America is Being Changed for the Worse

Every week brings new "changes" to the American way of life.  The American people, for the most part, ignore what is happening and blissfully continue to purchase the latest technology, cars, and clothing as they continue to watch their media-created heroes in the throes of phony social dilemmas.  America is on the brink of the kind of social change our forefathers went to great lengths to avoid.  One usurper to the presidency of the United States of America is making changes that contradict everything for which our ancestors fought.

Today, the Senate Democrats changed the rules and the future will be very different because of them.  The next changes to the Constitution will address gun contol and term limits, and when those changes are made, not only is our Republic lost, but so is our Judeo-Christian philosophy in favor of a Socialistic and godless society.  America is being changed, but for the worse.

Rules for Radicals

The truth may never be told as history is recorded, rewritten, and recited over and again.  Some of us must try to preserve the facts.

In 1971, I was hired to become a community organizer by a county organization which operated under the federal Office of Economic Opportunity, or O.E.O.  This organization, which was a forerunner of A.C.O.R.N., was disenfranchised by then President Richard M. Nixon.  The latter stated that OEO duplicated social programs such as the Department of Public Welfare.  This was true, except for the fact that DPW had the power to actually help the poor and OEO didn't.  I learned early on the true purpose of OEO.

Training consisted of reading, memorizing, and understanding Saul Alinsky's Rules for Radicals:  A Practical Primer for Realistic Radicals.  Below are the tenets of Alinsky's way to social change:

  1.  Power is not only what you have but what the enemy thinks you have.
  2.  Never go outside the experience of your people.
  3.  Wherever possible, go outside of the experience of the enemy.
  4.  Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.
  5.  Ridicule is man's most potent weapon.
  6.  A good tactic is one that your people enjoy.
  7.  A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.
  8.  Keep the pressure on.
  9.  The threat is usually more terrifying than the thing itself.
10.  The major premise for tactics is the development of operations that will maintain constant pressure   
       upon the opposition.
11.  If you push a negative hard and deep enough,  it will break through into its counterside.
12.  The price of a successful attack is a constructive alternative.
13.  Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it.

It is my most fervent hope that people read and study these tenets and think of all the ways they have been and are being used by our Administration, and then, hopefully, understand the purpose and intent of using Rules for Radicals.  Don't forget, Obama himself studied these rules as a community organizer and is notably a follower of Alinsky and his Marxist beliefs. He was raised by and associated with known Communists.   Learn what Marxism is, learn how it affects a population, and learn how to counteract it in the United States.  If we don't, we will soon not live in a free country.

Conspiracy Theories?

Were I a follower of conspiracy theories, I would be searching for information regarding the random shootings which have been occurring in the USA.  One of the theories I either read about or heard about is that the anti-psychotic medications currently being prescribed to people who would probably be better served in a controlled environment, are actually causing the psychic breaks that cause the shootings.  I don't know because I am neither a psychiatrist nor a pharmacologist and therefore cannot speak intelligently about the topic.  It does, however, seem a reasonable explanation.

Another aspect of the medication theory is that "puppet masters" (people like George Soros) are actually locating the people on these medications and using these ill people to create havoc and bloodshed.  Why would these unseen "puppet masters" engineer this kind of behavior?  Some folks believe it is to create a diversion from a sticky situation our government and its leaders find themselves trying to escape, or to divert attention from some new rules, laws, or plans that would be unpopular. 

It may be coincidental that every time media topics concern disapproval of the public over a public policy, program, or action, another shooting occurs.  Not only does it move the spotlight from our governmental leaders, but it also stirs up all the anti-gun people who I imagine wait with bated breath for any crisis involving guns.  Any intelligent person surely understands it isn't the gun, it's the person who pulls the trigger who kills others.Such demented people would use a knife, a bomb, or a poison to kill if they hadn't access to a gun. 

