They've politicized Social Security

 Last week I received a rare letter from the Social Security Administration.

From the same agency which I entrust my life's savings from years of working and sending money to be refunded when I retire...

Photo of the email as received, and I copied the text directly from the email with added red type for the political campaign messages.

This weekend, America celebrates its 250^th birthday. For over 90 of those years, Social Security has provided financial freedom for America's seniors. President Donald J. Trump and the Trump Administration are not only protecting Social Security, but we are providing meaningful and immediate relief to older Americans who have spent decades contributing to our nation's economy.

Just last year, on July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. This historic legislation included a tax cut that allows Americans 65 and older to keep more of their hard-earned Social Security benefits. Thanks to President Trump, over 35 million American seniors received an average of $7,500 in relief this tax season.

If you did not take advantage of the President's signature tax cut for seniors, I encourage you to review eligibility requirements through the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) website for next year's tax filing season.

Under the leadership of President Trump, we are protecting and strengthening Social Security while providing world-class customer service:

• In SSA field offices, we've reduced wait times by 30 percent;

• On the phone, we've answered calls 75 percent faster;

• We're meeting the needs of seniors in the digital age with 24/7 access to online my Social Security accounts;

• We've increased the number of personal my Social Security accounts to over 100 million users and have processed over 100 million more transactions this year;

• For disability claimants, we have reduced processing times by 25 percent; and

• Our efforts to prioritize efficiency, streamline our processes, and decrease wait times are saving Americans time while delivering the highest quality service.

Put simply, America's seniors are winning! I'm honored to be in your service.

Happy 250^th birthday, America!

Frank J. Bisignano
Commissioner
Social Security Administration

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The Red Ink is mine, just in case you miss the political campaign statements, many of which are borderline false. (I will leave it to others to give corrections.)

This is crass campaigning on a legitimate government business agency. Isn't that illegal? Would the IRS allow it? Or the Veterans Bureau? 

I'm just sick! 

And angry!

And something beautiful to just show that the universe does offer beauty still!

Colorado columbine, aquilegia caerulea taken by a very good photographer.

It's all about LOVE!

Bad Bunny's halftime show at SuperBowl XV had this billboard to remind everyone what brings us together. (More later explaining what was happening)

Person attending the emergency demonstration in San Francisco the day Alex Pretti was murdered, with a sign that gets to the heart of the matter.

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A protest for peace - the  Bed-in by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, 1969.

From March 25 to 31, they stayed in the presidential suite, Room 702, at the Amsterdam Hilton, welcoming reporters every day from morning until evening.

When questioned afterward about whether the protest had achieved its goal, Lennon expressed irritation at the press’s skepticism, arguing that being dismissed was intentional: “It’s part of our policy not to be taken seriously. Our opposition, whoever they may be, in all manifest forms, don’t know how to handle humour. And we are humorous.” 

The first bed-in took place at the Hilton Hotel in Amsterdam, followed by a second at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal, at a time when public frustration over the war was intensifying.

Aware that their March 20, 1969 marriage would draw global media attention, Lennon and Ono decided to turn their honeymoon into a platform for peace activism.

SOURCE: https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/john-lennon-yoko-ono-bed-in/

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From stoic, Marcus Aurelius, in Meditations...

What we do now echoes in eternity...

Here is a rule to remember in future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not ‘This is misfortune,’ but ‘To bear this worthily is good fortune.’...

and

Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.

Thanks Jess Craven for sharing these quotes of the philosopher.

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FYI

The two federal immigration agents who fired on Minneapolis protester Alex Pretti are identified in government records as Border Patrol agent Jesus Ochoa and Customs and Border Protection officer Raymundo Gutierrez.

Any questions? Comments?

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My reaction to seeing they had Latino names was a bit "Hurumph, can this be real? Are they manipulating us again?" 
Second, I want justice for their actions in killing Alex Pretti. And not the "reassignment" kind. Real trial justice.

Third, as a confirmed but sometimes struggling pacifist, I want to move to forgiveness and love even towards those who have committed heinous actions. I am nowhere near feeling that way yet, but it's out there for consideration. It keeps me from being angry, mostly.

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Sharing with Sepia Saturday...

