America: The Other Side of the Mirror

Sometimes we have to hit rock bottom before we can appreciate the mountain peaks. Right now America is at rock bottom.

When Donald Trump was running for president I thought he was the joke candidate. When I went to bed on election night I was sure I'd wake up to the news of a Hillary landslide. Much to my deep shock, the knucklehead won.

Donald Trump's America is like the novel Alice Through the Looking Glass, where a girl jumps through a mirror and finds everything either in reverse or a little weird. This is the world we are now living in:

• Christians supporting a known womanizer who was having affairs while his wife was at home pregnant.
• Nonstop lies are simply brushed aside and forgotten. Now, the lies create the new reality.
• Tax breaks for the wealthy and corporations while the country is hopelessly in debt, and then we are told they will help the middle class.
• Total war on the environment at a time when the U.S. needs to be a world environmental leader.
• Disrespect of the press, minorities and nonstop gaslighting and manipulation.
• Complete collapse of civility, decor, and respect.

I'm shocked that Republicans in the House and Senate are not speaking out against the Trump Monster, but only a few have. I'm amazed that millions of Christians are supporting this totally immoral, sleazy, unempathetic businessman. Some Christians have even called him a "godly man." I now realize that all of these people are on the other side of the mirror. There is no hope of reasoning with Trump's followers because they are in another reality.

Of all the bullshit promises that Trump made, the one that won him the election is that he would create jobs for Americans by using his superior skills as a businessman and dealmaker. All of this, of course, was an illusion. And now Trump does what he does best -- divert attention from one failure to the next failure, which is "the wall."

I now realize that conservatives are the master of selective memory, so let me refresh everyone. The president continually brags about his negotiating skills, but his behavior has made him so hated by the Democrats that they will NEVER fund his stupid wall. If Trump was really a good negotiator he would have enough respect and goodwill from the other party to get a deal passed. But, once again, everything Trump says and does is an illusion.

 Mother America

I recently watched some old fart politician on Fox News being interviewed about Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and he called her a "little girl." He scoffed and dismissed her ideas and framed her as a dumb kid. Donald Trump doesn't need to build a wall because one already exists -- it's the Old Guard status quo, which tries to smash any new, fresh ideas that could move our country forward. The Old Guard is here to protect the wealthy, corporations, and the military-industrial complex. I love Congresswoman Ocasio-Cortez for having the courage to take on the entrenched establishment. She gives me hope.

The congresswoman's idea of a Green New Deal is especially exciting to me. During an interview with Anderson Cooper, Alexandria Ocaso-Cortez was asked if we needed to raise taxes for the new green initiative. The truth is that NO WE DON'T. We only need policies and a government that is friendly to green entrepreneurs. But, instead, we have a half-baked president who rambles about coal.

The Mountain Peak

Democracy is a beautiful idea that is continually under attack. Right now democratic institutions in the Ukraine, Russia, the United States, and other nations are under the threat of oligarchism, where a handful of super rich farts try to control and manipulate the government. While Congress is an impotent body of nothingness that passes little legislation, Trump wrote many executive orders that favored the rich and Big Business. Let me tell you something, Americans -- when a progressive president comes to power every one of those executive documents can be reversed within a week of inauguration. It is true that Trump stacked the Supreme Court with an oversexed right-winger, so that damage is done.

Right now, Trump and his oligarch buddies are dancing around and having a field day, getting regulations removed, tax laws changed to benefit them, and getting "their people" appointment to high positions in government. The greedy wolves are in charge now, and their mission is to make the rich even richer.

But soon, their corrupt operation, which is backed by their Christian evangelical enablers, will all collapse. In the dust the progressives will take charge and will save our country and the world with bold new ideas, such as green capitalism, universal healthcare, and policies that actually favor the working class. Trump and his rats will all be sent back to their holes.

War, uh, War Isn't Good

The biggest racket of all is the military-industrial complex. The United States has been at war in the Middle East for 17 years and is conducting military operations in 12 different countries. Why, because war is profitable. I would like us to reduce so-called "defense" spending until it's in line with other nations. The money saved can be used for peacemaking initiatives around the world and to reduce the federal deficit. Enough is enough.

