining about the government.<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">”</span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">This
tirade is not just aimed at Republicans although it fits them most
completely, but it has come to apply to most of society, who only
vote at about a 40% rate or even less in non-presidential years.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Trump
is, in part, the result of the philosophy of Ayn Rand pushed by
Ronald Reagan, Paul Ryan, Ron Paul, Rand Paul, Justices John Roberts
and Clarence Thomas, and the corporate oligarchs. Trump is an
absurdly wealthy man with a populist, jingoistic, simplistic message.
He is the radical right wing’s answer to FDR, except he has the added
appeal of racism, sexism, ignorance, belligerence, and arrogance. He
is nearly the perfect package. It's about time that we demand much
better from both sides. <br /><br />If Clinton is the nominee who faces
Trump, those who want to make things better need to start today to
defeat Trump, who is unquestionably the least qualified, least
prepared, most reprehensible individual to stand for the office in
any of our lifetimes. <br /><br />Then, the second that Clinton wins, we
need to work for greater transparency and limits on campaign
spending; we need new and more effective regulation of the banks and
Wall Street, including actually incarcerating wrongdoers instead of
letting them merely write off fines or pass the costs to customers;
we need to engage in much greater diplomacy and seek a significantly
diminished role for the military in international affairs; we need a
demilitarization of our local police forces; we need to bolster our
social safety net, including Social Security and health care; we need
to much more aggressively pursue alternative fuel sources; we need a
serious effort to rebuild our infrastructure; we need to enforce and
improve our environmental protections; we need to counter the 30 year
push to privatize education, the military, government, public spaces,
etc.; and we need to bring civil dialogue and negotiation back into
our civil society. </span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #16191f;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">NONE of this will be easy, but hopefully Warren,
Sanders, Franken, Clinton and many millions of dedicated citizens can begin to
accomplish the changes that most of us know we need. </span></span>
</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-66238016670179448882016-03-15T19:19:00.000-07:002016-03-15T19:19:40.851-07:00A Wake UP Call? If Not Now, When?<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="9rdll" data-offset-key="8l67p-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
With the crude, crass, vacuousness of the Republican debates now behind us, it is Donald Trump's rallies that have become the focus of his campaign. Empty catch phrases, sometimes meaningless, rambling non sequiturs are met with loud applause and chants. These displays, however, have very little traction. </div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="9rdll" data-offset-key="8l67p-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
The media has now turned its attention to Trump's gleeful cheerleading of violence at his rallies: his offering to pay legal fees for those who might be arrested for using violence against protestors; his saying from the podium about a protestor that he'd like to "punch him in the face"; his encouraging the crowd to "knock the crap" out of protestors. These are simply escalations of his mocking of women, mocking of his Republican opponents, mocking of Democrats and President Obama, and his mocking, early in the campaign, of a handicapped reporter. A recent graphic showed a picture of the crippled reporter juxtaposed with a picture of Trump imitating him. The text asked, "Is this 'Making America Great Again'?" Here is my response.</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="9rdll" data-offset-key="8l67p-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
It's called "playing to your audience." Remember, they laughed and cheered when he did this. Trump didn't make these people—he just empowered them to be as ugly as they really are and then encouraged them to compete to one-up each other. </div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="9rdll" data-offset-key="8l67p-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
We are who we have allowed ourselves to become, and we have allowed the worst among us to drive our national narrative for the last thirty years. Selfishness, greed, self indulgence, ugliness, coarseness, baseness, violence: In the hands of our consolidated corporate media they have come to redefine our national character. From Jerry Springer to Seinfeld (the show, not the comedian), from waffle and ice cream commercials to hotel commercials, these traits are not ridiculed or vilified, like they generally have been in our own past; no, they are championed as the means to success.</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="9rdll" data-offset-key="8l67p-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
So often it goes under the guise of "values"—traditional values, family values, conservative values, religious freedom, PATRIOTISM. The tragic irony is that most of us have stood by while our language, our values, and our country were co-opted by liars, swindlers, cheats and thieves whose ironic double-speak has led to unfathomable hypocrisy, cruelty, greed and violence in both domestic and foreign affairs. Trump, Cruz, Rubio, Kasich, Ryan, McConnell, Palin, Bachmann, Gohmert and the hundreds of other little wannabe conservative extremists are the result of our own national apathy, ignorance, and complacency.</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-editor="9rdll" data-offset-key="8l67p-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
We need to WAKE UP, and just possibly, the vile and repugnant Trump campaign will be our wake up call although the ugliness of the similarly themed McCain/Palin and Romney/Ryan campaigns were not. More important than merely waking up, however, we need to fight this pernicious moral cancer and restore honor, integrity and a true sense of freedom and justice for all. That just might "make America great again."</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-61746423453407518172016-02-19T13:08:00.002-08:002016-02-19T13:08:41.526-08:00The Game Needs to Change—We Need to Put the Civil Back into Civil Society<div class="" data-block="true" data-offset-key="etquh-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
I am deeply tired of the "who can be uglier" race that we currently have going on in both parties. On the Republican side, it is the candidates themselves that have tried to prove that they are MORE racist, sexist, homophobic, xenophobic, and greedy than the next guy. On the Democratic side, we have the spectacle of the candidates being relatively cordial and actually talking about (to be honest, rather minor) differences of opinion while their partisans on social media bend over backwards to be the most offensive, outrageous, hate mongers and conspiracy theorists, outdoing the Republican machine in their trashing of the other's candidate. It's like the idiotic anger and elation at a mindless and meaningless sporting event except, in this game, the opponent is, obviously, the Devil incarnate.</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-offset-key="etquh-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
This election is serious, perhaps the most serious in my experience with politics, and I remember the Eisenhower/Stevenson contest in 1956. The first time that I was eligible to vote for Governor was 1970, and I voted against Ronald Reagan. I have voted in every election since then. I have also watched the intentional dumbing down and incivility of the electoral process since the Republicans lost so badly with Goldwater in 1964. The rhetoric of Nixon but especially Agnew took the discussion to a new level of vitriol. Reagan continued the all out assault on "liberals," but it was the election of Bill Clinton that ushered in the new era of Conservative talk radio and, with the deregulation and consolidation of media, the advent of NEWSCorp, FOX News, Clear Channel, and and the no-holds barred, partisan, mischaracterization, distortion, and outright lying that has simply come to be accepted as spin. The media, including social media, has been not merely complicit but instrumental in this negative transformation. Just like Scalia's court decision about innocence, the actual truth is completely irrelevant. The news no longer presents actual perspective or context. They don't even try to find and present the truth. They merely offer a "he said/he said" paraphrased report or 3-seconds of edited footage with whichever slant their corporate masters have demanded.</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-offset-key="etquh-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
Unfortunately, most people have not demanded better; instead, we have bought into their game. We do not find ourselves talking about what really matters and our vison of what this country should be or how we might get there. We simply post ridiculous graphics with false quotes and sarcastic gibes to make the other side look foolish or corrupt and then gleefully attack the other side for their obvious ignorance, stupidity or evil.</div>
<div class="" data-block="true" data-offset-key="etquh-0-0" style="color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; white-space: pre-wrap;">
I posit the following. I don't care if you are for Sanders, Clinton, Warren or Obama, Trump, Cruz, Kasich or Paul. The only way that we will ever crawl out of the miasmic mire in which we have sunk ourselves is to begin to actually think deeply, discuss civilly, and listen carefully—repeating the process indefinitely—until the fog of corrupt corporate control has lifted, and we can return to the business of creating a civil civil society (This is not a mistaken repetition—"civil" needs to be at the heart of a progressive civilization).</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-91843231251935176732016-01-18T10:09:00.001-08:002016-01-18T10:09:46.304-08:00Frost—Lovely, Dark and Deep—An Explication<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
Frost—Lovely, Dark and
Deep</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.88in; margin-right: 0.88in;">
by Tim McMullen <br /><br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.88in; margin-right: 0.88in;">
A critical analysis and explication of the poem, “Stopping By Woods
On A Snowy Evening,” by Robert Frost
</div>
<div align="CENTER" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;"><b>Stopping
by Woods on a Snowy Evening</b></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">Whose
woods these are I think I know. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">His
house is in the village though; </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">He
will not see me stopping here </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">To
watch his woods fill up with snow. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">My
little horse must think it queer </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">To
stop without a farmhouse near </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">Between
the woods and frozen lake </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">The
darkest evening of the year. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">He
gives his harness bells a shake </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">To
ask if there is some mistake. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">The
only other sound's the sweep </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">Of
easy wind and downy flake. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">The
woods are lovely, dark and deep. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">But
I have promises to keep, </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">And
miles to go before I sleep,</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 2in;">
<span style="color: black;">And
miles to go before I sleep.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
At
first reading, the circumstances of “Stopping By Woods On a Snowy
Evening” seem highly uneventful. A man traveling down a road stops
by woods. There is nothing else around, and he is struck by the
beauty of the scene. Though inclined to stay, he realizes he has
commitments and must proceed on. We might suggest that the conflict
is between duty and beauty, or “work before (or instead of)
pleasure.” This characterization, however, fails to account for the
emotive penetrability of the poem. This poem touches the reader,
almost unconsciously, and suggests somehow that there is something
going on: some deep tension or struggle that, though not readily
explainable, is nevertheless imposing and significant.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
Much
of this affective response comes from two sources: one, the tone and
mood of the poem; the other, the specific images employed. Frost, in
the midst of mood, hides the conflict of his images. The initial
picture one gets is that of beauty, a snowy woodland scene; it is
unblemished by farmhouse or farmer, nature in its pristine state.
