Evil choices

Political showdown heats up

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI-Now, that all hell has broken loose with former speaker of the House John Boehner calling Ted Cruz Lucifer, while some voters are calling Donald Trump the Satan and all the rest are devils, we’re moving into the final showdown.

The platform has been laid out for us. We’re in political hell. You can either vote for a billionaire or a multi-millionaire. That is Republican Donald Trump versus Democrat Hillary Clinton.

 

Following social media, most people do not want either one of them. And I quote:

“Well, people. It’s pretty much over. In November, it’s going to be Clinton and Trump.

A narcissistic, pandering, manipulative liar with a lifetime of scandals who has been gunning for the White House for decades.
vs.
A narcissistic, dismissive, contradictory, thin-skinned bully who doesn’t hesitate to step on those who disagree with him.

My prediction is a massive spike in wine sales as we are all forced to decide between Sucks and Sucks slightly Less,” Stephanie Peel, Vergennes Broadband co-owner, wrote on Facebook.

I have to agree with Stephanie and not just because I subscribe to their Vergennes Broadband, but she put it so well that I can’t beat that.

However, the philosophy of voting for Trump, so Hillary doesn’t get it or vice versa, is flawed from the very beginning. It’s like choosing between two cancers: breast or prostate cancer. Which will it be?

It’s driven by desperation and anger, and as such it will only yield desperation and anger again. Something qualitatively new must happen that will change the entire political scenario.

I also value election input from Jeff TenEyck, Learn to Blog head support,who quoted what Mark Twain said a long time ago.

“If voting actually made any difference (in their agenda) they would not let us do it,” he wrote on Facebook.

“It’s all a big dog and pony show regardless of Democrats or Republicans. The whole damn show is owned and controlled by the same psychopathic megalomaniacs. So, please people stop being played for fools.”

The conventions can be brokered, so why did we vote? Maybe to exercise our democratic right.

My eyes even opened wider after reading that more than 40 percent voters are not ready for a female president, according to SheKnows.

It doesn’t surprise me that America is not ready for a female president. It all starts at the grassroots. I’ve been involved in politics for most of my adult life, and I’ve lived in a country with closed borders, that is former socialist Czechoslovakia.

Closing the borders was not a solution to anything. It actually worsened the tension inside the country. It was a political nightmare.

Throughout my journalistic career I covered mostly politics, city and town halls, counties and state reps in Michigan. I could count on the fingers of one hand how many female city managers I have encountered. Exactly one, Ruth King, and that was on my first stint in Plainwell.

Politics can get pretty rough and ugly even for a man at any level of government. Former Otisco Township supervisor Dick Reeves can attest to that. After 20 years he got recalled by his own people over the stink of Marhofer’s farm.

And as for Bernie Sanders or #feelthebern, #bernorbust, he can lead a political revolution without being the president of the USA. However, it would make it easier to lead any change in politics and economics, if Sanders was at the helm.

bernie-sanders-portrait-01-1600x1134
Bernie Sanders

Late Vaclav Havel led the 1989 Velvet Revolution as a poet and a former prisoner. After the revolution, he became the president of former Czechoslovakia.

And I write about this in my memoir, “Greenwich Meridian.”

I was there standing on the plazas in the cold November chill with other millions of people all around the country. We won in 23 days with massive demonstrations ringing our keys and lighting up the night with flames from our lighters.

America may never be ready to elect a female president. Overall, the country is conservative burdened with backwards policies designed to protect the rich from both sides, Democrats and Republicans. Further more the country is paralyzed by increased police presence and growing armament. This is much like it was in pre-Hitler and Hitler Germany. It’s broken by indebtedness to China.Both parties have the same interests and they just alternate in the election cycles.

They disagree only on things that do not matter, according to writer/researcher Ed Griffin.

But, they agree on big things like foreign policy, protecting banks and the war in the Middle East.

Progress is risky and dangerous. Collectivism and dominance are at large. Our only tool to freedom is the Internet. We need to protect it.

“Internet boats for us well,” said Griffin.

The featured image “Past Pentagon Purchasers at Play” by artist Tom Woodruff portrays psychedelic politicians and generals riding their potties.

For more on Tom Woodruff go to: http://www.woodruffdesigns.com

For Ed Griffin go to: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxDwT55rmIw#action=share

For Learn to Blog go to: http://learntoblog.com/

For Vergennes Broadband go to: https://vergennesbroadband.com/

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

 

 

Copyright © 2016 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Spring into past tour

Take a historical tour on April 30 and May 1 By Emma Palova Fallasburg, MI- Step back in time when things were simple long before cell phones and devices. Treat yourself to a historical tour throug…

Source: Spring into past tour

Goodbye Prince

Make it rain harder this spring. Let the rain turn purple and tears to flow freely for Prince. You gave us joy and inspired us. We love you. Farewell.           Copyright (…

Source: Goodbye Prince

Goodbye Prince

Make it rain harder this spring. Let the rain turn purple and tears to flow freely for Prince. You gave us joy and inspired us. We love you. Farewell.

For Prince. Farewell.
For Prince. Farewell.

 

 

 

 

 

Copyright (c) 2016. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Earth Day 2016

Celebrate Earth Day every day

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI-I am always inspired by the annual Earth Day which falls on April 22, although some countries observe this during the spring equinox.

It’s not just about planting trees around this time of the year. The celebration of Earth Day is a wholesome awareness and appreciation of where we live and how we live.

