 While reviewing some historical files, I came across this obituary. The woman's husband, two sons, and two daughters are named. This article even named the funeral director, the church where the services would be held, and even the name of the cemetery where she was to be buried. It's disgusting to me that the paper didn't take the time to learn and print the deceased's actual name, but it's also worth noting that women didn't receive the recognition they deserved or have many rights back in 1936. So, the paper just listed her as "Mrs. George R. Edger."
This obituary serves as a stark reminder that, as a woman, Nellie Belle (Atkins) Edger had very few rights when she passed away in 1936. However, she was someone's daughter, wife, and mother. Couldn't the paper at least have given her the dignity of using her own name?
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 As a writer, I am told my story's heroes shouldn't be too strong, and my villains shouldn't be too villainous, or my readers won't find my characters believable.
What makes a villain too villainous? Is it a villain who cheats at golf because he can't be viewed as a "loser?" Or is that just a character flaw that makes the character more believable? How about a villain who brags about never paying his contractors the full contractually agreed-upon price? How about a villain who has the power to help his medically fragile family member but chooses instead to cancel their medical coverage? How about a villain who verbally and physically attacks women or the disabled? How about a villain who never served his country in the military, but denigrates war heroes as "suckers and losers" because they were taken prisoner or killed during battle? Does this villain intentionally inflict pain and emotional distress on people, or is he just oblivious to what his actions are doing to others? Does he do what he does because of some childhood trauma that has rewired his brain into that of a malignant narcissist, who want to be seen as superior to everyone and everything? Or does he delight in shocking the conscience of others because he has no conscience and can't understand how a conscience works? How about a villain who takes an oath of office but "forgets" to put his hand on the Bible and subsequently violates everything he swore to do? Is that an accident or deliberate? Does he know he isn't going to keep the oath he is swearing to? Has he been compromised by some foreign adversary who has something on this villain that his fragile ego doesn't want to be known? Like money laundering? Or accepting bribes? Or something else that is so horribly disgusting that even he forces his brain to deny it? Or is this villain just a useful idiot to the people pulling his not-so-invisible strings? Or is there something else behind the scenes that everyone supporting this villain knows about, but is keeping it secret because they profit from his villainous actions? What if your story villain does all these things and more? I find it unimaginable that this villain has been written into our daily lives, making "truth is stranger than fiction," now our unimaginable truth. Given the title, you might be under the impression that this blog post is not political. However, you'd be wrong. The urgency of the current political situation demands attention.
I learned in a past volunteer court reporter role that often neglected and abused babies never cry for attention; they learned in the short time they have been alive that crying is a wasted effort. It doesn't get you what you need and, in many cases, may hurt you. The neglected baby has learned to stay silent to conserve their energy and avoid harmful consequences. That's why they don't cry to get what they need. I believe that the current administration is deluging everyone with new executive orders and threats of violence and prosecution because they want the ones targeted for abuse and oppression to feel like they are helpless babies who can't help themselves. They want the opposition to shut up, shut down, and go into survival mode, leaving the WH to raid the US Treasury without opposition. I wish I could say those tactics won't work, but unfortunately, I can't. It's crucial that we all raise our voices in protest, as our collective outcry is the only way to stop the deliberate decimation of programs that protect the health and well-being of other humans. I don't care if you call me a crybaby. If loudly expressing that the function of government is to treat ALL of its citizens with respect and ensure they have what is necessary for their survival makes me a crybaby, then so be it. However, there is an even bigger baby and his billionaire friends who are crapping on our democracy that need their diapers changed, and almost no one in a position of authority seems willing to do that stinky job and that is infuriating.  The EPA’s mission is to protect human health and the environment. That mission requires trained, educated, and dedicated employees to do the often difficult work of regulating powerful companies.
