Musings on Dorian Gray

My mother held this view, to which I agree:  "You only see a person three times (physically); and after that what you see is who the person is on the INSIDE."  That's why a so-called 'ugly' person with a pleasing nature can appear more beautiful than a stunner who's ugly on the inside.

When I worked in the Netherlands in the 90's, my late husband, Tino, had an unpleasant task after someone in his department, a young man in his 30s, had a sudden, fatal heart attack on his day off.  Tino drove to the north of Holland to pick up Fred's parents to bring them back to Ridderkerk, near Rotterdam.

The drive took several hours each way.  Tino said that when he first saw Fred's parents he was somewhat surprised, for the husband was very handsome while the wife was quite plain and stooped over.  Many of us make that comparison, our bad.

Mom rode in the front with Tino, and after talking for hours, by the time they returned to Ridderkerk he said it was as if she had transformed in the car; for she was such a beautiful person on the inside, that's what he saw. Don't get me wrong - attractive on the outside doesn't hurt, but it's not what counts.  Isn't that what we're trying to teach young people who are comparing themselves to celebs with plastic surgeries?

What's on the inside of our President, who is now deploying the National Guard against his own people for various reasons but primarily because he hates Newsom; or focusing the wrath of his followers on a particular person or cause?  Someone who cares little about his spouce's feelings over his infidelities?  Trump left Ivana for Marla then Marla for Melania.  Who's next?  Who cares?  He's all for himself.

Are Republicans really happy with current events?  Leave out the immigration issue for the moment - when you cast your vote did you want all the rest?  Firing thousands without cause (where's the proof of waste and fraud?); targeting Apple and Barbie?  Throwing himself one hellacious (and expensive) birthday party in the guise of celebrating our Semiquincentennial while so many (lawful) citizens are suffering from hunger and lack of housing?

Guess he never heard of the French Revolution - he was only impressed with their parade down the Champs Élysées.  And may I just say: monstrous GOLD accessories may be fitting in Versailles, but they look downright tacky in the Oval Office.  Well, it is a reflection of our First Couple.  When're the thrones arriving?

Republicans (hopefully not all) believe most (if not all) Democrats are woke radicals who want to invite dangerous criminals into the country.  Are (they) truly that uninformed?  Ever bothered to look up the meaning of WOKE, or simply repeating mouthpieces, elected and un-, without question? Take a civics class, for Pete's sake, before AI re-writes our history forever, like Trump's trying by constantly declaring he won the 2020 election.

What's at issue, when it comes to supporting illegal aliens, is not molly-coddling criminals, but assuring that every person in the country, legally or illegally, are given the rights granted in our Constitution.   WHY?  Once illegal's rights are so easily trampled, what's to stop ours?

Tino Jansen, self portrait

Tino was one of those illegal aliens, and not entirely of his own making.  Our NYC based company, now bankrupt, regularly hired illegals for the manufacturing plant in New Jersey.  We knew when a ICE Customs  Immigration (whatever it was called) raid was imminent (they had their informants), for the plant would be all-but-empty of workers.  The company transferred Tino to the New York office, promising to get the proper paperwork once he was here.

I told him they were shifty and unreliable, but coming from a country which is kinder to its population, he refused to believe that. After all, he'd worked for them for years and they'd always lauded his performance; but once here, they decided the paperwork was too much trouble so they cut him loose without a how-dee-do.  Shouldn't the companies paying the illegals be punished, too?

So yes, I do know the fear of deportation, which people so lighly dismiss. We worried for over a year, until Tino passed from a sudden, fatal heart attack, like Fred.  Illegal immigrants are here from every nation on earth, just as there are plenty of Americans overseas who have overstayed their Visas.

What we DO advocate is equal treatment under the law, not just for white people. 

And for Christ's sake - the people who compare the Trump/Musk feud as casually as having an argument with their wife - are they kidding?  We didn't elect (them) or their wives - but we do expect our President to act somewhat Presidential, and I for one don't see that.

Trump's a vindictive man; a truly ugly person on the inside (anyone can be nice at times); and his jackboot followers in Congress are just as bad for blindly repeating the lines Trump demands, lest they suffer his wrath and be voted out of office.

It boils down to ego, and greed.  Trump never bothered to put his portrait away.

PS:  Beware sundown.  As happened in Portland, crazies from elsewhere, hell-bent on causing trouble, are driving as fast as they can, THAT's what the thousands of troops are for.  'Course, if they didn't show up to begin with, the crazies would still be at home.  Why didn't Trump act like this on Jan 6th?