And an interpretation of what the meanings were for those who don't understand Spanish - Band Bunny's Super Bowl Halftime show:

FrLast night’s halftime show was amazing. If you understood it, you understood it. And if you didn’t… I took the time to summarize it, because the amount of hate, misinformation, and division over a damn 15-minute performance is honestly ridiculous.

"Bad Bunny opens in a massive sugarcane field. For those that don’t know, sugarcane was once one of Puerto Rico’s biggest economic drivers. It represents labor, history, survival. If you want the deep dive, Google it… because it matters.

As he walks through the fields you see workers, kiosks, piragua stands, domino players, nail tech hustle, food stands… everyday Puerto Rican life. Not glamorized. Just real. Because that hustle is part of our DNA.

Then he passes two Puerto Rican boxing champions, Xander Zayas and Emiliano Vargas, a reminder that boxing has always been a source of pride for the island.

Next thing you know he’s on top of a classic casita straight out of el campo singing some reggaeton bangers. Are they the most proper songs? No But he still had the tact to censor the bad words even though half the audience wouldn’t have known the difference anyway.

And let’s talk reggaeton for a second. That genre was born in the barrios and caseríos. It wasn’t always accepted. It was criticized before it went global. So when he says:

“Estás escuchando música de Puerto Rico, de los barrios, de los caseríos.”

That means:

“You’re listening to music from Puerto Rico. From the neighborhoods. From the housing projects.”

Translation? This global sound came from us.

Then comes the violin intro to Monaco and he introduces himself by his full name:

Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio.

Not Bad Bunny. Benito.

And he says:

“If I’m here today at the Super Bowl it’s because I never stopped believing in myself… and you should believe in yourself too. You’re worth more than you think.”

Goosebumps.

From there we transition into what looks like a full Puerto Rican wedding. And if you’ve ever been to one, you KNOW it’s basically a family reunion with louder music and better outfits.

Enter Lady Gaga in a light blue dress with a red flower, a subtle nod to the original colors of the Puerto Rican flag, singing “Die With a Smile.” A song about love, about choosing your person no matter what. But with a salsa twist and a live band… because nothing says celebration like live horns and percussion.

Benito says:

“Mientras uno está vivo, uno debe amar lo más que pueda.”

“While we’re alive, we should love as much as we possibly can.”

Then…

“Baila sin miedo, ama sin miedo.”

“Dance without fear. Love without fear.”

Kids dancing. Adults dancing. Just joy everywhere. At one point there’s even a little boy knocked out across three chairs… and every Latino watching laughed because we have ALL been that kid at the family party.

Then the shift.

Nuevayol.

New York.

La Marqueta. Corner store. Barbershop. People dancing in the streets. A love letter to the Puerto Rican diaspora and the communities that built culture far from the island.

He says:

“San Francisco, disfruta… que esto es por un momento solamente.”

“Enjoy this moment… because it won’t last forever.”

Then a cameo from legendary Toñita handing him a shot. If you know Caribbean Social Club in East Harlem, you know that’s real community history.

One of the most powerful moments? A family watching Benito on TV holding his Grammy… and then he walks into the scene and hands that Grammy to his younger self.

“Siempre cree en ti.”

“Always believe in yourself.”

Dream → reality.

Then comes another icon… Ricky Martin.

Straight into “Lo Que Le Pasó a Hawaii,” touching on themes of identity and cultural preservation before exploding into “El Apagón.”

And if you know Puerto Rico, you know an apagón is more than a blackout. It’s one of the island’s biggest ongoing struggles. But what happens when the lights go out?

People come outside.

Neighbors connect.

Music finds a way.

Resilience.

Out comes the massive Puerto Rican flag… pride on full display.

Then the party ramps all the way up.

“Todos quieren ser Latinos pero les falta sazón!!”

Everybody wants to be Latino… but the seasoning is missing

Suddenly flags from North, Central, and South America flood the field. As flags from every corner of North, Central, and South America flooded the field, the stadium lit up with one message across the screen: The only thing more powerful than hate is love. And honestly… that said everything.

He says God bless America… names countries across the continent… ends with:

“Y mi patria… Puerto Rico.”

My homeland.

Then a football that reads:

“Together we are America.”

And just when you think it can’t get bigger, he closes with “Debí Tirar Más Fotos” and turns the entire stadium into one giant celebration.