“The woods are lovely...”— we can almost hear him sigh after
each word, <i><b>dark</b></i> and <i><b>deep</b></i>. He must,
however, move on; he cannot remain in this idyllic locale.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
At
this point we might identify the significance of the poem as the
conflict between man and nature. Nature is seen in the symbols of the
woods, the snow, the lake, the wind. The symbols which set man apart
from nature are houses, village, farmhouses, reins of the horse
(which are man-made) and promises (which are also man-made). Man is a
part of Nature; that is, he is part of the organic whole. He is born
into nature in its undifferentiated whole, but as he becomes <b>Man</b>,
he is severed from the rest of Nature. By recognizing or experiencing
his uniqueness, he becomes “wholly other” than the rest of
nature. One of the attributes of the uniqueness of man is that he
cannot return to his natural beginnings. Notice that he lies between
the woods. He may go into them in a spatial sense, but he cannot be
part of them in a substantial sense. He must, therefore, remain with
his promises to men (Man) and exist outside nature. He has miles to
go, and these must be in Man's world.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.38in;">
(Note: I recently read an article on Frost's poem by Earl Daniels, in
<i>The Creative Reader</i>, by Stallman and Daniels, on Page 932. His
comments, I think, are so significant that I must include them here.
Daniels begins with a paraphrase very close to the one I offered in
the beginning, identifies this as a real experience, then further
states:</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
“…[P]oetry, reduced to its simplest, is only
experience...Experience moved the poet; he enjoyed it, and wanted to
put it down on paper, as experience and <i>nothing else</i> [my
italics] partly because writing is a self-contained action which is
fun for the writer, partly because he wanted the reader to enjoy the
experience with him. If we are to learn to read, we must begin with
elemental, irreduceable<i> facts</i> [mine also] like this” (P.
934).</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 0.38in; margin-right: 0.5in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.38in;">
I find this definition of the creative process and the creative goal
as appalling as it is useless. Daniels' was responding to the attempt
to find philosophica1 or intellectual meaning in Frost's poem. It is
a call to pure literalism; in his use of <i>experience</i>, he denies
both the poet and the reader any derivable insight, but deals
specifically with the phenomena. He further implies that if an author
meant his work to have any social or philosophical meaning, it would
be obvious and explicit. He gives as examples of such writers Milton
and Lucretius. I don't feel the need to refute this absurd claim, but
merely to ask the holder of this view to point to any great poet that
can be thoroughly entombed in this Procrustean Bed. I offered this
note in order that I may continue examining the intricacies of the
poem, because, using Daniels' criteria, I had completed my only
legitimate exegesis of the poem in the very beginning.)</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.38in;">
We have, then, suggested two levels on which the poem may be read,
but neither of these fully explains the emotive quality of the work.
This limitation occurs because, as yet, there has been no analysis of
the specific images that lend the feeling of depth. Several of the
symbols were enumerated before in differentiating between nature and
man. These images when viewed deeper may illumine the whole.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.38in;">
Woods are the first image we see; they are a part of nature, and the
image is one of life. By the fourth line, however, we find that the
scene is not the exultation of life, but the intrusion of death
through the winter and the snowfall. Rather than joyful seclusion,
there is a hint of desolation: the village is far from this place;
there are no farmhouses, farmers or other people; the only sound
other than the sleigh bells is the whisper of the wind. Reinforcing
the specter of death is the frozen lake. What is more barren?
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.38in;">
Further, water is, like nature, usually a symbol for life: the
endless flow of the river, or the life-giving moisture that is
essential to existence; but frozen lake water is useless; it is a
complete denial of the life water brings. Also, it is “the darkest
evening of the year.” Surely, the initial image of a pleasant halt
in the woods is negated by this foreboding scene as it now takes
shape. It is desolate; the evidence of nature on every side shows the
presence of death. Whereas, previously, man would have been an
intrusion on the simple, peaceful, scene of life, he is now the only
symbol of life. Our use of <i>life</i> is the same as when we say,
“there's no sign of <i>life</i>.” Life means human life, and
nature is distinguished from it.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.38in;">
We obviously recognize, though, that the tone and feeling of the man
(and the poem) is not of dread and repulsion but rather of
fascination and attraction. Somehow, the peace and the void of death
are especially alluring, and the sighs of “dark” and “deep”
are even more real than when directed merely at the virgin beauty of
the woods. Now, they emphasize the longing for the peace and rest of
death: the woods are lovely, dark and deep. And, of course, the final
image of repose is the sleep of the last line. The first sleep is a
transitory state from which we will awaken, but the last line is a
final sleep, and sleep related directly to deep, indeed the last and
deepest sleep of all.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.38in;">
Despite the presence and the lure of death, the man does not
acquiesce to its inducement; he recognizes that he will sleep, but
that sleep is in the future. At present, he has a responsibility to
life; <i>that</i> is his promise. It is a pact to fulfill the nature
of man, which includes a predisposition to keep on living. These
images of life and death are the symbols which develop the tensions
found in the poem. They are not, however, a cohesive and complete
explanation; we still require a final interpretation in order to
understand the poem as a unified whole.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.38in;">
To apprehend the unity and to include all the symbols, we must make
an even deeper and more extensive study. The setting for the poem now
is not the roadside wood but the mind of man. “Whose woods these
are I think I know” utilizes woods to indicate thoughts of death.
“His house is in the village though” speaks of where man resides;
that is, the village (or life) should be the realm of man's thoughts,
but they sometimes steal over to contemplate death. The stealth or
hiding is implied in “he will not see me….” To rephrase it, the
woods are thoughts of death; the speaker is the owner of the woods,
but he belongs in the village, not in the snow-filled woods– that
is, not with thoughts that are full of death. We have already
acknowledged the death symbols in the vacancy of other human life
(“no farm houses”); “the woods and frozen lake”; “the
darkest evening of the year.” To complete the full concept of the
poem, however, we have one more major theme: that of the horse.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
If we remember that
our present context is within the human being, we can integrate the
horse symbol into our schema. To do this we must view the sleigh as a
total machine, a single entity; the horse and driver are part of the
whole. The driver cannot drive the sleigh without the horse; the
horse cannot have direction without the driver. We must, of course,
discard the desire to see the horse as just a part of nature; he is
too much a part of the integrated whole. The middle two stanzas,
one-half of the poem, are directly concerned with the horse. Lines
six, seven, and eight explain why he would think it queer to stop;
and nine, ten, eleven and twelve explain his desire to go on.
Literally, a horse shakes his head not in question, as is ironically
assumed, but in apprehension and anxiety from the foreboding
desolation of the woods. As for the sleigh as a unit, the horse is
seen as the physical impulse or instinctive part of man, biologically
disposed toward maintaining life; the driver is the mind of man, the
steering intellect, the part of the unit that can contemplate, accept
and even desire death.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
The
life instinct suggests pushing on by pulling at the reigns, that
“there <i>is</i> some mistake” in stopping, but the intellect
offsets this with listening to the “sweep of easy wind and downy
flake.” The sweep of downy flake evokes the image of a shroud being
gently laid. What follows is surely the most evocative and intense
image in the poem, an image which leads to a peak of emotion and then
a swift climax and conclusion. “The woods are lovely, dark and
deep” is an exquisite image, acute in its conflict. “Lovely”
emotes warmth and attractiveness, whereas “dark and deep” woods
suggest the gloom and despair of death. The words, due partially to
the alliteration, seem almost to echo in the brain, “lovely, dark
and deep”!</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.5in;">
But
he will not sleep yet, the life-force, the insistence of the horse,
the will to live, remind him of his solemn obligation to fulfill his
role as man. “His house is in the village”; his promise is to
life, the village and the company of man. He rejects the isolation of
death and thoughts of death and returns to his journey. The journey
being an obvious allusion to the “road of life,” he still has
miles to go (and time to spend) before he ends his journey and rests;
and more places to go (things to do; life to live) before his <i>final</i>
sleep.</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
Submitted to Dr.