I received my new Medicare Insurance provider's formulary for 2014, along with what my costs will be.  Unfortunately, my prescription co-pays for preferred drugs will increase by six times.  Most service co-pays will also increase, with the exception of visits to my general practitioner.  The latter will drop very low, and I am hoping what the insurance provider pays him will not drop so drastically.  If it does, I have a hunch I won't be able to see a general practitioner any longer.  Dire conclusions may be reached about the future of senior citizens.

The Peter Principle, 2013 Variety

I would seriously begin to doubt my sanity or intelligence if I permitted myself to believe anything I read in the mail I am sent.  Today, I received three letters from Advantra, my Medicare Health Insurance provider.  The first letter states my prescription co-pays are going to be less, the second states my prescription co-pays are going to go up, and the third states I might not have paid enough so far this year and may have to refund any overpayment.  I know from experience that picking up the phone and dialing either the Medicare number or the Advantra number will only let me speak with people who will confuse me even more.  These people never give consumers the same information; each will tell you something different.

I have reached the conclusion this is a new social phenomenon.  Those people hired by our over-large government agencies, as well as those employed by supportive or parallel companies are not hired for their intelligence, education, or common sense.  This type of "dis-information" is inexcusable.  Circular thinking should not be an option in the United States of America, a country built on and ruled by laws that are based on Western linear thinking.  We have a problem, my fellow Americans.  The Peter Principle has reached its apex.  If you have a good brain, you will be lost in the shuffle of the incompetents who have to trample you down in order to keep their own brainless heads above water.  Tsk-tsk.

A Lesson For a Small Child

I moved my three children and myself into town after their father and I were divorced.  Shortly after, the children started school.  In those days, it was safe for kids to walk to school without adult protection.  Mine walked several blocks to the elementary school.  One day the following Spring, my youngest daughter came home from Kindergarten proudly carrying a beautiful bouquet of tulips, jonquils, and daffodils, which she presented to me with a big, happy smile.  As I placed the flowers into a vase with water, I casually asked her where she found all the pretty flowers.  She said, "I found them down the street."  I responded, "Were they in someone's yard?"  She said they were, and when further questioned, said she didn't ask anyone's permission to pick the flowers but that she wanted them for me.  Very gently, I had the mother's task of explaining to this loving and well-meaning child why it was wrong to pick flowers belonging to someone else without their permission.  It turned into a teachable moment, but I was saddened to see her joy in giving diminished.  

Some of my artwork can be seen at www.facebook.com/portraitsbysuellenmccollim

Fine Art Portraits

portrait drawings

Food Stamp Beraters

I'm noticing many negative comments on Facebook and other forums about food stamps, and I have a few comments. Why the concern over what recipients are purchasing with their food stamps? Sure, some people don't use the allotment wisely and buy junk foods and fast foods. However, the vast majority use the benefit to provide very basic food supplies. These are difficult times, and if you have a job then you should be grateful to be spared the humiliation of having to be "on the dole". I've seen more than a few posts by people who want to control what foods recipients can buy with their food stamps. There is a misconception by many Conservatives that poor people don't want to work. This couldn't be further from the truth. There aren't enough jobs available, and frankly, if you are bragging that you work not just one, but two jobs, then maybe you should give up one of those to someone who is in need. You say there are plenty of minimum wage jobs out there, but you fail to understand the economics of the situation. When a person who is receiving government help with basic needs takes a minimum wage job, they lose those "free" food and medical benefits. The worst part of that is they now cannot afford to purchase those basic needs. You say, "Let them do without, then." But here's the deal: When you continually carp about people getting free food, you negate your visit to your church for Sunday services. Christian charity is based on the words of Jesus admonishing us to take care of the poor, the needy, the widows. So, when you attend church services and then berate the poor for accepting help from the government, you are a hypocrite. Try making it on the current food stamp allotment (at least in Pennsylvania) of less than $50 a week for one person. Bet you can't do it!