Listen…

The biggest stage in America had a jíbaro from Puerto Rico standing on it with class.

He brought history.

He brought struggle.

He brought pride.

He brought resilience.

He brought unity.

An American halftime show spoken largely in Spanish… showing that Puerto Rican history IS American history.

Connected to Latin America.

Connected to the diaspora.

Connected to each other.

Culture isn’t something you hide.

It’s something you carry.

Chest all the way out with pride last night.

Puerto Rico está bien cabrón.

Acho… PR es otra cosa.

Thanks Karrie Emmanuel Carrasquillo from FaceBook

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At George Washington University, Feb. 11, 2026
——————— 

I mentioned that I canceled my cardio stress test because of high – stress – to the extent I was nauseous.

When my doctor sent in an order for an anti-anxiety pill that’s what it was for just one pill. And my insurance doesn’t cover it. And I can’t take it before I start the test because they want me to be alert so they’re For when I’m in the MRI machine. Not sure what to do about the anxiety and nausea, but I have a month to think it over.

Maybe the Angry Women - 8

Moonlit Dance by Sheryl Luxenburg

 Today's goddess:

MACHA

From Girl God Books FB 2024

Art by Lucy Pierce

"The Great Mother Goddess Macha vanished from the stage of Irish history following her downfall at the hands of the king and his warriors. The disappearance of Macha symbolized the elimination of the possibility of any woman-centered social system, philosophy, or religion. The Male Word, rather than Female Womb, would take responsibility for ensuring the continuation of the social order, albeit that this Word was reinforced and sustained by a discourse on, and the threat of, death rather than life...

The Triple Goddess would be replaced by the Trinity of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, a Trinity created by means of will, and obedience no longer dependent upon the fertility of womanhood to fulfill its designs. As Christianity took hold in Ireland, it would make alliances and compromises with the warriors and provide alternative occupations for the old male religious leadership. But women and the energies they represented were a fundamental threat to the new religious consciousness...

Remember in the Macha story we heard her final cry, 'A mother bore each one of you.' To a matricentered society this would have been the ultimate plea...this plea recalled people to their responsibilities toward their creator and their common origins through the Great Mother."

~ Mary Condren, "The Serpent and the Goddess: Women, Religion, and Power in Celtic Ireland"

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I ask for justice.

Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed a US citizen, Renee Nicole Good, Jan 7, 2026. There is not enough  legal effort going  on to examine his actions still!

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Last week, on Jan. 22, was the anniversary of passage of the Supreme Court's

... landmark Roe v. Wade ruling (1973). The plaintiff was “Jane Roe,” a woman who was forbidden to seek an abortion in Texas, but couldn’t afford to travel to a neighboring state. The defendant, Dallas County District Attorney Henry Wade, argued that life begins at conception and therefore the state had a compelling interest in protecting that life.

Justice Harry Blackmun, who had once served as counsel to the Mayo Clinic, wrote the decision. He wrote: “We need not resolve the difficult question of when life begins. When those trained in the respective disciplines of medicine, philosophy, and theology are unable to arrive at any consensus, the judiciary, at this point in the development of man’s knowledge, is not in a position to speculate as to the answer.” Therefore, the court based its decision on the Ninth and Fourteenth Amendments and the right to privacy, and ruled seven to two in favor of Jane Roe.

The decision forbade states from outlawing abortions in the first trimester and set limits on regulation of abortion in the second and third trimesters. The court also required that exceptions to any regulations be made when the health of the mother was at stake.

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The Walk for Peace continues

In Charlotte NC

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Grateful eyes look at each thing as if they had never seen it before and caress it as if they would never see it again.

BR. DAVID STEINDL-RAST ---------------------- "Please join me and many others in making the six compassionate vows of: environmental sustainability, gender equality, socioeconomic justice, participatory governance, cultural tolerance, and nonviolence and peace." Barb Rogers (Thanks, Robertson Work for stating this first.)

Maybe the Angry Women - 6

This post was composed in late December. As of Jan 7th, the relationship of ICE to the protestors changed dramatically so I'm including it here, as well as some updates.

 This latest incredible event of Renee Nicole Good's murder is shocking, and will be of ongoing concern for many of us.