Philip B. Nordhus, English Professor, English 101, Chico State
College (now CSU, Chico) in 1970.</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
©1985 Tim
McMullen<br />All rights reserved</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-77807812414628855002015-12-29T09:55:00.000-08:002015-12-29T13:33:25.021-08:00May the FARCE BE With ME<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I notice that I have only posted three times since June, and two of them are movie reviews. This one is prompted by Michael Hiltzik's review of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" in the Times. His review is under the headline: </span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: LAHeadline, serif;"><span style="font-size: large;">Admit it: 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' stinks -- and here's why.</span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's
the irony. I was not a big fan of the original Star Wars, but at
least I did go see the second film. I have not seen any of the other
four sequel/prequels. Nevertheless, and knowing what I know of the
original, unoriginal Star Wars, and despite Hiltzik's cogent attack, I will still probably go see this one
in IMAX 3D because I like the format of the big screen, big sound,
and these days I watch most of the "gotta' drive backwards at
least once in the car chase" movies (in other words, nearly
every movie that makes it to the IMAX action/adventure screen) if
only for the nostalgic glimpse of Harrison Ford in the "Chewie,
we're home," scene that has already played 20,000 times in the
previews and ads over the last year.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">In
2014, I saw 55 movies in the theater. This year, I saw only 40
although Star Wars will make it 41. I didn't venture out to any of
the "art house" movies this year. We didn't even see the
Woody Allen movie this year which we used to go to every time one
opened, but it didn't play close enough to home, and we were busy
enough that we didn't get out to see his latest.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"> <span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
give ratings to all the movies that I see at AMC (where I see 99% of
my movies), and these are the ones that got "5 stars" from
me this year (in the order in which I saw them): "Selma,"
"Birdman," "Spy," "Love and Mercy,"
"Mr. Holmes," "The Intern," and "The
Martian." I wanted to see "The Walk," but I was busy
those couple of weeks. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
ones that I gave top marks to were simply because they were fully
satisfying films within their genres. The docudramas on a period in
the lives of Martin Luther King and Brian Wilson focused on
interesting and well-told aspects of those lives, though quite
different in presentation. Except for those two, I noticed that each
of the movies is in a different genre. "Birdman" is a
quirky flight of fantasy comedy and gritty realism intertwined. "Spy"
is a funny spoof of the genre, far more satisfying than "The
Kingsmen" or "The Man from Uncle" because of much
greater wit and humor, while balanced with a star turn for Melissa
McCarthy. This is the first time that I truly enjoyed her because
they allowed her to be other characters than the brash, crude,
slovenly, obnoxious character that has been her stock and trade.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">"The
Intern" was a modest "non-rom com" casting DeNiro
against type, and exploring the vagaries of today's corporate world
against the questions of life and home (something that we are
exploring with a political vs. business twist as we are
binge-watching the Danish series "Borgen" with which we
were gifted as a Christmas present). Whereas "Borgen" is
gritty and dark, but enjoyable, "The Intern" was very
light, but very enjoyable. "The Martian" is the only big
"blockbuster" on the list, and despite being somewhat
predictable, it was carried off with the right amount of humor,
drama, action, and "McGyveresque" ingenuity to offer a
satisfying theater experience.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I
have saved "Mr. Holmes" for last because, for me, it was
the best. It was perhaps the gentlest of the seven films (and the
other 40 films that I saw), but it had fine character development, it
had marvelous performances from the three principal actors (the child
actor was terrific), and it was intriguing, powerful, and touching in
a very nice combination of those emotions. "Mission
Impossible-Rogue Nation" got a 93% on Rotten Tomatoes; "Inside
Out" got a 98%; whereas, "Mr. Holmes" only got an 87%
and only 75% of the audience liked it. Nevertheless, I rank it as my
most enjoyable movie of the year. By the way, I did see both of
those, and I gave them each 4 stars. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
worst on my list from this year are the remarkably story-less,
character-less, "The Fantastic Four"; the mindless
regurgitation with an alarmingly uninteresting protagonist and plot
of "The Transporter" (the TV series is actually much more
amusing, compelling, and interesting than any of the franchise
movies); and my surprising number one entry for over two hours of
mindless tedium was "Mad Max" which I already panned in
great detail in earlier blog.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">And
if you haven't seen it, I still recommend my last year's top
disagreement with the critics and the fans, "The Secret Life of
Walter Mitty," for it's marvelous blend of humor, character,
story, fantasy, and marvelous cinematography. I blogged about it last
year in my negative reviews of "American Hustle" and
"Inside Llewyn Davis." </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now,
I'm gearing up to go see "Star Wars 7: The Marketing," in a
couple of hours. May the farce be with me.</span></span></div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-57456885921301109182015-07-30T08:00:00.002-07:002015-07-30T08:00:39.898-07:00A Plan for Iran and the Deal's DetractorsHere is the comment from and my answer to a Facebook friend who wrote about a satirical video featuring Jack Black and Morgan Freeman in support of the Iran Nuclear deal:<br />
<br />
<ul class="UFIList" data-reactid=".69" style="background-color: #f6f7f8; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 16px; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="UFIRow UFILastComment UFILastCommentComponent UFIComment display UFIComponent" data-ft="{"tn":"R"}" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0" style="margin: 0px 12px; padding: 4px 0px; position: relative; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="clearfix" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0" style="zoom: 1;">
<div class="" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right">
<div class="UFIImageBlockContent _42ef clearfix" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0" style="margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 8px; zoom: 1;">
<div class="" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0.$left">
<div class="UFICommentContentBlock" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0" style="padding-right: 12px; position: relative;">
<div class="UFICommentContent" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0">
<span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1">I think celebrities endorsements are irresponsible. What do they know any more than any citizen of this country. We have to be mindful of with whom we are dealing. Iran wants the U.S. and Isreal wiped off the globe. The Iranian government will not be honorable and keep their word. For lack of diplomatic venues, we , the U.S. and Isreal , may need to settle this with force.</span><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.6"></span></div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="clear: both; color: #9197a3; padding-top: 2px;">
<br /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3.$metadata:0:$action:0"></span></div>
<a aria-label="Remove" class="UFICommentCloseButton _50zy _50-0 _50z- _5upp _42ft" data-hover="tooltip" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$comment10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.4" data-testid="ufi_comment_close_button" data-tooltip-alignh="center" href="https://www.facebook.com/jesper.deleuran/posts/10206736257141630?notif_t=notify_me#" style="background-color: transparent; background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yA/r/Q2coHUan_KI.png); background-position: -226px -465px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 500px 495px; border: 0px none; color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-size: 0px !important; height: 12px; opacity: 0; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; position: absolute; right: 0px; text-decoration: none; top: 0px; vertical-align: middle; white-space: nowrap; width: 12px; z-index: 1;"></a></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</li>
<ul class=" UFIReplyList" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0" style="background-color: transparent; list-style-type: none; margin: -10px 0px 0px; padding: 8px 12px 6px 44px;">
<li class="UFIRow UFIFirstComment UFILastComment UFIFirstComponent UFIComment display UFIComponent UFIUnseenItem" data-ft="{"tn":"R0"}" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-left-color: rgb(220, 222, 227); border-left-style: solid; border-left-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 4px 12px 4px 8px; position: relative; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="clearfix" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0" style="zoom: 1;">
<div class="_ohe lfloat" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$left" style="float: left;">
<a aria-hidden="true" class="img _8o _8s UFIImageBlockImage" data-ft="{"tn":"T"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=526926141&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$left.0" href="https://www.facebook.com/tim.mcmullen.18?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; display: block; margin: 0px; position: relative; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="-1"><img alt="" class="img UFIActorImage _54ru img" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$left.0.0" src="https://fbcdn-profile-a.akamaihd.net/hprofile-ak-xap1/v/t1.0-1/c10.0.48.48/p48x48/1621706_10152159533091142_1034535246_n.jpg?oh=6f529ec299b53de50b7ce805c2d0abab&oe=565B299B&__gda__=1448804430_7c3628563151efc648e4cac846962602" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: 20px; width: 20px;" /></a></div>
<div class="" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right">
<div class="UFIImageBlockContent _42ef clearfix" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0" style="margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-left: 8px; zoom: 1;">
<div class="_ohf rfloat" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$right" style="float: right;">
<button class="UFICommentCloseButtonFake _50zy _50-0 _50z- _5upp _42ft" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$right.0" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yA/r/Q2coHUan_KI.png); background-position: -226px -465px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: 500px 495px; border: 0px none; cursor: pointer; display: block; font-size: 0px !important; height: 12px; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px; vertical-align: middle; visibility: hidden; white-space: nowrap; width: 12px;" tabindex="-1" title="Remove" type="button"><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$right.0.1"></span></button></div>
<div class="" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left">
<div class="UFICommentContentBlock" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0" style="padding-right: 12px; position: relative;">
<div class="UFICommentContent" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;">
<span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0"><a class=" UFICommentActorName" data-ft="{"tn":";"}" data-hovercard="/ajax/hovercard/hovercard.php?id=526926141&extragetparams=%7B%22hc_location%22%3A%22ufi%22%7D" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0" dir="ltr" href="https://www.facebook.com/tim.mcmullen.18?fref=ufi" style="color: #3b5998; cursor: pointer; font-weight: bold; text-decoration: none;"><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.0.0.0">Tim McMullen</span></a></span><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.0"> </span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text0:0">Wow, look at those statements. "I think celebrities endorsements are irresponsible. What do they know any more than any citizen of this country." Yet, clearly, you think that you know more than they do. Did you actually watch the video? It uses satire with which each alarmist statement of the actor is met with a more reasoned response from a more knowledgeable person. </span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text1:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text3:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text4:0">Secondly, you say, "We have to be mindful of with whom we are dealing. Iran wants the U.S. and Isreal (sic) wiped off the globe." So, not only do you know more than the "celebrities," but you can also read the minds of millions of Iranians. </span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text5:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text7:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text8:0">Do you know anything about the history of Iran and the United States? We overthrew their democratically elected leader and imposed a ruthless tyrant, the Shah, and his family as a proxy government. He was a terrible dictator for decades. When he was finally deposed in a revolution, we sheltered him from the wrath of his people. The Islamic revolution that deposed him was the direct result of our corrupting their system, destroying their democracy, and opposing their revolution on both economic and religious grounds. We had scurrilous American military in positions of leadership suggest that we should wage a Christian Crusade against Islam. If they hate us, which so many in their country do not, they certainly have reasons. Their leaders, just like Netanyahu or right-wing politicians here, use the vilification of a particular country or countries (the "AXIS of EVIL") to rally support for all sorts of internal agendas that would otherwise go nowhere.