Terrible Things Are Happening

This is the reality of where we are, and anyone who might disagree is living in a fantasy. It’s time to take off the rose-colored glasses and WAKE UP to things like the murder of Renee Good (and others), Minnesota, ICE, Venezuela, Greenland, and what’s happening in your communities and mine, too.

Will you join the growing numbers of us who refuse to allow this travesty to continue? When this hell is finally over and we can once again breathe, will you be on the right side of the roaring rapids?

I’m cautiously optimistic that a slight ray of light might be emerging.

According to John Pavlovitz, this will all be over soon, America. The sundowning of the MAGA movement is upon us. The signs are everywhere.

As much as History can be an albatross in moments like these, alerting us to the terrifying ways in which we are repeating the past pathologies of inhumanity, she can also be a source of comfort; a reminder of the inevitability of the endings of all evil things.

If we consult her with a clear head, she’ll remind us that all brutal empires fall,
that all hateful movements dissolve, that every seemingly bulletproof regime reaches its extinction, and that all malevolent momentary victors eventually find themselves defeated and driven out.

Every time the pendulum has swung wildly toward barbarism in a society, it has invariably come back with even greater opposite force to bend the arc of the moral universe back toward justice again.

And History tells us that, despite the story in our heads or the one that comes through the partisan propaganda that we’re continually saturated by, our brutal national nightmare is likely in its final hours.

Few cults survive the passing of their leaders, and MAGA will not outlive the departure of Donald Trump from the White House or from this earth, whichever comes first. Read the full story here: https://johnpavlovitz.com/2025/12/02/the-maga-nightmare-is-almost-over-america/

I have edited this to add an important and powerful letter from Hillary and Bill Clinton to James Comer, responding to their refusal to appear before the House Oversight Committee to testify as part of its investigation into Jeffrey Epstein:

WILLIAM JEFFERSON CLINTON
HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON
January 13, 2026

Chairman Comer,

We want to take a moment, given everything, to address you directly.

This past year has seen our Government engage in unprecedented acts, including against our own citizens. People have been seized by masked federal agents from their homes, their workplaces, and the streets of their communities. Students and scientists with visas permitting them to study and work here have been deported without due process. The people who laid siege to the U.S. Capitol have been pardoned and called heroes. Agencies vital to the country’s national security have been dismantled. Universities, media companies, and law firms have been subjected to threats to their funding, access, and licensing unless they made concessions and surrendered their right to constitutionally protected free speech. American troops have been deployed on the streets of our towns and cities. The Justice Department has been used as a weapon, at the direction of the President, to pursue political opponents. And most recently and searingly, an ICE agent killed an unarmed mother only days ago.

Every person has to decide when they have seen or had enough and are ready to fight for this country, its principles and its people, no matter the consequences.

For us, now is that time.

We are lucky by virtue of the positions we held, and the protections afforded by them. But we are not blind. Every day we see the country we have dedicated our lives to improving take step after step after step backwards.

As chairman of this powerful congressional committee, you have immense power to target anyone and subject them to closed door interrogation and more. The decisions you have made, and the priorities you have set as chairman regarding the Epstein investigation, have prevented progress in discovering the facts about the government’s role.

The facts speak for themselves: You subpoenaed eight people in addition to us. You dismissed seven of those eight without any of them saying a single word to you. You made no attempt to force them to appear. In fact, since you started your investigation last year, you have interviewed a total of two people. Two.

A legal analysis prepared by two law firms and provided to you yesterday makes clear your subpoenas are legally invalid. You claim your subpoenas are inviolate when they are used against us yet were silent when the sitting President took the same position, as a former president, barely more than three years ago. We call on you to release that analysis to the public to allow them to see how this is yet another example of the casual disregard of the law of the land. All the while, you have done nothing with your oversight capacity to force the Department of Justice to follow the law and release all its Epstein files, including any material regarding us as we have publicly called for.

