I am about to ask you to do something I have never asked before in a post. Please go to the link I have listed below, and read the article printed in the January 22, 2017 Psychology Today post.

This is very well-written and clearly explains what I am talking about when I refer to “gaslighting”. I would only plagiarize them to explain to you.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/here-there-and-everywhere/201701/gaslighting-know-it-and-identify-it-protect-yourself

 I believe we are continuing to watch masters of gaslighting perform before our very eyes. I have seen more and more Trump supporters coming out of the haze that he has been spewing since he entered the political world. They were amateurs and he had already mastered “The Art of The Deceit”.

Plus, he brought along his mentor, Steve Bannon. He is the mastermind. I get an image of Sydney Greenstreet in “The Maltese Falcon” trying to run the show. That reminds me, when I watch Sean Spicer I visualize a blend of Peter Lorre and Elmer Fudd.

Back to gaslighting. I am writing this under the assumption you’ve read Psychology Today post. Let’s see if there have been any examples of this psychological tactic in Trump’s technique for his road to the White House.

1. They tell blatant lies: Where, oh where to start? From, any statistic that he’s cited to how many people love him. According to the Trump Administration, these are blatant “Alternative Facts”. They’re gaslighting the word lies
2. They deny they ever said something even though you have proof: Again, quite the selection to pick from. The topics that come to mind are tax returns, comments about 95% the population…
3. They use what is near and dear to you as ammunition: I don’t even want to repeat what I could print for examples. Women’s looks, physical handicaps, Gold Star families, war heroes and so on and so on…
4. They wear you down over time: What do you think happened to the Republican Party?
5. Their actions do not match their words: This includes every time he said “I love the ( fill in the space) people, and they love me”. The first part of this statement was the gaslighting, the second part was the result. See how it works?
6. They throw in positive reinforcements to confuse you.: Who can forget “What do you have to lose??!!” or “It’s freezing and snowing in New York – we need global warming!”
7. They know confusion weakens people: Come on, he got us ALL on that one. Still does…
8. They project: Some of the accusations regarding Hillary’s connection with Goldman Sachs are nothing compared to the bedfellows he has there…although that “affair” may be over.
9. They try to align people against you: If you play back any footage of Trump, you will not hear the words “I read and I deducted that…” no, he always refers to geniuses and other super humans that have told him.
10. They tell you or others that you are crazy: This includes anyone that disagrees with him.This technique also requires an element of the Pygmalion Theory.
11. They tell you everyone else is a liar: I am so glad he took on the media as his enemy. Historically this tactic has worked in government takeovers of “banana republic” countries. Don’t think it will work here.

So, these are the 11 techniques regarding the tactic of gaslighting.

Just remember, Trump is just pouring Bannon’s kool-aid.

Two other gaslighting situations occurring now that concern me are:

First, how much of the planet is starting to go to “hell in a handbasket” and we’re being gaslighted into Donny’s issues and meglamaniac reactions to what people are saying about him and how many people REALLY attended his inaguration. Or the most important assignments of his cabinet and the (Yikes) Supreme Court  are being determined and we’re being gaslighted by a travel ban. I have heard the word “impeach” 19 times since inauguration day. Never heard it in Obama’s 8 years.

Which brings me to my biggest concern and largest gaslight illusion occurring now. Let me ask, where has Pence been during Trump’s fiascos? He was pulled off the stage by Republicans and locked in a closet. He is the Rebublicans’ “Great White Hope” and they’ve successfully distanced Pence from the circus.

We’ll see what he does if he’s the deciding vote on the Secretary of Education nominee Betsy Devos.. That will tell us if he’s a just another “Republican first”, regardless of the consequences. In this case, the future of education for our children. My gut also tells me that if appointed, Supreme Court Justice Gorsuch will force the court to lean so far right that many battles will become bitter. We won’t be fighting to obtain civil rights, we’ll be fighting to keep the freedoms we’ve already fought for and won.