Conclusion

The Trump regime is taking us to the very bottom of who we are as human beings and Americans. In the current sea of hate we will learn to love again with even more vigor. In the climate of lies and distortion, we will learn to find reality and hold on to it. In the ashes of the Donald Trump disaster a new, better, greener America will rise. Sometimes we have to see the dirtiest and lowest levels of our existence to appreciate what is good.

Photo: Filip Bunkens

Shouting in an Empty Room

Every Sunday morning thousands of people are sitting in sterile buildings and being told that they are rotten people and that they need to tithe more. I could be in Sunday School right now listening to Mr. Jameson thank the Lord for his new Chevrolet. But, instead, I'm sitting in my bed right now with my laptop, and I am blogging. 

Maybe one day after I've croaked someone will be curious and begin reading my nearly 500 blog posts. Just who was that Todd Daniel guy? An interesting fellow, for sure. Perhaps my writings will be read at campfires after our civilization collapses. I might provide some guidance for the next civilization, which is good since I've given up on this one. 

When I say in my blog description that I plan to put my writings into a capsule and launch them into space, I am serious. For $2,500 Elon Musk's SpaceX will dump my writings into the cosmos. I just have to figure out the best media format and how to protect everything from the extreme temperatures of space. At some point in the future an alien civilization will pick up my little pod and begin reading about how I loved nature, was a hopeless romantic, and lived with eternal guilt because my American lifestyle was destroying the world I loved.

If I could sum up my life at age 58, I'd define it as always searching for love, always feeling guilty for not doing more, and always living under a cloud of imminent doom.

Love

At age 15 I had this dream where the future girl of my dreams spoke to me in a cloudy vision. She was out there, and I just had to find her. Having gone through a failed marriage and been told "I just want friendship" a dozen times, I now realize that finding Ms. Right is a real challenge. Time is running out. I often feel like the knight in shining armor who meets the damsel of his dreams and then dies in battle the next day.

External Guilt

Most of what we live with in this world is a facade, including the green movement. I know that the metal for wind turbines, solar panels, and electric cars is made in dirty mills. Huge fuel-consuming factories make the green products that help us feel good about ourselves. Every time I get in my car I know that I'm damaging the world. Every time I buy groceries and every time I flush my toilet I am putting more strain on the overpopulated planet that sustains us. Agriculture was a big mistake, and now there is not enough open land for all of us to become hunter-gatherers. And even then we over-hunted, which forced us to migrate and screw over another area. See, all we humans can do is destroy. Every day tons of garbage, raw sewage, and industrial waste are dumped into our oceans, and all the oceans are connected. Then, we eat tuna and other fish pulled from those oceans. We are slowly poisoning everything that sustains us and killing not only ourselves but thousands of other animal species.

Imminent Doom

During my newspaper days I developed a fascination with Congressman Larry McDonald (GA D-7), who was an arch conservative Democrat. One day I attended one of his town hall meetings, and as a member of the press I got to sit in front. He had a large display board set up and spent the evening talking about the dangers of the U.S. federal deficit. A couple of months later he was dead — shot down by the Soviet Union while flying in a Korean airliner. Sadly, his message about the federal debt went down in flames. The sum of his presentation is that our country is screwed. Soon, the weight of our growing debt will all come down, sending our nation, and likely the world, into a deep depression.

The other dark cloud that hangs over me is, indeed, a dark cloud. It's called global warming. Back in the 1990s I met a guy named Bob Fletcher in my local Sierra Club group, who was an early pioneer and activist on the issue of climate change. What he taught me in 1999 has stuck in my head. We are already seeing the weather extremes and sea level rises caused by global warming, but these events are only the opening act. The floods, droughts, wildfires, sea level rise, and super storms will only get worse, plus we will be forced to deal with food supply and health issues. If we choose to live in a miserably hot and crowded world, well, that's our choice, but what we are doing to millions of other animal species is extremely unfair. I live with this guilt every single day.

