CAMELOT NO MORE

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Back in the day, not that long ago, the United States was thought of as Camelot.

We were thought of as the greatest country in the world. We were admired and respected by all of our allies, and feared and coveted by those who weren’t.

Not anymore. Currently we are ridiculed and questioned at every turn, by friend and foe alike. The world fears us more than its enemies.

How did this happen? Our country has turned into a space where truth is optional and common decency is no more, at the highest level of government. Cruelty and stupidity is the word of the day.

We listen to a man who is a cruel stupid bully who does whatever he wants, at any cost to other humans, and his followers normalize it. In fact they celebrate it, calling him the best president ever. His followers are less than half of our population, but they allow it. We all do. We do nothing to stop this train that is running off the tracks.

We have the power to do so. We have built-in checks and balances to prevent this. However, we do not use it. Our elected officials, our congress, who are supposed to work for us, the people, are afraid to displease him. Let me say that again. Our congress is AFRAID of our president.

A democracy has rules to guarantee civil liberties and human rights in addition to competitive elections. Presidential democracy is a system where the public elects the president through an election. The president serves as both the head of state and head of government controlling most of the executive powers. The president serves for a specific term and CANNOT EXCEED THAT AMOUNT OF TIME. The legislature often has limited ability to remove a president from office. Elections typically have a fixed date and are not easily changed. The president has direct control over the cabinet, specifically appointing the cabinet members.[208]

The executive usually has the responsibility to execute or implement legislation and may have the limited legislative powers, such as a veto. However, a legislative branch passes legislation and budgets. This provides some measure of separation of powers. In consequence, however, the president and the legislature may end up in the control of separate parties, allowing one to block the other and thereby interfere with the orderly operation of the state. We are seeing this now, with government closures. We are being held hostage.

He is a gangster. He runs an organization of organized crime and commits criminal acts. He does not follow even the most basic rules. He tears down buildings and starts wars with aplomb. He threatens others to get his way. He is the worst kind of criminal.

A serious problem occurs when we have a gangster running the country, in his own demented way. I pray to God every day to save us from this evil, as he is the only one who can. We have proved ourselves, collectively, too weak.

ICE, ICE BABY

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A woman was killed this week. Shot in the face THREE times. Can you imagine? Especially what the aftermath would look like? I guess that’s why the shooter ran to his car immediately and drove away. Too grossed out by his own actions to stay and try to help.

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This was an unnecessary death. The many videos show that. A nosy lesbian got all up in ICE’s face and deserved it. Right? I mean, the ICE agent called her a F*cking Bitch right after. And ICE is RIGHT, right? And then he ran away. He did not stick around to justify, or back up, his actions. He did NOT get run over, HE RAN AWAY. I’ve always heard, if you run, you are guilty. That’s why so many criminals get shot in the back.

The other agents left behind REFUSED to allow a doctor to help her. Said they had their own people. Which were WAY too late. Can you imagine what this poor woman looked like, after being shot in the face THREE times. Once wasn’t enough. Neither was twice. THREE times was the right amount for that F*ucking Bitch who dared to speak to him.

There are multiple videos of this henious act. One taken by her wife. Can you imagine what she saw? What she felt?

Yet the administration feels she deserved it. I mean, come on, she ran over a police officer! Who moments later was able to shoot her in face THREE times, and then run away from the scene of his crime.

All my Trumpster friends seem to think she deserved it. I have been taken to task on Facebook about it. Go ahead. Make up more lies. Like Trump has said, he could shoot someone in the middle of 5th Ave and still be elected President. Actually, he has done much worse, and was elected. Twice. Yay for Trumpsters. Nothing but liars.

Jan, what do mean, he has done much worse? Too many things to list, but the major killer was denying all the Covid 19 death and withholding the Vaccine. Many deaths on his hands. Besides that, he is a liar, rapist, arrogant, ignorant, narcissistic, racist ignorant bully. I find it difficult to name one good thing he has done in his life. One good thing that has actually benefited someone other than him. His immigrant wives don’t count. Speaking of which, why was Ivana buried on his golf course? Was she in the coffin? Or was the coffin filled with other “stuff”?