</span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text9:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text11:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text12:0">You then say, "The Iranian government will not be honorable and keep their word." Hopefully, given the history just mentioned, you see the irony in that statement. So, not only do you know more than the celebrities and the diplomats and negotiators for the US the U.K., France, Germany, Russia, and China, who support this deal, you are clairvoyant and can actually predict the future with certainty. </span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text13:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text15:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text16:0">The people making this argument about "untrustworthy Iran" are the exact same people who made this argument about Iraq, who claimed that they were "HIDING" WMDs, who led us into an illegal, useless, and costly war in which we lost thousands of American lives and injured hundreds of thousands of American soldiers; we destroyed hundreds of thousands—perhaps millions—of innocent Iraqi lives (in fact, every single Iraqi, even Saddam Hussein, brutal dictator that he was, was completely innocent of every lying accusation that the Cheney/Bush administration used to get us into that war, a war that had been planned by right wing think tanks for over a decade prior to 9/11).</span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text17:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text19:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text20:0">Finally, you say this: "For lack of diplomatic venues, we, the U.S. and Isreal , may need to settle this with force." Have you learned NOTHING from Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq? Why on earth do you trust Netanyahu's overt political maneuvering, who has been consistently wrong in his predictions, rather than hundreds of diplomats, including 5 former ambassadors to Israel who believe that this is the much better approach? Besides, Netanyahu does not expect or plan to fight this war; he is doing everything that he can do goad the US into doing it for him.</span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text21:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text23:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text24:0">More importantly, you open that argument for war with this: "FOR LACK OF DIPLOMATIC VENUES"???</span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text25:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text26:0">These negotiations were worked on for a very long time; millions of hours of prep behind the scenes; they involved the world's superpowers, both those who are aligned with us and against us, as a way to resolve a very difficult issue. This WAS the "diplomatic venue" on a grand scale. </span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text27:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text29:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text30:0">Those who oppose this deal, including the three main talking points of the TV commercial against it, have been claiming the same false things about this deal for many months, if not years, before they knew anything about it. The Republican Presidential candidates and legislators who have offered furious opposition, are stating the exact same false talking points months before they had read a single word of the agreement. My guess is that most of them have still not read it. </span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text31:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text33:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text34:0">Part of the irony and stupidity of the naysayers' arguments is their parroting of Netanyahu—who only months ago was claiming that Iran was within months of having a nuclear bomb—and despite the fact that no one disputes the fact that this will absolutely prevent them from accomplishing that for at least ten years (ten years is an incredibly long time in this current world of international flux), Netanyahu and his Republican backers and hacks claim that this deal is worse than the status quo. It's ridiculous on its face if you actually listen to and think about their claims.</span><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text35:0" /><br data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text37:0" /><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text38:0">Please consider actually reading this article by James Fallows in which he identifies those who are against and for the Iran nuclear agreement and articulates an analysis of the actual terms of the agreement. Then, if you want to argue on the merits of the agreement, please feel free.</span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="UFICommentContent" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;">
<span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text38:0"><br /></span></span></span></span></div>
<div class="UFICommentContent" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0" style="border-bottom-width: 0px; border-top-width: 0px;">
<span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".69.1:5:1:$replies10153446126231142_10153446428996142:0.1:2:$comment10153446126231142_10153447097266142:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1.$comment-body.0.$text0:0:$text38:0">http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2015/07/the-iran-debate-moves-on/399713/</span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
</ul>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04840770464754311701noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-89485413670302048952015-06-12T09:31:00.001-07:002015-06-12T09:32:55.905-07:00"Mad Max" — It wasn't my fault; she wanted to see it, but I still had to apologize to Carolyn for this one.... We should have known better.<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The high praise for this movie must be seen for what it is: adoration of one element in filmmaking at the expense of most others. The claim that it has a complex, but subtle story, or worse, that its story is "dense" seems excessively hyperbolic. It is clearly meant to be an adrenalin rush, and it is. Unfortunately, it is an excessively redundant exhilaration. Praise is heaped on the myriad forms of inventive destruction; others note the uniqueness of the various vehicles. Notice, therefore, that I do not claim "repetition" but merely redundancy. This next observation is a personal judgment to be sure, but I also found the score to be overtly manipulative and unsubtle (although occasionally silly—the guitar player being particularly goofy and amusing...one or twice...then just gratuitously absurd, especially when it became part of the climactic action). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is minimalist storytelling and maximalist filmmaking, offering two hours of remarkably adept choreography of acrobatic and balletic crashes, explosions, immolations and mayhem, predicated on five minutes worth of story, two minutes of uninteresting dialogue, and thirty seconds of character development. To be honest, though, it might have actually been more interesting if it had offered no dialogue at all (I mean this sincerely).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The young acolyte who turns (absurdly quickly) from bloodthirsty minion to devoted paramour to altruistic martyr is the only dynamic character in the film. Every other character is static, as is to be expected in a video game actioner. The emerging trust between the two main characters or the young, chrome warrior was never in doubt, though hardly credible from any character's viewpoint or experience. Of course, we didn't have time to offer a rational explanation for this instantaneous teamwork because we had gauntlets to run and endless stuff to blow up. As for the great sci-fi setting credited by some, again minimalist to the extreme: sand, mud, funny cars, stilts, and a treadmill—that's it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Many commenters have praised the film for its subtle themes and its "showing and not telling" approach, but those themes are extremely underdeveloped; in fact, they are merely nods to a range of well-worn (but significant) and much better explored (elsewhere) themes of religion, economics, exploitation, tyranny, demagoguery, fanaticism, patriarchy, feminism, ecology, war, loyalty, courage, heroism. They are all in there, but this movie neither tells us nor shows us anything of substance about any of them. It's basically, "Yeah, society's foibles...yada, yada, yada...."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've tried to give as few spoilers as possible and still give a reasonable assessment, but as for the ending, let's just say it was the most inexplicable and unlikely part of the movie, but since we'd wasted all of our time on all that great action, the denouement just happened, <i>voilà</i>, and "happy ever after," which, again, was never in doubt for a moment. I am guessing that even if you knew absolutely nothing about the Mad Max franchise, an objective viewer would find every single development thoroughly predictable.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having watched "San Andreas" the day before, I found that movie's action sequences relatively implausible, its mass destruction derivative (or typical ala most apocalyptic movies and every Marvel superhero movie), its deus ex machina plot contrivances and coincidences completely absurd, and its saccharin family plot line cliched; nevertheless, perhaps especially because I'm a fan of Caltech, I didn't walk away feeling that I had really wasted two hours on a pointless shoot-em-up like I did with "Mad Max." </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Don't get me wrong, from an artistic point of view, as an action movie, "Mad Max" is very well done, and if all you demand from your action movie is non-stop action, then "Mad Max" is nearly perfect. On the other hand, if you want a story that at the very least challenges you to think, even slightly, about issues or ideas, then any of the three earlier Mad Max movies and nearly any other sci-fi offering, no matter the logistical gaps, will offer you more (I would, however, exclude "Lucy" from that group—it was too silly, illogical, and gap-filled to merit viewing except as an exercise in unintentional and ludicrous humor). </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It is the hyperbolic, euphoric praise and the absurdly high rating on Rotten Tomatoes that prompted me to respond to this thread. If you want to see a fine, articulate review of the movie that offers a reasonable explanation of the praise, I encourage you to read super-reviewer Nate Zoebl's analysis at the bottom of the RT page for "Mad Max." It is very well done.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the way, below I have offered the link to a short video, "Chains," created by Sharon Lewis, that adeptly, and with minimal budget, covers nearly all of the aforementioned themes in a meaningful and memorable way (and not a single car crash) in just ten minutes. It is a video that I used with both my creative writing students when exploring science fiction and with my video production students when looking at short, narrative film making. I am sorry for the 40-second intro (although the film series is worth viewing). Check it out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/black-voices-breakthrough-theater-chains-_n_3517684.html"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/28/black-voices-breakthrough-theater-chains-_n_3517684.html</span></a>Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-13526536119273292302015-05-05T13:03:00.001-07:002015-05-05T13:03:42.276-07:00“How Does an Unbeliever Develop a Sense of Morality?"<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
recently noticed that it's been quite a while since I posted to the
blog, so here goes.<br /><br />My Facebook friend, Howard Prouty, posted
an article about a young woman in a dispute with her roommates who
was caught spitting in and otherwise contaminating the food of those
roommates. She is being prosecuted. Howard posited the legitimate
question, “How does an unbeliever develop a sense of morality? That
is my morning meditation.”<br /> <br />I responded:<br />Morality and
ethics are rational constructs. For an individual in true isolation,
they have no meaning or purpose. However, when a second individual is
introduced, a "society" is created. In order for that
society to flourish for any length of time, certain rules must be
established. "Not killing" is a perfectly logical first
step; without that admonition, your society quickly dwindles back to
"the one" and inevitable extinction (unless "the one"
learns an alternative means to procreate). Animals, even without our
faculty of speech, create rules for their offspring. “Listen to me
and do what you're told,” “Obey your elders,” "Don't shit
where you eat," etc. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
books of religion were written by men to explain and justify their
existence. They were used to articulate rational rules that would
control and maintain their society. Unfortunately, in every case, the
initial, rational rules become entwined in superstition, and fear of
the supernatural quickly becomes the rationale for adhering to the
rules. Once this transformation takes hold, then the most irrational
and foolish distortions become "written in stone" through
dogma and ritual.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Stripped
of their superstitious trappings, rules like "Do unto others as
you would have them do unto you," become perfectly reasonable
precepts by which to live.<br /><br />When Howard asked the question
again, I replied:<br />Why would anyone make the assumption that this
young woman was not steeped in religious training and religious
history? If she's Catholic, she'll be forgiven with a quick mea
culpa. If she's Muslim, she can claim they were infidels. If she's a
fundamentalist Christian, she can do anything she wants and twist a
scripture to justify her actions. If she's Jewish, she can claim that
they were a threat to her existence. If she's Hindu, they were
clearly lower caste. If she's Buddhist, she can claim that she
thought they were Muslims. If she's a Quaker..., well, then, she has
no excuse. If she'd been an atheist, she would have found better ways
of coping through the application of intellectual analysis, invoking
respect and problem solving to find a rational solution.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Another
commenter joined the conversation:</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;">“<span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tim...
that is an excellent reply. But it WILL get worse. It's a new day.