Silver Lining

I've made plenty of bad decisions in my life and so have other people I know. I am trying to be more careful with decision making but in the "heat of the moment" judgement and perceptions are often skewed. Hindsight really is 20-20 and what seems like the perfectly logical decision now wasn't even on my radar screen at the time. I feel that all of humanity is faced with this same dilemma. I can only hope that all of us will begin making the decisions that will give us a healthy future and put us on a sustainable path. At least the bad decisions and bad events in our lives provide good learning experiences.

Photo: Sarah Bedu

How To Save the World

Greetings human life forms! You are alive because your parents thought babies were cute. The longest living animal in the world is a giant tortoise named Jonathan, who is 186 years old. Most of us humans will putter out between 70 and 80 years. So, what do we do during the brief time we are here? Suntan on yachts? Watch Pee-wee Herman reruns? No, wait, I got it — we can try to make the world better. Why? Because it makes us feel better? No, actually because it's our responsibility.

Okay, I'm getting old and cranky and I sometimes forget to feed my fish. But I'm still able to discern between a closet and bathroom, so maybe there's hope for me. So, during my limited time here as an oxygen consumer, I'll pass on a few tips.

Toad the Toad's Tips for Saving Earth

Don't fret because as individuals there's only so much we CAN do to save the Earth. I realize that the vast majority of people on this planet are in basic survival mode, and won't have time to do the things below, and that's perfectly okay. But, if you are able to make a difference and want to put some special meaning in your life, try these simple tips:

1. Volunteer - Give your time and money to help other humans, animals, and the natural world. Follow your personal calling and do what's right in your heart. I consider financial gifts a form of volunteering as well.
2. Get Political- People give a barrel of excuses for not getting involved in the political process, but this is the most important thing we can do. We live in a republic where we elect people to represent us at the local, state, and national levels. It's only logical that we elect people that kinda think and feel like we do. But if you don't support or vote for these good people then the corporatists and religionists will shoo their usual puppets in, and we'll see the usual mess of politicians pursuing narrow religious agendas or changing public policy to benefit the wealthy. Find politicians who support the environment and work for the general good of all. And if someone ever says, "I don't like talking politics," that only shows me that the individual is weak. Politics affect every aspect of our life and to avoid it is a travesty.
3. Personal Behavior - We can save the Earth personally in two ways: Lifestyle changes and self growth. Lifestyle changes is the source of many future blog posts, but for now I'll just say that we should take care of ourselves, minimize our ecological footprint, and help others when we can.

I like how the Star Wars movies simplify everything into Dark Energy and Light Energy. Everything I listed above is Light Energy. On the flip side, when you harm yourself through addictions, when you live for your own comfort at the expense of others, and when you harm the environment, that's Dark Energy. 

Support an Organization

On the right of my blog I've listed l4 top sustainability organizations that pursue the main goals of my life: help people, help animals, help the natural world. Most of them are staff-driven and offer few volunteering opportunities but you can still support them with a monthly donation. I am a huge fan of the Sierra Club because it offers local volunteering opportunities, is politically involved, and has a large staff and foundation that works on national and global issues. Plus, the Club has an outings program where you can enjoy the outdoors.

Note that the people-helping organizations I've listed don't just give handouts. Rather, they give people the tools and knowledge for living sustainable lives. I define sustainability as having your basic needs met and living in a way that does not harm the environment. Indigenous people living in small villages are far closer to that goal than any American, so we have a lot of work to do.

Will We Really Save the World?

We have to be stronger, more diligent, and persistent than the forces of darkness that support the status quo and who push agendas that lead to immediate profit and pleasure at the expense of the long-term. I do love the organization Greenpeace because their name says it all — "green" and "peace." 

And, with that, my friends, I will slither back into my cave. Stay tuned next week for more of my mindless ranting and blithering, as I slowly descend into insanity. But, oh wait, I just saw plenty of mindless ranting with our U.S president this week and his Supreme Court nominee. So, maybe, just maybe, I'm not the one going insane after all.

Photo: Jeffrey Wegrzyn

Confessions of a Libtard

In 1997 I switched from being a conservative to a liberal. The War on Gays, War on the Environment, and the Right's obsession with religion swung me to the other side.

Embarrassingly, even after making the switch I still called myself a Republican for another five years — perhaps I liked the novelty of it and the attention I got. I even worked in the political campaigns of several GOP candidates. But as the political divide got wider I realized that there was no hope for the Party of Lincoln.

