Opinions

Depending on where you live in the world......you might be aware of (if living in the US) that there were many protests all over the US today. The protest was called NO KINGS and happened back in June as well.
Other countries showed support and people protested there too. Thousands of protests took place today and millions of people showed up. Same back in June.
In Astoria people gathered at the Astoria Armory for speeches and music performances. Oregon State Representative Cyrus Javadi was present and spoke. What is interesting is that he used to be a Republican but is now a Democrat.

These people were drumming and singing in honor of the Clatsop Indigenous People of the Pacific Northwest and the native people of the Yukon-Kuskokwin Delta in Alaska, an area that was recently badly damaged by severe storms.
It is easy to forget.....but before any white guys decided to "discover" what is today known as the USA, explore, take whatever they wanted and spread disease, there were native Americans living here. 

After the assembly at the Astoria Armory, WE THE PEOPLE  joined the rest of the people standing on the sidewalk flanking Marine Drive.  Here are a few of the signs, of course there were MANY more. 
But first GO FROGS!  

I did not witness any violence, destruction or inappropriate behavior during the time I spent attending the NO KINGS protest today. A stark contrast to the J6 "protest" back in 2021 (which I did not attend in case I have to clarify that). 
And yes I am very much aware of that nobody is a king here in the US, look at "king" being used as a metaphor. But certain behaviors have pointed to some sort of a wish for an autocracy in the US. So I understand why people protest.
 

To pull some opinions from Dr. Goodall, on farm animals, "far more aware and intelligent than we ever imagined and, despite having been bred as domestic slaves, they are individual beings in their own right. As such, they deserve our respect. And our help. Who will plead for them if we are silent?" And on animals, "thousands of people who say they 'love' animals sit down once or twice a day to enjoy the flesh of creatures who have been treated with so little respect and kindness just to make more meat."
I do not eat meat because I LOVE animals and I KNOW that they have feelings. I can absolutely do better. I still eat milk products. And I know what the milk industry does to cows and calves, it is nothing nice to put it mildly. I admire vegans. 
I believe that my journey in this life is to become a better human and do good, make a difference in the world. It is my duty. Every day I can do something good, even if it is to pick up litter and throw it in a trash bin.
Almost all of us can do better. 
 

Last Monday, January 20th it was Martin Luther King Jr. Day here in the US. A big YES for Martin Luther King, he seemed to be a beautiful human being. What else is there to say?
I suggest starting with reading up on MLK if you want to learn more about him. We need more people like him in the world.
Martin Luther King Day which was January 20th this year is the most important thing that happened in the USA that day.

Now on to the circus that took over the White House this week. I am just waiting for some other additions to the roster of crazies. How about the QAnon Shaman, Bigo, Enrique Tarro and Andrew Tate? They seem to be a good fit.
So my first personal strong disapproval of what Donald Trump did this week is the renaming of Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, located in Alaska. He decided to rename it to Mount McKinley after a former US president that never even went to Alaska. Denali has been called Denali by the Native Alaskan people supposedly for over one thousand years. And for some time Denali was named Mount McKinley, until Obama reversed it back to Denali in 2015. IT SHOULD BE DENALI! If you want a mountain to be named after a former president from Ohio then the best solution seems to be to find some mountain in Ohio to name after him? In my opinion this is an action of showing disrespect by Trump but hey can you expect anything else really? Renaming Denali was an urgent issue for Trump I guess. 
How about the price of eggs, bacon and gas that the Americans that voted for Trump were SO concerned over? Well guess what honey......billionaires do not care about the prices of eggs, bacon and gas and they do not care about YOU either. But according to whitehouse.gov, one of the several priorities mentioned on there is "all agencies will take emergency measures to reduce the cost of living." OK. What does that mean to you? To me it means lower rents, lower interest rates so people can afford to buy a house (especially for first time home buyers), lower the price of real estate so people can even afford to buy a house, condo or land, lower the price of food, lower the price of child care, significantly lower the price of prescription drugs, make health care affordable for everyone and do not let insurance companies make profits on people seeking medical care and purchasing medications (FREE LUIGI!).
What else? Trump repealed Executive Order 14087 and to quote pharmacytimes.com, "a measure from the Biden administration aimed at reducing prescription drug costs and increasing access to innovative cell and gene therapies for Medicaid recipients. Although the reversal did not immediately alter existing laws and regulations for Medicare and Medicaid prescription drug pricing, it has introduced uncertainty about the federal government’s strategy to address these critical issues and sparked widespread debate about the future of health care affordability in the United States."
YES......all you poor Republicans living paycheck to paycheck or on fixed income or on social security disablity that have health issues and need prescription drugs - enjoy the future! You voted for this. 
And I am curious to find out what the Saudis will invest $600 billion in here in the US? Buy up more real estate perhaps? That will really help reduce the cost of living.
I mean I can go on and on about this. But before I quit this rant.....who in their right mind thinks THIS is normal and acceptable behavior from a person currently serving as the Administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE under the Donald Trump administration?

Another thing that just baffles me is how the MAGA people cannot see anything wrong ever with any actions stemming from Trump and his administration. It is like a cult.

