Keeli Ω 🌊

#IStandWithUkraine #StrongerTogether #FactsMatter #StillWithHer #TheResistance #CorruptGOP #BLM #NoOneAboveTheLaw #RBG #ExpandTheCourt #SeditionHasConsequences

[Keeli Ω 🌊 @KeeliCT]

Since it’s #NationalDogDay2018 I wanted to share some of my favorite pictures of my best friend Kaci, who I lost in April after 16 years together. I still miss her every day.

[Jack Hopkins @thejackhopkins]

Wednesday evening, my wife and I took my ten-year old daughter to the middle school for orientation.

While walking around the school and meeting her new teachers, I noticed one teacher I didn’t recognize. She had just moved to town.

She was an beautiful woman-in her mid to late forties-with piercing ice blue eyes. We briefly made eye contact before her eyes quickly locked on to the tattoo on my upper arm.

As she stepped closer-her eyes still fixated on my “ink”-I could see that her eyes were reddening and glossing up quickly. “I was a Navy Hospital Corpsman” I said. “A Medic.”

She was silent, and did not break eye contact with the American flag that wrapped around my left arm. Her hands started to rise: She stopped just short of actually touching my tattoo, as if some part of her brain had suddenly said “Don’t. It’s not appropriate.”

Then, with the fluidity of a ballerina she slowly raised her head, locking her eyes on to mine. We were less that a foot and a half from each other. I saw nothing but pain and sadness. “My son was killed in Afghanistan. I have a picture of him in the room. Would you like to see him?” she asked, with a voice you could sense had a wail just beneath the surface, wanting to escape. “Yes. I would.” I said, as we continued looking at each other for a length of time, that, in any other context would have been disrespectful to my wife.

We walked into the classroom. There he was. A picture of her son was on the wall, right behind her desk. It was his U.S. Army bootcamp photo. “He was twenty-years old” she said softly. My posture stiffened: I felt my body automatically shift to an “attention” position as I placed my right hand over my heart.

By now, my wife was crying. This Gold Star Mother was crying. I had a lump in my throat and my breathing had become shallow and more restricted.

Turning to this heartbroken teacher, I said, “I’m so sorry.”

I could tell that she wanted to reply, but couldn’t. “Can I give you a hug?” I asked her in a lowered voice. “Of course” she said with a look of “Yes, please hug me. I need a hug.”

The fact that I had only known this teacher for less than 2-3 minutes was lost. As we embraced, she hugged me like she was another teenaged daughter on mine, who had just come to me in agony after her first breakup with a boyfriend. Actually, like a Mother….who had just lost a twenty-year old son.

As I slowly allowed my arms to release and move away from her body, she audibly sighed. It was as though 10,000 tiny daggers had temporarily ceased stabbing her in the heart.

“It was a pleasure to meet you.” I said, as I extended my hand to end the moment on a more formal measure, thereby sealing what had happened between our hallway “Hello” and our handshake goodbye, in a sort of time capsule experience that she could return to as often as needed.

While I have no idea what her political affiliation might be, I suspect that she’s a republican. Most everyone here is a republican. I also strongly suspect that she would never vote for Donald Trump again, if she is.

She’s a Gold Star Mother. She’s a real Patriot. Her son was a real Patriot. She knows what real sacrifice means. He, gave his life. She knows-on a cellular level-what democracy is about and what it takes to protect it. People like her also know when someone like Trump, has trashed everything her son served to defend.

Come to think of it, I think it’s very possible that she was once a republican, who, now…has at the very least shifted to an independent. I saw signs of it, actually. As I departed, I turned, about half way across the room, and said “Freedom around the world depends on people like your son.” She immediately replied. “Thank you. Yes, it does. Ukraine knows this all too well” as she placed her hand…over her heart.

[Keeli Ω 🌊 @KeeliCT]

@bab_102 Followed you!

[Keeli Ω 🌊 @KeeliCT]

Do you remember when you joined X?
I didn’t! It’s #MyTwitterAnniversary

[Steve Schmidt @SteveSchmidtSES]

"What has occurred at CNN is both a travesty and a debacle. It is terrible for journalism, democracy and the American people. The Warner Bros. Discovery executive team took over a troubled institution that is also an indispensable one. They pressed the nose towards the ground and engaged the afterburners."

Get my analysis of Chris Licht's disastrous tenure running CNN: https://t.co/yRBCUpkxy0

[Michael Cleere @mikecleere]

Pastor Joel Osteen pays himself an annual salary of $54,000,000 from his church profits. He had a custom garage built with 20 car stalls for each of his custom vehicles. His favorite is a Ferrari 458 Italia that cost $270,000. He lives in a 70,000 sq ft mansion.
In the New Testament, four different times Jesus tells his followers to always pay their taxes. Why is it in the United States that churches don’t have to pay taxes? The IRS figures if all churches paid their fair share of 15% taxes that it would total over $2 trillion a year.
More than enough to solve the homelessness in this country, since it looks like these Pastors would rather spend your donations on New Cars instead of feeding the hungry.

[Keeli Ω 🌊 @KeeliCT]

@angie_karan That is both the saddest and most disgusting thing I’ve seen in a long time.

[Hakeem Jeffries @RepJeffries]

Every single person who attempted to overthrow the United States government must be held accountable to the full extent of the law.

[Jack Cocchiarella 🌹 @JDCocchiarella]

80,000 Texans are currently without power.

Texans shouldn’t lose power, but Greg Abbott should have.

[BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ @mmpadellan]

Raise your hand if you believe every member of Congress who stoked the fire of sedition must be removed from Congress. 🖐️

[BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ @mmpadellan]

TWEEPS: DEMs have passed the $1.7T Omnibus bill through the House to help Americans with Community Projects, education, and disaster relief!

Can we get 1,000 quick RTs and replies with the hashtag #DemocratsDeliveredAgain to get it trending?

Please and thank you!🙏💪

[The Late Show @colbertlateshow]

Herschel Walker challenged Obama by saying we should compare their resumes. We took the liberty to do that:

[Keeli Ω 🌊 @KeeliCT]

Tell the City of Shawnee KS to repeal or reconsider its co-living ban immediately. - Sign the Petition! https://t.co/q5wojyAJnA via @Change

[Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @AdamKinzinger]

Paul Gosar, Rosendale, and Thomas Massie just voted NO in the house of reps on a resolution supporting the people of Ukraine. Unreal.

[The Kyiv Independent @KyivIndependent]

Russia's losses as of Feb. 28, according to Ukraine's Defense Ministry.

[Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 @deesnider]

People are asking me why I endorsed the use of "We're Not Gonna Take It" for the Ukrainian people and did not for the anti-maskers. Well, one use is for a righteous battle against oppression; the other is a infantile feet stomping against an inconvenience.

[The New Voice of Ukraine @NewVoiceUkraine]

A Ukrainian in Berdyansk spotted a mine on the road and didn't wait around for a bomb disposal unit - at great risk to life and limb, he removed the mine, clearing the way for the Ukrainian military.

[Adam Kinzinger (Slava Ukraini) 🇺🇸🇺🇦 @AdamKinzinger]

This is an absolute lie. @tedcruz could care less who he manipulates and what BS he spews.

I will never let you forget Teddy. You, Gaetz, Greene, Massie, etc.

[Don Winslow @donwinslow]

Funny how this is not being widely reported.

[Liz Cheney @Liz_Cheney]

A former Speaker of the House is threatening jail time for members of Congress who are investigating the violent January 6 attack on our Capitol and our Constitution.

This is what it looks like when the rule of law unravels.