What Makes Me Liberal

I really don't think of myself as a liberal because I am just being me. I simply analyze every issue and make my own decisions. I don't accept any party platform or trendy issue without questioning. When I study a position I just usually fall on the side of the left.

The other thing that makes me a so-called liberal is that I question EVERYTHING. This comes from my days as a newspaper reporter. I remember someone once saying that Hollywood stars are usually liberal because they are exposed to many different ideas and people. The same can be said for journalists. And if you think we journalists have a liberal bias, it's true. We see a lot of crap firsthand that most people don't, and it changes us.

Hypocrisy

To me, the conservative agenda is full of hypocrisy and contradictions. You have right-wing Christians who want to cut off free school breakfasts for poor children. Christians support unbridled capitalism, which works on the principles of Darwinian evolution -- something that most conservatives don't believe in. Many evangelical Christians embrace guns, although Jesus was clearly nonviolent. Republican Christians have little interest in the environment and support candidates who, in turn, support the rape and plunder of the natural world, all the while calling themselves "pro-life." I could go on and on, but I will say that the Republican Party and evangelical Christians seem to be intertwined in some sort of a macabre and perverse marriage. The complete hypocrisy of such a relationship is mind-boggling.

So, when I get into debates the first thing I bring up is how the Right wants to cut programs for the poor but then provides tax breaks and incentives for Big Business and the military industrial complex. I find that repulsive.

True Liberalism

I don't mind being called a liberal because in Latin the word means "free," as in freethinking. A liberal is openminded and tolerant of change. I try to aspire to those goals even though I'm becoming a crotchety old man.

I think what makes most of liberals liberal is that we have a heightened sense of justice. When I see the ongoing attacks on immigrants, Muslims, gays, and women I get furious. To me, those who are doing the attacking are the majority culture, who are arrogant and hateful. They depict the very worst of America.

I like to see myself as Robin Hood, helping the downtrodden whenever and wherever I can. I have a special desire to protect the environment from the Robber Barons because the natural world can't defend itself. Animals and trees are at the complete mercy of greedy, short-sighted people who only care about making their rich asses richer.

Liberalism means tolerance, which includes accepting people with different political ideas. I've always had right wing friends and I welcome them with open arms. The right wingers provide a balance to the excesses of liberalism, and most of them are really good people. They just don't usually think outside the box, probably because they don't have that capacity. I accept and love them.

A Proud Libtard

I was given the name "Libtard" when I was defending Democratic candidates on social media. The idea is that we liberals are retarded. Well, that's okay because I am still astounded that anyone could vote for Donald Trump. I call these people "Trumpanzies," so, haha, we're even.

It amazes me that someone will take the time and energy to visit Democratic Facebook pages and start attacking. When righties launch personal attacks against honorable people like Michelle Nunn and Jason Carter, I defend them.

The political debates with right-wingers are always predictable and always go back to Hillary, Obama, and George Soros.  In their minds, this trio is responsible for all the evil in our country. I usually rebut with the 4,000 servicemen who needlessly died in Iraq, and things digress from there. Overall, left-right political debates are pointless.

The Future

I long for the day when our Congress becomes more nonpartisan and works for the common good. Supporting something the other side is doing should not be the kiss of death. We Libtards and Trumpanzies need to cross the aisle and work as a team, and never give up on compromise. Getting rid of gerrymandering would be a great help, since the system tends to send more extremist politicians to Washington.

I defended Jon Ossoff and now when people go after my beloved Beto O'Rourke, I will defend him too. I'm a bad ass liberal; I smoke weed and I'm covered with tattoos. Oh wait, neither of those things are true, but I want to be that overeducated commie left-winger that Ward and June Cleaver envision.

Photo: Javardh

Surviving our Delusions

One thing that intrigues me is that everyone seems to have their own reality. I personally try to stay on track by constantly asking myself, "Is this really true?"

The challenge is that truth is constantly changing. A perfect example are the food studies that continually come out and make the news. One day a certain food is good for you and the next day it's bad.

