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We have often written on the universally important subject of the contemplative individual’s lifelong intimate conversation with his inner self. Over time, his empirically developing perception acquires a resonance with the subjective, but utilitarian, understanding of himself. The acquired persona functions to audit his thoughts and actions as perceived through the dynamics of his nuanced lens.

In his brilliant, but radically composed novel, “Ulysses,” James Joyce employs the then radical style and dynamics of “stream of consciousness.” In his unique form of literature, in contrast with the orthodox third-party recitation by the author, himself, or through his designated protagonist, employs the narration of the observing mind of the protagonist. Joyce’s revolutionary styler of authorship, analytically denominated as “stream of consciousness,” is descriptive of the relation of the protagonist’s inner intimate thought, akin to our relevant designation, the “private conversation with oneself.” As evinced by the novel, the process is revealed as an extensive, active process; the large-size, complex novel relates the protagonist’s actions and thoughts for merely one day.

It is relative to this natural inner dynamic relating to the blockage of the natural flow, or stream, of thought by the emotional impediment of uncontrolled and useless” perseveration.” The thematic term may be permissibly described as a persistent, repetitive concern, lacking a contemporaneous stimulus or presenting situation.

Common examples of the thematic temporal dynamic may be experienced in varying periods of uncontrollable thoughts or concerns, such as health and bodily function, finances, relationships, perceived capability, felt injustice, misunderstandings, or any personally nuanced form of perceived stress or challenge. Extreme and chronic presentation of this proclivity may appropriately reside in the jurisdiction of the appropriate need for professional assistance; as opposed to the contextual scope of the more moderate universal inclination to such intensively repetitious, phenomenon.

Preserverative thought is a cognitive process that involves the difficulty of disengaging from negative thoughts. It is an interruption in the natural flow of thought and action, notwithstanding the involuntary appearance of which requires cognitive curtailment, so that the affected individual may functionally return to his normal stream of unhampered consciousness. The onset and nuanced duration of the uncomfortable and repetitive dilemma, is involuntary and difficult, if not, temporarily impossible, to control.

The stream (of consciousness) needs to be diverted for the purposes of the continuance of its natural flow. We find it effective to make the necessary effort, as required  to divert the flow to a different and attractive route of a personally desirable visual subject, such as one’s child or pet, to a recollected enjoyable past experience, or, perhaps, a desirable experience, In the absence of a suitable personal example, we would suggest the attractive image of being served a large slice of; the blueberry Italian Cheesecake; the applicable choice is completely optional

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After much agonizing contemplation, we have, recently, arrived at a feasible solution to the dilemma concerning the vast contrast between those who maintain an empirical and realistic perception of the World, and the contrasting MAGA ” Mad Hatter,” off-center, pseudo-reality, mindset. The fundamental, irreconcilable differences, eternally presented would otherwise appear rationally incomprehensible. It is deeply concerning that such misperceptions of factual reality have toxically metastasized to infect portions of the judiciary, legislators, and officeholders; in addition to the Nation’s inventory of eternally disgruntled, inadequately educated, and poorly informed populists.

Mainstream American citizens are puzzled and amazed, as well as fundamentally troubled by the publicized adherence of so many MAGA adherents to bizarre conspiracy ideations, such as the belief that the government secretes mini-computers in vaccines for the purposes of intelligence, that rockets are launched from outer space by Isreal, that 9/11 was a CIA false flag operation, that there exists a secret cabal by World Jews to control the World, to the “rigging” of the past presidential election, ultimately leading to a Trump- sponsored insurrection against Washington,

Such paranoid ideation, if confined to a singular cadre of diagnostically delusional citizens, would be relegated to the category of mental pathology, making relevant an appropriate course of care and cure. By compelling contrast. the horrifyingly large, bizarre prevalence of such toxicity poses a major hazard to democracy and to the endurance of our Democratic Republic.

The exclusive patent to the (tautologically impossible) and societal challenging schizophrenic concept of “alternate facts” (his term) is irrefutably attributable to its aberrant creator, Donald J. Trump. To any, albeit, minimally thoughtful individual, the words “alternate” and “facts” are themselves, logically and empirically exclusive and oxymoronic. Notwithstanding the most liberal interpretation of the aberrant concept, any rational existence and utility of such contrasting, self-serving, appellation, appears to the mainstream American citizen as lost in the heavy, indiscernible mist of ideational irrationality. It would seem, nonetheless, that the numerous Trump cultist-sycophantic horde of Trumpist lemmings recognize the tactical utility of the bizarre concept. The Nation is beset by a “Tale of Two (acrimonious) Cities,” residing side-by-side, living in parallel, diverse universes. .

