HOLIDAY HEADQUARTERS: TOP SHELF OF BOOKCASE

 Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

At last the time has come for The Mantel Gang to share what they did over the holidays. First, they moved to their holiday headquarters––a secret location known as Top Shelf of Bookcase.

 They took the time to attend some public events, however, starting with their attendance at a Thanksgiving Day Parade. 

Following the parade, they buckled down and got to work, but someone new joined them to monitor their health. It's Dr. Fauci!

He's so diligent that even in  retirement he doesn't want his friends to get sick.

Their next public event was The National Tree Lighting Ceremony.

After working very hard throughout most of December, everyone took a break just before Christmas so they could enjoy the holidays.

They gathered in a new location––Top of Armoire––where they went walking in a winter wonderland.

Then President Biden wanted to attend church. He invited them all to join him. Suddenly everyone was busy. They claimed they had plans with their families or had already accepted other invitations.

Don't tell Joe, but they actually gathered around the Christmas tree to play some drinking games, led by Justice Ginsburg and Nancy Pelosi, who raised their gavels in unison.

Hillary imbibed a little too much and started to sing, which almost broke up the party. 

Here you can see she holds out a glass of liquid refreshment for Barack, but he preferred to smoke his holidays away.

The action figures haven't decided where they'll gather next. Do they want to move back to The Mantel, where they're on display all the time, or would they prefer a more secluded spot? I can tell you they've done a lot of whispering about classified documents. Shhhhhh!

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug

HE STARTED TO FIGHT WITH DETECTIVES BEGAN ACTIVELY RESISTING GRABBED FOR DETECTIVE MARTIN'S GUN WAS GIVEN MULTIPLE COMMANDS TO STOP RESISTING WHICH HE IGNORED

Gentle Readers . . . and Maxwell,

When I feel devastated and discouraged––as I do now––I often turn to Mama Carol for wisdom and advice.

 After Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, I texted Carol: I hope police officers will think more carefully before they brutalize Black people. Carol responded: I don't think anything will change. There is something inherently wrong in a person who acts that way.

She was right, of course. 

So now we deal with the murder of Tyre Nichols. I asked Carol if she had watched the video. Yes, I saw it. It is awful. I think everyone should see it so we don't become complacent with the number of these kinds of events. I don't ever want to "get used to it."

I also asked her to help me understand what had happened. She wrote: The only thing I can think of is that this country was built on greed and lack of concern for others. Police across America have shown this mentality over and over. 

If you watched the video or read about it, you know the events of the night did not take place as the police reported them,

I'm sorry the police report has "the cussing pastor" across it. The person who shared it is known by that name. 

 

Because the proceedings were captured by cameras, we know Tyre Nichols ran from the police only after they attacked him.

The "officers" punched Nichols, kicked him in the head, pepper-sprayed him, and hit him with a baton WHILE HE WAS RESTRAINED. It destroys me to hear him calling for his mom. I can't begin to imagine what this young man's family is going through. That's a pain no one should have to experience. 

The officers talked, laughed, tried to get their stories straight, with Nichols propped up against the side of a car. It took 23 minutes before an ambulance showed up. Some EMTs had already arrived, but they didn't do anything for him. 

He died in the hospital, three days later. 

I'll leave you with this image of a 29-year-old man who was stopped for alleged reckless driving near his mom's house. He was a dad, a skateboarder, and an aspiring photographer.

Infinities of love,

Janie Junebug