There are norms and principles in life and in government.    
The Senate works because people keep their word.

Voting has begun in the U.S.
The American people deserve honest government.

"A basic principle of the law---and of everyday fairness---is that we apply rules with consistency, and not based on what's convenient or advantageous in the moment. The rule of law, the legitimacy of our courts, the fundamental workings of our democracy all depend on that basic principle."  -- Barack Obama

Minority rule:

Both George W Bush and Donald Trump were elected with a minority of the popular vote.

They each nominated two Supreme Court Justices who were confirmed by Senators who represented a minority of the American people.

The U.S. Government more than protects the minority of the American people.

"A rush to appoint a new justice quickly could further risk Americans' trust in our democratic institutions."  -- David Axelrod

The pomegranate is a sweet fruit which ties in nicely with sweet wishes on Rosh Hashanah.    
Pomegranates are highly symbolic in Jewish tradition. By eating a pomegranate, we express our wish for a year filled with as many merits as a pomegranate has seeds.

Some Jews eat the head of a fish during Rosh Hashanah.    
Why?      
because "the literal translation of Rosh Hashanah is 'Head of the Year'."    
"One should start the year as the head (or leader) and not the tail (or follower)."

Rosh Hashanah is a solemn, but not sad time.    
Shanah Tovah Umetukah (Good and Sweet Year)

We look to the future with hope and joy.

The weight of the world - of our democracy - should never have rested on the shoulders of an 87-year-old woman, no matter how capable and heroic she was.

It is now our job to honor her legacy and continue to do the work; we must not back down from the challenges that will continue to confront us as we fight for justice and equity in our communities and in our country.

We have a president who does NOT value life:

As we mark 200,000 American lives lost to covid-19, Trump gives himself  A+ for his response to the coronavirus pandemic. He does not wear a mask and holds large indoor rallies with supporters not wearing masks. He says he is safe because he is on stage, separated from his cheering crowds.

In the midst of this pandemic, Trump is doing everything he can to destroy the Affordable Care Act; which will deny Americans health care for covid-19, and for all we know, add covid-19 as a pre-existing condition that excludes people from eligibility for health care insurance.

As to the courts, Lindsey Graham himself recognizes that the courts are becoming too political.

We all understand the benefit of considering diverse perspectives. Wisdom will not come forward from like-minded justices and/or judges.

"Lindsey Must Go" (LMG) PAC is committed to unseating Lindsey Graham in 2020 and replacing him with a leader who will stand for something more than partisanship.

There was a time when Lindsey Graham was a man of principle, but he has traded his integrity for partisanship. Lindsey Graham continues to show himself to be a "craven, power-seeking 'parasite', a 'soulless sellout', and a 'true chameleon'." When a leader has forgotten what it means to stand for anything, it's time for them to go.

The Cubs are the only MLB team not to have a player test positive for the coronavirus.  
Cubs are grateful for their good fortune and proud they have followed health and safety protocols.

Here's to good health. 
Continue to wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands.  
Be well.

Saturday, a promising young resident physician died in Houston, TX, after a two-month battle against COVID-19.    
Adeline Fagan was a 2nd year OB/GYN resident physician who was assigned to long shifts triaging and treating COVID-19 patients in the emergency room.
On July 8th she started feeling ill after working a 12-hour shift in the ER.

On August 4th, Maureen Fagan, Adeline's younger sister posted:
"My goal in posting this is to raise awareness. Every day I see posts and tweets about how COVID is a hoax, no deadlier than the flu, and that the government telling you to wear a mask is about control and not safety. But this virus is not a joke. Adeline is twenty-eight years old. She was young, healthy, and strong. As a doctor working closely with patients, she followed every safety protocol and procedure put forth by the CDC. SHE STILL GOT SICK."

Journal entry recorded by Adeline's father:  
"September 19, 2020, 4:24 AM Central Time
"The time the world stopped for a moment and will never be the same. Our beautiful daughter, sister, friend, physician, Adeline Marie Fagan, MD passed away."

"Wear a mask. Social distance. Stay home if you can."

After cooing with Trump to placate "Mr President",  Dr Birx is particularly upset Trump has embraced Dr Scott Atlas who matches what he wants to believe. "Deb" has learned a perfect lesson in Trumpology. "One can be loyal to the point of humiliation, but the loyalty goes one way. As soon as Trump uses a person up, he disposes them."  
Dr Birx should try to regain what is left of her career and prestige.  
It's been sad to watch a woman who rose through the ranks of the world's most prestigious contagious disease research institution grovel for Trump.    
 