It would seem that the plethora of copious efforts expended to restore a healthy and realistic perception of this aberrant off-shoot of natural evolution’s generous gift of rationality in the emergence of “Homo Sapiens” for some, is fruitless and pragmatically unattainable. We have after much painful experience, resolved, at least for the (MAGA) present that we are currently, living in the empirically untenable challenge of “Two Worlds,”* not entirely dissimilar to the scenario presented in H.G. Wells’ science fiction novel, “War of The Worlds,”
In the Wells novel, the destructively hostile alien invaders are ultimately defeated by their systemic lack of immunity to our Planet’s bacterial organisms. In non-fictional reality, we have confidence that the lethally effective impact of responsible American voters will predictably overcome and defeat our thematic, presenting danger.

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Voyages to the Isle of REM,
Are all unplanned, yet memorably brief.
No call for an umbrella, ticket, or map,
Save a cool pillow in the dark of the night.

The setting there is bright but vague,
An impenetrable mist of reprised life,
An exotic fog of personal past, dressed,
In a chaotic scenario of myopic recall.

As we age, so does the vexing problem
Of life’s presenting doubts,
As to life indeed recalled,
Or what was voyaged in the night.

Leonard N. Shapiro NYC, 8/23/24

We would hazard the declaration that if there were a competitive Olympic category, of advertisement and sales, the United States of America would easily win all of the gold medals. From automobiles and beer to cosmetics and insurance, the United States, in its signature capitalistic zeal, seems to far outperform any potential competitor. Its free trade policies, in sync with its systemically enshrined freedom of speech, fuel the interminable engines of such commercial activity.

As with all basic human rights as enumerated in the Nation’s First Ten Amendments, all rights, by empirical necessity, have their appropriate limitations. One’s right to throw a punch ceases at the tip of another’s nose, one may not falsely cry “Fire!” in a crowded theater or, falsely and hurtfully defame another person’s reputation.

In the interest of public safety and welfare, our legal system has approved the censorship of television advertisements, for tobacco, sales of alcoholic products to underage consumers, and misleading financial and lending practices, It has been our view that the Nation’s safety, health and welfare should additionally be protected from the potentially harmful mass advertisement of medical pharmaceuticals.

It is beyond cavil that the system biometrics of the human body demonstrate a systemically integrated and interdependent working relationship between its neurological, chemical, and mechanical functions. One may also empirically validate that such complexity is known to have a nuanced function in the random individual Any less than fully informed or ubiquitous assumptions about the operation, sensitivity, and potential bodily response to an introduced stimulus, regarding the individual are irresponsible, even potentially dangerous. This universal, empirical caution is the foundational reason that trained, licensed medical practitioners responsibly and pragmatically, secure a full patient history before the inception of diagnosis and treatment. What is “good for the goose” is, too often, not necessarily “good for the gander.” Certainly, the prescription of medicine, where needed, must responsibly and safely depend upon the possibly nuanced functionality, chemical or otherwise, of the singular, individual patient. This caution is especially resonant in the category of mental illness, viz,. bipolar depression, and schizophrenia.

Popularly transmitted, mass-televised, commercial advertisements for the sale of medicine are attractive, eternally optimistic, and colorful, featuring interesting and effectively convincing actors, specifically cast to appeal to the subject sufferer, posed in eye-catching scenarios, “sincerely” attesting to the miraculous efficiency of the advertised medical product. Unlike the inconsequential sales of umbrellas, hats, and bubblegum, such mass, morally and scientifically offensive, dangerous practices must be banned or, at minimum, curtailed, as in the case of tobacco and liquor sales, for the safety and welfare of the Nation’s vulnerable populations of television viewers.

The practice of irresponsible mass media advertisement for the sale of represented panaceas for ubiquitous illness, physical and mental, directed to the mass, unknown population of viewers is ubiquitously dangerous, like cigarette sales, and shamefully evinces the pernicious and irresponsible triumph of profit over morality and humanistic empathy.