How did we get here? Where does this end?

I personally think it will get worse. Much worse. Have you read Project 25? You should.

Many people have become afraid of Police Officers, who are supposed to Serve and Protect. But now we have ICE agents wearing Police uniforms. THEY ARE NOT POLICE OFFICERS AND SHOULDN’T BE GOING AROUND SHOOTING PEOPLE! Even Gov Waltz of Minnesota said “What we’re seeing is the consequences of governance designed to generate fear, headlines and conflict,” Walz said on Wednesday. “It’s governing by reality TV and today that recklessness cost someone their life.”

Thank goodness Kristi Noem wasn’t on the scene, or Good’s dog would be dead too, like her owner, who must have been untrainable and worthless.

GOFUNDME accounts have been very active. The account for Good has been closed after reaching more than $1.5 million. An account for the ICE agent who shot her has reached $350,000 so far for his legal defense. Quite a difference, which is telling, no?

Is this what our world has become? We must obey at all cost. What does this remind you of?

I’m sick….now what?

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A couple of my good friends are having surgery….again. It sucks so much to have to wait for days/weeks/months! It took me 5 months total to get my back ablation done, and I was in so much frickin’ pain during that time……but let me tell you a little story….

I like to watch Doctor/Hospital shows on TV. I got hooked on shows from England. Now don’t forget, they have NHS, National Health Care Service. The first show I watched was about Emergency Dept. They have a strict policy on in, out, surgery, or the ward, within 4 hours. They typically met their goal. I was quite impressed, as in the US the wait times in ER can be very long.

BUT…..then I watch a show about the doctors. Surgical doctors, specifically. If you came from the ER, you would mostly like have surgery same day or next day. How do they manage that so quickly? Well, let’s take a look at a typical scenario. Say you had a knee or hip replacement scheduled for months now. YOU will be the FIRST ones bumped for emergency surgeries. Sometimes more than once, and most likely after you have already planned ahead for stuff and had arrived at the hospital and WERE IN A GOWN waiting to be called back. Brutal. That stuff is painful.

So let’s talk about cancer surgery. They get first dibs at non-ER surgeries, so they maybe have to wait a couple of months. If there are no other options, CANCER SURGERIES will be delayed too.
Not only brutal, but could be life threatening as well. Delays mean the cancer cells could still be growing and probably are.

So it’s not all sunshine and lollypops to have “cheaper” insurance, because it is NOT necessary cheaper. You could die waiting, and many do. There is an acceptable level for that. Yes, there really is. Also, it is NOT FREE as many people here think. You are taxed for the NHS. Yep. The government always gets its cut, no matter where you live.

So let’s talk about the good ole USA, from two perspectives. First a big city or wealthy suburb. Second we will talk about more rural areas. I’ve live in both.

So. big city. I lived near Chicago, and also near wealthy suburbs. For big deal surgeries you could go to a big city hospital, Like University of Chicago or Northwestern in downtown Chicago. You could also go to Lake Forest Hospital (very wealthy) which is now another Northwestern hospital. If you are an established patient, wait times not long at all. Emergency, really fast

Rural areas. I live in Tennessee now. Has good doctors, especially in Nashville (Vanderbilt) and Knoxville (UT). Had to go to Vanderbilt for specialized leg surgery. Took several months to get booked, then booking surgery. Not bad, right? But don’t forget, this is NASHVILLE. Big City. Figure at least 2 hours drive time each way, multiple visits necessary, etc. etc., maybe a hotel stay. $$$$$$$$. Also, same for Knoxville, just not quite as far. My Larry got in to see the top Knee Replacement guy in January, and finally had his surgery Memorial Day weekend. He was cancelled several times. So say 5 months of pain and suffering. Local ER here? Up to 12 hours in waiting room. Sometimes even if you come by ambulance. Luckily the last time, I came by ambulance, but was near death, so they took me right away. I only had Sepsis, lol. (Bad shit, BTW). But docs here take good care of my Diabetes and Crohn’s, for the most part.

2 different perspectives, from 2 different parts of the world. There are other parts of this world that use neither. I cannot speak to those, but some I’m sure are horrific.

