August 31, 2021

Message from Cloud Cukooland...and my response. UPDATE ADDED!

I received a reply to my response! It reads as follows:

What a loon! At least she told me how to get out of the chat.

I will not be replying to this. Enough is enough. I was tempted to snark back: "I don’t want to see anyone die, either. That's why I wish everyone would get vaccinated!" But I won't bother. Happy to be done with these chuckleeads.
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I got a totally weird, as in batshit crazy, message on FB messenger the other day. Somehow I got added to a group chat, without my permission or knowledge, a group chat that seems to be made up of people who are Trump Humpers, conspiracy theory believers, antivaxxers, etc., with a strong overlay of evangelical crazy. I don't know whose brilliant idea it was to add me to this group, but I think they're going to regret it when they read my reply.

I wish I could share the whole text of this message here, but I'm afraid it would just get alerted on and hidden for peddling right wing talking points. So I'll just share some excerpts to give you a sense of it,

It started out like this:

I know that many of my friends are not Christians however I hope everyone reads what I have put together.

Trump is coming back!!! ❤️

Nice, huh? At least she got right to the point. She then went on to say she has been spending her days listening to "news and Christian prophecies." This is followed by many paragraphs about the things that various "Chrisians" who believe they have the gift of prophecy are saying will happen in the coming months, including Trump being restored to office. *gag* She said that "people and hidden crimes" will be exposed throughout the fall, and "the truth about the election will be revealed." According to her, "there are hundreds of people who have seen dreams and visions of this happening."

Some other gems:

"This nation has cursed itself with abortion, embracing homosexuality, and trusting pharmaceuticals over God. Judgment is still coming. But those who are close to Him will survive this."

"I think those who took the vaccines will start dropping like flies this flu season. They took Pharmekia (witchcraft). There is no detoxing these. It causes permanent changes to how your immune system works, and curses your blood."

"This fall will be shocking and catastrophic in many ways. The vaccines will be exposed and the sinister agendas of evil people will be exposed."

There is much, much more, but I think that is enough to give you the general idea. All of it is every bit as crazy as the parts I have quoted here.

I could have just blocked the person who sent this and forgot about the whole thing but I decided to reply. I want these people to know it's not a good idea to assume that some total stranger will welcome this kind of communication. I sent the following response:

Hello. Lisa. I am writing in response to your message about Donald Trump being returned to office as our president. I would like to be removed from the list of people to whom these messages are being sent, because I am not one of those who is rooting for that to happen.

I am not and never have been a Trump supporter. I was delighted and relieved when he lost the election back in November, and I never want to see him returned to the White House.

That’s right: I said he lost the election. I do not believe the election was “stolen” or rigged. Trump lost, simply because the number of voters who wanted him gone significantly exceeded those who wanted him to have a second term.

As far as I am concerned, Joe Biden is doing a great job as our president, and I am very proud to have voted for him.

Furthermore, covid is a deadly disease and a very real threat to this country and to the world as a whole. Fortunately, we have safe and effective vaccines to fight it with. My husband and I got vaccinated the first chance we got, and we will get the booster the second it’s available to me. I truly wish everyone else would do the same.

I am not interested in trying to change anyone’s mind about any of these issues, and I don’t wish to argue with anyone about it. I’m simply stating my position, so you will understand why I am not interested in receiving messages like this. I wish you and everyone reading this all the best. I know you want the best for this country, the same as I do. We just have very, very different ideas about what that is.

May God bless America and all those reading this.

As I said in my response, I'm not under the illusion that I can change anyone's mind. I just want to let these people know that not everyone sees things as they do. I feel I would be remiss if I just let it go by without stating my views, but I tried to do it politely and matter of factly. Who knows, maybe I've given somebody something to think about.

August 30, 2021

You're going to be just fine!

Even though I've never met you, I can tell you're going to be all right in the long run.. Why? Because you're going to get help. It's the people who DON'T get help with their mental health issues that I worry about. You're making the right choice, even though it's hard for you, even though you're "nervous, scared, excited, anxious, apprehensive, terrified."

The fact that you're making a choice that's hard for you, and you're going though with it despite your fears tells ne that you're smart and brave and wise. THAT is how I know you're going to be fine, in the long run. I don't know how long it's going to take, or what obstacles or twists and turns may lie ahead, but that's okay. None of us knows the answers to those questions when we set out on a new venture. They will reveal themselves in time. Being brave enough to make a start, even with all those unanswered questions hanging in the air, is what counts.

Some people think being brave means not being afraid, but that's a misconception. True courage means doing what needs to be done even though it scares the hell out of you. That's the kind of courage you have, and that's why I truly believe you're going to be fine.

August 28, 2021

Of course they think they're superior.

They're the only who are "in the know." The rest of us are just a bunch of sheeple!

To which I say:

August 28, 2021

I am really sorry to hear that, mucifer. ☹

I feel for you.. But I'll tell you what: I for one would not want to receive care from a so-called health care worker who does not actually believe in the well-established scientific findings of medical science. I would not want someone like that anywhere near me, especially when I'm sick and vulnerable.

I understand that this is very stressful and upsetting for you, because you know these people and see their struggles firsthand, and I realize that I am on the outside looking in. But when I hear about people working in health care rejecting the findings of science, my head goes 🤯. If someone doesn't trust the findings of qualified scientists in virology, immunology, and pharmacology, what other aspects of medical science will they reject next?