"A parking lot just exposed ICE’s biggest weakness — and reminded us what real community care looks like. In Takoma Park, Maryland, people started noticing a pattern. The same unmarked vehicles idling for hours. No badges. No explanations. Just the low-grade fear that comes when enforcement hides in plain sight.

So residents did the most disruptive thing imaginable: they showed up for each other.

Every day, neighbors began occupying that parking lot. Not with threats or confrontation, but with presence. Coffee. Conversation. Music. Knitting needles.

The goal wasn’t to provoke ICE — it was to deny them the conditions they depend on: silence, isolation, and invisibility. When a space fills with people who care, fear stops working

This wasn’t a stunt. Montgomery County is more than one-third foreign-born. Parents walk kids to school wondering who might not come home. Workers worry about routine errands turning into life-altering encounters.

By occupying the lot daily, residents created a zone of watchfulness and care. According to organizers, once the gatherings became routine, the suspected ICE vehicles stopped using that location altogether

When people refuse to look away, enforcement built on intimidation starts to fail.

What makes Takoma Park matter is that it’s not an exception. It’s part of something spreading. Across the country, everyday people are stepping in where systems have abdicated responsibility.

Neighbors escort immigrants to court so no one walks in alone. Volunteers monitor and document ICE activity. Communities flood hotlines when unmarked vans appear.

Jurors push back against prosecutions tied to immigration crackdowns. Judges are limiting courthouse arrests. None of this is coordinated from the top. It’s happening because people are choosing to protect one another.

ICE’s strategy depends on people being separated — by language, by legal status, by fear. What these communities are doing is stitching those divisions shut. They’re saying: if you threaten one of us, you’ll have to face all of us. And you won’t get to do it quietly.

Takoma Park didn’t wait for permission or a press conference. No injunction told them to act. No politician led the way. A neighbor made a Facebook post. Others showed up. And then they kept showing up.

That’s the part power doesn’t know how to handle — care that’s persistent, public, and shared.

A parking lot isn’t supposed to matter. But when a community decides it’s a place where neighbors keep neighbors safe, it becomes something else entirely."

Published Dec 27, 2025 by The Other 98% on FB

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Current events this week demand that we also acknowledge the murder of Renee Nicole Good by ICE!

One description said Renee Good was a trained "legal observer." That isn't an accident; it's a choice. She and her wife Jillian Good were leftist activists there to disrupt ICE, though her mother says she was just going home from dropping her son at school. The truth will eventually be discovered.

Jonathan Ross, the ICE agent who killed a US citizen Jan 7, 2026. There is not enough  legal effort going  on to examine his actions at this time.

SOURCE: Facebook posts

 I saw many photos on FB from people in Minneapolis Wednesday and Thursday being in their streets. And their schools were canceled Thursday and Friday to protect the children and staff.

 Facts. No AI about it.

Life. Death. Justice!

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Here are some demonstrations that were posted on social media:

The "Say Her Name" meme is kind of owned by Women of Color. But Renee Good's name needs to be spoken these days! 

Asheville, NC

Asheville NC

Clintonville neighborhood, Columbus OH and next 4 photos

My family took part in the demonstration Jan 10, 2026

As I keep stoking the fires of women's anger, I'm reminded that this is the emotion which brings us to action. Of course men can also be angry, but our society has options for men which seem more acceptable than for women. Not going to argue that, because it's a great source of inter-gender discussions.

But anger is needed so much these days, to cause our government to back off, to stop the lying and abuses, and to get those we've elected in congress to actually do their jobs!

People power is what I'm relying upon. The laws that are meant to protect us, to guide our leaders, are being ignored daily. And the penalties for those infractions are not being prosecuted!

Any agreement which is broken must have repercussions. If there are no enforcers, or enforcement, then it's up to the people. Justice demands it.

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In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Artemis is the goddess of the hunt, the wilderness, wild animals, transitions, nature, vegetation, childbirth, care of children, and chastity. In later times, she was identified with Selene, the personification of the Moon. She was often said to roam the forests and mountains, attended by her entourage of nymphs. The goddess Diana is her Roman equivalent.

Artemis - The Louvre

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Uniformity is not nature’s way; diversity is nature’s way.

VANDANA SHIVA