Only the strong survive, no matter where you live.

Roe vs Wade

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Based on the leaked opinion of the SCOTUS, it appears that abortion will be struck down.

The last few Justices, which were conservative, testified before their confirmations that they accepted Roe v Wade as law. But at their first chance, they voted it down.

I am conflicted on this matter. As a Christian, I don’t believe in abortion, IN MOST CASES. I feel that if you CHOOSE to have sex, then you CHOOSE to get pregnant, and then you CHOOSE to have a baby.

Now, I am not a purist per se, I know that many people experiment with sex at an early age, and perhaps are not well versed in contraceptions available. There are many teenage births. And many teenage abortions. Actually, women get abortions at all ages. Here’s a thought. How many men would stick around and pay child support from the moment of conception onward? Not many. Maybe THAT should be a new law. Nah, never get passed. Too many men rule the world.

My mother scared the bee Jesus out of me about sex. I made it all through college as a virgin. I never had sex of ANY kind until I met my husband at the age of 21. Even then I knew to practice contraception as both our careers were starting out. I did have a miscarriage in my late twenties, and that was it for me. I was divorced soon after.

So as you can see, I believe that people should take precautions about having babies. So let’s pretend everyone does, and there is no need for abortions anymore.

Now let’s stalk about the people that DO want babies. That are pregnant and something catastrophic happens. Let’s say an ectopic pregnancy. Per the Cleveland Clinic, an ectopic pregnancy is a medical emergency. The uterus is uniquely suited to hold a growing fetus. It’s an organ that can stretch and expand as the fetus grows. Your fallopian tubes aren’t as flexible. They can burst as the fertilized egg develops. When this happens, you can experience large amounts of internal bleeding. This is life threatening. An ectopic pregnancy needs to be treated right away to avoid injury to the fallopian tube, other organs in the abdominal cavity, internal bleeding and death. An ectopic pregnancy is fatal for the fetus. It cannot survive outside of the uterus. Quick treatment for an ectopic pregnancy is important to protect the mother’s life. So if the fetus is aborted, is this considered an abortion? Or murder? Even though the fetus is not viable?

What about the cases of severely deformed or deficient babies that will die soon after birth, but suffer before then? Or genetic diseases? There are so many tests available now, that parents can find out most everything about their baby. And also choose whether to continue the pregnancy. Is it ok to abort a baby that will never survive, or thrive?

If the babies are born, how long will the parents stick around to take care of it? Most end up in special facilities to care for the child. Who pays for this? Can we afford it? Its money worth more than a life?

So what are the social effects of birth defects?

Caring for a child with a birth defect can negatively impact the physical and mental health of parents and caregivers. Many parents experience significant depression, fear and anxiety, which may have a devastating effect on the whole family if left untreated. Add in financial woes and divorce.

I only hope they leave contraceptives alone. Otherwise I’m not sure how many illegal abortions will be performed, or unwanted babies born. Crikey

This is truly a hot topic. I am not qualified to judge who should or should not get an abortion. However, I do not feel that a bunch of men should decide what a women does with her own body. I feel it is the woman’s choice, and is between her and God.

NO YOU MAY NOT GO

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This past weekend saw a 4 state tornadic event. Many people died. A candle company in Kentucky lost dozens. An Amazon warehouse in Illinois lost people. The sad part? These companies were open in the middle of the night, making holiday income for their owners.

The candle company apparently had a 20 minute notice of the impending tornado. They were told to shelter in place. At least SEVENTY people didn’t make it. Did the company have proper precaution and shelters? I don’t think we know all the details yet.

The Amazon warehouse? Most were contractors. Industry consultants say the use of contractors lets the company avoid liability for accidents and other risks. In Edwardsville, local officials said the fact that so many of the workers at the facility were temporary made it difficult to account for all those who could be missing in the wake of the tornado, complicating initial rescue efforts. But at least 8 people lost their lives.

According to a girlfriend of one the deceased,

“An Amazon worker who was killed in the Edwardsville, Illinois, warehouse collapse wasn’t allowed to leave as a tornado was approaching, his girlfriend told the New York Post.