What I hope is that they realize the water has been mucked. Even when he is sworn in, the rules of the game have changed while our Legislators were gone. The people are beginning to call the shots, and the media is on our side. Let’s hope the Courts are too.

Now that you are aware of gaslighting, be aware of its power. When you see it, repeat the following statement:

Wrong is still Wrong even if Everyone is doing it. Right is still Right even if no one is doing it.

Trust your gut.

This daily insanity that we are witnessing is destroying and desensitizing us as a country.

Let’s see what our country looks like today. First, we have alienated the best friends we had on the planet. We have insulted them, penalized them and refused to play real life Risk on their side.

I believe that the new bedfellows that we’re chumming with, are like characters in a Superman storyline. We have Brainiac (Bannon), Lex Luther (Putin), Jax-Ur (Xi-Jinping) and Mr. MXYZPTLK (Kim Jong-un) all joining forces to take over and take down Metropolis.  Although they are enemies among themselves, they are successfully working together by manipulating Bizarro Superman and causing him to do their dirty work. I am very curious who is creating the “game plans” for our “so-called Protector”.

Our decision to exit from the Paris Climate accord, Trans-Pacific Partnership, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), give any G7 support and just yesterday, withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), are all signs of a greater plan. Do you see a pattern forming?

It’s all about money for Trump. Doesn’t matter who gets hurt or deprived, as long as we make $$$$$$. While he has dollar signs in his eyes, his cronies have a much bigger target…and it is US.

Under his leadership we have begun to resemble 1930’s Germany. A man that thinks he is the greatest, is in control. He has put in charge corrupt people to manipulate the pieces of our culture, so that we don’t even recognize it anymore.  Replace the names Bormann, Hess, Goering, Goebbels and Speer with Bolton, Mnuchin, Nielsen, Pompeo, Price and Sessions.  They are robotically following the orders of a megalomaniac, even when his demands are morally or ethically wrong. And who is really coming up with these moves? We all know Donny isn’t that smart…so who’s coming up with these ideas…and how are they getting them to him?

Who would have ever thought that the World would look at us in the same light as Syria? That little Honduran girl ripped from her Mom by us, is the same little girl that is shell shocked in the anti-ISIS commercial and the same little girl screaming from the Syrian chemical attacks. My God, what have we become?

I have used the pronoun “WE” throughout this piece, because as long as we allow Bizarro Superman to represent us, we are responsible for his actions. The world is watching as we allow him to tell them who the United States really is…what we believe and what we represent. These things have changed dramatically in the period of a year.

I am wondering when Trump will demand funds to change the message on the Statue of Liberty.

At some time soon, sanity and compassion and guts must resurface in our country. And when we finally remove him and try to get our dignity back, we’ll have a “lot of splainin’ to do”!

While we are talking about Donald Trump and his sordid past, there are still kidnapped Nigerian girls being held as sexual captives by Boko Haram.  As we question Kanye West’s understanding of human oppression, there are over 500 Syrians affected by chemical warfare…by their own leaders.

The list of earthly transgressions, suffering, injustices and cruelty is lengthy. We look around, and view them as regretful, wrong and situations we’d like to change. From a horizontal view of life (perspective, not reclining), it seems impossible…. there doesn’t seem to be any solutions. The “human perspective” of the world is limited by roadblocks we have created…or assumed.

Now, let’s move to a whole different vantage point and perspective, that of God’s.

Believers think that He probably has an overhead view, and because He’s God, He sees the entire planet in one fell swoop. Take His spot and look down on the planet.

Don’t you think He’s wondering why we have Haitians starving, while Americans waste 300 tons of food a year? Or why Puerto Rico is still waiting for electricity to be returned to thousands of people, but we can find a way to build a wall. Speaking of that wall and the attitude it represents, I don’t think He would agree to it.

Looking down on His children, He’d be hoping we’d supply pathways for the refugees in detention camps and in overcrowded boats, while He watches the wealthy fly between their mansions.