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History has reliably demonstrated even in the greatest of Empires, the most dire and existential danger is that which is posed internally. In this context, it is our view, that the most toxic vulnerability of our established Democratic Republic is posed by the ideation of groups of deluded citizens engaged in and dedicated to the phantasmagorial belief that the American Nation was intended by the Founders, as guided by the Deity, to be white and Christian. Were this clap-trap to merely occupy an erroneous derangement of personally held beliefs, it might be dismissed as ignorant or neurotic; however, exemplified by the present degree of armed and insurrectional menace, together with the perverse support of the unhinged former President, Donald J. Trump, comprises an existential menace to existing, democratic society.

The least cogent defense to such reductionist ignorance is the historically evident fact that America was philosophically and properly created as a secular polity by “Diest” (Non-Christian) Founders who, mindful of the misery occasioned by centuries of rule by an absolute Monarch or Established Church, dedicated themselves to excluding any reference or concept of a Devine diety from their radical experiment regarding their radical aspiration for a Nation, by and for the People.” The Founders expressly articulated the principle that, were a Deity put in the constitution of the new governmental entity, “it would put Man out.” (see Federalist Papers), Accordingly, they wisely and intentionally omitted any reference to a Deity from the extensive language of the American Constitution; such historical facts, are universally overlooked, or perhaps, tactically ignored, by the White, Christian Nationalists. In sum, objective American history unfailingly attests to the secular, non-Christian nature of the intended Nation.

It is our perception that the underlying intention, overtly articulated among “Christian White Nationalists” and advanced by their undemocratic evangelical militias is predominantly founded in racial and religious bigotry. Such paranoid ideation is that America was dedicated by the Founders, acting according to Divine direction, who compliantly and appropriately created not only a Christian Nation but moreover, a “White” as well as a “Christian” entity; despite said historically disproven, avowed religious intention. The neurotically, adamant unacceptability of the express secular intentions of the Founders is matched, perhaps with more credibility bigoty that the asserted intention that the new Nation would be “white.” The prevailing neurotic ideation and consequent militant mission are founded upon the delusional phobia that authentic Americans (viz,. white and Christian) would be replaced by “others” who are not white and/ or non-Christian.

As an interesting aside, it might be observed that the historically prominent and influential Founder, Alexander Hamilton, was not “White,” by racial criteria, since his mother was West Indian.

The existence of such un-American, ideologically and militarily dangerous groups must be recognized and publically identified as enemies of our democratic notably diverse Nation, sporting the foundational emblem, “E Pluribus Unum.”

It is notable as well as enlightening that objective American history indicates that the New Testament, specifically identifies Jesus (“Yeshua Ben Yosef”) as a Gallillian (brown-skinned) Palestinian of Jewish parentage.

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Our nuanced use of the contemporaneous phrase, “Climate Change,” has no relation to the subject of the Planet’s extant meteorological challenges. We have chosen to exploit the expression for its popularity, but, in an entirely different context, viz., to signify the traditional American’s current all-pervading mood or general state of mind.

The exponential increase in support and power garnered by the populist cult of the malevolent persona of Donald J. Trump (see earlier writings) nightmarishly led to the virtual surrender to him of the Republican Party, and the moral disintegration of SCOTUS; the latter,resulting in itss atavistic, religious banning of abortion and other personal rights as well as a public revelation of its previously undisclosed corruption, the functional immasculation of the House of Representatives, the empowerment of the right-wing (MGA) interference with the American voting franchise, to Trump’s conspiritorial befriending of Putin and the Nation’s other autocratic enemies, the Trump sponsored insurrection, the latter’s denigration of truth and the promotion of divisiveness and bigotry, book banning, paranoid conspiracy ideations, editing of the scope of education and general denigration of enlightenment, promotion of xenophobia, increase in guns and gun violence, particularly against minority citizens and schoolchildren, uncontrollable due to the extant, NRA-MAGA partnership, the shocking MAGA reprise of hateful and propagandic Nazi slogans, such as “Blood and Soil,” and Pollution of Blood,” Trump’s declared intention, if elected, to be a dictator, amount to an unmistakabke reprise of the horrific nightmare of Adolph Hitler’s 1933 Munich Germany.