Over the last year in the House, extending health care for Americans in any state succeeded only because enough Republicans joined with Democrats. The fact that the public and we are seeing any of the Department of Justice’s Epstein files is only because four Republicans, out of 220, joined every Democrat to reach the minimum number of Members to force a vote. You were not one of those four. Even now, despite the Department of Justice’s failure to follow the law the Congress passed, you have chosen not to consider subpoenaing the sitting Attorney General to follow the law.

Despite everything that needs to be done to help our country, you are on the cusp of bringing Congress to a halt to pursue rarely used process literally designed to result in our imprisonment. This is not the way out of America’s ills, and we will forcefully defend ourselves.

Indeed, bringing the Republicans’ cruel agenda to a standstill while you work harder to pass a contempt charge against us than you have done on your investigation this past year would be our contribution to fighting the madness.

We have tried to give you the little information we have. We’ve done so because Mr. Epstein’s crimes were horrific. If the Government didn’t do all it could to investigate and prosecute these crimes, for whatever reason, that should be be the focus of your work – to learn why and to prevent that from happening ever again. There is no evidence that you are doing so. Instead, you have forced the victims to relive their painful experiences, while doing little to give them and everybody else what’s deserved: truth and justice. There is no plausible explanation for what you are doing other than partisan politics.

You accepted the least from those who know the most but demand the most from those who know the least. To say you can’t complete your work without speaking to us is simply bizarre.

You have asked what we know. To answer your inquiry, we are providing you with the same or more than seven of the other eight individuals you subpoenaed regarding the handling of the Epstein investigations and prosecutions, which may be why you have not publicly released their written statements.

We expect you will say it is not enough. We expect you’ll reject it. You may even set out an empty empty chair chair o or stand in front of the cameras and outright dismiss what we have provided. We expect you will direct your committee to seek to hold us in contempt. You may even release irrelevant, decades-old photos that you hope will embarrass us. You will say your caucus, and the Speaker and the President are behind you 100%. We hope, perhaps in vain, that they will not allow you to singlehandedly hijack the Congress by unilaterally making this decision for your colleagues, your party, and our country.

You will say it is not our decision to make. But we have made it. Now you have to make yours.

We are prepared to make our case to your 45 committee members, and if need be, more. Importantly, we also will defend ourselves in the public arena and ensure this country knows exactly what you are doing and why you are doing so, instead of helping the American people who need this Congress’s work and protection.

For most people, maybe even the bulk of the Congress, today will be the first they learn of this dispute. We are confident that any reasonable person in or out of Congress will see, based on everything we release, that what you are doing is trying to punish those who you see as your enemies and to protect those think are your friends.

Continue to mislead Americans about what is truly at stake, and you will learn that Americans are better at finding the truth than you are at burying it.

Continue to pursue autopens instead of penning laws Americans need, and you will learn that you are signing away any remaining chance of being on the right side of history.

Continue to abet the dismantling of America, and you will learn that it takes more than a wrecking ball to demolish what Americans have built over 250 years.

Sincerely,

[signed] Bill Clinton Hillary Rodham Clinto

An American Nightmare

I couldn’t find an inspirational quote to distract me from the horrific news I woke up to yesterday morning, as if things here couldn’t get any worse. I mean, is there no longer a working Constitution?

Did you hear about the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife, Cilia Flores, being captured by American forces and flown out of the country?

I don’t know much at all about Venezuela or Maduro or his wife, but I do know that this has nothing to do with drugs or drug cartels.

WTAF? Can’t ANYONE stop him?

it’s more likely about OIL to enrich him and his billionaire cohorts, to stay out of prison, and perhaps to further distract us from his disgusting obsession with underage females.

As the heat turns up on the Epstein files, that orange POS will continue to perform insane stunts to keep us from learning even more about what a vile, despicable, sociopathic person he really is.

Didn’t that orange POS just free a big drug kingpin Juan Orlando Hernández, the former president of Honduras, who was serving a forty-five year prison sentence?

Unfortunately, there’s nothing we can do but shake our collective heads and hope Congress wakes up, does their job, and removes him from office, along with all of the people he brought with him.