When determining reality I use the following rules:

• Follow the rule of the legal system and if the "preponderance of evidence" says something is true, then go with it.
• Try to get your information from the "horse's mouth." If I hear a politician actually say something in the media, I'm prone to believe it.

Chemtrails

In 1997, in the early days of the Internet, I had my first website up, called "Todd's Bulldozer Page." The website focused on suburban sprawl, green space destruction, and human overpopulation. I met some cool people through the site and got some interesting feedback from visitors, which helped me on my journey. One visitor suggested that I give attention to chemtrails, which are the white vapor trails emitted by high flying jets, and supposedly laced with chemicals. I put conspiracy theories in the same bucket as delusions, and chemtrails is one theory that won't go away. The idea is that the government uses jet aircraft to spray chemicals on the public. These chemicals supposedly make people sterile, affect the weather, etc...

The delusions are alive and well today, and we now have anti-vaxers and flat earthers. Social media has become a huge dumping ground for information garbage, and people quickly repost items without thinking. Much of this information is stubbornly accepted without questioning.

Delusion by Definition

As everyone goes through their life with their own reality I find it amazing that our society even functions. You have an exploding world population and every human has their own perception of what's real and what is truth.

A psychological definition of delusion is: 

An individual having Delusional disorder holds a false belief firmly, despite clear evidence or proof to the contrary. ... It must be noted that a religious or cultural belief that is accepted by other members of the person’s community is not a delusion.

I disagree with the second sentence because entire groups of people can have delusions. The most amazing delusion right now are the Christians who say, "Donald Trump is a godly man." What? Did I miss something? This is a man who is a brazen womanizer and who plays golf on Sundays. My own research shows he's never been a regular church goer, other than Easter or Christmas Eve services.

I define religion as a delusion as well. One of the ongoing themes of my blogs is that religion does more harm than good for humanity, and is a major roadblock in our forward development. I believe religion creates a mindset that delusional thinking is okay, and then religious people become delusional outside their religion. We hear of extreme cases where parents won't take their kids to the doctor because God will heal them. And with my own ears I've heard five different evangelical leaders praise Trump.

Conclusion

Okay, here are a few more tips for determining reality, in addition to the two above:

• Question everything! Even question beliefs that were drilled into you all your life. Question your religion, government, and culture. Don't be afraid to drill right in and ask hard questions. Then, have the courage to face the facts, accept the answers, and act on what you know is true. This takes courage, and few people do this, but it's important.
• Develop critical thinking skills. Once information passes through your filter process then analyze it for a while. Does it make sense? Does it line up with what you think is reality?
• Get your information from a wide variety of sources. If your only news source is Fox News and right-wing talk shows, you'll definitely get a one-side picture. Or maybe that's what you WANT to get.

Delusions are probably in our evolutionary heritage because they comfort us. When people are spouting off delusional ideas I think way down deep they know it's a lie, but they like what they are believing and telling. For instance, I think flat earthers get comfort from "stirring the pot." And if I hear "water can't bend" one more time I will scream. I believe that TRUTH is always better, no matter how painful and disappointing it may be.

My 12 Daily Disciplines

I was encouraged by the positive response I received to my "Diet & Fitness" tips. This list is my 12 daily disciplines, which overlaps a little with my diet rules. Every morning I wake up and say to myself, "I will try to follow my disciplines." I do break my rules regularly but then I try to do better the next day.

1. No sugar or artificial sweeteners.
2. No alcohol.
3. No sodas.
4. Don't eat junk.
5. Minimize innocuous but time-consuming habits.
6. Don't talk too much.
7. No WWII history (I'm obsessed with it).
8. Minimal social media (twice a day at most).
9. No retail therapy.
10. Stay focused.
11. Be productive and efficient, even when feeling down.
12. Don't get mad — nothing in life is worth it.

Now, for a few notes:

5. Minimize innocuous but time-consuming habits. Hey, we're not doing hard drugs or anything harmful, but it's easy to get lost in wasteful, time-eating endeavors, like watching TV. Now, if it relaxes you, a little TV is okay, but it shouldn't affect the balance of your life.