Larry Virden, who started working for Amazon five months ago, was among the six employees who died in the destruction, which saw a giant wall and the roof above it collapse.

His girlfriend, Cherie Jones, told the Post in an article published Sunday that she was texting him shortly before the incident.

“He always tells me when he is filling up the Amazon truck when he is getting ready to go back … I was like ‘ OK, I love you.’ He’s like, ‘well Amazon won’t let me leave until after the storm blows over,'” she told the Post. 

Jones told the Post that Virden had texted her 16 minutes before the tornado was said to have touched down, leaving him enough time to have gone back to their house in nearby Collinsville, which she said was a 13-minute drive away. 

“We heard the tornado didn’t touch down until 8:39 p.m. so he had 20 minutes to get home,” she said.

After the tornado hit the Amazon warehouse, nothing was heard from Jeff Bezos until AFTER another one of his space launches.

That is so sad. I have been there, done that. Working for companies who put the almighty dollar above employee safety.

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I was working for a company about 45 minutes away on a good day, when a huge snowstorm hit. The news was telling everyone to go home early to make it safely. My boss was a narcistic asshole who didn’t care about his employees. By the time he let everybody go, it was dusk, and about zero visibility, and the roads were most impassable. Everybody lived close by but me. But I sat there at my desk, because you did not DARE defy him. It took me almost 3 hours to make it home, driving blindly and so scared I had to pry my fingers off the steering wheel. I was the only one on the road. I could not tell where the road was. When I finally got home I thanked the Lord and my Ford Explorer for keeping me safe.

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Another time I was working for a very large company that prided itself on never closing down one day in its 200 year history. We had massive flooding, which closed roads for many days, and making it near impossible to get to work without driving an extra hour or two north or south to bypass the river. This extended my work day from its usual 10 hours a day to 12-14 hours a day. The company gave no one a pass for being late. You had to leave your house at least 2 hours earlier etc.

I got sooooo tired of working for people who did not care about the welfare of their people. It seemed the same whether they were big or small. NO ONE should have to wait until they are given PERMISSION to leave for their own personal safety. Especially not a salaried employee who usually gave their fair share of overtime for the company.

One good thing about the pandemic is that it lets more and more people work from home, where they are accountable for their own time. Back at the peak of my working career, it was almost entirely unheard of

.My heart just sank over this loss of life and destruction for so many. December tornados are NOT the norm. Please believe in climate change. There are too many signs to ignore.

Put yourself first. Nobody else is going to.