The imbalance of the “haves” and the “have nots” must be staggering when observing the entire human race simultaneously…which is how he sees us.

I believe, if God had His way, the world would run on more of a barter system. If money had no value, which it doesn’t to Him (He doesn’t carry a wallet or have a bank account), no one would suffer because they couldn’t afford medication. The objective would be to soothe and heal, not make money. The culture would be driven by the Golden Rule.

I have started to look at more of my actions from God’s view and ask if He’d agree. It has made decision making easier for me.

The next time you have a conundrum, stop and adjust your view to see it from God’s angle. Now, as He’s looking down on you, what would His advice be? If you listen, he’ll give you an answer.

Again, or should I say still, sexual harassment is all everyone is talking about. Al Franken has just been accused by a second woman, of grabbing her butt at the Minnesota State Fair in 2010 while being photographed.

I’m afraid this issue is becoming a witch hunt. I confess, I’ve grabbed the butt of a friend or two through the years, both male and female. It almost always resulted in a smile…never a lawsuit or a loss of my career and friends…not to mention public humiliation.

To get away from the issue, I turned to TMC which is showing the 1939 movie Nothing Sacred starring Carole Lombard and Frederick March. They are in a bedroom pushing each other around. Fred just threw Carole onto the bed 4 times. My, my. That scene would be viewed quite differently in today’s ultra-sensitive atmosphere.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m as disgusted by true sexual abuse as anybody.  I believe that the collateral damage to the victims of true abuse, is immeasurable. Even the one-time sexual assault leaves a burn mark on the victim’s soul. The degree of abuse and the duration, should be factors in investigating the experiences of new voices speaking up.

Harassment to me is something else. It’s the person that always comments on women’s bodies because it’s “what guys do” to get a laugh. It’s the guy that thinks flirting is always attractive and welcome. It’s the guy that thinks HE’s always attractive and welcome. It’s the person that thinks everybody thinks alike…just like him. My answers for him would be: it’s not, it’s not, you aren’t, and they don’t.

I do support people speaking up. Silence, I have found, is the most powerful weapon that that abuse, and corruption have. If nobody says anything, it simply doesn’t exist. So, the voices are welcome, probably cathartic for the victims and things obviously must change.

The abusers, assaulters and predators must be held accountable, and the harassers have been told “Stop it…or, we’re gonna tell!”

I consider this a huge step in the advancement in female equality. As with all the steps needed to obtain it, the shell (sometimes shotgun) around white male supremacy is breaking away.

The ultimate message that is reverberating is that people will not be bullied…which, after all, is what the bottom line is here. I believe that there should be continued efforts to address the elimination of bullying…of every kind.

As for Roy Moore, I am not judging him based on his being a dirty old man. I oppose him because he touts Christianity as his credentials, and spews verbiage that reflects anything but the Golden Rule…and, he’s a dirty old man.

I hope we don’t go “Beanie Baby crazy” with the bad behavior of people that dates back into the dark ages. We don’t want to hear all the experiences of playing doctor with the neighborhood kids. The stories, I’m afraid, would fill the news daily, for a very long time. But true bullies, that have hurt people, must be held accountable.

By the way, the Minnesota State Fair bills itself as “The Great Minnesota Get-Together”. I’m thinking Al took that a little too literally.

The Pandora’s Box on male chauvinism has been opened. The word chauvinism is defined as: the strong and unreasonable belief that your own “group” is the best. In this case, the group would be white males.

Unless you’ve been under a rock, you know that being a white male puts a person on the top rung on the ladder, in all societies except for a few, and most of them are remote. Some of them even prefer white meat.

Even if you are in a level of bottom feeders, the white male will be the most privileged and at the top of that particular level. It’s just the way it’s always been.

I truly believe that most people, especially those over 35, are not actually surprised about the sexual harassment allegations that have flooded the airways. For years we’ve heard the term “director’s couch” when talking about the steps in becoming a successful actress. And going to the boss’s hotel room at the convention, for a late night “dictation” session was even a plotline in movies.

