Democrats, Republicans, and Russians

POTUS cheats on his wife?  Goes to war? Eats his pizza with a fork? Wears a tan suit? If he's a member of their party, they defend him.  If he isn't, it's impeachment time.  To the child I was, and the woman I am now, that's...  just stupid.

When I reached voting age, I made it a point to learn as much as I could about the candidates.  Did they share my views on the issues of the day?  How did their personal habits bear on the performance of their duties?  Did they have the courage to disagree with The Party Line?  Did they run smear campaigns? How did they speak to voters one-on-one?

2016.  The Russians meddled in our Presidential Election.  Both major parties believe the other was behind it and/or in on it.  Here's what I believe:  The Russians acted alone, to undercut the groundswell of support maverick candidates were receiving.  Do I have evidence to support this theory? No more or less than either party has on the other.

Two of the most popular candidates in that election were mavericks.  Independent Bernie Sanders and Libertarian Gary Johnson.  For the first time in my life, there was a very real chance we would have a sitting POTUS who was not from the Big Two.  The DNC played Bernie for a fool - come join our party, agree not to run if you aren't our guy, and then they nominate Clinton.  Democrats - not the hard-liners, but Democrats nonetheless - started questioning things.  And Johnson was still out there, drumming up support.  The Two-Party System (something the Founding Fathers were very against, by the way) was in danger of being disrupted if not outright destroyed.

Well, my theory is that Russia didn't like that.  They stepped in, threw gasoline on the smoldering partisan embers I'd grown up with, and here we are.  They had at least two factions pouring propaganda on us - "Trump is great/Clinton is evil" and "Clinton is great/Trump is evil".  They wisely ignored Johnson and the other Third Parties - no real threat if they properly manipulated us.  We'd either forget about them or continue to believe those parties were a joke.

Despite their best efforts, Gary Johnson did get enough votes to lift his party to Major Party status.  But they also accomplished what they set out to do.  We've had riots fueled by partisan concerns. Partisans sound like bad defense lawyers: "Yes, my client killed some people.  But Ted Bundy killed lots more!"  Political Polarization is at an all time high and, frankly, I'm scared.  I'm more afraid of a partisan American than I am of ISIS.

Here's where I go total conspiracy theorist on you.  "XXX colluded with the Russians."  "A third party vote is a wasted vote."  "XXX is the Anti-Christ."   "XXX was sent by God."  "The system is fixed, so don't bother voting." THAT IS WHAT THEY WANT YOU TO THINK.

Well, that last one is partly true.  The system is fixed, but only because we believe all that other stuff instead of thinking for ourselves.  Russia wanted a schism in America and made one.  I'm just really disappointed in my fellow Americans because they let it happen.  And still are.

Muffling The Demon

I considered "Silencing The Demon" as a title for this blog, but let's be honest.  She's never silent, even when I'm at my happiest!  I just had a really lovely holiday season and all she wants to talk about is the things I didn't get.  Ingrate, that's what she is.

For anyone new to my blog, or my head space, I'll explain.  Feel free to skip ahead if you already know about Sybrie The Tenth, aka The Demon.  I suffer from a form of Clinical Depression, with a touch of anxiety and sprinkle of persecution complex.  I use humor as one of my coping methods - humor that some may find offensive - and joke about having ten personalities.  (A riff on the old toothpaste commercials "nine out of ten dentists".)  Sybrie The Tenth is a demon locked in a cage in the back room of my brain.  To use more professional terminology, I have personified my mental illness.

That said, I want to offer tips for anyone out there dealing with a demon of their own.  Your demon need not be Depression for these to (maybe) help you.  Feel free to modify my methods if they don't quite work for you - one size doesn't fit all in this case.

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1. Do what you enjoy.  I struggled for years with my "inappropriate" interests - dolls and story telling, specifically.  My doll play evolved into novels that will probably never see publication. (More on that in a bit.)  I went through phases of trying to be a serious collector of said dolls, and even of giving them away en masse.  What I didn't realize until I went to college in my late 20s is that Play Therapy is a very real thing, and not just for children.  In a nutshell, the very things I felt shame for are probably what's kept me reasonably sane!

Most of my family doesn't read my silly Barbie blog with its photo stories.  But that's okay.  They get that it means a lot to me.  They don't try to shame me... at least not seriously.  I make the photo stories, I play with my dolls, for me.  I've found a whole community on-line to play with!

I have a budget and my bills get paid.  I can adult when I must.  If I've taken food from any one's mouth to buy toys, it was my own.  The only time we should feel shame for what makes us happy is if it hurts others.  Don't let others dictate what you should and should not enjoy!  Be the weirdo!

2. Limit toxins when possible.  This includes, but is not limited to, humans.  You are not required to associate with anyone who consistently treats you badly.  People who love you can and will hurt you, but if all or most of your contact with any person is negative, remove them from your life as much as possible.

I have a phobia of crowds and therefore crowds count as a toxin here.  When I choose to be in a crowd, I always scope out a quiet corner to slip into if I can't deal.  This comes in very handy at things like family reunions.  If nothing else, I go hide in a restroom stall for a few minutes!

3. Own your weakness.  Despite what certain memes might tell you, mental illness is a weakness. Weakness is not something to be ashamed of!  We all have weaknesses and we should accept that.  Work with and around it.  Admit it.  "Why are you out on the deck in the cold?"  "It got too crowded in there.  I'll come back in a bit."

4. Talk to someone.  They don't even have to understand.  They just need to care - so don't do this with toxic people.  They don't have to be a therapist.  They don't have to be real, if all  you need to do is vent. 

5. Educate.   Yourself and others.  My top recommendation for this is Overcoming Depression by Demitri and Janice Papolos.  They do use a lot of medical terminology, which may be off-putting, so consider yourself warned.  Many of the tips in this blog are based on things from this book.  The book also explains symptoms many don't realize are connected to the mental illness.  I have what the book calls thought latency... basically, if the brain is a computer, mine lags. 

6. Retrain Your Brain.  AKA Cognitive Therapy.  Question your negative thoughts.  Suppose a woman calls me stupid. Is she joking?  Does she have a poor vocabulary and meant some other word?  How important is her opinion of me?  Often, I internalize messages others didn't intend.  I had to teach myself to look at the big picture. 

7. It is okay.  Like many, I wake up every morning depressed.  I've learned to accept that it takes me a few minutes to "wake up slow" and be ready to face the world. 

I put a lot into those previously mentioned novels.  Research, mostly.  There are badly researched books on the best seller lists that read like a third-grader wrote them.  Getting a rejection letter from those publishers....  I can't even.  People have advised me to self-publish, but I've caught a lot of flak during my research for writing about anyone who isn't a white heterosexual female!  I'm not sure if I could handle Amazon reviews of that nature.  I'm not a social creature (I probably have less than 100 Facebook friends, including extended family) and the self-promotion needed for self-publishing is not something I am comfortable with. So I've not done more than dabble with the idea. For the most part, I've accepted that those worlds I created will probably never see mass production.  I've learned to write for me. 

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So many aspects of my life are better since I learned to do these things. She's still in there, rattling her cage and telling me lies, but she's not the boss of me.  Not any more. 

Doing Christmas Right

Every year at this time, I see a lot of debate about the correct way to do the holiday season.  Since I do Christmas, that's the one I have the most knowledge and experience with, but I believe a lot of these thoughts can apply to any holiday, at any time of the year.

When does the tree/decor go up?  In my little world, this is after Thanksgiving.  That weekend is full of activities with the larger family and in the spaces between them, my apartment gets decorated.  I don't get upset at others for decorating earlier or later because they aren't hurting anyone. (I do think they're silly, but silly is harmless fun.) They have their reasons, and it's none of my beeswax. 

When does the tree/decor come down?  One of my sisters is Catholic and her decor stays up until Epiphany - also known as Twelfth Night or The Twelfth Day of Christmas.  Her son takes his tree down (quite methodically, I might add) on the evening of the day itself.  The rest of the extended family does it at their leisure, me included.  My decor does stay up until after the new year begins, but beyond that, who knows? 

How much decor to use?  Some are minimalist.  Others have front lawns that rival professional displays.  Some do strict themes and others just embrace utter chaos.  Again, it's a matter of taste.  Again, it's harmless fun.  Don't stress out over what other people do.  Just have a giggle if you think they're silly, let them have a giggle at you, and move along.

What is the proper procedure for opening the gifts?  This one is a bit trickier, since so many of us do gift exchanges in the homes of others.  It boils down to one question:  Who owns/rents the home you are in?  THAT PERSON SETS THE RULES.  If in your home the proper method is utter chaos, fine.  If the gifts have to be opened alphabetically by height, fine.  But if you are at Uncle Bob's, you follow Uncle Bob's rules.  This is the exception to the taste/fun/beeswax rule. 

For my sister, Christmas is a holy day.  For me, it's a wonderful way to love and be loved.  What works for me may not work for her.  We spend the day together.  We compromise.  Because in the end, it's each other that matters.  That is doing Christmas right.

Shaming

I keep seeing news stories about people being "shamed".  Mom-shamed, fat-shamed, everything-under-the-sun-shamed.  Setting aside issues with so-called journalists using this type of informal language, I want to address a certain subset of these stories.  The ones in which the person is "shamed" but then they "clap back" and triumph.

If I try to kill someone and they fight me off, I don't get arrested for murder.  I get arrested for attempted murder.   These headlines should say "XXXX shuts down attempted shaming" instead of "XXXX gets mom-shamed and claps back".   Not only is that accurate, it's more concise.

I suppose I can forgive the casual language in human interest stories, but this one makes me giggle every time.  Maybe I'm being pedantic.  I should be glad they aren't spreading exaggerations of what politicians did or said.  But instead, I'm reporter-shaming.  I wonder if any of them will clap back.

The Ghosts of Kings Island

Kings Island is an amusement park north of Cincinnati.  It opened in 1972 and I think I've been going there at least once a year, as my father's company picnics were usually held there, ever since.  The years I didn't go at all are made up for in spades by the years I had season passes.

On the most recent trip, we went up the Eiffel Tower (a 1/3 scale replica of the real thing).  The elevators are glass and I watched as we rose.  The counterweight and cables caught my eye and got me to thinking about Tower Johnny.  But he's not the only reported ghost in the park or even the only death related to the park.  

I'm a skeptical believer.  I've had experiences of my own (refer to my earlier blog Do You Believe In Ghosts for more on that) but I try to find a natural explanation first.  Usually it really is just the wind or a trick of the light.  "Ghostyboo" is my go-to comment when something odd happens, but I'm just playing.  It's also a reminder to myself not to jump to conclusions.    

Anyway, for those of you who aren't familiar with Tower Johnny, here's the story.  For many years I thought it happened in 1984 (my senior year) but it was actually the year before.  Friday, May 13, 1983.  A young man enjoying Grad Night, for some reason, crossed into the restricted areas of the tower and into the elevator shaft.  

I looked all this up. (Imagine that!) His name really was John.  I found many different versions of what actually happened that night, most of them making his death even more gruesome than it was.  The official investigation found that he was probably struck by the counterweight, became entangled in the cables, and then fell 200 feet.   I don't think any more description is needed. 

Anyway, since then, people have reported sightings.  It's rumored that park employees call things like anomalous sensor readings "Johnny".  Some claim he's been seen in the area of The Beast because the cables in question are somewhere in the woods around that coaster, which I find ridiculous.  If they disposed of the cables, why did they toss them into the woods? 

The other ghosts associated with the park are Tram Girl and Woody, who may be one and the same.  Tram Girl is the one I remember hearing about even as a child.  Bordering the north parking entrance, there is a small cemetery from the 1800s.  One of the graves belongs to a little girl named Missouri Jane.  Most investigators agree that Missouri Jane is probably Tram Girl.  Tram Girl is generally reported in the parking lot (thus the name - she was often seen by tram operators) and wears an old-fashioned blue dress.   It is believed (why, I was unable to discover) that she drowned in a lake at the rear of the park.

This is where Woody comes in.  In 1985, a river-rafting ride opened at the lake.  At places along the White Water Canyon, there are small shelters used by employees to monitor the ride.  They are quite deep in the woods.  Employees report hearing the laughter of a child, even after the last riders are gone, and rocks being thrown at the shelters.  

There's also Racer Boy.  He's a little boy, dressed all in white, who is seen climbing on the Racer roller coaster.  Sometimes he's seen in an empty seat of the train.  The trains on the Racer are said to have been used previously on another coaster, one a little boy fell from and was killed.  The Racer was there when the park opened - in 1972 - but there were no reports of this ghost until the 1990s.  There's no record of the accident in question.  

There have been surprisingly few deaths at the park, considering its long history and the sheer number of people there even on a slow day.  Most of them were due to people disregarding safety regulations.

The deadliest day in the park's history was Black Sunday.  In 1991, three people were killed in the space of an hour.  At the lake in the Oktoberfest section of the park (not the one mentioned before) a fellow decided to cool off a little by splashing water on himself, or maybe to splash his friend, and fell in.  Presumably, he was convulsing, because he was being electrocuted - there was an previously unknown short in the underwater lights.  His friend and a park employee jumped in after him.  His friend and the park employee died. He lived, but was permanently disabled.  While that rescue was ongoing, a woman riding The Flight Commander fell 60 feet from the ride. (Flight Commander was a "flight simulator".  It could turn upside down at the rider's control.)  It's thought that she was trying to see the air ambulance at the lake or that she passed out from drinking.  There have been no reports of any Black Sunday ghosts, at least not to my knowledge.  

Why Don't Schools Teach....

Used to be, Home Ec or Shop was a required course.  People complained that the skills were out-dated and they're now offered as an elective if at all.  Yet I hear it all the time - why don't schools teach gardening, woodworking, sewing, or cooking?

I have a variation on that question: Why don't you teach those things? Why are we not instilling in the young a love of these creative and cost-effective habits?  Why should they learn skills they never see the adults around them use?   