Fair play is apparently an old fashioned notion to Trump and McConnell and their minions. Our democracy is waning because of the willful disregard for working together to preserve the union. The hypocrisy of the Republican Senators to push forward to confirm a justice and the hypocritical Republican eulogies for Ruth Bader Ginsburg whose work they can barely wait to trample on is stunning.    

To bring it closer to home: Oshkosh is in Winnebago County. Winnebago County has the highest covid-19 positivity rate of any county in the country. Do we love our country and our neighbors?

Our country's at peril; our democracy in peril: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

       Wear a mask. Social distance. Stay home if you can.

                Forty-one days 'til November 3rd.     
                          V O T E   E A R L Y 

"Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid."

"Read the quote again... Pause and ponder it.  
Think about our current world. Let the idea linger in your mind."

"We live in a world of endless lies. It's not just propaganda and misinformation designed to obfuscate and distract. It's not just in government and politics, it's in every aspect of life. It's part of what humans do.

"Everyone lies, whether it's deliberate falsehoods, obfuscation, errors of omission, misdirection, denial, ignorance, or a long list of other reasons or explanations of why people lie. The person who says, "I've never lied" is lying, even if they are a fair witness."

"Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth. Sooner or later that debt is paid."

"The next time you are about to lie, or participate in a lie, consider whether you are willing to pay the debt from the lie in the future."

"Integrity serves as the binder of all human relationships. What happens when even basic truth telling has been devalued? 'Sooner or later that debt is paid.' "

-- from Feld Thoughts response to HBO's miniseries "Chernobyl"

from the comments: "The truth always comes out in the end" is a maxim (BSchildt) repeats to his 7 year old son when he tells a lie. His son is telling fewer lies than when he was 6. (BSchildt and his wife) make the consequences of telling a lie more serious than the consequences for doing what their son lied about.  

"Get rid of the ballots and there'll be a peaceful --- it won't be a transfer, frankly, it will be a continuation."  
-- Donald Trump

RBG's legacy is a beacon, but Marty Ginsburg's should be too.  
People seem to wonder how a first gentleman would manage the domestic labor of the East Wing---the china selections and state dinners and Easter Egg rolls.    
"Let Marty Ginsburg be the exemplar: He leaned into the role of first SCOTUS spouse in all its domestic glory, just like any woman (with a graduate degree or two and career of her own has been expected to do).  
"For Marty, cooking was not a chore, but a love language, ensuring that his wife and children ate well and enjoyed the pleasure of conversation over dinner. According to The Notorious RBG, Marty baked a cake---almond or chocolate, sometimes ginger, lemon, or carrot, for each of her clerks on their birthday."

How does one rebuild the Senate?

There was a day when the U.S. Senate functioned on norms and unspoken rules.    
It's not changes to the rules that's changed the U.S. Senate. "It's the result of the parties sorting into ideologically and demographically distinct coalitions, and McConnell wrenching the Senate away from its traditional role as an institution unto itself, governed by norms of restraint and civility. McConnell has transformed the Senate into a forum for party combat. The Senate, which was designed for comity and cooperation, has been changed into an environment of gridlock, fury, and confusion."   
'Comity' in the U.S. Senate was seen to grease the wheels to get things done. Thanks to Mitch McConnell NOTHING gets done in the U.S. Senate, and McConnell and the Republicans do not return comity.

Senate norms are just norms, they've been torched one by one. Hopefully, Democrats in the Senate realize the Senate is not only broken, it's been bulldozed.

Democracy in the U.S. Senate needs to be rebuilt.

                         "Liberate the White House"

                                    V O T E ! ! !

We have the opportunity for a steadier hand and wiser mind in the White House.    
Make a plan: V O T E ! ! !

Chaos and grievance aren't playing in 2016.

             "It's the (pandemic) stupid."

                V O T E ! ! ! 

               WELCOME TO THE FREEDOM CAFE

We celebrate freedom; we trust you with your choice to wear or not to wear a face mask.  
In the same spirit, we allow our staff individual liberty about the safety procedures they follow.  
We encourage employees to wash their hands, but understand some are allergic to certain soaps or may simply prefer not to wash their hands.  
We respect that our cooks are creative and may experiment with a meme or YouTube video recommending that chicken need only be cooked to 100 degrees.  
Servers may finger test the food on your plate so they know which menu items to suggest on a given day.
Water temperature and detergent are personal choices: we do not encroach on our dishwashing team's method of washing silverware.  
If you suffer gastrointestinal ill health, don't be afraid, most everyone survives food poisoning, a small price for the pleasure of dining in a cafe that celebrates freedom.

Name some of the ingredients Shakespeare's witches added to their bubbling cauldron.

                                Don't "BOO!"

                         V O T E !        

It is time for the USPS to take extraordinary measures to deliver ballots.

It is appalling to see the voter suppression and voter intimidation by Republicans.