And any and all remnants of accountability for one's actions in life
are evaporating. Mankind has historically gotten off on public
torture and executions. Guillotines, hangings, the rack, slaves to
lions... but just as we as a race supposedly had evolved... a nation
born to be a world leader against tyranny and injustices or
persecution... set forth in the belief of freedoms and under the
banner "In God we trust"... we have regressed to basic
primitive "Godless" acts. This has happened to so many
now—in the form of our children. Technology begat advancement, and
while no one's watching... they murder in the name of an obscure
phenomenon called Slender Man. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It
isn't that man won't stop using their religious beliefs to justify
but that what little tether there was by acccountable morality has
been lost. Those who were to set the example gave in and joined the
party. With "progress" and advanced technology... we merely
expanded the options.”</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I
answered these reasonable observations in this way:<br /><br />I
understand your pessimism, Kerry. I, on the other hand, call myself
"the hopeful cynic." I do see a steady advancement, but as
with most progress, it is "two steps forward, one step back."
Many, if not most, of those gleefully inhumane forms of audience
entertainment that you enumerate were either done in the name of
religion or as a form of persecuting a particular religion. We
actually have moved past most of those barbarities. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As
you suggest, however, technology has certainly given us new means to
destroy each other in the name of God and Country. From bigger and
better guns and bombs to unmanned drone strikes, we continue the
killing spree nearly unabated. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
surge of fundamentalism that has recently grasped Christianity,
Islam, Judaism (the monotheistic religions) as well as Hinduism and
Buddhism (polytheistic) seem to be a sort of last gasp in defiance of
the steady march of true freedom: not the distorted "freedom to
discriminate and legislate against others based on a particular
religious bias," but the actual advancement of equality for
women, the advancement of equal justice for all races, the
advancement of rights for the LGBT community, the acceptance of the
right of every human being to a safer, healthier environment.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The
fundamentalist resurgence is a backlash against the transfer of power
reflecting the obvious fact that those who who have stacked the deck
aren't interested in having it reshuffled.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Do
I believe that the impulse for human depravity will ever be fully
eradicated? I haven't a clue. But I do believe that we have gone a
long way toward containing it, and it was the development of ideals
and principles designed to free governments and people from the
domination of the irrational excesses and oppression of religion and
aristocracy (also predicated on religion, i.e., "divine right")
upon which our country was founded.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Remember,
"In God We Trust" and "One nation UNDER GOD" were
only added to the money and the pledge in the 50's, and they were
added by some pretty rotten people to accomplish some pretty rotten
things. The merging of religion with capitalism, using the pulpit to
champion the triumph of the ruthless greed of the few and the
oppression of the many came about in the 1880's; it was under attack
from 1900-1920; it reemerged full throttle during the 20's, then
submerged during the 30's and 40's; it again held sway in the '50's;
it was lurking under the surface in the '60's; in the 70's it gained
momentum; and since the 80's it has been the dominant world view of
our preachers and our politicians. The irony is that people are
turning their backs on these false and oppressive expressions of
faith-based economies and religious fundamentalism. Hence, the
drastic measures to cling to power.</span></span></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #10131a;"><span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Technology
can be the bane or the salvation of mankind; it is not the technology
but mankind who will decide. I believe that the human race really
does have the potential to outgrow our petty and foolish adherence to
demagoguery and chicanery, superstition and destructive tradition. I
believe that we have the potential to not only learn to "do unto
others as we would have them do unto us," but that we actually
have the potential to choose to do so as well. </span></span></span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Times, serif;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: #10131a;">If
we don't annihilate ourselves first (which we certainly might choose
to do—a lot of people are making a lot of money facilitating that
possibility), we can learn to adopt an approach to life that says,
simply (though not easily accomplished), "Every day of my life,
I will strive to be better for myself, for other people, and for the
world." Repeat after me and teach it to your kids: "Every
day of my life, I will strive to be better for myself, for other
people, and for the world." It could have a much more profound
impact than either the misguidedly altered Pledge of Allegiance to
the Flag or the ubiquitous Lord's Prayer.</span></span></span></div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-64525751359817186822015-01-28T15:43:00.000-08:002015-01-28T15:43:13.660-08:00American Sniper and the Fallacy of "They Fight to Keep Us Free" <ul class="UFIList" data-reactid=".2t" style="color: #141823; list-style-type: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;">
<li class="UFIRow UFIComment display UFIComponent" data-ft="{"tn":"R6"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0" style="margin: 0px 12px; padding: 4px 0px; position: relative; word-wrap: break-word;"><div class="clearfix" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0" style="zoom: 1;">
<div class="" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right">
<div class="UFIImageBlockContent _42ef clearfix" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0" style="margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px 0px 0px 8px; zoom: 1;">
<div class="" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left">
<div class="UFICommentContentBlock" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0" style="padding-right: 12px; position: relative;">
<div style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0">This piece is the conjoining of two comments from Facebook. The first is a response to an eloquent and important observation by the excellent singer-songwriter, Nathan Bell, who began his post with this statement: "</span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">Somewhat lost in the furor over American Sniper is the simple fact that almost every person in this country lets these wars continue without a second thought and just ignores the fact that it is the children of OTHER people dying and being mentally and physically maimed while they go shopping, go to movies, and carry on." He ended his statement with this observation: "</span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;">We have another election cycle starting way too soon, and if we really want to fix the problems that movies like American Sniper bring out in the open we are going to have to vote out the militarists and the chicken hawks on both sides of the aisle."</span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 19px;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><span style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px;">Here are my comments.</span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px;">
<span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"> We have been constantly at war for over 14 years in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Pakistan, but it is nearly an invisible war. We hear nothing about the day to day efforts. We hear nothing about the</span></span><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0"> casualties: nothing about our soldiers; nothing about their soldiers; nothing about innocent civilians being killed. Nothing about the trillions of dollars that we have poured into these immoral wars. We just hear about the "DEFICIT" and the need to cut social programs because of it.</span><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$1:0" /><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$3:0" /><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$4:0">We have run literally thousands of air strikes and drone strikes in Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere, and the data suggests that at least 1/10 and as many as 1/5 of those killed were civilians. We hear NOTHING about it. Furthermore, I am afraid that we have so bought into the immoral notion of "acceptable collateral damage" and the overt political demonization of "them," that we might not care even if we did know the truth about our ugly little wars.</span><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$5:0" /><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$7:0" /><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">We ask both our military personnel and private mercenaries to do the bidding of those who profit from endless and pointless war, while we tacitly accept the fallacious fantasy that "our brave soldiers are fighting to KEEP US FREE!" Or, as that coward Lindsay Graham mewls, "So that we don't have to fight them here." Yet, the very people who promulgate the war—the politicians, pundits, and profiteers—while mouthing patriotic platitudes and verbal "support" for our veterans, actually slash many programs that are so necessary to serve the many needs of our veterans. </span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0"><br /></span></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">In line with the radical social and economic policies of Paul Ryan, Rand Paul, Ted Cruz, and the many others who argue that the social safety net harms the people who need it, they gleefully send people into war, then, to those who have had their legs blown off, they say, "Pull yourself up by your own bootstraps." And the American People have not raised their voices against these vicious, self-serving hypocrites.</span><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$9:0" /><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$11:0" /><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$12:0">We have become so partisan, so much of which is based on the most petty of pretenses, that the deep injustice and immorality of a profit-based invisible war may not even show up on the radar of the 2016 election. Since it is so intertwined with the "profits over people" philosophy, perhaps we can call it out and change it.</span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$3:0" /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
<div style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px;">
</div>
<div class="fsm fwn fcg UFICommentActions" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018495037492:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.3" style="clear: both; color: #9197a3; padding-top: 2px;">
</div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$0:0"><br /></span></span></span></span></span>