Fine Art Portraits

The Way Events Get Twisted

Cognitive dissonance is defined as subconscious remembering of motives and actions in a way that makes a person feel better about himself/herself afterward. The person starts to believe that the basis of the reinterpretation is true. This is particularly true in the family of someone who abuses alcohol, drugs, or people. Everything gets skewed.

Nightmares

If were one who believed in reincarnation, I would seriously consider my inexpressible sorrow toward the carnage perpetrated by the Nazi's in WWII as indicative of personal experience of the horror and terror of those who endured the suffering. It would account for my lifelong interest and identification with Germany during WWII, as well as the nightmares I endured during my first and second marriages. In those nightmares, I was gathering whatever children I had at the time of the dream, along with my parents and my brothers, and hiding us (usually in the basement) along with food, water, and such, from the soldiers. OR It could be that just being born during WWII and growing up hearing the stories told by my parents and grandparents about the war, might be the source of my interest. In addition, I read "The Diary of Anne Frank" when I was about 15, and it had an impact on me, too. As I watch "Schindler's List" once again, I am experiencing emotional discomfort. It could also be that since the nightmares only occurred when I was married to my first and to my second husbands, that the emotional or physical abuse is what caused the nightmares. I created the woodcut print shown below,early in the 1990s, which shows a person hiding from others, but also is descriptive of my periodic shunning by my four children.

The Russians are coming! The Russians are coming!

Words and fears from somewhere in the foggy past have come forward in my consciousness with the news that the US will be bringing in at least 10,000 Russian troops to train with FEMA.  The reason given for this is that the troops are training here in case we have a national emergency of some sort.  I can't help but think of the news a few days ago that our President is going to have a new Caddy to ride in, one that sounds like it is modeled on a James Bond vehicle.  Nothing can permeate this vehicle.  I am also reminded of the bullet-proof glass that surrounded the POTUS when giving a speech in Germany.  I've never seen this before.

Now I ask you:  What is the "Emperor Who Has No Clothes" thinking is going to happen?  Are his low poll numbers giving him pause, finally, that not every American thinks of him as a monarch?  Rather, he is viewed by a majority as an usurper of some kind or other to the highest office in this land.  Things are changing, and rapidly so.  We should all be extremely attentive to governmental actions, more so than at any other time in the history of our Republic. 

As has been suggested by several news sources, if the Zimmerman trial goes in favor of Zimmerman, a race war may ensue in this country of many colors.  Does the POTUS know something the rest of us don't?   

THIS WAS ACTUALLY POSTED IN 2009.     Today I watched Oprah talking with young mothers revealing some of their darkest secrets. How well I recall some of those revelations and how long ago it seems. Today's young mother does have difficulties and expectations not experienced by older generations; however, they seem materialistic in essence. I often tell stressed young mothers that these exasperating days will be remembered as the best in their lives. Having borne four children who bore nine grandchildren amongst themselves, I can honestly say, from the viewpoint of grandmother-crone, those were my happiest days.

On the other hand (as a Libran, I always look to the other hand) there is a lot of wonderful about being old and alone. No one tells me what to do or when to do it, no one is in dire need of food or a diaper change, and no one is wanting to know if he has a clean shirt. I can pretty much speak my mind and know that everyone overlooks much of it because, after all, I am old. Sort of like when I was younger and people said, "After all, she is an artist." It permitted me a lot of freedom I otherwise wouldn't have had.

Of course, there is a downside and that involves the steady march to death's door. It is said that people scorn old women because they are symbols of death and most people fear death. (I don't know why old men aren't viewed in quite the same way.) Our wrinkles and sags are not considered marks of beauty and virtually everyone is searching for potions to eliminate wrinkles or the latest non-invasive surgical technique.

Occasionally, this blog will be about all those things no one talks about concerning aging, the things no one warned you about, the things that are embarrassing to discuss even with your doctor. As I add to the blog, I hope you readers will join in and add your experiences and thoughts about aging. I will also, hopefully, explain why it is infinitely good to become a crone in a world of barbie dolls.

