This is How Republics Die

The Supreme Court may decide that Donald Trump has immunity - impunity - for his criminal actions as President. The fact that this matter is even in question signals the death of the American political experiment, and the likelihood that we will all suffer much violence and death in the immediate future.

@jamellebouie #stitch with @Newsweek ♬ original sound - b-boy bouiebaisse

Chicken Dog

I didn't have the heart to fully-read the story of how South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem put down her dog Cricket. It reminded me too much of an event in my childhood. 

One morning in Corrales, NM, in 1967, about 7 a.m., we all awoke to blood-curdling screams just outside my parent's bedroom window. Expecting the absolute worst, we discovered that our new dog, Ranger, had captured and was happily defoliating a bald, screaming chicken of all its feathers. We were aghast. The chicken soon died. 

In semi-rural Corrales, in those days, animals were still given free rein, and often kept outside at night. Bored dogs frequently roamed where they pleased. 

Having grown up in a rural household in the Depression, my father knew the iron rule of poor, rural life. Chicken-hunting dogs cannot be permitted to live. Rural families depended on their chickens and it was a hardship to lose them. To remain a member in good standing in the community, the dog had to go. 

I felt horrible. This was the Sixties, we had astronauts in space, but suddenly, before the sun had even fully-risen, we were back in medieval days, where animals were routinely beaten and life was very, very cheap. I don't know if Ranger was put down, or given away, but he was quickly removed - forever - from our lives. 

Someone like Kristi Noem, the kind of person who becomes a governor, doesn't live in the same universe as poor rural folks. Life is comfortable. These folks have enough resources to keep horses and if they lose a chicken it's not a hardship. Horses are more for dressage than plowing. 

For such a person to celebrate killing a dog (and dogs worship people) indicates either they esteem the worst of the bad old days too much, or that they are a psychopath; the kind of person that either enjoys the cruelty or feels nothing at all. Either way, such a person has no business being in high political office. It's just a very small step to delight in killing people.

Table Experiment

Table 10 - All-Seeing Eye (God's Vision)

Series Episode Scene

"Breaking Bad" And the Bag's in the River Krazy-8's 'Ojo de Dios' in his car (Dreamcatcher)

Cancer Man, Gray Matter, End Times, Hazard Pay, Fifty-One Native-American all-seeing eye symbols on White family's couch cover and dining-counter chairs

Cancer Man Reptile-like eye of beach ball in White back yard

Caballo sin Nombre Disk in Flynn's room

ABQ, No Más, Caballo sin Nombre, Box Cutter Roaming Teddy Bear's Eye

Half Measures Hanging from rear view mirror of one of Wendy's johns in Wendy's Alley

Half Measures, Buried, Confessions Couch cover in White living room

Full Measure Short rug on TV tray in Gale's apartment

Bullet Points, End Times Quilt on White family's couch

Hermanos, Crawl Space Casa Tranquila chairs

Hermanos Flynn's T-Shirt - I'm reminded of the humanist Argentine cult Silo's Message

Hermanos, Salud, Crawl Space, Face Off Don Eladio's amulet

Say My Name DEA Projector

Gliding Over All Candle holder at White's home

Gliding Over All, Blood Money Native American all-seeing eye symbols on Jesse's couch blanket

Blood Money Saul's customer's T-Shirt

Confessions Interrogation room camera lens

Rabid Dog Staycation hotel rug pattern

Granite State Cabin chair back

Felina Clubhouse poster that gets shot up

"Better Call Saul" Uno, Bingo, Cobbler, Amarillo,  Inflatable, Lantern HHM Conference Room - Behind head of table

Alpine Shepherd Boy On wall beside entrance to Ricky Sipes' estate; Neighborhood Watch sign; Nail Salon Dreamcatcher

Cobbler Rug with eyes in Cliff Mains' office

Amarillo, Inflatable Eyes in Navajo-like carpet in Jimmy's Davis & Main office

Bali Ha'i Peacock feathers at Forque Restaurant

Mabel Jimmy's tie as he confronts angry Air Force Captain

Sabrosito, Something Unforgivable Don Eladio's amulet

Smoke, Bad Choice Road, Rock and Hard Place, and others Kim's couch, blanket, and pillows with diamond "eyes"

Quite A Ride Image of balloon at CC Mobile

Winner Dreamcatcher in Jimmy's bedroom

Something Unforgivable Rug and bedspread in Hotel Andaluz room

Wine and Roses Hanging with eyes on wall at ABQ Country Club

Hit and Run Eight-sided "Ojo de Dios" on Gus' neighbors' basement wall

Waterworks The profile of the entire airport terminal, with its stepped-Earth roofline, and Pueblo Deco Arches above front doorways, becomes a giant eye; Rug on wall of Cheryl's dining area, plus shape of the chandelier there

Anna Gunn Senses a Shift in the Zeitgeist

About time!:

Audiences are apparently beginning to view Skyler White, the character played by Anna Gunn on the hit AMC series "Breaking Bad," in a new light, thanks to the "seismic" cultural changes that have happened in the more than a decade since the show's finale.

Gunn, who nabbed two Emmy Awards for her portrayal of Skyler, the wife of Brian Cranston's Walter White, spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the misogyny her character faced from much of the show's fanbase.

The actor cited a 2013 op-ed that she authored for The New York Times, in which she delved into the "vitriolic response" Skyler garnered as the effective antagonist to Walter. While Gunn told The Hollywood Reporter that her decision to look into the discourse surrounding Skyler "was probably a mistake," she acknowledged that it "led to a great deal of soul searching and me thinking, 'Well, is it me?'"

"I really just had to go through that ring of fire, for lack of a better phrase, to understand that a lot of it was, frankly, misogynistic," Gunn added. "A lot of it was the way that female characters were treated, and I think we've come a long way since then. If I may call them my sisters, I'm really proud of all the actresses who've spoken up and continued to pave the way and created their own antihero characters for themselves." 

Spring Means Haircut Time!

At Anthony’s dog grooming shop.

What You Did To These, You Did To Me

Puppet Show - The Stage at Burke Junction - April 20, 2024

Rachel suggested seeing a children's puppet show Saturday morning at The Stage at Burke Junction in Cameron Park, in Eldorado County, featuring the work of puppeteer Elizabeth Leonard and company.

Twinkles the Clown.

A witch with a plan.

Time to get the honey.

The witch offers an egg in exchange for the honey.

Various troubles ensue.

A tale (not surprisingly, from Australia) about the various adventures of Super Kangaroo.

Super Kangaroo!

Bows for the puppeteers!

Time for the Pet Parade!