They wearied themselves to find the door

 

"And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door."

Genesis 19:11

Blindness smites the mighty men/who knock upon our door/who only want to bring to us/oblivion and war/Our God has set their bounds indeed/They'll weary out their days/vainly searching for relief/from setbacks and delays!

Report from Wailuku, Hawaii. The idiot protests are growing.

(A disturbing narrative from a personal friend.)

A large number of honking cars and trucks and some loud motorcycles, and mega horns went by our house 15 minutes ago, protesting mandates.  There were flags, and signs, and writing on their car windows.  It went on for about 30 minutes, because they came in groups due to the traffic light below.  Most were honking their horns.  The first truck that went by was a semi and it sounded like a loud train coming at us with its horn blazing, so I went outside to see what it was.  When I realized what it was I stood out on our parking strip without outstretched bird fingers, flipping them all off as they drove by.  Especially the ones with Trump flags waving.  One of the trucks with a megahorn said "Get in my truck and say that to me." as he reacted to me flipping him off.

This procession started with 2 or 3 semi trucks.  I wish I'd videoed them, because I would have sent it to the police and the news people.  It was pretty loud.  It's the loudest noises I've ever heard on this street, except for the close fireworks.  Did they have a permit to make noise like that?  I really doubt it.

My wife pulled me into the house a couple of times, because she didn't want problems, but it bothered me so much I went out a 3rd time to flip off more Trumpers.

I felt a little uncomfortable flipping people off because there were lots of vehicles with children in them.  But I felt worse that I was flipping off old grandmothers, so I stopped, and reserved my bird fingers for the Trumpers.

One of the women said to me, "What, you hate the American flag?"  I said "No the Trump flags."

There is so much ignorance and blindness in so many people.  People who are generally good and decent people.  But people who are also racists.  That's a weird thing to say about people in Hawaii, but I still think racism is pretty much a hidden factor in why people do things.  The white people don't like it that they have to share power.  They think God gave them the right to be superior.  They think the United States is God's chosen country, and that we should be able to do whatever we want, and if the government says they have to give up some of their freedoms for the welfare of society, they're against it, because they're white.  Other people have to give up their freedoms so that we don't have to. 

Or, maybe some people are just angry about their current situation, financially or otherwise, and they just want to protest something.  They're tired of being "pushed around" and being powerless.  

I think that 60% or more of the people were white.  I saw one black person, alone in his fancy convertible sports car.  I don't remember seeing any pure asians.

I was so upset by this, and am still upset, that I have pretty much decided never to go back to Louise's music classes, or deal with any of the people there who were anti mask, or anti vaccine, or who believe in chem-trails, or any of that other absolute nonsense.  This includes Louise, unfortunately.  It also means I won't hire Mark to work on the house either.  I just can't bear the nonsense that these people believe.  I don't want to hear it, but they don't keep their mouths shut when they get together, so I don't want to be around them.

Some of the people are just victims and don't really have the ability to know better, but obviously all of these hundreds of people who drove by (well, the adults, except for the 80 year old grandmothers) have taken a stand on the side that has done harm to other people.  Trump is responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths, not just because of his Covid actions, but all the misery his other policies have caused people in the world.  And these caravan protest people probably didn't get vaccinated, and probably protested having to wear masks in stores and other places, and they didn't do their part to get through this epidemic.  They were selfish, and they caused harm.

And what's the point of this caravan protest anyway?  On March 1st the rules are changing with regard to mask mandates.  They'll probably think they had something to do with the change, which is another example of their stupidity.

The air conditioning guy wears a mask when he's in our house or when he talks to us outside.  I thanked him for that.  He said "I don't see why people have a problem with this.  It doesn't bother me to wear a mask."  He's from Brazil.  He's not white. He's a hard worker.  He's polite.  He's patient.  He's responsible.  He's welcome here in the US.  I'd have no problem with him representing me in government or being in TV commercials, or being my boss.  But I do not want to be around people who think they deserve to be treated better than others, and that the laws don't apply to them.

For sure most of them were breaking the law with their noise, disturbing the neighborhood.  Nobody but me was out watching this convoy drive by their house.  There were no neighbors in this convoy, probably, except one, who I accidentally flipped off, and she said "I just live right over here, I got caught up in this driving home."  We both laughed that I'd flipped her off.  They were all driving by slowly enough that people could say things.

But I think Liping was right.  Ignore them.  Just because people have a different opinion than me doesn't necessarily mean I have to be offensive, or cut off my association with them.   I suppose there's a way to protest things you don't like without being offensive.  If in Louise's class someone starts saying things that bother me, I can leave, or I could say something to counter what they said, or maybe I could say "Can we please not talk about such things like how masks and vaccines don't work?  It makes me feel uncomfortable."