Here is my review of "American Sniper" from another thread, and in response to the claim that they are "keeping us free."</span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$3:0" /></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$4:0"><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<div style="background-color: #f6f7f8; line-height: 15px;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.0.$end:0:$4:0">Anyone is entitled to their opinion, but opinions that are not rooted in fact are merely ignorance and, in too many cases, danger</span></span><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$0:0">ous. This "commenter" says, "...you have no idea what it takes for this country to maintain our freedoms," when he is talking about the war in IRAQ, an illegal and immoral war based on proven, incontrovertible LIES, a war that destabilized a country and radicalized a population and a region; at the same time, our cowardly response to an attack by 20 people lead us to sacrifice our basic principles of honor and integrity, free speech and individual privacy, while destroying our economy.</span><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$1:0" /><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$3:0" /><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$4:0">I did see the movie, and it is well made. My guess is that Eastwood is actually a bit more subtle than the film's supporters suppose; in fact, I am fairly certain that most will miss the film's several deeper points. I have not read the book, but this film does not portray a shining hero (despite the accolades and moving portrayal of the real life individual in the epilogue); it portrays a very flawed man who is obsessed and deeply troubled. It depicts the powerful negative impact of war on the human psyche. The most moving part of the piece is a mother reading her son's last letter at his funeral (I don't want to give away who it is, but it is perhaps the most important statement in the film).</span><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$5:0" /><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$7:0" /><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$8:0">Finally, whether he intended it or not, the heart of Eastwood's film is basically just a mano y mano battle between an Iraqi sniper and an American sniper. My question to anyone is this: If the American sniper is a hero for the number of kills he made of men, women and children, is the Iraqi sniper also a hero, perhaps a greater hero, because he was actually protecting his homeland and his family from an invading army? If not, why not?</span><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$9:0" /><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$11:0" /><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$12:0">The major failure of the movie, and one that has been pointed out, is that it does not offer any historical context except a visceral reaction to the September 11, 2001, attacks. It makes the case for a man who wants to do his duty, serve his country, protect and save his comrades, but it never explores any justification of our actions in Iraq. Perhaps Eastwood expects his audience to have a sense of history; after all it was only 14 years ago. Unfortunately, this is the United States of Amnesia in which half of the country is still under the delusion that we attacked Iraq for two clear reasons, they had WMD's and they were responsible for 9/11. Both of those "reasons" were not merely "mistakes," they were KNOWING lies perpetrated on the American people, the Iraqi people, and the people of the world by many major figures in the Bush administration whose rapacious interest in Iraqi oil is well known. Without that context, heroism becomes a much easier fantasy to maintain.</span></span></span></span></span><span data-ft="{"tn":"K"}" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body"><span class="UFICommentBody" data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3"><span data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0"><br data-reactid=".2t.1:3:1:$comment10205018259111594_10205018632040917:0.0.$right.0.$left.0.0.1:$comment-body.0.3.0.$end:0:$3:0" /></span></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</li>
</ul>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-24572546013032054022014-11-11T10:54:00.000-08:002014-11-11T10:54:28.606-08:00Honoring All Veterans and Service Members, but, as always, One in Particular<div style="color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
I am posting this for friends and family who are not on Facebook and who may not have had a chance to see this.</div>
<div style="color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Honoring Veterans should not be a one day event, nor should it merely be a political photo op or an empty media gesture. As a nation, we should be vigilant about how our troops are deployed, how they are equipped, and of equal importance, how they are treated when they complete their duty and return to civilian life. Education, housing, medical care need to be improved substantially for veterans as with many other sectors of our society. </div>
<div style="color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
Although I am a conscientious objector who refused induction into the military during the Vietnam War, and although I have opposed every American military incursion since then on rational and moral grounds, I honestly and sincerely honor all my friends and former students who have served and who are serving in our military. If you serve with honor, you deserve to be honored.</div>
<div style="color: grey; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">
And, of course, as always, we are particularly proud to honor my father, Melvin Dayne McMullen, President of the Inland Empire Chapter of the Distinguished Flying Cross Society and former National Commander of CBIVA (China, Burma, India Veterans Association) who served as a nose gunner with the Flying Tigers in WWII.</div>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhXSCD6BJyhCzRuBnDIhg0KROwXy7eoI1LNEgLlHEsBFw6KbbXB_MC02x590dTkbiV3e5sn5zUFHke8BpagG9OdEiZtNLnlT53-M4SzELqzkVbLYxEQw3KZNk7US3wjJW8bb84_Oto7TF/s1600/Mel+in+Uniform.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQhXSCD6BJyhCzRuBnDIhg0KROwXy7eoI1LNEgLlHEsBFw6KbbXB_MC02x590dTkbiV3e5sn5zUFHke8BpagG9OdEiZtNLnlT53-M4SzELqzkVbLYxEQw3KZNk7US3wjJW8bb84_Oto7TF/s400/Mel+in+Uniform.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Mel McMullen, in uniform, circa 1944, from the book, <br /><i>When Tigers Roared</i>, by Jeffrey B. Greene.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvN0yz0EifiN0yoaFP1PhNJkGiE8QUTeYfaHNw8AwgBL5epEUROpevYjJAV_tj-SKHrx85WrRLvvd88mEANXH8H6qD7pkrd9QobF-Oq6vtIEEDJjIuhiuSvsYV8jyDMR7bwM6tmGnVlaz/s1600/Mel+&+Dragon+Lady+plane.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWvN0yz0EifiN0yoaFP1PhNJkGiE8QUTeYfaHNw8AwgBL5epEUROpevYjJAV_tj-SKHrx85WrRLvvd88mEANXH8H6qD7pkrd9QobF-Oq6vtIEEDJjIuhiuSvsYV8jyDMR7bwM6tmGnVlaz/s400/Mel+&+Dragon+Lady+plane.jpg" width="366" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Mel McMullen, nose turret gunner, in front of his crew's plane, DRAGON LADY, </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">circa 1943-44, from the book, <i>When Tigers Roared</i>, by Jeffrey B. Greene.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoVfw9q1poTNY1K70JrYneRvePy7NFIigUO2aBpANIycqF00e7Qp_iMCV8xSNOD2SOOdkJlU4SGeNvrZTnsMQJ49wAG2zvWAcUhlpX_0TkOuKxy8zv930UZFywETzKE1Qvko7bfxJk9Q3/s1600/Flying+Tiger+Patch.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsoVfw9q1poTNY1K70JrYneRvePy7NFIigUO2aBpANIycqF00e7Qp_iMCV8xSNOD2SOOdkJlU4SGeNvrZTnsMQJ49wAG2zvWAcUhlpX_0TkOuKxy8zv930UZFywETzKE1Qvko7bfxJk9Q3/s1600/Flying+Tiger+Patch.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Flying Tigers patch from the pages on Mel McMullen, in the book, <br /><i>When Tigers Roared</i>, by Jeffrey B. Greene.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAk4Ah3Jygvg1Y1JvvcIM_ZdYedUb9JhUDJ7P_op-5GW3ojCTXZN10UJ48R0SVTeXpNcz0BcgoPT5ZCCrwTpcXRANPHS7gLbxaol7tmzi5s1-FzkeLiw4axgPqZ8QIlYs1zjEiTAazYeo7/s1600/Mel+&+Friend+w:plan+model.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAk4Ah3Jygvg1Y1JvvcIM_ZdYedUb9JhUDJ7P_op-5GW3ojCTXZN10UJ48R0SVTeXpNcz0BcgoPT5ZCCrwTpcXRANPHS7gLbxaol7tmzi5s1-FzkeLiw4axgPqZ8QIlYs1zjEiTAazYeo7/s400/Mel+&+Friend+w:plan+model.jpg" width="278" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: Helvetica, Arial, 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; text-align: left;">Mel McMullen, on the right, National Commander of CBIVA, at a memorial gathering <br />(in China, I think? My parents can fill us in on this one).</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-83527394702165546202014-10-30T10:42:00.001-07:002014-10-30T10:42:41.993-07:00For A Good Time (another Halloween trick or treat?)<div style="color: #353535; font-size: 12.5px;">
FOR A GOOD TIME<br />
by Tim McMullen</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; min-height: 15px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #353535; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
His quiescence was shattered by the piercing shrillness of hideous laughter. He lifted his head slowly, painstakingly; a quaking chill ascended his spine as he did so. When his eyes finally focused, he surveyed his surroundings in startled disbelief. The shrieks and cackles sliced through the dense, musty atmosphere and assaulted his already frayed nerve-endings. The acrid smell of smoke and human odor flared his nostrils in a most obscene manner. He squinted through the murky air to the walls around him.</div>
<div style="color: #353535; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
Barely visible, the implements of destruction hung suspended from the walls and ceiling. A huge chain, each link fully as large as a human skull, had been attached to the wall at one end, while the other was fixed to a grotesque two-headed scythe sporting spade-shaped spikes at both ends. He shuddered as his gaze fell upon savage metal hooks which could shred a man's flesh like a plow in a field of jello. Then he saw the murderous wooden clubs that could mash a man to a bloody pulp. The wailings of the other victims pierced his groggy senses as he stared in slack-jawed wonderment. Wiping the sweat from his forehead with his forearm, he let the arm linger there in an attempt to block out the scene.</div>
<div style="color: #353535; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
Wilton Fischler blinked his eyes rapidly, threw back his head, splayed his fleshy lips in a piscatorial grin, and liberated a resounding belch. Ducking his head sheepishly, he admitted to himself that he was more drunk than he had thought.<span style="font-size: 12px;"> </span><span style="color: #323333;">After some moments of silent embarrassment, he surveyed the wavering room again.</span></div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
It was nearly pitch dark, or so it seemed to him, with only the flicker of a few candles on distant tables. Given his present state of inebriation, it was understandable that the nautical paraphernalia strewn around the walls had taken on a different and much more ominous shape in his eyes. The anchor, the grappling irons, and the belaying pins had been drunkenly metamorphosed into the sinister and threatening instruments he had seen; hence, the torture-chamber effect.</div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
"I guessh I better get outa' here while I shtill can!" he mumbled, scratching the thinning fringe of brownish hair at the back of his head with a vacant look. It had been a tough week; sales were way down, and, more particularly, he had "the horn." In fact, it was the old "manly urge" that had propelled him to this little bar on the wharf, but thus far his overtures had encountered firm rebukes and little else.</div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
<span style="color: black;">"To </span>hell with 'em!" he murmered. His hand fell to his right pant leg, and he felt on the outside of his pocket for a moment; then, reassured, he patted the spot and said, "Who needs these broads, anyway?" He lowered his gaze to the table for a moment and then began lifting the empty glasses, bottles, and cocktail napkins that lay scattered on the table, obviously searching in vain. <span style="color: black;">"It </span>must be around here shumwhere," he insisted. "Here, little Billy-willy! Here, little bill."</div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 24.9px;">
Howls of laughter rose from the youngsters at the next<span style="color: #353535; font-size: 12px;"> </span>booth.</div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
"Wha' sho funny?" Wilton muttered as he rose to leave. He painstakingly pulled his wallet from the breast pocket of his shiny, blue, serge suit and carefully removed a twenty-dollar bill which he then place neatly and methodically on the table, exclaiming, "That should cover the damages, my dear,"· to no one in particular. He turned slowly and searched for the dull green light of the exit.</div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
Upon turning h<span style="color: #494949;">is </span>head, he found that the room, in a fit of uncooperativeness, had begun to spin around him in a most disorienting and disconcerting manner. He grabbed hold of the table in an attempt to steady his equilibrium back down to the familiar, easy rolling which he generally equated with such wet evenings.</div>
<div style="color: #323333; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
Gradually, the walls began to assume a more reasonable shape, and the floor flattened itself into a semi-walkable surface. Wilton launched himself on a course which he hoped would lead him through the maze of tables and patrons toward the back of the place; once there, he counted on finding a rear exit. He had some trouble negotiating the path, and more than one table corner reached out to jostle him rudely; nevertheless, despite all of the pratfalls thrown at him by the unfriendly room, he eventually made his way to the rear of the establishment. Here he found himself confronted with the specter of a long, desolate hallway, illumined dingily by the glow of two red neon signs.</div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