I live in the country in West Michigan and love every moment of it. I am surrounded by farmers and their love for the land. Living close to nature gives me the fuel to create. I do plant trees in honor of new life coming to this Earth.

Down to earth
Wittenbach Wege agriscience center on Earth Day 2014

It’s a Czech tradition to plant a tree for every newborn. We planted the royal purple smoke tree for Ella in 2010.

In 2014, we planted a flowering willow tree in honor of Josephine Marie Palova.

Later, that year we planted a magnolia for Samuel Chavent.

Sam's magnolia
Sam’s magnolia

This year we will plant a flowering cherry blossom tree or any flowering tree or shrub that does well in clay soil to honor Dominic born in August of 2015.

Our favorite gardening  place  is near Fennville, the Huntree Nursery. Here we get our currant bushes, that are a great source of vitamin C.

Red currant bush. The berries are a great source of vitamin C.
Red currant bush. The berries are a great source of vitamin C.

I am always humbled by the sign in front of the Wittenbach Wege Agriscience Center in Lowell, Michigan that reads:

May Peace Prevail on Earth.

“Look deeper into the nature and you will understand everything better.”

Albert Einstein

Happy Earth Day to all,

Emma’s Blogs

For more info on Huntree Nursery go to:: http://www.huntree.com

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

 

Copyright (c) 2016. Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved,

Spring into past tour

Take a historical tour on April 30 and May 1 By Emma Palova Fallasburg, MI- Step back in time when things were simple long before cell phones and devices. Treat yourself to a historical tour throug…

Source: Spring into past tour

Slovak Easter Monday

image

Easter Monday traditions with our Slovakian friends. The girls receive a bucket full of water.

Posted from WordPress for Android

Happy Easter

Rolls filled with cream. Posted from WordPress for Android

Source: Happy Easter

Memoir highlights Czech & Slovak Easter traditions

Easter evokes memories

By Emma Palova

EW Emma’s Writings

Lowell, MI-In my memoir “Greenwich Meridian,” I write about Czech and Slovak traditions that I have witnessed while living in Czechoslovakia with a touch of nostalgia. Some of them disappeared along with the old regimes, but most have survived mainly in villages and small towns preserved by enthusiastic small groups of people. The traditions are reflected in festive costumes for the holidays and special events, in music, dance, food, and customs specific to each village and town.

We lived in Zlin, Moravia, which is the central part of former Czechoslovakia embedded in traditions. Both as a child and an adult, I lived and visited with my grandparents in Vizovice, a treasure trove of traditions.

cousin Bronislav Pink
cousin Bronislav Pink
Czech & Slovak Easter kraslice
Czech & Slovak Easter kraslice

Easter celebrations in Czech and some other European countries are longer by one day, and that is Monday.
We have always indulged in lavish preparations for the long Easter weekend. That meant having enough meat, desserts, eggs, and beverages for three days. There were long lines just like before any major holiday. I spent a lot of time standing in lines and listening to what the old broads had to say.
“I am not going to tell him how much I spent,” a woman  wearing a scarf and a fluffy skirt shook her head defiantly.
The other one with an apron over her dress smelled of burnt dough.
I thought, she must have burnt her kolache, a traditional festive pastry with plum butter.
The broad leaned closer to the first one and whispered something into her ear. Then they both laughed, until their bellies and chests were heaving up and down. I learned a lot standing in lines. The longer the line, the more I learned.
So, the culmination of it all is Easter Monday known for its “schmigrust,” an old whipping custom.

Traditional Czech festive costumes.
Traditional Czech festive costumes.

On that day, early in the morning ,large groups of boys and young men head out into the streets with their braided knot-grass whips or oversized wooden spoons decorated with ribbons. The day before, they spent many hours skillfully braiding their whips out of willow twigs or scouring the house for the biggest wooden spoon.
The boys go door to door, reciting traditional Easter carols like “Hody, hody doprovody,” asking the lady of the house for painted eggs. Then, they whip all the present females in exchange for decorated eggs and ribbons. Single women, and girls tied ribbons on top of the whip. I always wondered about the whipping custom, long before I ever set my foot out into the world. One day, grandma Anna finally explained it to me.
“It is supposed to resemble the whipping of Christ before he died,” she said.
“But, grandma that’s evil,” I cried.
Grandma just shrugged, and turned away. Later in life, I knew better than to question a tradition.
The elders in the group were offered shots of plum brandy, usually home made or acquired through bartering. Even family members took part in this ritual. Uncles and cousins were invited inside for coffee, festive desserts such as kolache, shots and meaningful conversation.
On a good year, and especially when I was a teenager, we got anywhere around 100 passionate revelers. Sometimes, I ran out of ribbons. The boys and young men, competing against each other, took pride in the number of ribbons they got. The craft stores had to stock up with meters and meters of ribbons, plain or embroidered. The hens, of course, felt obligated to produce more eggs.

Happy Easter 2016 to all.

← Back

Thank you for your response. ✨

Copyright © 2016 Emma Blogs, LLC. All rights reserved.

Fallasburg Historical Society (FHS) at Lowell Expo

Visit FHS booth no.129 at the 20th Lowell Expo this Saturday By Emma Palova Lowell, MI- The FHS booth no. 129 will be located in the Cafe at the Lowell High School. For FHS, this is a unique opport…

Source: Fallasburg Historical Society (FHS) at Lowell Expo

EW This WordPress.com site is about Emma's Writings.