This has opinions related to the presidency of Barack Obama and the impeding presidency of Donald Trump. You may not agree with this, and I will not discuss the merits of one over the other beyond those opinions expressed here.
The blog title hints at where I stand, and those with a different opinion may skip to the kitty content and spare themselves an upset. That’s the least I can do for those who come here for a some light kitty fun to lighten their day.
Dougy’s ready to pounce!
A bit of context, now. Those of you who’ve read the “who I am” page realize “weggieboy” (wegg-ee-boy) is no joke. I don’t yank the waistbands of others or I’d be “wedgieboy” (wedge-ee-boy). I remind you of this because I want you to realize I am serious today, not some juvenile pranking his buddies. I have a disease that didn’t kill me at least three times when it flared, a disease that most recently sent me to the hospital with end term kidney failure. That’s pretty serious.
Further, I was an English/Journalism/Advertising sequence major when I attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Specificity, accuracy, correct spelling, word meanings, and other arcane business are important to me, though I sometimes post errors in my blog. I have, however, found errors in years old posts, corrected them, and reposted those posts. I am anal that way!
Among the people I respect and count as inspirational is my cousin Sharon, the publisher of a weekly newspaper in Hyannis, Nebraska, a village in the beautiful Nebraska Sandhills. She shares my compulsions, of course. She’s a journalist! We also have one of those cousin things. Though we are 10 years apart in age, our bond is our mutual interests, family (of course), and values that go back a lifetime. She is one of my favorite people, someone I respect very much. Yeah, I love my cousin, too. She’s great!
Her newspaper, the co-star of the video (above) with Dougy, has the usual things you find in a newspaper and more – sports news, news about town, special editions for Christmas, Sharon’s incredible “Cattle Edition” which features histories of Sandhills families involved in ranching in the county, and a lively editorial page.
Her newspaper came in the mail yesterday. I read it this morning. I found this editorial, in which she expresses trepidation about the next president of the USA. As a person with a serious health issue, I share her trepidation. Yeah, that concern specifically, but many more about existential threats to American sovereignty and our variety of representative republicanism.
Sharon wrote an editorial about her trepidation. Toward the end, she mentioned my father, a life long Republican who voted the last time before he died for the Democrat Barack Obama. If Sharon hadn’t told me what she relates in her editorial, I would never have known that about him. His reasons had a lot to do with his policeman’s ability to judge character. The question my cousin poses is what would he have thought about the candidates eight years later, especially the character Donald Trump? And he is a character. As for his character, I have trepidations.
Sharon’s editorial… 
I knew I had to save this post for when I could give it the time it deserved. Your cousin Sharon is the kind of journalist we need a lot more of. Thanks for sharing her article. As to your father, I know you don’t get to be a police chief anywhere without being a good judge of character and the ability to evaluate the evidence. I am guessing I know how he would have voted this time. Why people in this country have a blind party loyalty is beyond me. It reminds me more of China but those people don’t have much choice. Thank goodness for cats. I can talk cats at least, with both sides of the aisle.
Ironically, my parents tended to vote pretty much straight Republican, but that changed toward the end of their lives when the Republican party began to shifty to the extreme right. I’d call my parents more like Eisenhower Republicans. My cousin will appreciate your comment. I’ll pass it on to her. Like you, I don’t understand people voting straight party. There aren’t that many little Jesuses running, if you will pardon my irreverance.
Yes Republicans were a different breed in our parents day. Certainly a little more willing to be bi-partisan.
Yes, and Eisenhower was the person behind the Interstate, which he proposed as a national defense expense, based on his experience with the German Autobahnen system when Allied forces invaded Nazi Germany. Of course, the improved infrastructure helped easier movement of commerce and private travel, helping improve the quality of life for America in that period. Today’s Republican sees the expense but not the benefit too often. Henry Ford used to note that when you needs a tool but don’t buy it, you pay for it anyway in poor quality, more inspection and rework time, waste, inefficient use of labor, customer returns, etc. Congress prove the point: neglecting the infrastructure for years, it will cost much more to correct than it would have even during the Obama years when interest rates were virtually nothing. The costs of falling bridges (death, lost commute time and easy access to opposite sides of a river, cost of building instead of maintaining a bridge, etc.) far exceed the cost of maintaining them as needed. I hate the bastards! As the cry goes out these days, Senator, Congressman, DO YOUR JOB!
I understand you… Obama just seems like a really decent person to me, as opposed to the Orange One. It’s scary to think many people might be left with no health care. I really hope you’re going to be ok. Dialysis does not sound fun…
I hang on for the time being and hope my fears are unfounded. (Dialysis isn’t that bad. after two tiny pricks to insert the needles, I sit in a recliner for four hours. There is a television mounted on the counter behind the dialysis machine and =recliner, and one can watch television if one wants or read, do handicrafts, or whatever you are clever enough to do with one free hand and a second one that is semi-immobilized by the lines coming out of the fistula.