The described events, ineluctably, and understandably, led the traditional American citizen to an overriding sense of foreboding of inevitable gloom; a sense of hapless tragedy accompanied by a felt, frustrating inability to arrest the exponential downward tumble to fascism.

A much-needed ray of hope, fortuitously arrived to disturb the apparent impenetrable darkness of despair, upon Joseph Biden’s unselfish and patriotic act of stepping down as the incumbent Presidential candidate and the selection of his younger, more energetic, dramatically persuasive, Vice-President, Kamala Hattis. The ray of light grew yet brighter, seemingly dispelling the desperate-former gloom of citizen despondency, with her cogent selection of Minnesota Governor, Tim Waltz, as her candidate for the Vice-Presidency. Like Harris, Walz has popular appeal, and as necessary in Presidential politics, a compelling and confident voice, positively redolent of mid-western good sense, candor, and unmistakeable humanism. The ensuing veritable, National change of climate, to the historic public optimism and confidence in the endurance of our unique Republican Democracy, in the face of the “jackboots” MAGA-TRUMP authoritarian tactics, is now publically evident, and empirically undeniable.

We celebrate the return of a virtually palpable confidence in victory on behalf of America and its traditional, bedrock values.

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In the fairytale, “Snow White,” the egotistic, evil Queen, having received the word from her Magic Mirror that Snow White is more beautiful than she, takes steps to eliminate her from society. In an esoteric way, we see the age-old tale as having notable utilitarian reference, in the context of politics, to a democratic government such as the United States. More specifically, the symbolic dynamics of such a venerable (magic) mirror have an analogous resonance with our Nation’s Presidential campaign.

Our chosen analogy specifically relates to the empirical property of mirrors to reflect the true, albeit, a reversed, image of reality. It is our view that it is the (voting) public, as reflected therein, that dynamically determines the future nature of the Nation, rather than, as represented in the (reversely) stereotypical campaign, the chosen candidate, In short, the Nation, ultimately, selects a candidate, reflective of the temporal state of the Nation rather than the winning candidate.

The fundamental aspiration for a true democracy, as intended by our (then) radically philosophical Founders, clearly enunciated by them in the Federalist Papers, and inscribed in our Constitution, was for a Nation, ” By and for the People.” It was the dynamics of the will of the Nation, freely, intentionally, and dynamically expressed by the vote of the people that is the governing North Star of democratic governance. This foundational principle is diametrically opposite to autocratic governance, where the will of the tyrant, arbitrary or otherwise, is the sole determinant. In this context, it may be observed that the political philosopher Rousseau, although in a different context, observed, “Always the governed are more powerful than the governors.” Relative to the principle that in a democratic polity, it is the expressed, composite will of the people that is determinative of the nature and style of governance. Thus, Thomas Jefferson famously admonished, “For a democracy to endure, what is needed is an educated and informed society.” Benjamin Franklin described the Founders” newly created Nation, as “A Republic, if you can keep it.” The thoughtful combination of the two admonitions endures and notably relates to the extant state of our Republic, in which the character of so many of its citizens invites cautious circumspection.

In contrast to a republican-democratic “rule, by and for the people,” there has been a toxic, historical reprise on the part of a sizeable segment of the American voting population, marching in lock-step, to the autocratic, atavistic, and pervasive drumbeat of a felonious criminal who has declared his intention to be dictator,” under the grossly distorted, banner of “Make America Great Again “(“MAGA”). The contemporaneous enemies of democracy, it is observed, now loyally sport red Trump baseball caps, instead of the more historically, identifiable (Nazi) black shirts, reprise

It has been in the context of the existential quality of our participant democracy, as articulated by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin, that we have eternally emphasized as the theme of this blog space: the promotion of education, personal, and societal advancement, and intellectual growth through liberal education, and participation in the arts and sciences, the enduring pillars of our Republican Democracy. The program of “alternative facts ” promotion of divisiveness, bigotry, disrespect for the rule of law, and social immorality, signify the atavistic evil of Trump-style, “Dark Ages, ” governance. Human enlightenment and advancement are, by contrast, the enduring ingredients of personal responsibility, moral self-image, mature perspective, and proper valuation of justice and humanistic empathy.

