occasional posts by risa aratyr
thoughts, news, and items of writerly interest
With a Kremlin puppet poised to move into the White House, with our beleaguered social and environmental protections already falling to the incipient Fourth Reich, with an empowered extreme-Right attacking vulnerable populations in Congress and state legislatures, and with white supremacists celebrating the demise of the only values that gave America a legitimate claim to greatness … Read more On a Personal Note
In 2008, Yes! we could and Yes! we did elect Barack Hussein Obama President of the United States. We put a Black man in the Oval Office. First time ever. It was a real milestone. The world at-large was so sure that under an Obama Administration the US would finally live up to all the … Read more Screening Our Candidates
The day after the election, my Irish pen-pal Declan suggested Aer Lingus might be my best bet. Oh… so tempting. The election triggered my fight-or-flight instincts big time; my adrenals have been screaming “FLY!” for nearly a fortnight straight. The volume is up, the cry is more strident, but it’s not a new refrain. I’ve … Read more Getting the Hell Out of Dodge
Looking for something cheerful? Try last week’s post about the Cubs winning the Series. Got nothing for you this time but anger, frustration, and bitter dismay. Notice, “shock” and “surprise” aren’t on my list. I’ll leave those to the millions who trusted the nation’s major media outlets to tell them what was up and to … Read more WTF
Spectator sports were never a thing in my family. My sister and I were art-y, not sport-y. She was the dancer; I was the singer. We tried out for roles in the school shows, not spots on the school teams. We played in the orchestra, not on the field. The only athletic competitions we watched … Read more Da Cubs