I’m glad to hear it isn’t that bad… But don’t the cats try to play with the tubes?? 😉
This takes place at the local hospital dialysis unit: No kitties allowed! (And, yes, if they were, they’d play with all the tubes!)
Oh right! LOL!!
I do like the idea of having kitties in the dialysis unit, though…. LOL!
I think you should! 🙂
I’d like it, at least!
It was hard coming back to reality from our vacation while we never felt completely free from what was bound to happen all too soon.
I can appreciate that!
Wonderful Post. I cry. ~~dru~~
I hope to survive whatever comes. The anxiety I feel just now, however, is hard to set aside.
Thank you this post, it was very nice reading about your views and it really means a lot. I’m very liberal but usually can deal with having a Republican pres. but this time it’s different. We have a handful of moderate/conservative friends that just don’t seem to understand our concerns about this new gov. coming into to power. They tell us to shut up and back up our new pres. Reading this, knowing you are from a different part of the country made me feel better. We are all in this together, that’s how it made me feel.
My Dad isn’t the protest/marching type. He was always a Democrat but he never believed in protesting against the gov. He’s very patriotic and use to view it as an insult. When I told him I was going to DC to march the day after inauguration he said, “what’s going on isn’t right, the most American thing you can do is speak up, it’s your right.” I was surprised by his reaction. We had to cancel DC because my Dad is having respiratory issues and we aren’t sure what its from. He has heart disease but we had all our routine tests done and everything was ok 3 weeks ago. New symptom popped up last week and we have follow up appt tomorrow. We’ll be marching in NYC Thurs and Saturday. We’ll be marching for ACA, equal rights, etc.
Besides the political climate, how are you feeling? I know things are tough and I’m glad Andy and Dougy are the cutest little guys that watch over you:)
I tend to view people who are for repeal of the ACA as people who wish me dead. With my retirement income and assets a concern, I had a WG flare in 2013. I poo pooed the need to see a doctor when I had symptoms of a flare, passing it off as “a touch of flu” but afraid it was, well, what it was. I didn’t go to the doctor because I feared I might be hospitalized and run up a huge bill I couldn’t cover because I couldn’t afford health insurance at the time. In consequence, it is fair to say WG further degraded the health of my kidneys, and brought about the eventual end tem kidney failure that put me on dialysis. So, to those who say “repeal Obamacare” (which will have an impact on all who depend on all forms of insurance, private or government) “Why do you want me dead?!”
With appropriate health care through Medicare and supplemental, I am doing well. Andy and Dougy are part of my therapy, for sure! LOL!
Glad to hear you are doing good 🙂
I’ve had to explain why the ACA repeal is bad to a few people and the more I do it, the madder I get. A few of them benefit from it and they don’t even know it! I’m scared, my mom is 60 and needs to have her adrenal mass removed. She’s paying for a plan but I’m scared that her premiums will go up some more or they will drop her because she’s the “pre exisiting” conditon kind of ins. customer. She doesn’t understand why I’m so worried. Sigh. Let’s think about CATS. Their cuteness will at least make us feel better mentally.
I live in reddest of red Western Nebraska, so I understand your frustration. Obamacare is terrible and our representative will continue to get re-elected because he wants to repeal it. On the other hand, too many of them love the ACA! Try to get it across to them that they are the same, and otherwise intelligent people go dumb. I agree: All cats all the time!
Interesting!
It is a dangerous time for people with health issues.
I can only guess.
Decent people wish me dead. whether they see it how I do or not. Of course, I’m not the only one who may be at peril. I hold my breath for the time being, and hope I am wrong about health insurance. Reading reports from my Congressman, however, he is fully behind the repeal, then (as if they have a plan) replace it with something else whenever.
I have some dear Republican friends who, for the first time, voted for the “other guys” this time. They, like you, are full of trepidation. I can’t believe what seems to be coming for the USA, like an out of control freight train.
What is your opinion on why people in your country don’t make use of their right to vote? We have a compulsory voting system (not that that is perfect), but at least more than 58% of the voters have their voices heard.
I have no answer. My late brother voted once in 1964. His choice didn’t win, so he never voted again. On the other hand, I’ve voted in every election since I turned of voting age because I see it as a responsibility of citizenship. I guarantee my choice to win rarely did in this very conservative state, but that didn’t stop me. Why the difference in two brothers? I have no idea. My mother and father always voted, and did so until they died. My father, in fact, died on election day 2008, and he had cast his vote earlier by absentee ballot. I was in the US Army in Germany when I voted in my first election, also by absentee ballot. It was that important to me. While Trump thinks winning by nearly 3,000,000 fewer votes than Clinton in an election where only 54.4% of the electorate bothered to do their duty as citizens, gives him a “mandate”, he, in fact, represents about a quarter of the people who potentially could have voted.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voter_turnout_in_the_United_States_presidential_elections
I am pleased with what Obama accomplished during his time in office. There are so many problems that one man can’t solve them all. I love what your niece wrote , especially about you.