Who is the real racist here?  The underbelly of the 1%

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walk
I don’t know how much more this country can take. To me, the final straw was gassing and shooting people with rubber bullets, including Christian Leaders, to make a path for our illustrious POTUS to have a photo op in front of a church, holding a random bible. AND DO NOT TRY TO SAY THIS IS FAKE NEWS, OR DEFEND THIS. IT WAS WELL DOCUMENTED, AND CONDEMNED BY MANY ON BOTH SIDES. You can continue to try and excuse this kind of behavior, but I can’t and I won’t. Pull up your big girl pants people, and stand up for what’s right.
Many people I talk to say that while they don’t agree with his twitter etc, they love the economy and their 40lK etc.  Ok.  I understand that.  However, the economy is based on many things, and a big driver is the huge tax cut the Republicans gave corporations, and rich people.  At the expense of the rest of us, I might add.  So is Trump responsible for stock market and job gains?  Think again.  And then look at how the Pandemic affected our country.  Do you think he has done a good job handling it?  Think deep my friends, think deep.  I personally feel he is responsible for thousands of death, because he tried to will away the virus, and was late on protecting us. He was notified early.  But he spouted off about how well our country was handling it instead of reacting as he should.  THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE HIS JOB.  I also personally feel he is more than willing to sacrifice lives to keep the country open.  At the start, and now.  Also, since it affects people of color and older people mostly, I think he is ok with that.  If you think he has any kind of sympathy for those folks, think again.  It is very hard for Narcissists to think that way.
In case you think I’m profiting off this kind of behavior with my stock portfolio, I am not. Most of my stocks are with companies that are much needed to survive this pandemic, like tele health, and delivery services for food and dog supplies etc, and home office furniture. I had transferred my entire portfolio to cash positions when Trump was elected. I did not want to profit from dirty money.  Still don’t, and won’t. I am just a middle-class white woman with self-acknowledged white privilege trying to live a good life in a good place with good people, while helping people not as lucky as me.  By the way, the mere fact that you are white and born in the USA gives you a built-in privilege over most of the world’s population.
Many of you don’t know that I lost my job with a certain Landscape company primarily because I stood up to the owner on how he treated his Latino work force. I asked him why he owned a landscape company if he hated Mexicans. He treated them like animals.  I still am friends with some of them to this day, and can honestly say I did my best in that regard. He fired me and many other managers over the years that stood up to him. The owner is still profiting off the backs of his brown workers and still treating them like animals, forcing them to work long hours in both extreme heat and cold during the various seasons without regard to their well-being.  He is a Narcissist to the nth degree.  Oh, and a vigorous Trump supporter. ( Did you think any different?)  So go ahead and build that wall.  Your company and many others will soon be out of business.  And our crops will rot in the fields with no one to pick them.  Oh well.  I’m sure there are plenty of white people willing to do the job.  I’ve hired a few.  Didn’t last a day or two.  And no, I am not a LIBTARD or any other label you put on me.  I just believe in fairness and treating people humanely, no matter what color.
mex
Those of you counting the ways you will spend your $1,200 recession check, you should see where the majority of the billions of dollars in the bill are being spent.  Do your research.  Read up on it.  And don’t count on a second check.  McConnell will block it.  Just as he has blocked all the bills piled up on his desk.   He is an evil man.  I hope all the Republicans that did not vote to remove Trump from office after he WAS impeached, really think about what has happened to this country.
It’s the end of the world as we know it.
P.S.  If you don’t like what I say, move on.  Unfriend me, block me, never speak to me again.  I don’t care.  I am entitled to my own opinion, and I will not sit back and let this happen to our country without standing up for what I think is right and decent.   If you did read this far, thank you for your time and attention.  God Bless, and stay safe.  We still do have a Pandemic going on, even if certain groups are trying to divert our attention from it.

 

The Dreaded Sunday Night

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Monday3

It’s Sunday night.  The night before school.  The night before work.  Many will not sleep well tonight because of this.

I truly used to hate Sunday nights.  It signaled the end of the weekend, and the start of the work week.  For me, that sometimes meant grueling work weeks of 12+ hour days in addition to going to grad school at night.  That meant having my shit together for the upcoming week.  Little things like clean clothes, meals prepped, house cleaned, massive amounts of homework done.

Also, in the initial years of my working life, my husband traveled a lot, and so I went it solo.  Then I was diagnosed with a pretty serious incurable disease, which still causes me grief and requires bi-monthly infusions whether I want to or not.  Took a lot of joy away from my life, took a lot of my hair.

So.  Sometimes the weekends WEREN’T so fun after all. But there were also many years of lake life fun, boating and grilling and drinking etc. with family and friends.  Which sometimes made Mondays harder, lol.

Mondays

There were many times when I looked forward to work.  An interesting project awaiting perhaps.  Friends to catch up with.  Walks at lunch time.  TEAM WORK, mostly.  I loved how we all came together to get the job done, no matter what the time of day or night was.  Or going to school to substitute teach, especially Special Ed.  Loved it so much!

There were many times where I dreaded work.  Having an asshole boss.  Having asshole co-workers.  Negative attitudes.  Hostile work environments.  Having to take antidepressants, just to get through the days.  Crying all night.  Having to get up and go to work again with swollen shut eyes.

Then, along come the elder years, complete with Osteoarthritis and Fibromyalgia (which I would never wish on my worst enemy.  Ok maybe one or two).

But, there is always light at the end of the tunnel.  RETIREMENT!  I moved to a wonderful place, have made wonderful friends, and now have a wonderful life.  People say I am reverse aging and I must agree.  In fact, I enjoy Sunday nights now.  It is peaceful here in The Glade.  No rush hour to worry about if you want to go shopping in the morning.  If your Fibro is flaring, just stay in bed.  No need to make it worse by having to get up and go at the crack of dawn.  Just life going on, in the best way possible way.