At least 300 employees have left since the new WH administration moved in. Still, I suspect that number is higher since the agency is not answering questions about the number of employees that left initially and how many decided to take the suspiciously spurious offer of getting paid until September by sitting at home doing nothing. Doing nothing is not why these people took a job with the EPA. And they are not wimps who are easily cowed into a corner. I know because, as Michigan's Motor Fuel Quality Program Manager, I helped draft, implement, and enforce Michigan's summertime gasoline ozone standards to improve air quality in 10 of Michigan's counties where residents needed cleaner air to breathe. That took the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality pulling together several often contentious and warring factions to devise a solution that worked for all involved stakeholders (automakers, gasoline suppliers, the ethanol industry, local, federal, and state governments, environmental lobbyists, etc.) and we did manage to do that and not bankrupt average citizens when they pulled up to the gas pump in those counties. Make no mistake, this new WH administration seeks to undo much of what the EPA has accomplished to clean up our air and water. You might think the new guy wouldn't do that when we all need fresh water, and we all breathe the same air. But I know from experience that the most powerful corporations and the guy in the WH will look after their pocketbooks more than then they will worry about the long-term effects of their short-term financial decisions. One business lobbyist working on Michigan's committee to address the air quality admitted that his children had asthma, but it was no big deal; they just took meds for it. That might work--until it doesn't. Ask one of my former co-workers. Before the new rules took effect, her 10-year-old son died because he couldn't breathe, and his asthma medicine failed to help him. We might be unable to put the feral orange tabby back in the bag now that it has been turned loose, but I hope we as a country can find some way to control that cat so it doesn't wreck our entire home. A recent ProPublica story gave me hope for our environmental future by reporting that many EPA employees will stay for as long as possible. One longtime employee said it best: “I don’t work here for the f*cking money. I work here because I believe in it and want to serve the public.” To everyone at the EPA who does what they can to protect our air and water, I raise a glass of clean water to toast you and thank you from the bottom of my lungs. Project 2025 wants to dismantle aid programs and LGBTQ+ support, ignore climate change, do away with Medicaid and other social safety nets, and elevate white men to overlords. As we see this racist agenda play out, some call it "uncharted territory." Some call it "unprecedented." Some call it a "constitutional crisis." I call it a coup. Why? Because an unelected narcissist oligarch has wrested control of our government by taking control of USAID (the treasury payment system) and the malignant racist narcissist in the WH (who isn’t the true architect of Project 2025 but goes along because it feeds his narcissistic need for revenge and destruction) is dismantling the institutions that keep ALL Americans safe and healthy. He is also silencing opposition and dismantling anything that might hold him accountable.
Congress may not hold him accountable. The Justice system may not hold him accountable, but in my heart, I am resolute in holding him accountable. I will hold him accountable for the unjust bounties that are now being placed on people in some states and districts, allowing racists to terrorize others. I will hold him accountable for every FAA disaster because traffic towers are understaffed. I will hold him accountable for every life that is lost due to his dismantling of medical assistance to people experiencing poverty, a decision that has dire consequences. I will hold him accountable for every climate disaster that his ignorance and inaction have only served to exacerbate, putting us all at risk. I will hold him accountable for the hardships and suffering he has caused and will cause ALL Americans with his actions and inactions. Every good writer knows you can't write great fiction unless you include conflict, a villain, and a hero. What is happening in the US today with conflict and villains may seem like it has to be a work of fiction, but it's not. An elected malignant narcissist enabled a billionaire malignant narcissist to take illegal control of the US Treasury. They are going to stop paying for "fraud, waste, and abuse" programs. Except, it is the billionaires that are defining fraud, waste, and abuse. And they have control of all government funding and every US citizen's private information. (If you ever paid federal taxes, or got a social security check, or had any financial dealings with the federal government, this includes you. )