That was my father she wrote about. (He died on election day 2008.) President Obama d his family were exceptional compared with other residents of the WhiteHouse in other years. I look forward to see how Citizen Obama handles is “retirement” years, and how Mrs. Obama handles hers, too. I believe they will continue to be honorable servants of the people. It’s too early to predict how their daughters spend their adult lives, but I predict they will continue to do their parents proud.
Excellent editorial. We are now sailing with much uncertainty in uncharted waters, and yes, I feel trepidation right along with you.
I was surprised that one of the protest demonstrations held yesterday with regards the ACA was in Nebraska. It give me hope. This is one of those states that didn’t take advantage of the fund made available to help subsidize insurance for eligible people, and that served the Republican efforts to slow and cripple adoption of the ACA. The current governor is a member of a billionaire family. He serves Mammon as best I can tell. He has met resistance from the Unicameral on significant issues, such as ending the death penalty, which he opposed and vetoes.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Ricketts
I share your trepidation. I’m not much into politics, but I try to keep up. Can one man bring this country down? Are the checks and balances in our government strong enough to handle this? My only hope is that even the republicans know how dangerous this is. Now I need to go watch that kitty video. 🙂
Agreed.
It is so nice to follow these two catboys, thank you!
…and we appreciate your support! I think your blog is very interesting since Finland is not a country a lot of Americans (at least….) know much about unless they are history buffs or did well in geography class. I highly recommend it to anyone reading this comment!
Thank you so much. We are so faraway between Sweden and Russia, and this is a small country, not very well known, but this country is beautiful.
The beauty of Finland is very evident in your photos! My familiarity with Finland in past amounted to winter photos taken during WWII, not the best time or circumstances to see that beauty. That may be how most people here (if they know anything about Finland) think about y ur country, another reason I encourage people to check you blog out! The other countries are well represented in America because of heavy migration from Denmark, Norway, and Sweden in a time when railroads were advertising farming land availability along their railroad routes. I doubt I know one person with Finnish ancestry, though surely there are such people here!
At the beginning of 1900, some earlier, about 250 ooo Finns left this country, for many reason, and sailed over the Atlantic Ocean to America and Canada.
They must have settled places other than Nebraska. So I looked it up. Here’s a very interesting link to information on where Finnish Americans live now. It also goes into the history of Finnish migration to America. It is much longer than you might imagine!
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Finnish_Americans
Oh, Doug, where to start! You have a beautiful family and well-written to boot. I wish more people had been like your late father, who put aside his political party to do what he thought was the right thing. That is a characteristic that is sorely lacking today, especially in Congress. Self-interest above all seems to be the rule! Trump is a wild card, I will say that much and no more – but my huge fear is about the Republican desire to repeal Obamacare. Of course, it isn’t perfect, but why throw the baby out with the bath water? Fix it! I’m sure our health care wouldn’t be quite as flawed if the Republicans and Democrats didn’t try to spite each other at every turn. We rely on Obamacare in our household, as my husband is self-employed and we must provide our own health insurance. From 2 years ago, we’ve already had 4 different plans (one went bankrupt) and our premiums, for less coverage, have gone from $850 to $1200 (round numbers, two people, my husband and son). I, too, feel the trepidation. This is a great country. But you can’t afford to get sick here. Abraham Lincoln was a most despised President while he sat in office, but history showed him to be our most beloved. I feel the same will happen with Barack Obama. Love the kitty pix, have a great day! – Liz and Maggie
I went for an awful period where I had no health care, and, during that period, I had a flare. Because I had no insurance, I didn’t see a doctor. “Oh, it’s just a touch of flu,” I kidded myself. It lasted from Thanksgiving till after January. When I finally fell under Medicare, the same symptoms gradually became worse, and I ended up with end term kidney failure. I didn’t die, but that could have happened with Wegener’s granulomatosis. I lucked out to a degree (I didn’t die), but proper health care would have saved me dialysis and trepidation now.
Trepidation? New word for me. After googling I must agree that it summons my feelings
I think it is how most of the world views it.
I live far away from the USA, but a president of a country with a population as big as that of the USA affects many other countries in many arenas around the world. But it must be even more difficult to be faced with the type of person as president in your own country that you have coming in to office now. The whole world is watching. I hope you will find ways to support each other through the coming four years.
Me, too.