There are legitimate questions regarding this attempt to oust Maduro and if they were genuine events or staged stunts, just like contrived “assassination attempt” or even what happened to that podcaster, Kirk. I think the bottom line is that nothing he or his administration says or does should be believed. They are evil incarnate.

I’m so tired and afraid of this dark energy clouding everything and ruining what is good about America. If only Hilary or Kamala were President now, none of this would be happening.

When will we wake up from this nightmare?

Year of The Fire Horse!

Well, this is definitely an intense start to a new year, along with the first full moon of 2026 on January 3, the Wolf Moon!

2026 is the rare Year of the Fire Horse in the Chinese zodiac. It commences on February 17, 2026, and will bring powerful themes of passion, transformation, and dynamic energy.

This significant event occurs only once every sixty years, blending the Horse’s traits (strength, freedom) with Fire’s (enthusiasm, innovation) for bold action, breakthrough, and potential burnout if not balanced, a year marked by both great opportunity and intense change. 

According to Chinese astrology, Horse is confident, agreeable, and responsible, although they also tend to dislike being reined in by others. They’re fit and intelligent, adoring physical and mental exertion; they’re decisive but also easily swayed and impatient. 

Click this clink to find your Chinese Zodiac sign:


Mindfulness Mantra for 2026

Now that 2025 is almost over and we’re looking for inspiration to start a new year, how about this one? It’s said that Buddha repeated it when he taught mindfulness…

Atapi sampajano satima

It’s in the Pali language, an ancient language central to Theravada Buddhism.

Atapi sampajano satima is from Buddhist texts and means “ardent effort, clear comprehension, and constant mindfulness,” a core formula for the path to liberation.

It emphasizes diligent, wise, and continuous awareness of reality (impermanence) to see phenomena as they truly are, dissolving self-illusion.

This is a call to practice intensely (Atapi), understand deeply (Sampajano), and stay present (Satima) by observing the arising and passing of sensations and mental states without reaction, which leads to wisdom and freedom. 

We’re entering that dreaded holiday limbo zone between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, when time seems to almost stop moving in a sort of frenzied yet slightly depressed way.

If ever there was a time for meditation, calm, reflection, self care, and serenity, this is IT.

Atapi sampajano satima 

And BREATHE…

Hell on Earth

Hell is empty and all the devils are here.
William Shakespeare

After last night’s horrific anti-Semitic massacre at Bondi Beach in Australia during a Hanukkah celebration and the violence at Brown University in Rhode Island, at least right now, this world we inhabit is not a warm and loving place.

I spent quite a bit of time in Providence while DIL was there getting her doctorate and Angel Boy was at Yale doing the same thing. I walked around the campus and the neighborhood, even Governor Drive where there was a report of another incident which proved to be false.

When AB endured his serious medical scare, he was at the same Rhode Island hospital where the shooting victims were taken because it’s the closest trauma center. These poor kids were simply taking their mid-term exams when they were attacked.

It looks like they have a suspect in custody, but the damage is done. I read that at least two of the students had already witnessed other school shootings.

What a hellish world this is.

Rest In Peace Sophie Kinsella, Confessions of a Shopaholic

“…nothing haunts us like the things we didn’t buy.” Quote from Becky Bloomwood/Confessions

There’s sad news to report from the literary world.

Author Sophie Kinsella died yesterday. I didn’t know that she had been diagnosed with a glioblastoma in 2022, which is one of the deadliest and most aggressive types of brain cancer.

I loved all of her books and probably have read everything she’s ever written. The first two novels in the Shopaholic series were adapted for the 2009 film Confessions of a Shopaholic, starring Isla Fisher. It’s one of my all-time favorites.

“That moment. That instant when your fingers curl round the handles of a shiny, uncreased bag–and all the gorgeous new things inside it becomes yours. What’s it like? It’s like going hungry for days, then cramming your mouth full of warm buttered toast.” Becky Bloomwood/Confessions

Those who dismiss her books as merely frivolous rom-com or chick lit don’t take into consideration the amount of work and talent it takes to write great dialogue and create characters that come to life.