About 15 minutes ago I clicked on a video that showed a group of men on duty as correctional officers using violence on a handcuffed inmate that lead to the inmate's death. His name was Robert Brooks. He passed away December 10. There are yet no arrests in the murder of Robert Brooks. No perp walk. No flyers up with the faces of these men that ganged up on one handcuffed person and murdered him. They kicked and punched him for a while. He was probably scared and in a lot of pain. Truly abhorrent. What else have these individulas done to other prisoners or other people out in society that is not known? Yes I know that Mr. Brooks was incarcerated for assault but what did he do to get handed that treatment earlier this month? I will be waiting to see what charges all the correction officers will receive and the follow up to that.......
Meanwhile Luigi Mangione shot and killed the CEO of UnitedHealthcare, Brian Thompson on December 4. The difference in how the deaths of the two victims are handled is very obvious. The spectacle surrounding his arrest looked like a movie scene. Way exagerrated.
Obviously a warning from the insurance companies to the public to think twice before trying to do something similar. We will find you and charge you with murder and terrorism so you might face the death penalty.
Yeah I am on team Luigi. I DO think what he did was wrong BUT what role did Brian Thompson have in thousands of people not getting proper healthcare that ultimatly lead to suffering and/or death? I totally understand why some see Luigi as a hero. I doubt Luigi has been shooting people for fun prior to shooting Mr. Thompson.
The problem lies with US healthcare and insurance companies and how much people suffer physically, mentally and financially from the impact of this severely flawed system.
According to The Guardian, "In a new poll, more than two-thirds of respondents said they believed denials of coverage and profits in the health insurance industry were partially responsible for the killing of Brian Thompson, the UnitedHealthcare CEO, in early December".
You can clearly see that justice has a price tag attached to it. There is no justice for many. People with money can buy freedom and special treatment. Is anyone suprised that people are angry? I am suprised that there has not been a revolution yet? But as long as people can watch football in giant stadiums or on giant TVs and sip on beer and soda and stuff themselves with hot dogs they are OK. Why rattle the OK? 
Yeah my life will go on......we all struggle along in this wheel of life/suffering. People say that money does not buy happiness. I can guarantee you that money makes life a lot easier in many ways. When things are easier it is also easier to feel happy.
I would rather sit around at a spa several times/week for a few hours and hang out with Kaya at home later than go to work in order to keep a roof over my head. 
Anyways.....I am disappointed in humanity in general. In case you haven't noticed yet.

(The picture above might be altered).

With Trump (and Elon) stepping into the White House again in January for another four year term (unless anything changes) there have been some new positions created and some new people getting jobs. Quite interesting, or should I say a mix of comical and WTF is happening?
Like the new ambassador to Greece, Kimberly Guilfoyle......does she even speak Greek?
I have to check, hmmmmm she has a Puerto Rican Mom and an Irish Dad. Ok, what are the chances that Kimberly learned to speak Greek at some point? In case you do not know, Kimberly is enaged to Donald Trump Jr. although it is rumored that the engagement is on its last leg because Junior has a new girlfriend. A newer model, following his Dad's footsteps.
So Trump Senior decided to make Kimberly the ambassador to Greece maybe as a band aid for his son's wandering eye.  Like here you go now please go away.
Then we have the new ambassador to France, Charles Kushner. Does Charles speak French? He is Donald Trump's daugter's father in law, keep it in the family!
So......I think Trump should take a chance on me! In case you do not know that is the title of an Abba song.
I can do three jobs at once. I can be the ambassador to both Sweden and Poland and the ambassador to all the US exotic dancers. Do I qualify for this? Yes I believe so. I am fluent in Swedish and Polish. I would like to know if the ambassadors to Greece and France are fluent in Greek and French? I have spent time in both Sweden and Poland, so I am familiar with the cultures. I can even help Kushner with the French should he need help. Just like Melania, I am too a polyglot. Kind of. I mean a true polyglot should master like five or six languages according to many linguists. Master is the key word, knowing a few words in a language does not cut it. I can master two, I am good in one, ok in a fourth, I can pass by in a fifth and then I know some random words and phrases in other languages. So, not a true polyglot then.  
Melania got me beat. 😉
As far as the exotic dancers......well you know the answer to that one. I surely am well above and beyond qualified for all three positions. I think it is time to put a stripper pole in the Oval Office (a nice one that rotates with fun lights) and we can read the daily press briefings while dancing. Or sitting down resting against the pole. I think that Trump will be very pleased.
So somebody needs to notify Donald Trump that there is a Tati that he should take a chance on. And one more thing.....Trump said that there would be no more taxes on tips. Let's see if that happens. I mean he should be held to his word on all the promises made. Please do not tell me that he was promising things just to get votes......

 

It is the evening before election day. It is in between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump. I am not voting because I can't, not a US citizen. In the 2024 election my vote is with Kamala Harris. From what I have seen and heard coming from Trump and his die hard supporters......where does one even start? I am actually in disbelief that there are people that are supporting him.
It is one thing to be a Republican, I don't have an opinion on that and I have nothing against that. But being a fervent Trump MAGA type person, that is something else.
I have no idea what is going to happen tomorrow......I just hope that this thing won't get too crazy and violent. Like can this election not be handled civilized? Is it going to be a "stolen" election again? Another coup attempt on the Capitol Building? I feel that anything can happen and if Trump wins then......it is what it is. Hopefully he won't manage to appoint himself as Potus for life like he has expressed in the past and hopefully he won't execute people that have been against him. What is this, Russia?
Then I also have to remember that the US in not a democracy, it is a Republic and there is a thing called the Electoral College here. In my opinion the Electoral College should be retired. And in this case the Electoral College feels scary.
I read through the Oregon Voter Pamphlet and I really like the Oregon Working Families Party......this is what I want to see.

I looked through both the Multnomah county (where Portland is located) and Clatsop county (location for Astoria) pamphlets.

And then there are people that feel very strongly about the way they do, like this person.
Advertising what he/she (?) believes in to all that pass by this property......Freedom of speech you know.

The sheriff's lieutanant in Ohio practiced his freedom of speech announcing that he was not going to help people that vote Democrat. Yes.....it is actually scary that there are people like this out there. He ain't the only one. 
But it is late, I had a traumatic (yes traumatic) day. I am tired, upset, anxious but I have to push through, I know there are people that have it so much worse than me. If you are eligible to vote then I hope you do (or did already).