Who knows? We may see Della Street “out” Perry about those late-night meetings. And now, with what we know about Raymond Burr, Paul Drake might have some stories to tell too.

I’m thinking Miss Buxley might finally bring General Halftrack up on charges of workplace harassment. (Come on, even the name Buxley…simply a coincidence that it sounds like buxom? I think not…and she definitely is).

We may hear that Dagwood’s leg brushed Tootstie’s one too many times under the Bridge table.

You get where I’m going with this? The term “dirty old man” dates back to the Prehistoric Days. Back then they were very open about dragging their women around by the hair. There was no question of who controlled who.

When Archie Bunker’s 1974 statement regarding women in the workplace was, “Men are worth more than women…it says so in the Bible. God made man in His image. He made women from a rib…cheaper cut”, the laugh track exploded. But many of the men watching didn’t think it was a joke.

The point is, we’ve always known about it and even found humor in it.

But now we’re going to hear about it occurring, for real but in secrecy. Secrecy is the best weapon for anyone pursuing shady behavior. But once the victims see that the consequences for speaking out now weigh on the accused, they are unloading. In the millions responding to the “me too” campaign. The existence of social media has made a major impact too.

I’ve been around the “good old boy” network all my life. I’ve never been sexually harassed. (Even that could be fodder for a joke…like “So, what was wrong with ME?”)

I’m actually grateful that I bypassed that experience, but I have lived during the reign of white male chauvinism. In my 40’s, I was referred to as “Girlie” by a group of “good old boys in the athletic world” from my own generation. It made them feel better than it made me feel, which I know since they were the only ones laughing.

There were many times that I remembered my mom telling my brother and me,” If you’re not using them, it shouldn’t matter what your genitals are.” That thought was an equalizer for me in many circumstances.

What we will soon be witnessing is the cracking and rupturing of old rules that we’ve lived by, written by the while male segment of our history. Whatever they got away with, is coming back to haunt them.

Unfortunately, I believe there will be collateral damage done to some good people because they were inappropriate, in minor degrees at some point in their life. The line should be drawn between cases that are serious and must be addressed (repeat offenders), or cases that will fill the sheets of the National Enquirer and fill the opposing Parties’ rhetoric tomorrow. One-time stupid act, we’ve all got them.

If every person that acted inappropriately to another person when they were drunk, was publicly exposed, that would take out a large population of people who attended Class Reunions and New Year’s Eve parties…no matter when.

As we watch this chauvinism crumple, we must not take our eyes off the White House and the crumbling of the political system. When the “Powers that be” are meeting regarding taking the button away from Trump, there are bigger issues to keep our eyes on. Who’s in charge and what have they done in secrecy? Taxes and healthcare are bouncing off the Congressional walls…our future is seems to be for the taking.

And, as the web spun by the Russian spider is exposed, I think the financial numbers and connections will blow everyone away.

But for now, people’s names will hit the headlines because they didn’t follow another piece of my Mother’s advice: “Never live it up so much tonight, that you’ve got to live it down tomorrow”.

Tropical Storm Harvey has been referred to a disaster of Biblical Proportions, defined as something that happens on such a large scale it could be in the Bible.

We all know there are some pretty epic disasters recorded in the Bible. Topping most people’s list of Top 10 “God’s talking…so listen!” moments, is the great Flood of 2348 BCE.

That storm, so we’re told, took out the entire World. I imagine, to Noah and his crew, it WAS water, water everywhere!

Logic tells me, it wasn’t the whole planet, just a place where there was someone left to tell the story.

When I think about the world in 2348 BCE (Before the Common Era), they were certainly not tech savvy. There were no news reports coming from the other side of the planet…if there was one. There was no electricity, people!

The only way any information was spread, was word of mouth and handwritten accounts. It’s not unlike the kid’s game Telephone, which when you think about it, was only funny if the original statement got really screwed up…which it always did.