RIP Sopie Kinsella. She’s survived by her husband and their five children.

And me? I’m still searching for that perfect green scarf. IYKYK

“You speak…PRADA?” Becky Bloomwood/Confessions

Here’s a trailer for the film, Confessions of a Shopaholic. I’m going to watch it again this weekend.

Thanksgiving Day Thoughts

I don’t know what everyone else will be doing on this day that really doesn’t seem to celebrate anything but a toxic and heartless dominance over indigenous peoples, but in my little world, except for family, there isn’t a whole lot to be grateful for. This is a Thanksgiving mainly of fear for the future, an unsettling feeling that we don’t know when the other shoe will drop and this country will erupt in absolute and total chaos.

But that’s just me…

Perhaps the world will end at the kitchen table, while we are laughing and crying, eating of the last sweet bite.” Joy Harjo

While we’re in the midst of preparations to enjoy a feast with friends and family tomorrow, I hope we don’t forget to honor, and with gratitude, recognize the Indigenous Peoples.

For many Native Americans, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning and protest because it commemorates the arrival of settlers and the oppression and genocide that followed.

Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.” Chief Seattle

“When you know who you are when your mission is clear, and you burn with the inner fire of unbreakable will; no cold can touch your heart; no deluge can dampen your purpose. You know that you are alive.” – Chief Seattle, Suquamish/Duwamish (1786-1866)

Chief Seattle (more correctly known as Seathl) was a Suquamish and Duwamish chief. A leading figure among his people, he pursued a path of accommodation to white settlers, but I bet he regretted it as soon as he realized what it really meant to his people.

Photo of people and tents and quote credit to Chief Seattle and Native Red Cloud Maȟpíya Lúta~Hińhan Wakangli. Photo credit of Chief Seattle from Wiki

Shout Out Good Parenting: More of THIS

Have you done this?

Recently I was standing in very crowded and chaotic place (physically, not emotionally lol) and I observed a bit older than toddler-aged child having a problem coping with it and was having a meltdown. I could totally relate because I get a bit disoriented in crowds and noise, too.

The mom crouched down to talk with her son. She told him she understood that he was having a hard time and it was OK, that she understood his feelings and was trying her best to figure it all out. She didn’t yell at him, she didn’t censure him in any way; she respected the big emotions he was feeling as he was trying to process this scary atmosphere. She didn’t meet his emotions with anger. This was awesome parenting.

After she finished and he calmed down, she stood up and I told her she was a great mom and handled the situation in an amazing way. It was immediate positive reinforcement.

Her face brightened, and she thanked me, gave her son an extra hug, and they were on their way.

We should all take the extra minute to understand the behavior of little ones and to use that time for emotional support, not to be annoyed or lose your temper.  Listen to your children and validate their feelings. 

Have you ever noticed great parenting and complimented them for it? Sometimes it really does take a village.

November’s Special Supermoon

I’m freaked out by Daylight Savings Time. I spend way too long trying to figure what is lost or gained. Nothing makes sense to me. I know I wrote about it before, but TIME itself unsettles me. Sometimes I think that I think too much haha.

On top of THAT timely adjustment, we are experiencing the Supermoon in Taurus as the closest, brightest, and strongest Full Moon of the year, filling the sky with magnetic light that amplifies everything we think, feel, and desire. As a Taurus, I really feel the energetic pull and my dreams are vivid and CRAZY.

Taurus, ruled by Venus, governs stability, wealth, love, and comfort built through patience and effort. When a Supermoon activates this sign, energy transforms quickly, and manifestation becomes clear, direct, and immediate.

Every emotion, thought, and intention carries amplified strength under this influence, shaping what unfolds in our reality with precision. Energy responds directly to our attention, so focus on what deserves to grow.

This Supermoon opens a portal for divine manifestation and real change. What you call in begins forming fast, aligning our life with our higher path. Challenges fade as karmic cycles close, creating stability where uncertainty once lived.