6. Don't talk too much. I'm an extremely transparent person, but when I put myself out and am vulnerable, two things happen. The good thing is that others become open too, and you establish a deep connection and get insights. The bad thing is that other people can throw negative energy darts at you and leave you feeling like crap. I'm thinking it might just be better to bear my inner soul with complete strangers. Haha.

7. No WWII history. When I was 12 years old my Granny gave me an a book titled, "A Photographic History of WWII." I'm looking at it and thinking, "Holy cow, what's going on here?" Ever since, I've enjoyed reading books and watching movies about the world's biggest war. I've gained a lot of insight, but, hey, enough is enough. If I watch one more YouTube documentary on WWII my brain will melt.

11. Be productive and efficient, even when feeling down. First, spending time with family and friends is ALWAYS time well spent. Second, most of us have days when we just want to stay in bed. On those days, I try to make myself keep going.

12. Don't get mad — nothing in life is worth it. We put a lot of wear on our bodies by raising our blood pressure and getting angry. Most anger issues fall into two categories: a) Physics, b) Social. Physics are things that fall, or us tripping, or something related to gravity or another physics law. When these things happen I try to analyze why it happened and then figure out a way to avoid the problem again. For instance, every morning when I open up a tray of cat food, it goes flying everywhere. Hmmm, what can I do to prevent this? I now hold it firm and slowly peel off the top. Hurray! The other common thing that makes us angry is social incidents. When someone upsets me I usually say, "That's just human behavior. We are simply animals and have various learned behaviors. How can I prevent this in the future?" I'm at the sunset of my life, I acknowledge that life is a Darwinian struggle, and, simply put, I feel that people and their actions usually aren't worth getting mad about. People are people.

Well, enough for now, folks!

The Toad's Diet & Fitness Tips

Here is the diet and health plan I've created. I've lost 10 pounds but still have a little gut that I'm working on. The idea is to do whatever you can each day. And, if you fall down on your diet or exercise, simply get back up and keep going. Each day, I say to myself, "There is nothing I can do to change the past, but I have control from this moment forward." You can do it!!!!

Diet

• No processed sugar at all! Following this rule has been the biggest contributor to my weight loss. Don't worry, your body is still getting more than enough natural sugar from your regular foods. The withdraw from sugar is difficult, but after a while you'll see that life can go on without sweets.
• Drink water. Enjoy water with your meals. Avoid fruit juices, and if you do drink them make sure they are 100% natural.
• Minimal alcohol -- it turns into sugar.
• Completely avoid high fructose corn syrup. 
• Minimize red meat, chicken, turkey, and pork. Enjoy more vegetarian meals and eat more fish.
• No sodas -- they are a vat of chemicals.
• Eat less. You'd be surprised at how little food you need to keep going. Cut it off a little before feeling full.
• Find replacements for potatoes.

Exercise

• Do a 1-hour exercise session each day. I like to mix this up with hiking, swimming, tennis, cycling, running, and house chores.
• Park your car at the farthest end of the parking lot and walk.
• Use stairs whenever possible.
• Stand, stand, stand, every chance you get.

Note: When I first started swimming I had to take a break at 30 minutes and I needed the help of a flotation device. Now, after a few years, I can lap swim nonstop. I do flip to my back as needed to rest. The same with cycling. A 20-mile bike ride used to seem like a major day's event, but now I can zip down the bike trail for 10 miles and back pretty easily. It's rewarding to see how your body improves and increases its endurance and stamina.

Patience

It takes years for people to get overweight, and it may take a long time to lose those pounds. Just keep it a long-term goal. The key is to keep moving every chance you get. I read that cells have memory and your body will work to replace the fat you lose, so it's a tough battle. But it can be done over time.

Workplace Discrimination

At my last career workshop I learned that obesity bias in the workplace is worse than religious or racial bias. There is an advantage to presenting yourself as trim and having a healthy glow.

Household Duties

Keep your house and yard squeaky clean -- it's a great way to burn calories and you enjoy the comfort of a cleaner home.

The Enemy

If you walk into any grocery or convenience store you will be greeted with junk food everywhere. It's cheap and it's fast. But avoid the temptations. Eat some nuts and dried fruit instead.

Certainly feel free to add your suggestions in the comments below. A thanks to my doctor, who provided a few of these tips.

Todd the Toad