<span style="color: #323333;">One sign had a quite familiar message; he read and comprehended it almost immediately. It said "M-E-N."</span><span style="color: #353535; font-size: 12px;"> </span>Undaunted by the darkened hallway, he propelled himself toward the men's room. Upon reaching the door, however, he found that the second glowing sign was now readable. He gaped up at it in unequivocal astonishment. There, in bright, red-lit letters,was the word, <span style="color: #323333;">"</span>OMEN.<span style="color: #323333;">"</span></div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
Wilton felt the word register in his besotted brain slowly, as if some slug-footed insect had to transport the message from his eyes to his mind. When this torpid courier finally completed its commission, the import was clear: He, Wilton Fischler, was to be the recipient of some form of special warning. He readied himself by extending his left arm toward the door frame in an attempt to calm the almost convulsive trembling which wracked his unwilling body. Unfortunately, as his hand reached the door, his arm gave an involuntary lurch, said lurch being just sufficientt o swing open said door. Tumbl<span style="color: #4e4e4e;">ing </span>helplessly through the opening, he twisted instinctively so as to land in a sitting position. He sat, visibly jarred (pickled, as it were), staring at the luminous soothsayer flashing fierily in the distance.</div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
After some moments, he perceived that its message was changing. First, the sign had gone out, leaving him in near darkness. It returned, however, displaying the same word as before, <span style="color: #323333;">"</span>OMEN.<span style="color: #323333;">"</span> Then it blinked out, suddenly, only to reappear with a new image. He rubbed his eyes and read the new word carefully. Emblazoned in scarlet luminescence, it glowered ominously: <span style="color: #323333;">"</span>WOMEN!<span style="color: #323333;">"</span> Again it flashed and was gone. Finally, the full intent of the transmission was articulated as the sign began to change rapidly back and forth, from one word to the other, each pausing for a second and then giving way to its counterpart.<span style="color: #353535; font-size: 12px;"> </span>Still he sat in the men's room doorway staring up at the gleaming edict. </div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
<span style="color: #323333;">"</span>OMEN<span style="color: #323333;">"</span> [pause] <span style="color: #323333;">"</span>WOMEN<span style="color: #323333;">"</span> [PAUSE] <span style="color: #323333;">"</span>OMEN<span style="color: #323333;">"..."</span>WOMEN<span style="color: #323333;">"</span>...<span style="color: #323333;">"</span>OMEN!<span style="color: #323333;">"</span></div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
After another thirty seconds, the message winked out and did not return. With its final flash, he felt his stupor subside significantly. A fierce spasm contracted his scrotum, threatening to retract his testicles permanently. Fischler jerked his knees toward his chest and fumbled helplessly at his pants.</div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
"Oh, Jeez' ...Oh, Jeez'...Le'mme alone!" he cried. Only then did he realize exactly where he was sitting. He pulled himself up and staggered out of the doorway to the other side of the hall just as two young women emerged from the portal beneath the recently expired oracle. Standing on tiptoe with his back to the wall, Wilton pressed his behind and his sweaty, outstretched palms against the wall of the dingy hallway in an effort to escape the reach of the two approaching females.</div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
"No! N-N-O<span style="color: #484848;">-O-O! </span>Huh-uh...Huh-uh…Huh-uh!<span style="color: black;">" h</span>e shook his head as he chanted his terrified incantation in their direction.</div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 12.5px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
As they passed, the blonde nymphet in the floral-fishnet stockings whispered to the vixen in the leatherette mini-skirt. Gales of giggles accompanied their return to the smoky bar. Frantically, Wilton plumbed the depths of his right front pocket. With a gasp of deliverance, he plucked the scrap from his pants, and with trembling hands he gingerly unfolded the paper and held it before him. It resembled the silhouette of a human bust,<span style="color: #353535; font-size: 12px;"> </span>but Fischler, the Wary, knew better; it was, in fact, the center of one of those toilet seat covers, the useless part that trails down in the water and sucks the ring into the toilet when it's flushed.</div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
There, in the middle of the oval, was the telephone number he had scrawled down off the restroom wall several hours earlier. In a flurry of frantic fingers and flying paper, he shredded the scatological memorandum and its now dreaded contents. Finally, flinging the confetti over his shoulder with cavalier flair, Wilton, the Wise, caromed past his extinguished savior and, braving the frigid blast of air which blew by him as he pushed the handle of the rear door, lurched confidently out into the brisk darkness of the expectant night.</div>
<div style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 12px; min-height: 15px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
<br /></div>
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
©1985 Tim McMullen</div>
<br />
<div style="color: #343434; font-size: 13px; text-indent: 23.6px;">
All rights reserved</div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681760858608788240.post-72277724011701133022014-10-30T09:25:00.001-07:002014-10-30T09:26:28.791-07:00Crack-Up (Another original story for Halloween) <div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
CRACK-UP
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
by Tim McMullen</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"One...two...three candles!" cried Jenny Ashton. "C'mon,
everybody, let's sing. Then you can blow the candles out, Willie."
Her thin lips punctuated around a wide grin, she raised her slender,
mauve-tipped hands in unison and then dropped them for the downbeat.
"Happy Birthday to you .... "
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
On the cul-de-sac where the Ashton family lived, Willie's older
brother, Jeffrey, with his precocious, "TV kid" quips and
his dark, tousled hair fringing grinning grey-green eyes, had
achieved something akin to "star-status." In this new
tract, where ancient oaks had ultimately acquiesced to a baneful
sprawl of beige boxes, Jeffrey had been the first of the block's new
batch to walk, the first to talk, and, by the age of three, the first
to read. At about this time, perhaps even in celebration of his
future brother's feat, little William had been conceived.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Gazing up from his infant's crib on his first day home from the
hospital, Willie had gurgled happily into his brother's anxious face.
Jeffrey proffered a tentative finger to the tiny pink alien, and it
grasped the extended digit in its wrinkled little fist and bubbled
with delight.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"This baby is my brother," a beaming Jeffrey had announced
to his elated parents.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
From his earliest months, Willie had loved the sound of people. Music
boxes, rattles, musical mobiles, and other devices designed to engage
infant attention were equally ineffectual. For this reason, story
telling emerged as a major preoccupation for the Ashton household.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
A discomfited, wailing Willie became a cooing, sedate Willie at the
drop of a "Once upon a time...." Although initially
entranced by <i>all</i> the stories which were recited to him, first
by his parents
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
and, later, by his
brother Jeffrey, the toddler became especially enchanted by the
fantastic visions of Lewis Carroll and the Brothers Grimm. His
narrators, particularly Jeffrey, responded by filling his nighttime
wanderings with dragons, goblins, beasts, and monsters.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
By the time he was two years old, Willie had been initiated into the
Secret Society of the Supernatural; its founder and only other member
was his brother, Jeffrey. Starting with traditional superstitions
like ladders, black cats, and sidewalk cracks, Jeffrey quickly became
expert at inventing little diversions of imagination which could
utterly thrill and, ultimately, terrify his little brother. Jeffrey
was both his teacher and his tormentor. Willie knew that Jeffy had
been scolded repeatedly for "scaring the pants off" him, as
well as the other neighborhood kids, but the scoldings neither
deterred Jeffrey's creations nor jaded William's credulity.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Despite the air of festivity and excitement surrounding Willie's
third birthday, Jeffrey seemed distracted; he even mumbled to
himself, as if he were trying to recall some misplaced or forgotten
something. Willie had wondered about his brother's curious behavior
several times. At dinner he had almost asked Jeffrey why he was
looking at him so funny, but his father had asked him a question and
the moment passed.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Willie was very excited at dinner, and he received several jovial
reprimands about speaking with his mouth full. Despite his obvious
anxiety, it had been decided that the dinner dishes should be cleaned
up before Willie opened his birthday presents.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
While the others were busy, Willie sidled in and surveyed the shared
kingdom of his and Jeffrey's bedroom. His blue, He-Man blanket
dripped a corner off of the bottom bunk and onto the floor. He
crossed to the bed, lifted the wayward corner, and pulled the blanket
toward him. Draping it over his shoulders, he tied two of the ends
around his neck and flung the rest of the blanket cape-like behind
him.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Alone in Castle Greyskull, he again turned his attention to his
surroundings. Before him loomed the magical enchanted tower where the
evil ones held the princess. Grabbing his sword, HeMan made a daring
leap for the ladder that lead up to the tower. His foot slipped on
the rung, and he nearly plunged down into the moat where the
alligators and dragons swam hungrily, but he clung bravely and began
to climb. At the fifth rung he stopped and turned his head to look
over his shoulder.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Wow!" he gasped under his breath.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Willie had never viewed his world from the vantage of his brother's
top bunk. This ascent had been strictly forbidden by both his parents
and his brother, and he had never dared venture up the ladder for
fear of being caught; the height of the perch had also been a
significant deterrent. But the cape and the sword had propelled him
upward, and now he gazed out on virgin territory.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
He eyed the dresser with particular interest. The dresser top was too
tall for him, so he kept his bank and his other personal possessions
on the little orange plastic table beneath the window at the foot of
the bed. Occasionally, he had pulled out the bottom dresser drawer
and used it for a step up to the top, but he'd never dared more than
a few seconds' peek before he jumped down. Now, from the top of the
bunk ladder, he could see everything.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Jeffrey kept a blue pig filled with pennies and nickels; it was there
in the far corner standing guard over Jeffrey's possessions. A
plastic tortoise-shell comb and brush set nestled beneath the pig. To
their right lay a pile of objects. Willie couldn't identify
everything, but the ring of keys, the marbles, and the bits of string
suggested the probable importance of the other objects. Suddenly,
though surrounded by the other things, and undoubtedly hidden on
purpose, a black plastic whistle poked its snout out from the pile.