What we envision begins taking physical form. Everything we have been feeling attracts evidence through synchronicity, communication, and opportunity. The Universe matches our vibration with accuracy, reflecting our inner world through events that arrive with perfect timing.

The message of this Moon is simple: our energy instructs the Universe. What we focus on expands, what we fear delays, and what we believe becomes real.

Taurus teaches manifestation through action. This sign builds what it dreams, one clear decision at a time, never rushing the process yet always creating steady progress. The Supermoon magnifies this lesson, asking us to remove distractions and commit fully to what matters.

We may feel inspired to declutter, finish something left undone, or step away from energy that drains our focus. Each decision we make now strengthens our foundation and carries long-term influence, so move with intention and clarity.

Manifestation gains power when what you say, believe, and do all align completely. Taurus energy rewards consistency, loyalty, and persistence that never wavers.

This is a time for focus and declaration. Write down what is desired as if it already happened. Speak with confidence, visualize success, and take immediate action that proves belief. The Universe moves faster when we act from certainty rather than waiting for signs.

Taurus connects spiritual alignment with practical action, teaching that belief holds power when expressed through consistency. Every step becomes magnetic, drawing new blessings into form.

By the time the next Supermoon rises, what is set in motion now will begin taking visible shape. Goals will show clear signs of progress and what we release will feel lighter to carry.

Keep energy grounded in gratitude as this light reaches its highest strength. The Moon magnifies thought and emotion, turning both into results that arrive fast. Gratitude multiplies blessings, opening paths that effort alone could never reach.

Move with purpose, make firm decisions, and trust the power of our actions. Keep our energy clean, our focus strong, and our belief steady, because the Universe is responds to every signal we send out. (Curated rom Alex Myles)

No Kings Day 2.0 Rally For Democracy

This was the largest single day protest in US history. We showed up to rally against the authoritarian policies of that orange POS and alleged corruption in his administration. We showed up because that’s what this country is all about.

We are anti-fascists. Anti-fascism is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups, and individuals. It began in European countries in the 1920s.

Have you witnessed any of the ICE kidnappings? I haven’t personally, but I have seen videos of some in a nearby town. It’s absolutely disgusting.

It’s estimated that 10,000 people showed up to protest against the fascist regime in my very own little beachy town and a conservative estimate of 50,000 in San Diego. New York had 350,000 show up and there were 100,000 in Chicago and Boston.

Wherever you live, I hope you were able to participate. We’re the true patriots, we’re the ones who respect the Constitution and Bill of Rights and equality for all.

The Bill of Rights is CLEAR, this regime is in violation of so many of our basic rights:

First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Fourth Amendment
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

This was one of my favorite signs:

In addition to all the senior citizens and veterans who have consistently shown up to support freedom, this time there were a lot more young people, and that’s awesome.

The message is powerful…REMOVE THE ORANGE POS and RELEASE THE EPSTEIN FILES!

Those of us in Southern California had another total bizarre shitshow to deal with. The sofa loving Vice President decided to stage dangerous war games by firing live rounds OVER our major freeway and OVER homes in a repugnant self glorifying display of power at Camp Pendleton. For safety, the California Highway Patrol had to shut down Interstate 5 for most of the day to feed the ego of a sociopathic lunatic. This narcissistic exhibition was touted as a celebration for the Marine Corps birthday–however, the MC birthday is on November 10, so it doesn’t take a brain surgeon to figure out he chose THIS day to attempt to disrupt our peaceful protests and cause trouble. And since the rethugs have shut down the government, all of those soldiers from Camp Pendleton were working without a paycheck.

Also in California, we have an important item on the November ballot; Proposition 50, which authorizes temporary changes to congressional district maps in response to Texas’ partisan redistricting. I already voted a resounding YES and I hope it passes. I like the way our Governor Newsom responds to the lunacy in Washington and look forward to voting for him in the next presidential election.

If you need any more evidence that we need to remove that demented, evil orange POS, check out his response to today’s rally for democracy: