I Told You So. Many, Many Times.

“When the volatile political bedfellows of money and religion discover the honeymoon is over, the break-up will affect all of us.”

I wrote this in my column following George Bush’s, Dick Cheney’s, and Karl Rove’s victory in 2004.

Well, I told you so then and I tell you again now:

God and greed don’t mix.

And we are paying for it dearly.

Because the GOP continued to woo the religious right – complete with the fringe elements that spawned Donald Trump and Steve Bannon — and they had absolutely no intentions of fulfilling the promises they made to them.

The establishment arm of the GOP really believed the crazy relatives of their new bride would not be a problem. When the courting was hot and heavy, I had more than several folks make comments to me such as: “Those people aren’t going to make a difference. We just tolerate them for the vote,” as they plunged their hands into their very deep pockets.

But as we all know, when you marry, you marry the crazy family members, too.

Like it or not.

And now, we have what we have.

Not only have the nutty relatives stuck around, they are living in the big house.

And the GOP can’t do a damn thing with them.

Because their greed got us here.

A hunger for power got us here.

Hypocrisy got us here.

Dishonesty got us here.

And nothing is going to lift us out of it until the people who forged this relationship  admit they made a mistake and take action.

Because there’s only one solution for a bad marriage: divorce.

And we sure as hell need one of those right now.

#DonaldTrump #Opinion #thereligiousright #USPolitics

The Slant…

…of the September sun, that is.

We have been blessed with absolutely beautiful here in West Georgia for the past few days, even though Irma slammed our neighbors south of us.

The angle of the sun shifted…

…making the prisms dance wildly.

Temperatures dropped and the fish danced for joy.

On Sunday, the western sky had that early autumn tint to it.

But in the east the clouds were already gathering.

It was a good 24 hours before a tropical storm — still churning in the Gulf as a Hurricane Irma — was due to come to town.

And if I didn’t know better, I’d assume the seasonal transition from summer to fall was responsible for this two-tone sky.

The sunset was spectacular — debunking the adage, “Red sky at night — sailor’s delight.”

Because I knew what was coming tomorrow.

And now, she’s hollering from south of the Fall Line, saying, “I’m on my way.”

Then…suddenly…in the midst of all this weather, I realized the date.

September 11.

As I watch the rain and wind roll over the mountain,

I pray the slant of a September sun — when he returns — reminds us what makes life worth living.

And that he will reveal not only the face of a new day, but also the truth behind the clouds.

#Inspiration #Irma #WestGeorgia #environment #naturephotography #September11 #Autumn #Truth

Fast Cars, Loud Music

I have a confession to make.

I love driving fast, listening to pop music (all of it — rap, too), and dancing — all at the same time.

And I can dance while sitting in my car. Believe it.

In fact, the ol’ Beamer almost hit 90 on Monday while jamming to Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic”.

Now I know what you’re thinking:

“She is too damn old to be doing shit like this.”

And I’m answering:

“Ah, hell naw. If I get too old for this shit, go ahead and shoot me.”

People dry up and die on the inside when they don’t challenge the norms…when they don’t honor their guts. 

And my mom taught me an early age to push that envelope.

When I was in grammar school, the Mountain Hill School PTA held a Labor Day barbecue every year in the pine thicket across the road from the school.

Politicians frequently visited during election years, and in 1962, Marvin Griffin was invited.

Griffin was a veteran Georgia politician, having served as Governor from 1955 to 1959. He left office under a cloud of corruption but was trying to make a comeback.

He was known as an arch-segregationist and promised to close the state’s public school system if federal authorities tried to enforce desegregation.

His opponent, the younger Carl Sanders, hailed from Augusta and entered Georgia politics in 1954 at the age of 29.

Sanders ran on a progressive campaign platform, vowing to take Georgia into a new era of reformed government.

My parents were supporters of Carl Sanders and were probably in the minority among their fellow rural voters.

At the 1962 Labor Day barbecue, I watched my mother take her place in the serving line, proudly sporting a “Carl Sanders for Governor” button.

When Marvin Griffin was directly across from her, his eyes focused on what she was wearing.

“Carl Sanders for Governor,” he said, with a bit of a sneer in his voice.

“Yes sir,” said my mother, flashing her signature smile. “Hope you enjoy your meal,” as she plopped a spoonful of stew on his plate — so hard that he almost dropped it.

He didn’t say a word back to her.

Sanders won and the racist lost.

I learned that we can defeat hate and ignorance.

And we do it with unapologetic  singing and dancing — even though others think we should be silent and still.

Remember that.

#politics #laborday #racism #music #dancing