I would be happy to see being vaxxed for covid be made a condition for licensing in all areas of health care. I'm sorry if that upsets some people, but the idea of an unvaxxed nurse or other health care provider caring for me or my loved ones upsets ME!

August 28, 2021

He's so desperate for his daddy's love.

Every tweet like this has the subtext "Look me, Daddy! Look at me! Love me!"

When is somebody going to tell him to give it up? You'll never get your father's love, Jr., because he can't give you something he doesn't have. He's incapable of loving you, or anyone else. He can't even really see you, because he can't see past his own reflection in the mirror.

God, this guy is so pathetic. Sure, he's a pos, but he can't really help it. He never had anyone to show him how to be anything else. I know this is not going to be a popular sentiment, but when I see tweets like this, I actually feel sorry for the little toad. He's vile and disgusting, but he's also very, very, very pathetic. The toxic dynamics in that family are so blatantly obvious. All of those kids are damaged, but he's obviously the most damaged one of all. He's a complete train wreck. He makes ne sick, for more reasons than one.

August 28, 2021

A lot of warning labels are what I like to call CYA* warnings.

If you are a manufacturer of one of these products, you add these warnings to "CYA" in case some really stupid person does a really stupid thing and then tries to sue you for the resulting damage, injury, etc.

For example, let's say Dummy McStupidface decides to iron his trousers while wearing them. He sets his trousers on fire and gives himself severe burns in the process, whereupon he decides to sue you, the manufacturer of the iron, for pain and suffering, payment of his medical bills, and a new pair of pants. Your lawyer points to the warning label and says, "Hey, Mr. McStupidface was warned. My client is not responsible for damage that was done because he chose to ignore the warning." The judge agrees and rules that you are not liable for expenses occurred due to Mr. McStupidface doing a really stupid thing.

Some of those warnings do seem painfully obvious, and some of them warn against actions that seem extremely unlikely, but they are there Just. In. Case. Because it doesn't pay to underestimate the ability of humans to be very, very stupid

*CYA = cover your ass

August 27, 2021

Oh, I agree with that!

Sean Spicer and Sarah Sanders were both put in impossible situations, and their discomfort was palpable.

Kayleigh was the exception. An obvious sociopath with no conscience whatsoever, she was in her element, defending someone just like her!

I hated her more than I hated the other two put together, for just that reason. They were despicable, but also pitiable in a way. Kayleigh, otoh, was a snake. A totally cold-blooded, extremely dangerous and venomous snake, and the only pity she inspired in me was for those who come into contact with her.

August 27, 2021

Some "views" do not deserve respect.

That's just the god's honest truth. Where the hell did this b.s. come from that all "views" are equally valid? That's a rhetorical question, but come the fuck on.

I can in theory "respect" another person's right to have a differing view, but what that view is based on MATTERS. If there is a sound factual basis for it, I will respect it, inasmuch as I respect sound facts. If it's just a personal opinion, based on someone's personal biases or some knee-jerk emotional reaction that is unsupported by facts, I am under absolutely no obligation to accord it a full measure of respect.

And when lives are at stake, as with covid, facts are the gold standard. I completely reject the idea that a view that is contrary to scientifically established facts is deserving of respect.

I can be respectful of a fellow human being and their right to held whatever view they like without respecting any views that are non fact‐-based and contrary to science. If someone with such non fact-based views is insulted or threatened by my reaction to those views, I would suggest that they step back and ask themselves why they are so defensive.

All of that is admittedly easy for me to say, since I don't have any maskholes or antivaxxers among my nearest and dearest, and my heart aches for those who do. But when I hear of a person being extremely angry about their "views" not being "respected," I can't help but wonder where all that defensiveness is coming from and question whether they are really as confident in those "views" as they claim.

August 26, 2021

Has the osprey family friends the coop (so to speak)?

Just wondering, since there haven't been any pics in a few days, if they might have taken off for South America by now.

If so, I'll miss them, but it's great knowing that all these pics are here to enjoy any time we want.

August 25, 2021

I was afraid to watch this at first.

Spoiler alert: This post is for anyone else who might wondering whether to watch. Don't read this if you haven't watched yet and don't Iike "spoilers."

I was afraid to watch, because I couldn't tell what it was going to show or if it would exceed my personal tolerance for certain kinds of images. We all have our own individual triggers and our own individual thresholds of what we can handle, and I know mine are lower than some. So sue me. It's how I'm wired.

I can tolerate a lot of things a lot better if I know what's coming, but when I see a phrase like "gut-wrenching," my panic reflexes kick in, rather like a phobia reaction. In this case, I read all the comments with my pulse racing, all sorts of terrifying images flying through my head. (The imagination has a "mind" of its own.)

Finally, my curiosity got the better of me. I looked at the image of a tight closeup of a woman's face and decided to start watching, ready to stop the video at any moment if necessary. Here is what I saw...

***SPOILERS START HERE***

To my relief, the only visuals, besides the woman talking at the beginning, are words on a black background, interspersed with completely black screens. Besides the woman talking, all you here is the beeping of an alarm. The video carries a powerful message, and the beeping of the alarm is hard to listen to, but easy to silence. (I had to turn off the sound myself, because it was freaking my cat out. 😄 But there are NO graphic images of any kind, and I had no trouble watching it. The video carries a powerful message, but the viewer is not confronted with any horrifying images.

As I said before, we all have our own individual triggers and thresholds. Some of us approach certain kinds of "scary" material with a lot of trepidation, because we know how such things affect us. If anyone reading this is trying to decide whether or not this video is "safe" for them to watch, I hope this information will be helpful.