Nah, I think I'll just stop going to her class.  And I'm not going to hire Mark.  It's easier that way.

Got any ideas on how to handle this general problem of dealing with people you disagree with?  If I was smart enough I could engage in some kind of friendly debate with them.  Or ask them some thought provoking questions that would lead them to realize they're wrong.  But I generally don't think that fast, like today.  I must have flipped off a hundred people, easily, before I gave it much thought.  Double barrelled flip-off.  Sometimes it was pointed double barrelled flipping.  Right at them, from 10 feet away.

I can just imagine some of those mothers answering their child's question about why "that old man was doing the birdy sign to you and daddy".  "Oh, he just doesn't love our country.  But we do.  We're trying to protect our country from people like him who want us to be slaves.  He doesn't want you to go to school and play with your friends.  He's just an angry old man."

Benediction.

 

God keep from your abode

any stink from the commode.

And abolish from your door

cockchafers and dinosaur.

May each night find you secure

in domestic sinecure.  

Haiku: 鉄の冬の空気 Iron Winter Winds

 

Iron winter winds --

heavy on the face and throat;

time to wash my scarf!

Iron winter winds --

blowing quail around all day;

feathered tumbleweeds. 

Iron winter winds --

snatching trash into the air;

life is so scattered!

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

  Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.

Genesis 18:14

Nothing daunted, we believe/God his miracles can weave/out of flimsy flesh and bone/by his potency alone/Do not doubt that mountains shake/or that man can overtake/Satan in his fetid schemes/with pure water from God's streams! 

Cakes upon the hearth.

 

 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.

Genesis 18:6.

Cakes upon the hearth, a sign/a guest is someone quite divine/Abraham, who dwelt in tents/had hospitality immense/So he was served by Heaven well/as we can be -- though infidel/For God doth love a giving heart/and loves to bless us a la carte.

愛する人のための俳句 Haiku for Amy.

 

washing her white hair --

draped over her pink shoulders;

alluring cascade.

slicing an onion --

the sound of her knife on wood;

frying chicken legs.

always on her phone --

texting to the kids at night;

with her eyes on me.

Haiku: ウズラが前に突き出る Quail thrusting ahead.

 

quail thrusting ahead --

looking sideways at the seeds

crushed by passing cars.

quail thrusting ahead --

huddled under the feeder;

which is long empty.

sandals and gray slush

do not mix well on cold days --

feet wrapped in bacon.

Today's Timerick: Microsoft’s New Security Chief Says It Is Time to Take Shelter in the Cloud. (WSJ)

 

This superstitious world remains

bound in unenlightened chains;

folks believe in screwy things,

and give their folly potent wings.

Take, fer instance, this here cloud -- 

that people talk of long and loud.

I have asked some right smart folk

just how this thing is not a joke.

When explaining it to me

it seems to be a fantasy;

a web of nonsense, which I fear

would puzzle even Edward Lear.

Keeping data without holder;

not one blessed paper folder.

I think it uses beans and franks

for powering computer banks.

It's a network of some sort

and tracks a lot of child support.

My experts call it platform based,

where nothing ever is erased.

Online nostrum, cyber claptrap;

to me it's merely all darn crap pap.

I'll stay analog, hard copy;

I'd rather be secure tho sloppy!

Today's Timerick: Russian Roulette.

 President Biden on Tuesday said his administration is taking steps to limit the impact that sanctions imposed on Russia have on the U.S. economy, although he acknowledged some effects were likely.

(WSJ)

Joe Biden knows just what to do

to fight the Russian bugaboo.

So when old Putin struts his stuff,

our Joe shows him we're mighty tough.

He scatters sanctions like the dust

to make those Ruskies all go bust.

And THAT will show 'em who is boss,

as they are hit with fear and loss. 

All pipeline deals are dead and gone;

an import ban on cardamon.

Their assets we have frozen good;

they can't come visit Hollywood.

Tabasco Sauce they cannot get,

while we refuse them Tagamet.

And while the Russian bear might growl,

our own strong folk will never scowl . . . 

As gasoline climbs up so far

we cannot drive a kiddie car.

And inflation gets its mitts

on ev'rything from shoes to grits.

Our wages have gone flat and stale,

and many hold a rummage sale

to finance college for their kids

or just so they won't hit the skids.

So homelessness a cancer stays

as more and more face hopeless days;

and nights upon a park bench chill,

cuz housing costs are not a frill.

But we Americans are strong

and know the diff tween right and wrong.

We'll soldier on without a grump --

but please God save us all from Trump!