Posted by Suellen at 2:27 PM No comments:

Check out Six Minus One, my book of poetry and artwork now available in paperback on http://Amazon.com  , as well as on Kindle Fire.

 Hurrah!  It is finally done.  My book will be available on Amazon.com and Amazon Europe in about a week.  It will also be available for Kindle Fire in a couple of days. 


Six Minus One: A Collection of Free Verse and Artwork by Suellen McCollim
Authored by Ms Suellen M McCollim

List Price: $8.95

8.5" x 11" (21.59 x 27.94 cm)
Full Color on White paper
46 pages

ISBN-13: 978-1484126127 (CreateSpace-Assigned)
ISBN-10: 1484126122
BISAC: Art / Individual Artist

A collection of free verse poetry which is written by a woman enduring abusive relationships. Accompanying the text is artwork which was created by the author, using oil, acrylic, pencil, and/or mixed media.

CreateSpace eStore: https://www.createspace.com/4246589

Six Minus One

 Six Minus One is my small collection of free verse accompanied with some of my artwork.  It became available yesterday for Kindle Fire, and will be available as a book on Amazon in a week or so.  The book can also be read on other Kindle models, but some of the artwork cannot be viewed as intended, in color.  I must apologize for the formatting problems on Kindles other than the Fire model, because I didn't intend availibility on the other Kindles.

Anyway, the poetry in the book is written from the viewpoint of a woman who has experienced psychological or emotional abuse in her relationships.  It is dark, for sure, but honest.  The artwork - oil, acrylic, pencil, and mixed media - was created during those stressful periods.

It is my hope, of course, that many of you purchase either the Kindle version or the 9" x 11" book. It is only 45 pages long, so though it won't take long to read, perhaps you will come back to it many times to study the artwork and how it relates to each poem.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/815FqsX2KxL._SL1500_.jpg

My e-Book

Keep checking back for news of my soon-to-be available e-book from Amazon.  It will contain some of my original artwork and my poetry!!

Communism Has Arrived

I well remember when Nikita Khrushchev was leading the Communist Party in the old USSR. That's why I am so very alarmed at what I see this evil, lying, unAmerican President doing to bring down this country. I am sick over it. People, forget about what Lady GAGA is doing, forget the insanity of 'The Housewives of....", forget the utter classless and stupid Kardashian Family. PAY ATTENTION. What was forecast by the Communists has come true.  This time by a man who doesn't even have credentials as to his birth and education.

When I was young, we had air raid drills in elementary schools.  We had to crouch beneath our desks with our hands and arms covering our heads.  Later, in junior high, we instead went to the basement and crouched, covering our heads.  I still don't know why anyone thought that would save us from nuclear bombs. There was a paranoia among Americans caused by their fear of Communism.  Since that time, our union-controlled educational system has taught that very real fear out of our young peoples' consciousness.  The result, of course, is several generations of Americans who are totally unaware of what has happened in our once free country.  Instead, they are fed revised history so they may never know the truth.  They are taught songs praising our president, just as Adoph Hitler did in World War II Germany.  What people are ignorant of will come home to roost.  

This president understands the illiteracy of the American public, their penchant for celebrity, and uses those celebrities to promote his agenda.  He knows the majority of Americans will fall in line, marching to his socialistic agenda. 
 

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Suggested reading

I don't often recommend a book, but I have to suggest you read "The Lost Wife" by Alyson Richman. It's based on true stories of the Jewish people during WW II, and is horrifically candid. The main female character is an artist, and much of the story involves what artists did in WW II, just as they have done in all cultures since the beginning: recording the truth visually. Admittedly, I have been interested in what Hitler did in Europe since I was a teenager, because much of the carnage occurred during the early 40s, when i was born. Perhaps this interest is why I can correlate much of what is happening in our country today with that time, and it terrifies me - as it should you.