The Universe According to Cosmic.Dave

 I have a bookgroup on Facebook called "That Book Group". One book a month and the virtual "meeting" is generally the last Sunday of the month.  Basically this group is for the introverts. For the people who perhaps want to follow a bookgroup but don't necessarily want to comment or discuss. Not that discussion isn't welcome! There is opportunity for that on the last Sunday of the month for each book we read. This month's book is "Reprieve" by James Han Mattson.  

 https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/56554477reprieve 

Generally I try to pick books that are either general fiction but there is a mystery, a horror novel or perhaps a historical romance.  This month is a horror book and a little outside the box I think for what  I've selected the last several months. I also try to select a book that perhaps is a few years older so it might be easier, and less expensive, to get.  Sometimes I choose a classic.  It's always a surprise! 

Posted by cosmic.dave at 5:31 PM 0 comments    

 And here it is 2026 now.  And so much has happened.  I tried to restart this blog in 2012!  And again...life got in the way.  But perhaps things are different now.  Chronic illness is still a factor in my life but I have certainly changed and my outlook on many things has changed.  I lost my constant companion Paige in February of 2016.  She was 22 1/2.  We shared so many years together and I still miss her terribly today.  Then in 2023 we lost Cooper. And I miss him greatly too.  He was 18. We went through a pandemic, we have had financial crises globally, and we have wars in Ukraine, Iran, and the Gaza strip. And the unlikeliest thing to happen was that a reality show host became our President in 2016. After the horrible four years and having our spending deficit skyrocket, we elected Joe Biden in the middle of the pandemic. It would take much more time to undo the damage Trump caused, but then in 2024 somehow Trump got elected again for a second term. And the things we have gone through in just a year and half makes me numb. But all we can do is weather this until 2028 and live our lives as best we can. Food prices are high, gas prices are high, medical insurance is high. The main directive from this administration has been to shift costs of social needs to states and give even more tax breaks to the wealthy. Unfortunately there seem to be a lot of followers that believe things are going well when they are not. They are so blinded by the cult of personality they can't see what is truly going on.  

 So we just live our lives and try to do the best. At least that's what I am doing. So I want to create a space here for my own thoughts, not necessarily political, but just how I am dealing with things, what I want to achieve, the things I am enjoying and creating.  And many might remember my fondness for men in speedos, so there might be an occasional speedo pic or two, who knows? 😜😆 I want to talk about books that I am reading or have read.  I want to share my cross-stitching projects.  I want to talk about movies or tv shows I am currently watching.  The ongoing project of getting my apartment organized and cleaned.  (Which is going fairly well, just very slow). So mostly, yeah, the world according to me. I hope this time I can keep it going!  

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   I originally started, or tried to start, this blog in 2012. Life certainly got in the way. For those who know me, chronic illness and family issues were a great factor in keeping me occupied. Dealing with Facebook over these years has been a rocky relationship and I've found myself wanting a better option for expressing my thoughts with more control over my content. I had thought of starting an entirely new blog, but why not just use what I've already started? 

    The good thing is I can pretty much say or post what I want here and not have to continually deal with Facebook censors or algorithms. For some reason I continually run into this problem there. After losing my entire account I had since 2009, then most recently being restricted for a week for posting a reading guide to MY OWN BOOKGROUP, I realized it was time. While I will continue to have my Facebook and Twitter accounts, this is probably where I'll do most of my posting. 

    I would eventually like to talk about a variety of topics. Disability and chronic illness issues, BOOKS, small-town life, LGBT issues, BOOKS, Men in Speedos, Cats and Dogs, politics, BOOKS, music, movies, media, getting organized, BOOKS, pretty much whatever random topic. I love random topics and miscellaneous trivia!  

     I don't know how often I'll post, daily, once a week, but we'll see how this goes. I've got lots of ideas. If you're following me here, thanks! I'll try not to be too boring. 😏

Posted by cosmic.dave at 11:36 PM 0 comments    

     What is hate? The definition of hate according to the American Heritage Dictionary is:

      NOUN:

1. Intense animosity or dislike; hatred.
2. An object of detestation or hatred: My pet hate is tardiness. 
    
    
   What is an Opinion? From the same American Heritage Dictionary the definition is:
    
   NOUN:
   

   1. A belief or conclusion held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge or proof: "The world is not run by thought, nor by imagination, but by opinion" (Elizabeth Drew).
   2. A judgment based on special knowledge and given by an expert: a medical opinion.
   3. A judgment or estimation of the merit of a person or thing: has a low opinion of braggarts.
   4. The prevailing view: public opinion.
   5. Law A formal statement by a court or other adjudicative body of the legal reasons and principles for the conclusions of the court.

    
    When does an opinion stop being an opinion and become hatred? We are seeing more and more people talking about their 'right' to their opinion.  As we saw though, an opinion, and we all have them, is just that. It isn't FACT. It is a belief or conclusion.
   
   Recently we saw much in regards to this in the Chick-Fil-A/Dan Cathy issue.
   From that many found out exactly what groups like Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, American Family Association, and other groups Dan Cathy funded were really all about.
   Before this incident mostly aware LGBT people and gay rights activists and  hate watchgroups really knew the truth about these groups. Suddenly the world at large was seeing in full glare exactly what groups like Family Research Council really does with their funding.
   
   In the last week we now see Tony Perkins of Family Research Council claim that the SPLC designation of their organization as a hate group is what is responsible for the recent shooting at the Council's downtown building in Washington. As usual, Mr. Perkins is claiming a 'prejudice' against their 'Christian beliefs'.  But as the SPLC spokesman Mark Potok said in a statement:
   
   “The FRC and its allies on the religious right are saying, in effect, that offering legitimate and fact-based criticism in a democratic society is tantamount to suggesting that the objects of criticism should be the targets of criminal violence,” the statement said. "The FRC routinely pushes out demonizing claims that gay people are child molesters and worse — claims that are provably false.
   It [Family Research Council] should stop the demonization and affirm the dignity of all people."
   
   Family Research Council and other similar groups firmly state that they 'do not hate' anyone. However, stating harmful propaganda and lobbying to take rights away from a segment of society is not exactly a loving thing to do.  Although, in their twisted minds, it is. 
   
   But to get back to the question, what is hate and what is opinion, I think it's pretty clear to any rational person which is which.  The question then becomes 'when does opinion become hate'?  I think that's pretty clear as well. When a person or organization states they believe in their personal interpretation of scripture that homosexuality is not acceptable, that is an opinion. When a person or organization then goes beyond that to demonize homosexuals as perverted, child molesting, Godless, evil, family hating, disease-ridden, worthless scum, that's hatred. 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

Posted by cosmic.dave at 4:28 AM 1 comments