It looked like a real playground whistle, the shrill warbling kind
like they used at the park.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Willie found that his feet were entangled in his cape as he hastened
to descend, so he paused for a moment, untied the blanket, and let it
drop to the floor. Birthday avarice in his eyes and the whistle in
his mind, he pulled out the first two drawers in stair-step fashion
and clambered up onto the dresser top. He carefully extricated the
whistle from beneath the pile. It had a cord looped through the hole
at the end, and he delicately slid his head through its noose. He let
the whistle dangle on his stomach for a moment, then he brought it
slowly to his lips. The whistle wheezed a muffled chirp from Willie's
breathing, and he quickly clapped his hand over it. Carefully holding
his breath, he clamped the whistle tightly between his teeth and
looked at himself in the dresser mirror.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Hey, you kids, stop that, he shouted silently, then he held the
whistle and blew an imaginary blast on it. The kids stopped
instantly, and Willie viewed himself proudly in the mirror.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Watch out, Willie!" Jeffrey suddenly cried from the
doorway. The whistle shrieked in Willie's mouth, and he nearly
toppled off the dresser.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"You must be crazy! Did you check for cracks, Willie? Did you?"
Jeffrey demanded in frightened tones.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Wha...what?" whimpered the confused child, spinning from
the mirror in alarm.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Jeffrey grabbed Willie, pulled him down from the dresser, and placed
him emphatically on the floor.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"What cracks?" Willie ventured hesitantly. "The
cracks! The mirror cracks! They might have got you, Willie. You might
have been a goner if I hadn't caught you!"
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
The little boy's face worked and wrinkled itself to the verge of
terrified, trembling tears, but the older boy put his arm around his
brother, reassuring and calming him.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"It's okay now, Willie...it's okay," he whispered earnestly
and hugged his shoulder. "It's okay. I was just afraid that that
might have been one of the mirrors of death." He paused to allow
the weight of his words to sink into the credulous consciousness of
the little boy.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"M-M-Mirrors of death?" came the inevitable reply.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Sure, haven't you heard of them? I guess nobody told you 'cuz
you were too little. They don't get little kids. They can't get you
until you're at least three years old." After another pointed
pause, he continued. "That's why I shouted 'cuz now you're
three, and they can have you if they want!”</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Who? Who can have me, Jeffy?"</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"The people in the mirror. The...uh...mirror monsters!! The ones
who've been trapped inside and can't get out."</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Inside the mirror? How, Jeffy? It's too thin, isn't it?"
he asked, regarding the mirror warily.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Jeffrey! Willie!" Their mother's voice startled them, and
Willie jumped. "What are you boys doing? You're so quiet!"
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Nothing," Jeffrey answered, "We're just playing."
There was a long silence while they listened to their mother
puttering in the kitchen.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Willie, you remember Wonderland, and Alice and the White
Rabbit, don't you?"
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Y-Y-Yes...."</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Well, don't you remember her other story of the Looking Glass
room, where everything 's backwards?" William nodded, and
Jeffrey continued, "Well, that was just a story, of course, but
some of those things are true. About the mirror was real, only that's
not how it happens. Inside the mirror world it's not as happy as
Alice, and you can't just step through like she did; but on the other
side, they sit and watch and stare at us, just waiting for someone
they can take."
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"H-How do they do it?" William had taken several steps back
from the mirror, and he now gazed intently into Jeffrey's earnest
face.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"They do it like this," said Jeffrey. "They watch and
wait for something to happen. They wait for a mirror to crack, or if
they are <i>really</i> strong, they crack it themselves from the
inside. They try to keep the cracks as small as possible so's no one
will notice."
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
William sat with his back against their bunk bed and began to cuddle
himself into a blue He-Man cocoon created by the blanket which he had
plucked from the floor. He sucked on a soggy satin corner of the
cocoon, eyes widened in unquestioning incredulity.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Then, when someone comes up to one of their mirrors with the
little cracks, they get ready. If the person gets too close or stays
too long, then they've got him."
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Jeffrey grabbed William's arm. The little boy jumped and sucked in
breath between his teeth.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"You can't get away, and they hold you and pull you until they
suck you right into the mirror. But that's not the worst!" The
younger boy trembled, and Jeffrey released his arm. "When they
suck you through," he whispered, "they like pull you all
inside out!" Jeffrey accompanied this narrative with a pantomime
of frantic tugging and a graphic slurping noise. "Your brain
and...and your guts and everything are on the outside of your body.
Then you have to be with the people on the inside... always."
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Why don't we just break the mirrors so those people can't get
out?" asked William, squinting hesitantly from the depths of his
blue cocoon.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"What, are you crazy? That's seven year's bad luck! You know
why? Because when you break a mirror, you let the mirror people have
a lot more power," Jeffrey snorted condescendingly.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Then, what do we do?</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Just be careful! Don't look too long or stand too close to a
mirror, and don't be BAD...because they always take mean, bad
people...and always remember to check for cracks. Anyway, this mirror
is okay, because I've checked it carefully now, and it's okay."</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
William sat thoughtfully, without speaking, and filed away the
information in his three-year-old brain. He glanced sideways at the
mirror and then back at his brother. Jeffrey had to look away to keep
from laughing, but Willie read the gesture.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
With a particularly dramatic facial contortion meant to convey his
deep disgust, Willie emitted a condescending snort of his own and
then clucked his tongue on the back of his teeth in a "Tsk"
of disbelief.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Willie!" his mother cried suddenly from some distant room.
"Come in here, Sweetie, let's open your birthday gifts.</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Okay!" the little boy yelled. He flashed an angry look at
his brother, and Jeffrey burst into hysterical laughter. Willie
turned and left the room, but he snuck back stealthily and peeked
around the door jamb.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Jeffrey stood looking into the mirror, and Willie knew that Jeffrey
was ridiculing him. He was pretending to be his little brother, and
he approached the mirror with a look of mock dread. He inched closer
and closer, laughing aloud at his "Wary Willie" imitation.
Finally, he pressed his nose against the glass and leaned his right
brow against it as well.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Hello! Is anybody there? Come in...come in...HELLO!"</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Humiliated, Willie turned from the doorway and retreated from the
sound of his brother's derisive laughter.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
"Stupid Jeffrey! I'll never believe him again, not ever!"
he whimpered. A sharp pain swelled in his throat and a tear pooled in
his eye as he relived his betrayal. "I hate you! I hate you and
I wish you..." Willie stopped himself. Never before had he
uttered such angry words, and as he spoke, he felt the hatred flow
from his body like the oil he had seen his dad drain out of the car.
He ungritted his teeth and unclenched his fists, but the ache in his
throat merely crawled down into his chest, and he stopped at the end
of the hall and cried softly.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
When it came, the scream was so incomprehensible yet so overwhelming
that Willie was reflexively flung against the wall. The sound
conveyed a sense of pain so much beyond human endurance as to be
inconceivable, yet before it had ceased its wail, Willie was on his
feet and sprinting for his room.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
Without thinking, he ran to the dresser and climbed up on the bottom
drawer which he had left open. By this time only one leg barely
protruded from the mirror above the dresser. Willie grabbed for it
and clung on with every ounce of his three-year-old might. The leg
recoiled convulsively, as if trying to kick free, and Jeffrey's shoe
carne off in his hands as Willie tumbled backward onto the floor.
</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
When Jenny and Alan Ashton came running into the room, they found
Willie sitting at the foot of the dresser, sobbing, with Jeffrey's
dirty sneaker pressed to his chest.
</div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
©1985 Tim McMullen</div>
<div style="line-height: 115%; margin-bottom: 0in; text-indent: 0.29in;">
All Rights Reserved<br />
<br /></div>
Tim McMullenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15557278156583310231noreply@blogger.com0