Tuesday, February 3, 2026

Who Are We Really?

 

 

 Look closely, "The words of the prophets are written in the Subway walls."

--Simon and Garfunkle

Who Are We Really?

We are little spark plugs, but maybe not running at full capacity.

And an egomaniac who lives in the White House is running amok on my computer. Now he is threatening to take away elections. What? What? What? What? What?!

I was on my way here to talk about a movie when I ran into that.

It’s hard to have fun anymore.

But look-it here, we have some clever people in our country.

 

The movie? 

Oh yeah. My first though was to skip it. I was prepared not to like it. A review said that, while they found the acting excellent, they didn’t like the movie. And notice that the first Wicked movie received 10 Academy Award nominations, while WICKED for good received none.

YET THAT MOVIE WAS SPOT ON.

It so accurately depicted our present state, you would think it was written for us specifically, yet it was published in 1995. I can’t believe it.  

The two principal players, Cynthia Erivo (the witch) and Aviana Grande (Glinda), were superb, and the casting of Jeff Goldblum was genius. His performance was genius. That speech seemed written for Goldblum—and for now.

No more, go see it.

 

  

“We must be willing, individually and as a nation, to accept whatever sacrifices may be required of us. A people that values its privileges above its principles soon loses both.”

--Dwight D. Eisenhower


This is what perseverance and dedication looks like:

 

 

 

Sunday, February 1, 2026

The Heart Knows

 


Spiritual Warriors

Last night I went to bed with joy swelling in my heart. For I had watched the awakening of America, and I felt proud once again to be an American.

I understand how we have felt beaten down. Once I saw a movie where, in a Nazi concentration camp, a man was stripped naked, tied to a post as tribal hunters would bring home a fresh kill, sprayed with water, and allowed to freeze to death.

The inmates were forced to watch.

I was screaming inside, " Rush him, you are more than him, rush the man with the hose, the man with the gun. He will only shoot one or two of you before the rest overpowers him.

But who wants to be the first?

You need a unified group behind you. Otherwise, you are just another dead idealist.

We value our lives and want to live. And if the one inmate had spoken, had suggested the overrun, he would have been a goner, and the others would be back in fear and captivity.

We needed a small group of warriors to silently walk for peace. To stir our hearts to health and hope once again.

 


 

And the I.C.E  killings lit the spark that exists in the hearts of many of us, that we aren’t going to take it anymore.

 


https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUMXkqbjYyv/

And this is only a part of the people. They are taking to the streets in LA, San Diego, Boston, all over. We are watching history—we are always making history, but this is unprecedented. I began copying photos to save for posterity and to share. (It’s all over Instagram—for that’s where people are photographing and posting, and where you see kind hearts all over the place. People have lined up for 7 miles to praise the Monks on their 2,300-mile hike for peace. But if you aren’t watching Instagram, you can miss it.

This morning, my surging heart dropped a notch when I turned on my computer and saw nothing about the marches, the assemblages of people all over America who say, “We aren’t going to take it anymore.” I did see that a judge issued a ruling on I.C.E.’s presence in Minnesota.

 

“U.S. District Judge Katherine Menendez denied a request from Minnesota officials for a temporary restraining order, despite acknowledging what she described as “profound and even heart breaking” consequences for communities in the state.”

She said “those are not the only harms to be considered,” however.

“The Eighth Circuit has recently reiterated that entry or injunction barring the federal government from enforcing federal law imposes significant harm on the government,” the judge wrote.”

 “Significant harm on the government?!!! Brother! Hey, did you notice, I.C.E. is killing people, and the government is blaming the victims? And the President will not intervene in a Democratic jurisdiction unless they say, "Please." Silly me, I thought we were a two party system.

 

There is a sign over the door at the Cardo Rehab Gym at the River Bend Hospital in Springfield, Oregon that reads:

“The heart can do anything.”

 


P.S. I have opened a New Newsletter, and for the past four days have posted small comments. I would love it if you would join me. 


click on the image


 


 

This is what commitment looks like: