4TheArts
4TheArts's JournalSmall community voting pleasures
The little NC town marked by my zip code has a population of about 1300. Voting precinct is the Community Center - a building about the size of my open living/dining/ kitchen room. It's a very red area of Appalachia, where 71% went to Dumpf in 2020, same for Sara Palin in the past. Today I walk in to vote and the judge who checked me in was a longtime friend, whose wife was past President of the non-profit I direct. He's an IT whiz and a craft beer brewer much in demand for local parties. The judge who handed me my ballot was another longtime friend, and we share interests in collecting rubber chickens and making our "trademark" cocktails (his is martinis, mine black russians). The observer sitting quietly nearby, another friend, a member of the camping group my wife and I are part of, and like my wife, a retired nurse. I declared to all present, in the line or otherwise "I love voting in person on Voting Day, it makes me feel part of a community." All those friends I know to be progressive democrats, so had to assume statistically everyone else was repub. Nevertheless, murmurs and amens all agreed - voting in the little hall was a part of community.
The look on my face
Sitting in a waiting room full of older veterans at the Franklin (NC) VA clinic this morning. Every time another vet walked in a chief idiot repeated the story of how a local vet group organized a copter refueling station in Swannanoa (a particularly hard hit area by Helene). Claiming that the vets would run off any FEMA personnel, and if FEMA would refuse to leave the Vets had a local sheriff arrest them. Couple of vets would join in the disinformation barrage. One of the others kept looking across the room at me, sitting silent with a mean look on my face. When the idiot then declared that hurricane Milton wouldn't have gotten so strong except "someone" artificially heated up the Gulf of Mexico. My face went from bad to worse - the guy across the room noticed and fell silent. Others realized the stupid repartee was dropping, saw what the guy was looking at and after looking my way each stopped talking. The head idiot noticed and looked my way.
"No really" he says, "They could maybe use microwaves." This time no one said a word. He fell quiet. I don't think they liked my former Air Force cop face when encountering gawd awful stupid GIs.
Turns out the head idiot didn't even trust Faux for news. Got all his "facts" from X. And of course he has never set foot near Swannanoa. Lives further west of the disaster area than I do.
Brother lost to *dRumpfism
Recently I noticed my older brother had posted a disinformed DJT meme in response to one of our nephews Facebook posts in support of Harris. My brother's post angered me so much I was about to reply to him that I was no longer his brother. Instead, I contacted our young nephew, literally seeking advice from the younger generation in how deal with my trumpish brother. Nephew suggested maintaining contact, but perhaps try to open a conversation, letting my brother know how his beliefs make me feel. Still leery of my angry frustration, I sent my brother the most recent column by Heather Cox Richardson, where she reviews dRumpf's recent rant/speech that included students getting gender surgery at school, gibberish childcare ramble, and such. After a couple of days, he responded simply with a thumbs down emoji. My wife thought maybe just ask him if he actually read Richardson's column. I went one better - asking my brother if he believed that children were getting gender changing surgery in school. Even more, I asked what he thought of DJT rejecting the report of our own 16 intelligence agencies and declaring he believed Vladimir instead. I asked did he know the economy was actually stronger, not weaker, that crime was down, not up. Ended by saying I cared about him as my brother and fellow veteran.
This morning, I saw that he unfriended me.
I suspect before long the younger brother, also in the cult, will lose the restraint he's maintained since his wife died early this year, and he's reached out for love and comfort. As the election gets closer his posts will get wonky with deep-state witch hunt crap and I'll lose my other brother. Baby sister remains delightfully aloof from politics.
Family, fellow veterans, artists in my local community - so many lost to the flood of dRumpf debris. It hurts my heart and taxes my brain. Time to check my BP again says my concerned wife.
* drumpf - likely the ancestral name that evolved from ancient German into the modern-day family name, Trump.
North Carolina, north Georgia, east Tennessee
If you're in need of pleasant diversion come over the mountains (carefully in this rain) and see the National Danish Performance Team tomorrow night, 7:00 p.m. at the Murphy High School gym (only venue big enough). It's a spectacular show of dance and gymnastics. they are on their world tour, but our little rural community has some Danish historical connections so sometimes get this amazing Team stopping in to wow us.
Tickets only $10, but if you live within reach of Murphy North Carolina and show up, the first four DUérs who speak my nickname get in free. Hmm, in the previous line that must be French, Dee ooo airs. 
More hearts!!
Thank you anonymous givers of ♥️
It's encouraging to this former observer only fan of DU. Glad to be among like minded citizens.
Oh! A heart!
Someone gave me a ❤️!
Thank you! I just started interacting with DU this month. This is cool..
Where to begin
Where to begin? Every scrap of news regarding 45’s crap flinging days has a negative effect on my health, yet I cannot stand to be uninformed. DU has helped, though I have remained silent in the back row for several years. Each morning I pick up my phone and check to see if the dotard has been arrested or stroked out. Not yet. But sometimes good news comes—the arrest of Stone, the skill of the smart, strong Speaker Pelosi, the fine scolding voiced by Sen. Bennett. Thanks DU for supplying the occasional good medicine of hoped for news. And thanks also to so many of the veteran DU posters I’ve grown to love and respect for their writings here. I hold back participation in these forums for a variety of reasons, including health (too easily stressed with real physical consequences) but also from having been pushed into the habit of holding my tongue. Pushed, because to make ends meet I took on a job that tends to constrain political speech in public. The non-profit I direct is both state funded in part, and dependent on private donations. And, I’m here in a North Carolina county that is 70% tea party, fundamnmental, sons of the confederacy, red hat sporting good old boys and their women folk. Because I am known in the community for the art supporting role, publicly voicing an opinion on political issues would definitely cost most of the support my organization gets from local businesses and private donors.
I am fortunate to have a circle of progressive minded friends, due in part to the large community of artists in the area, but for the most part I choose, or limit, my public words carefully, knowing that even the private me is automatically connected to the official Art Council director role in this small rural community.
I need a place where I can interact safely, relieving the bottled up stress and enjoying the reasonably free wheeling discourse of this online community. So, it’s time for me to join in the discussion. FYI, I am 72 this Beltane, a one time Air Force cop, fourth time married (two lost to breast cancer), classically music trained, former university research administrator turned starving artist. I read a lot, and sing a lot. I’d rather be living in Scotland. And I would have voted for Hillary when I first saw her as she campaigned for Bill in Florida for his first term.
Profile Information
Name: DavidGender: Do not display
Hometown: Harlan, Kentucky
Current location: western North Carolina
Member since: Sun Dec 10, 2017, 05:08 PM
Number of posts: 188