The Presidential election next November will predictably be the litmus paper test of the existential nature and quality of our Nation. We are greatly encouraged by the positive reception accorded to the new Democratic ticket of Harris and Walz (see # M.106, “THE KAMALA WALZ”) nevertheless, it will be the determinative quality of our voters that will be reflected in the resultant mirror; not so much the candidates, however acceptable.

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Like many Americans, we were immensely delighted and newly encouraged to share the fundamental joy and enthusiasm evident in the Philadelphia event where Vice-President (and November Presidential nominee) Kamala Harris, introduced Minnesota’s affable Governor, Tim Walz, as her choice for Vice-President, if elected next November.

We found ourselves transfixed by the dynamic extent of joyous excitement, notably, by the profuse expression of newly resurrected hope, generated in the audience of no less than, as reported, 14,000 exuberant attendees at the official event..The extent of the virtual transmogrification of enlightened hope from the formerly extant, MAGA-created atmosphere of despair and retribution was inarguably evident and singularly welcome; a phenomenon that inarguably overrides all other pragmatic considerations of political doctrine and platform.

Kamala Harris ‘s enthusiasm and masterful presentation of future success in her presentation of Tim Walz, (farmer, military reservist, teacher, football coach, Congressman, and Governor) as a relatable person and “man of the people,” was reinforced by Walz’s passionate remarks and positive appearance, as well as his life record. His presentation, consistent with his personal history made evident his universal acceptability by all categories of American voters. The Democratic Party evinced a quality of needed and overdue exuberance, rarely demonstrated in the past.

Walz’s moderate-progressive) record speaks of his compassionate-liberal agenda, including fair pay, paid sick and maternity leave, universal health programs, free meals for indigent schoolchildren, the restoration of women’s personal right of determination as to their own body, (stating that “others should mind their own damn business”). regulations ensuring. clean air, food and medicine, sensible gun control, anti-censorship, small business assistance, public and military service. Plain speaker, farmer, teacher, high school football coach, hunter (but advocate for gun regulation), army reservist (25 years), neighbor, congressman, and governor, his major appeal does not find its source so much in his political policy as in his referable humanity as a fellow American citizen,

By contrast, Trump seems to be well along on his steadily turret-syndromic-style of downward journey to complete mental deterioration, stridently emitting threats of retribution and revenge, His unsurprising vice-Presidential pick would require reams of journalistic paper to adequately describe his fun-house mirror distortion of reality and warped sense of rectitude. Darkness, revenge, “cat-ladies” and general misogyny, authoritarianism, and arrogant pig-headedness seem to qualify as his thumbnail sketch.

This November, the American voter has the discreet choice of an optimistic and enlightened future in the style of the traditional continuance of its valued and singular traditional democracy versus an atavistic, Dark-Ages crypt of ignorance, bigotry, and retributive inquisition. The sane choice is evident and irrefutable. We are confident that the voting public will choose the “Kamala Walz” to the” Trump-Vance Dance Macabre.”*

[N.B. In our view, it might have been appropriate for the Kamala team to publically recognize the past record of excellent service and patriotic sacrifice of President Joseph Biden].

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• Dance Macabre, Saint-Saens

The customary description of poetry runs approximately as follows: “Poetry is the writing of poems, which invoke the projection of experience in a way that stirs the same feelings. For us, such definitions of poetry are artistically and aesthetically far from sufficient and lack the art form’s metaphysical purpose and unique aesthetics.

We have been happily, and fulfillingly, indulged in the literary art form and are desirous of expressing our views on the criteria of its legitimacy by appropriate literary standards, as distinguished from its pretenders, or “faux,’ deceitfully. purported poetics. We have agonized over the eternal publication of ersatz writings, presented as poetry, surprisingly, at times, in recognized scholastic journals.

It may be initially useful, to briefly express our views, on what “poetry” is not, The latter statement has reference to an accumulation of disappointing experiences relative to the”ersatz” pretensions referenced in the prior paragraph, Poetry is not the presentation of eye-catching, irregularly situated lines of words, nor the tactical use of obscure, idiosyncratic or anachronistic language; the latter, purposed to induce the populist reader to accept the writing as erudite and metaphysically poetic. Such literary “snake oil” and arrogantly manipulative misrepresentations, ultimately constituted the catalysis for the present expression of our long-held, agonized critique.

