In My Mother's Voice

Over the past few years, I have been working hard on my own creative writing, usually by following some prompts done by Reedsy Prompts.

However last month, I found myself troubled by the decisions made by the US Supreme Court regarding Presidential Immunity and I talked with my wife about it and she gave me some homework.  She asked me to write an essay about this in the way that my mother would have written.  My mother, who was a cat lady, was also very politically active in her time, especially after her retirement.  Now, after her passing and after my own retirement, I must take on that challenge.

So here is the essay that I wrote

Absolute Immunity

In My Mother's Voice: On the subject of power

 To the readers and all people who have ears I write to you to deliver a warning from the lessons of the past in order to have some measure of Hope for the future the future of all of our children and grandchildren

 The news of the day is not lost on those who have passed on even here we see the decisions of the Supreme Court to Grant absolute immunity for all official Acts the president of the United States and presumed immunity for all acts in the periphery.

I have lived through much while on Earth and I have heard many conservatives and other right wing operatives especially those amongst religious circles, speak of absolutes seeking to persuade followers of the need for adherence to the stated dogma and forbidding any questions to its authority.

 Most religious cult leaders such as Jim Jones of The People's Church, David Koresh of the Branch Davidians and many others have exercised their perceived “right” to “absolute authority” as leaders chosen by God, to commit acts of sexual violence, lead their followers commit acts of violence, or in some cases, commit suicide.  

These are just examples of some of the dangers of granting “absolute power” or “absolute immunity” to a political leader.

 Our Constitution guarantees its people the right to question authority and seek redress for injustice as well as the right to choose our leaders. The framers of the Constitution and the people who fought for our rights knew the value of democracy and liberty. Even the first sentence speaks of where the true power lies. It reads “We The People”

It is we the people who have the true power.

Use it well and treat it with respect. Do not give this priceless gem away.

Callback To Battlestar Galactica Reedsy

Being a Generation X'er, I am old enough to remember this show's first debut in 1978, including the movie that was made from the first 2 parts of the pilot, which I believed was called "Saga of the Starworld" although when I saw it in the theater, it was called "Battlestar Galactica Sensurround".

I also remember having the giant sized comic book which had some differences from both the movie and the series, such as the execution of Baltar.  My friend and I were a bit confused by that.  It didn't occur to us that the script had changed.

It is was with this series in mind that I wrote a short story for Reedsy Prompts contest.  In this case, the prompt required us to write an origin story for a notorious villain and I chose Baltar as portrayed by John Colicos.

I set the scene in the cell just after the first Imperious Leader sentenced Baltar for public execution.

https://blog.reedsy.com/short-story/x3d55c/

I set the scene in the cell just after the first Imperious Leader sentenced Baltar for public execution.

https://blog.reedsy.com/creative-writing-prompts/author/patrick-h/

Mixed Media woman

Hi All

I have a lot of fun with drawing people, especially when it comes to hair. I sort of go nuts with hair.

This one is mixed media; I draw this by hand, then I inked it, then scanned it into my machine.

GIMP was used to colorize it.  Enjoy!