I know a young man, a freshman in high school.  He knows the basics of gardening, cooking, sewing, carpentry, mechanics and engineering.  Because his adults did/do and enjoy those things.  Even if the work itself isn't enjoyable, he's seen the pride taken in a job well done and benefited from the money saved.  If your teenager or child isn't learning these skills, it's on you.  

Kids of a creative bent are constantly told to pursue something else as a career because there's "no money in that".  These skills are manual labor, and therefore nothing to brag about as a profession.  Unless, of course, you manage to own the company or become famous.  

As for the math people keep saying schools should teach?  How to play the stock market, for example?  Guess what... they often have elective classes that teach those things.  Guess what else... most people are not going to use those skills in an economy that leaves most of us floundering from payday to payday and running a Go Fund Me for medical expenses.  

All math is based on what we learn in elementary school - addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division.  Balancing a checkbook is rarely anything more than adding and subtracting. Compound interest is more complex, but still boils down to those basics.  

Even more galling is the fact that thse are the same people claiming that teaching reproductive biology is "not the school's job".  And don't even get me started on "indoctrination" because that's a blog in and of itself. 

Amendment Number Two

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

As with most political issues, I'm very middle-of-the-road on gun control.  I have friends on both sides of this debate and can understand both points of view.  I think the first thing we need to do is look at the language and historical context of the amendment itself. 

A well regulated Militia: Regulated means "Controlled or Supervised by means of rules and regulations" and Militia has several meanings that might be applied here.  It can be a civilian military force, a rebel force that opposes a regular army, or all able bodied citizens eligible for military service.  

Being necessary to the security of a free state:  We need it to keep our hard won freedom.  

The right of the people to keep and bear Arms: "The People" is the crux of this section.  The People means all Americans, collectively.  Keep and bear arms means have and use guns. 

Shall not be infringed: Infringing on something is limiting or undermining it.

Paraphrased into more modern terminology, it says "Since we need a sort of civil army in case our government becomes oppressive, we shouldn't limit the collective American right to own and have guns."  Simple enough.  

But... and you know there is at least one... Is telling individuals they can't have an Uzi infringing upon The People's rights?    Is any given civilian a well regulated militia?  This is where the debate rages.  (Not that an actual debate would rage, but I digress.) 

Any comments on this blog or on links to this blog that fail to retain a civilized tone 

WILL BE DELETED. 

1. "No one needs an assault rifle."  Of course not, in normal day-to-day life.  No one needs Barbies, but I have the right to keep and bear them!  Yes, Barbie is not known for killing dozens of people in minutes, but bear with me.  I'll address that.

Remember the historical context, too.  The Founding Fathers want us to be able to stand against the government if it becomes oppressive.  To do that, we need similar weaponry and skills. To fulfill the desires of the Founding Fathers, We The People do indeed need an assault rifle.

2. "Barbies can't kill people like these guns can."  Of course not.  The analogy can be made with things that have that capability.  Cars driven into a crowd, for example.  Shall we advocate the banning of motor vehicles?  

3. "You don't care about the murdered" and "You wanna take my hunting rifle".  All of my gun-guys care about those who were killed and most of my non-gun-guys volunteer to take any leftover venison you might have.  All these statements are is parroting of propaganda.  The NRA in particular is really good at convincing people that any gun control at all is only the first step in a dastardly plot to disarm us all totally.  That's called Slippery Slope Logic and I was warned against it in high school. 

The Crux Of The Matter  

I try not to have opinions on matters I know little about.  Before forming an opinion, I become Research Whore (cue superhero music) and use sources from as many sides of the issue as I can find. My self-educated, but considered, opinion follows:

1. Any given individual is not a "well regulated militia". Chuck Norris, maybe, but I digress again.... Any given individual is not The People. 

2. Freedom of Speech doesn't allow me to incite riots.  Freedom of Religion doesn't let me commit human sacrifice.  Even "the pursuit of happiness" is limited... no matter how happy it might make me, there are things the law says I can't do without punishment. No reasonable human being believes any of those things are infringements, as they are needed for public safety.  

3. Allowing only screened and trained adults of sound mind to own weaponry is in keeping with what the Founding Fathers had in mind. Well-regulated means rules are applied.  Militia means trained and organized in a group. 

4. Most of the mass shootings that spur this debate happen in "gun free" zones.  Would the inevitable scofflaw be so willing to open fire in a public place if, for all they knew, most of the intended victims were packing heat themselves?  

5. In summary, the well regulated militia called for by the Founding Fathers can simply be a group of everyday citizens that have proven themselves capable of defending The People. Those citizens, and only those citizens, should be permitted to bear arms anywhere they go.