Enjoy your Sunday nights.  They can be wonderful.

Monday2

September 11, 2001…..what were YOU doing?

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towers1

Wow. I remember it so clearly, like it happened yesterday.  Probably because it was during one of the worst times of my life.

My husband had up and left me for another woman without any warning right beforehand.  So every year I get to remember, revisit, redream.  It sucks.  But at least I will never forget.

On Sept. 11th I was at work, crying in my office, as I had done for the past few weeks.  My internet alerted a flashing news story, and I watched the pictures of the first plane’s aftermath online.  I had a real bad feeling.  So bad that I stopped crying.

When the second plane hit, I knew it for what it was.  Everybody crowded around in front of computers, watching the story unfold.  One of the girls brought in a small TV to watch it on.  I was starting to get scared, and wondering if I should talk to the bosses about sending people home.  It seemed like everyone in Chicago had gone home.  But the big boss came out of his office, and told us to shut off the TV and for everybody to get back to work.  What a patriot, huh?  Asshole.

I went home alone, to an empty house, scared.  I was so scared I didn’t want to watch it on TV anymore.  I went and sat in the back yard with the dogs, and rocked back and forth in my chair.  I saw my ex drive by down the road with his new girlfriend in the car, and I had the uncharitable thought that I wished it was him in the WTC instead of some other decent person.  Then the Catholic school girl guilt kicked in and I felt bad.  So instead I wished it was me.  That’s what the Catholic school did to me.  Ha.

Anyway, I got through it.  We all did.  We all bucked up and became stronger for it.  I got divorced a couple of weeks later, and got used to taking off my shoes in an airport.  It was a sad time for us all.

By the time the one year anniversary rolled around, I was no longer sad, but mad.  Mad about both things.  So I wrote a poem about it.  I published it on the one year anniversary, and have posted it in some form or fashion every year since.  It helps remind me of where I was in that heartbreaking moment.  Here it is again:

The anniversary of 9/11

Twin Towers
Two twin towers were standing tall.
Two twin towers were about to fall.
Twas Sept. 11th, a beautiful day,
Tho I did not know it. I couldn’t find my way.
My mind was clouded, my heart was shattered.
My husband had left me ….. I felt battered.
My life was over, my heart was aching,
I could almost feel my spirit breaking.
I selfishly thought nothing was worse than this pain,
Little did I know what was to happen, again.
Two twin towers were standing tall.
Two twin towers were about to fall.
Evil had come to visit us that day.
Evil was here, and here to stay.
Evil reared back and rose its ugly head,
Evil wouldn’t be happy unless we were dead.
Evil looked around, and Evil was jealous.
Evil licked his lips, Evil was zealous.
Evil wanted to bring the U.S. down,
Evil picked New York as his target town.
Two twin towers were standing tall.
Two twin towers were about to fall.
Our planes would become weapons of destruction,
Evil thought nothing would become an obstruction.
But there was something that Evil didn’t know…
How Americans loved their country so.
We rallied around, we held our heads high.
Even as we mourned and our eyes did cry.
Our heroes were everywhere, even in the sky.
We shook our heads, and we asked WHY?
Two twin towers were standing tall.
Two twin towers were about to fall.
Something inside of me sparked that day,
And a guiding light was showing me the way.
My personal troubles were bad, that was true.
But nothing compared to the Red, White and Blue.
So I dried off my tears,
I shrugged off my fears.
I stood tall, I stood proud.
Courage took over, it shouted out loud.
Everyone knows that Evil lurks within,
But we will not falter and let Evil win.
We will guard our land, we will guard our skies,
Until once again, peace resides.
Two twin towers went crashing down.
Two twin towers collapsed into the ground.
towers2

Watching an old episode of Law and Order on TV this morning. And the episode was about this very topic. Ripped from the headline news, right? Gave me the shivers, again. After all, we are back in conflict in the Middle East. So I looked up this old post, Am I safe yet? Am I going to have to worry about my school kids again?