Poetry is the aesthetic expression of the foundational basis of our emotional experience, a distillation of our innermost aesthetic or cognitive feelings, from the residue of general perception, or the mundane. It is, effectively, panning for the bits of precious, emotionally aesthetic gold ore from the heavier earthly sludge of everyday perceived reality.

Our numerous exhortations on the singular impact and emotionally sought perception advanced by the employment of sensitively chosen words,, have no less than existential application in the contextual existence and impact of legitimate poetry, where the projected causation of image and causation of aesthetic feeling is consistent with the poet’s artistic intention.

The successful creation of poetry mandates the principled economy of speech and word imagery, eternally aided by the employment of metaphor and simile, for the artistic abstraction of relevant characteristics. As an illustration of the latter concept, we will take the liberty of reciting an earlier example of the genre of such poetic technique. Instead of a wordy prosaic description of the great beauty of a young daughter, one might, poetically state that” she was a red rosebud on a clump of newly fallen snow.”

The desired rapidity with which the poet requires for his aesthetic image is dynamically controlled by his creation of “meter.” or beat. The most illustrative example of this dynamic technique is demonstrated in Longfellow’s “Hiawatha.” The mere reading of the flow of words invokes the sound of indigenous drumming. Applicable meter may be selected for the appropriately intended mood and message of the verses.

We would invite the reader to illustratively, revisit the scores of poems published by us in this blogspace; perhaps with the suggestion of the well-received seasonal poems for Spring and Autumn, which, notably, are on perennial display in the regular seasonal montage located in the lobby of the Columbia School of Nursing. We hope that we are not overly presumptuous in noting that the display for the intervening season of Summer, features a poem by Walt Whitman,

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Despite the bizarre and impolitic remarks of the presumptive Republican Party candidate for the American Vice-Presidency, the Stanford University educated, but emotionally and rationally stultified, Trump- selected, J.D, Vance, articulated a bizarrely dystopic and mysogenic epithet for non-child-bearing women viz,, “Cat Ladies.” We, entirely lacking knowledge of the eerie state of Vance’s mental state, nor possessing the professional training and relevant experience required for accurate diagnosis, will limit ourselves to the defamatory, and uncalled-for nature of his adjectival, bizarre epithet about the innocent and cherished friend of mankind, (the “felis domesticus”).

We have, albeit, in an entirely different context, previously written of the contextual furry friend, as a desirable and comforting addition to the household (see: “Litterate Cats”);; nevertheless, in light of their undeserved defamatory degradation by Trump’s unstrung new political apostle, some rehabilitative, factual and relevant remarks would be appropriate.

Pet owners in American households love and cherish their resident cats, to the extent of the common attribution to them, more than any other household pet, of perceived (projected) human emotion and intention (termed, “anthropomorphism”). Cats give the impression of being admirably self-sufficient, and dedicatedly clean, requiring only a litterbox ( N.B.:”litterate”) instead of the time-consuming chore of regular outdoor walking as is required with pet dogs, They similarly, however, crave affectionate attention, which is singularly and simultaneously, rewarded by grateful, gentle, or deep-throated purring.

Because of their unfair mythical treatment in literature, especially that written for children, cats, (usually black), are portrayed as witches’ confederates, especially at Holloween; in truth, domestic cats are peaceful, submissive, affectionate, and desirable company, especially for the elderly and disabled. They are cherished by children, since, unlike inanimate dolls, they are affectionately responsive.

In Islamic venues, including in Istanbul, Turkey, cats are respected, even revered, we are informed, founded upon an apocryphal tale, recited in the Koran in which a beloved cat is, lovingly left to sleep undisturbed, by the Prophet Mohammad, on his full sleeve, We have personally observed instances in which in Turkey, citizens generously feed and very kindly treat cats; (as opposed to dogs, which are not considered clean),

Over the decades, our household can happily boast, the successive enjoyment, of the company of no less than two resident cats, and, for those unfamiliar with the warm and inviting experience, we heartedly recommend the practice.

The uninformed and reductive use of the innocent and loving cat for use in the neurotic adjectival description of the misogynous bigotry by J.D, Vance is inexorably cruel and distorted, as empirically expected of a true Trump apostle.

We, hereby, derivatively and sincerely, apologize to our beloved “Gelato,” and “Bela.” for the receipt of such undeserved, neurotic, and undeserved slander.

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