My point in writing this post, is not to rebuke the Bible, but rather to put it in perspective and look for the message.

Harvey and other natural disasters are also called Acts of God (a term Insurance companies can use to their advantage). We know that he didn’t take out the whole World, but is Bible worthy.

Maybe the message is, after we help our fellow spirits from having too much water get on their feet, we should continue to care. There will be Californians that would do anything for rain, losing everything to fire. We have to help them from having too little water.

I believe the message is, don’t wait for a disaster.

One more thing about Noah…he got me 10 minutes staring at the stature of Mary in the corner in 2^nd grade. I was serious when I asked what they did with all the poop on the Arc. But, apparently my classmates thought I was entertaining them…and they were a great audience. Sister Edna, not so much.

These days, I’d ask her if all the humans aboard, were vegetarians.

As the excitement and anticipation grows for the total eclipse of the sun today, people are getting their “safe to watch” equipment ready.

Throughout life, one discovers that there are many things that cause blindness beside optic diseases. BB guns, sleeping with contacts in, reading Playboy alone, and of course, staring at the Sun.

We’ve been told repeatedly for the past few weeks, that protective eyewear is a MUST if you plan to actually look at the eclipse. For many, the warning “Don’t touch, it’s hot and you’ll burn yourself” will be ignored…they’ll look. What I just learned is, your retina can get burned causing permanent eyesight loss, and you will not even feel it. Nothing like Paul (Saul) experienced.

My baby blues will be safe. I am not planning to look at Heavenly bodies today, but rather I’m keeping my eyes and ears focused on the Earthly reaction to this phenomenon.

My birdfeeder has been mobbed all morning. They know there’s something looming. They want to eat early and get back to their nests to safely experience the early nightfall. I don’t expect to see any owls or bats emerging, but they reportedly do. Orb-weaving spiders in Mexico dismantled their webs during the totality of the eclipse in 1994. And, the MN state bird, the mosquito, will be having an afternoon brunch.

Nature’s reverence for the acts of God will be evident in the silence that blankets the air.

I’ll be watching the movement of shadows caused the by the movement of the moon. Nora and I observe the seasons based on shadows. If you look at it panoramically, you can see the shade seep into nightfall…and the lighting is unique, depending on the time of year.

The shadows and their movements today will be truly interesting to watch…like a movie in fast mode. My memories of this eclipse will be how my neighborhood looked, not the sky.

When the excitement fades from today’s event, we need to turn our attention back to the actions of haters, and stop their attempt at a total eclipse of the Son.

I openly admit that I believe in reincarnation. It goes against some of the beliefs that were taught to me, but I trust my Faith more than I do the words of men. The concept of Reincarnation has given me more answers than questions.

One of the common denominators throughout various reincarnation believers is that just like humans, animals reincarnate in our soul family groups. Simply put, there is a cast of spirits that are on the same “return cycle” as you, and you keep running into each other. The animals in your life now, have very likely been in your life before, as an animal.

This post is a sympathy card to a dear friend, who just lost a family member… a dog named Beij. I never met him, but would share his “human” with him whenever she took him and his brother out to poop. She’d call me while walking and stopping, and we’d share the Rocky Mountain air together.

I couldn’t tell you if Beij was a Great Dane or a Chihuahua, I just knew he was “one of the boys”.

This week it was discovered that Beij had jaw cancer, and the decision was made to take his puppy spirit out of that inflicted body, and set it free to get back into “return cycle”.

Anyone that has gotten close to a pet (or read Watership Down) knows that there is so much more to a pet than just fur and poop. They are an unconditional friend that just wants a life of comfort and love. If you give it to them…you get it right back.

When they are gone, you feel that void created by their absence. Even a corner or hallway can tease your glance, looking for their eyes looking back. This is the price of love.

They would be doing the same thing if you were gone. That is the reward of love.

Remember the hugs, cuddles and energy that was created by him. You did your job…you gave him the life that God created him to have.