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I originally published this in 2019.

It was a beautiful day in June about 3 years ago.  I was on the train heading home from a great weekend visiting with a friend in Chicago and taking in the sights.  My cell phone rang, and it was my neighbor.  She asked me when I would be home, as 2 FBI agents were looking for me.

My stress level went through the roof!  I went over and over again in my mind what they could possible want.  I was a good, law abiding citizen!  With some trepidation, I called the number on the card they left when I got home.

Shortly thereafter 2 agents in suits appeared at my door.  I did not let them in. First I asked them for identification.  I told them their FBI ID cards could be bought on the internet.  I told the same thing about their badges.  Finally they gave me a card for their Chicago FBI office and the name of their supervisor.  I called the number.  They answered FBI offices of Chicago.  I asked for the supervisor.  Said he was out.  Then I asked for one of the agents at my door.  They said he was out.  I said out doing what.  They would not tell me, obviously.  I said I was going to call the police as I didn’t believe these guys were agents.  In the next minute or so, the supervisor called me back.  These guys were legit.

Now that I vetted them, it was time to get down to business.  The lead agent said he was sorry to inform me that I was on the ISIS Civilian Kill List.  What?

ImageI think at that point my jaw dropped.  I sat down on my front porch.  I thought it must be a joke.  A bad joke.

They explained to me that in order to become a member of ISIS, you must kill an Infidel to get your jihad.  An Infidel is a Christian, like me.  So they published a Civilian Kill List for the United States lone wolf who wants to become a member of this illustrious group.

By this time I am envisioning running down my street with a crazed kid after me with a butcher knife so he could behead me in public.  Yikes!

Why was I on this list?  They could not say why, but that Quantico was analyzing the data, and they would let me know if they found anything.  My name and address was on the list, along with about a hundred other people.  They needed to find a common thread.

After I asked about a million questions, they told me I should:  get an alarm system, get a dog, get a gun, tell my family and friends and neighbors etc.  Be aware of my surroundings at all times.

Was I really in danger?  Is someone going come and kill me, in Antioch IL?  They didn’t know.  It was their responsibility to inform me of the situation.  They had already informed the Lake County Sheriff about the situation, and they were going to add patrols to my neighborhood.  Crikey!

After they left, I sat in shock for awhile.  Then I got in my car and drove to Red Dot Arms.  When I explained the situation to them, they really got excited.  They live for this kind of stuff!  They are all armed to the teeth.  Anyway, they spent a lot of time with me picking out a hand gun for me and showing me the basics.  They let me shoot it, and I wasn’t a fan.  But I bought the gun.  They literally wanted me to buy tear gas and shotguns and all kinds of rigmarole.  Geez!  I thought they were going to move in with me so they could get the chance to shoot a real bad guy!  (Trust me, I thought about it!)

Then I went and told my family, all of who live in my neighborhood.  They did not believe a word I said.  They said I was making up this story, for attention.  Like, what would they want with an old lady from Antioch?  Exactly. This is my family.  Never believe me, always think I am lying.  But that is a story for another time.

It was Red Dot Arms that broke the case open.  They were called by several other people, who were also on my list!  These other people had gone on a church trip to Israel.  They had a Palestine guide, who apparently sold their church list to ISIS.  ISIS then filled out the list with random members of other Christian churches.

I called the FBI to let them know.  They were on the case too, and had come up with the same conclusion.  They came back out to talk to me, to calm me down.

So.  I got a deadbolt and started locking my door.  I told my Ozzy cat he was now the official guard dog.  I told my friends and other neighbors etc.  I started looking over my shoulder.

It was not the best summer after that.  I would practice how fast I could get my gun out of my safe, slap the cartridge in, and be ready to fire.  It took 6 seconds.  I would be dead by then, but was scared to keep my gun loaded and under my pillow or something.

I was scared of my gun, so I took a CCL class.  Didn’t help me overcome my fear.  My arthritis prevents me from firing the gun like a pro.  I have not used my gun since that class, three years ago.