The (G0P) members in Congress who have charge of the government are either too afraid to do anything or are too complicit to stop this coup or even speak up against it. So, of course, it is human nature for people to demand action from those who listen and care, typically the DEMS. But, the DEMS are not in charge, and if we are seeing mega-corporations and billionaires taking a knee and handing over money under threats of being jailed for alleged "criminal" activity, which is defined as not "playing nice" with the malignant narcissists currently in charge, I don't think we expect the party that is not in charge to pull us out of this mess. (Although we have a few brave, strong voices trying.) If we have another election, which is doubtful at this point, voters can effect change in the midterms by putting people in place to combat those abusing power. Still, two years is a long way off, and the decimation of our government is happening NOW. If you are a writer, then you know that sometimes it isn't the strong or the rich who defeat evil. Sometimes, it has to be the everyday people who say, "Enough is Enough," and take back their government. However, I fear as a nation, we won't reach that point until what is happening hits people in their pocketbooks, and by then, who we are as a people and our place in the world will be irrevocably changed. I am preparing for the worst and hoping for the best. I plan to do at least one thing daily to help combat what is happening. I am just one person, but if everyone wrote a letter, did an email or phone call, made a one-time donation to those fighting a legal battle in court, or reposted trusted information to spread the word about what is happening (stymied traditional media is not sounding the alarm bells), we might be able to make a difference. My actions might not change the outcome, but I will continue to do them and write down how I feel to document that I'm not okay with what is happening.  I applaud Democratic state Sen. Bradford Blackmon (MS) today for introducing the 'Contraception Begins at Erection Act' as reported in Today in Politics, Bulletin 55. 1/23/25. This bill, with its amusing name, would make it illegal for a man to masturbate and discharge his genetic material without the intent to fertilize an embryo, with fines starting at $1,000. The bill points out the absurdity of controlling men's reproductive behaviors in the same manner as is being done for women.
Joking aside, there is an important point to be made about men's role in reproduction, as they are 50% of the pregnancy equation. Most of the legislation in effect or being proposed to limit abortions focuses solely on controlling and punishing women. The few women I know who sought abortions did so at the request of their partners, who refused to accept the financial burden and responsibilities of raising a child. We need more politicians willing to highlight the absurdity of some current and proposed laws and start addressing men's responsibilities for pregnancies and resulting births.  Reviewing my agreements with KDP, I realized I have a signed agreement forcing me to keep my ebooks exclusively with KDP until Feb 17, 2025. In light of this, I lowered the purchase price for the ebooks to as low as Amazon would allow. Once Feb 18 hits, I can distribute my ebooks through different markets. Until then, nothing prevents me from publishing my print books with whoever I choose, so I will work on getting that done. After reviewing my agreements with KDP, I realized that I have a signed contract requiring me to keep my ebooks exclusively with KDP until February 17, 2025. Given this situation, I have lowered the purchase price of my ebooks to the minimum allowed by Amazon. Once February 18 arrives, I will be able to distribute my ebooks through other markets. However, nothing prevents me from publishing my print books with any publisher I choose in the meantime, so I will focus on getting that done.
In light of the horrific changes in America that are coming fast and furious with this new administration in the White House, I am making some drastic changes in my writing life.
I have unpublished my novels with KDP and will remove them from Kindle Unlimited as of February 17, 2025. I will be searching for a more ethical publishing partner in 2025. I make no apologies for this abrupt decision, but I do regret any inconvenience this causes my fans and friends.  Things did not go well at the start of 2024. I was unable to walk without severe pain due to a tear in the meniscus of my right knee. I had meniscus repair surgery at the end of February but didn't fully recover from that surgery until well into November. While slowly healing, I opted out of much of what I had hoped to do in 2024. Even though I didn't visit with family and friends as much as I wanted to, I'm grateful for every moment I spent with them in 2024.
For many reasons, I don't expect 2025 to be any easy to get through, but I am determined to be true to my authentic self and make this New Year one of the best years I can possibly make it. |
Celeste BennettI'm a struggling author, these days what author isn't? I'm learning that life is better when you do what you love and I love writing, when I'm not crocheting or spending time with family. Archives
March 2025
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