Now prepare for his return…only not as a human. There does not seem to be any cross-reincarnating. Since animals have mastered Unconditional love and humans have not, it would be going backwards for an animal to come back as a human!

I agree with the Alt-Right in their argument that the statue of Robert E. Lee should not be torn down and destroyed.

It should be left as a reminder of why we remember him. There are those that embrace his role in History, but there are many more that need to be reminded that he was defeated. His defeat will always be “the rest of the story”.

We demonized ISIS for destroying the Syrian site of Palmyra in 2015. This destruction was the result of a difference in beliefs, and the attempt to eliminate the memory of anyone else’s. Isn’t that pretty much the same reasoning for removing Gen. Lee?

If we start deciding whose ideologies and histories are worthy of keeping, then, (sit down..windchill warning in Hades) I agree with DJT. Since every monument will have its detractors, the following battles may be fought.

The Gun Rights activists will demand the removal of the Knotted Gun sculpture in NY. Wall Street executives would get the Fearless Girl hauled away while Feminists extract the Charging Bull she was staring at. The Rhinoplasty Surgeons will petition for the blasting of the Great Sphinx and the faces on Easter Island. Weight Watchers will push to have the Budda statues removed from every ethnic food restaurant in America. OCD Perfectionists will riot around the Leaning Tower of Pisa  and the Liberty Bell until they’re corrected. I can only imagine how members of Judaism would “improve” the Statue of David.

We could appease everybody by just moving all offensive monuments to the Mexican border. Once all the statues, pillars, Nativity scenes, big fish, sports figures and college & restaurant mascots are collected, we’ll line them up and build “the wall”. I imagine that there would be second thoughts in the minds of anyone considering  entrance to whatever is behind that wall. And, it would befuddle archaeologists from 2217 trying to figure out “Who were these people?!”   Minnesota will not be sending Paul and Babe. They’ve got no haters here…although, they would add height.

Let’s keep these structures in perspective. The ideology and meaning of these innate objects are “in the eye (and mind) of the beholder”.

As the saying goes, “Those who do not learn from History, are doomed to repeat it”. If it is offensive to you, do not try to remove it, because it is a reminder of what is possible. It should make you more diligent.

It will be interesting to see who is the first to tell Trump, we’ve had enough…you’re fired.

His “news conference” today in Trump Tower, pretty much solidified for everyone that he is the Clown I predicted him to be, in my 7/5/15 post, “Preparing For the Republican Circus“.

He went off-script and showed his arrogant ignorance. When pushed, he began defending the White Supremacists, almost citing their ideology.

Social judgement is in the DNA of every person. We perceive a person visually first. If we get past appearance differences, we move on to see what their convictions are regarding life. From there we either “pass” and move on, or get to know the person better. It really is that simple, for me at least.

The racist haters are not creating the bigotry oozing through the country. It’s always been there. They just don’t know how to say “pass”.

I had hoped that the silt of Racial History had settled at the bottom of the pond. It had shown some major improvements; the water was getting clearer.

But, then the torch-carrying haters went storming through the pond in Virginia, and the racial silt is now swirling around the country, making the waters cloudy…again.

Trump has made it impossible for us to allow him to be King for a Day any longer. The coming weeks will be an education in Civics. It’s amazing how many people, since his election, are taking an interest in how the political machine works…possibly the only positive thing from his legacy.

We must now turn our attention to Mike Pence. I want to hear from him, and soon. He’s about to take the helm, and I’m not sure he even knows how to steer the ship.

And who will be his crew? We’ve already witnessed “mutinies”, and new lines have been drawn. Whoever he brings into the swamp, I am sure they will not be as “colorful” as Trump’s cast of characters. They’ve been entertaining, but also very dangerous. I just hope it’s not milk-toast time.

The truth is that the USS America is in uncharted waters, and we don’t know what the coastline will look like when we land. Hopefully, we’ll see Lady Liberty on the horizon…Ellis Island and all.