Time has passed.  Nobody has shown up yet.  I am thinking they won’t.  ISIS is so last year.  At least I hope so.

I am no longer afraid of ISIS.  Now I am afraid of a mass shooter showing up at my school, or Wal-mart or church.  A domestic terrorist, home grown right here in the good old USA.  The chances of that happening to me are much better.

Kinda sad, huh?  Oh and if you dont believe my story either, here is a post from 2016 about civilian kill lists.

ISIS ‘Kill Lists’ Increasingly Target U.S. Civilians

Best time of my life

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atkin colby

I grew up in a middle class family.  In high school I knew I wanted to go to college and be a teacher.  I worked really hard to save up money, and I ended up here, at Colby Hall at Illinois State University.  I was assigned the BEST roommate ever, more on that later!

We had the best time freshman year in Colby Hall with our floormates.  Made lots of friends, had lots of fun, even while living in a tiny room with a bathroom way down the hall.

StudentDorms_1973_C638B_ACCESS

This is a sample of the room that I shared with my roommate, Kathy, aka Fonsie.  We did not have curtains, or a TV.  Just plain simple basic room.  But when we pulled our beds out for the night, we would lay there talking, talking, talking, and Fonsie would teach me to sing.

Together with our friends across the hall, we became Little Sisters to the Lamba Chi Alpha fraternity, which introduced us to Greek life.  They were a pretty hard core frat, with lots of brothers that had just come back from Vietnam, and smoked pot pretty much all the time.  This was all very new to me, as I grew up in a bubble, lol. They introduced me to beer, and I became a huge fan.

lambda chi

Not a very impressive house, lol, but we had lots of fun there.  They were invited to leave campus for quite awhile, but I hear they are making a comeback this year.

We met a lot of new friends in the Greek life, and decided to “rush”.  We only had local houses back then, not national sororities, due to a clause with an Illinois State University  donor.  So we became members of Alpha Lambda Kappa.  It was a small house, and we all crowded in there, and became very close sisters!

Then the clause time was up, and all the National sororities and frats descended upon campus!  We finally chose to become Alpha Delta Pi, which is the oldest sorority, started in Macon Georgia.  Our symbol is the Diamond, and colors are blue and white.  Unfortunately I don’t have a picture of our original house, but here is where the ADPi girls live today.

ADPi

Aren’t they just beautiful girls!  How I wish I was back in college!  Seriously the best years of my life.  Even though I didn’t have much, and had to work while going to school, I had the love of my sisters and a feeling of family that I never had experienced before.  My roomie and I were inseparable, and we shared most everything!

So time passes.  I got married pretty much right out of college, and lost track of sisters over the years.  I always wondered about them, but this was way before the age of social media!  And life just gets in the way.

But about a year and a half ago, I was on Linked In, and saw my roomies brother listed.  I emailed him and asked him for Fonsie’s email.  She answered me!  I found her!  And she had kept in contact with others!  I was so excited!  We planned to meet up, it was about this time of year, one year ago.  We met for lunch and talked for hours and hours!  I was ESTASTIC!  So happy!

Sorority 4

Kathy is the one of the far right.  I think we all held up pretty good!  So we all have stayed in touch, and reached out to ever more sisters we found.  And lo and behold, we had an even BIGGER reunion this past summer!

Sorority 6

Aren’t we a bunch of hotties?  We had the best time, again talking for hours and catching up.  Now, since we went to a teacher’s college, most of my sisters were teachers.  I never became one because I changed my major to business due to a student teacher assignment that my parents did not approve of.  BUT.  After talking to all them, and a retired teacher friend of mine from the pool, I decided to try and become a Substitute Teacher this past summer.

It took me months and lots of time and effort and money and testing and assessments and a whole lot of other stuff, but in September, I finally achieved my dream from so long ago and became a teacher!  Luckily, where I sub, they actually let you teach.  I love it so much.  It invigorates this old lady!  I actually cried when I came home from my first teaching day!

AND.  Today.  I will see the Fab Four again!  We are meeting for lunch, just like we did last year at Christmas time!  I’m so excited.  I love these girls so much.  Stay tuned for a new picture shortly!