Today is the 41st anniversary of my commissioning in the USAF...

My dad had a Betamax video camera which he wielded repeatedly. I’ve been looking at the few tapes of his that are now in my possession. Betamax players are hard to come by and, thankfully, my brother Joe had one that he let me borrow. 

I just finished reviewing one tape. It starts out with baptisms of two of my nephews and concludes with my commissioning in the air force. 

The juxtaposition of these two events - events with vows and oaths - provokes a lot of thought. The vow to “reject Satan and his work and all his empty promises” and the oath to “to support and defend the U.S. Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic...”  are particularly meaningful today.  A cult devoted to a dishonorable person who continually makes empty promises, a person who has asserted himself as the number-one domestic enemy of our Constitution, now holds unchecked and deadly power over the United States of America. 

It is a terrible time for our nation, but it’s been a long time coming. We have seen this erosion of truth and of our Constitution go unchecked from the 1980s with Rush Limbaugh, AM talk radio and FoxNews leading the way. I think there has always been a hope that people would come to their senses and reject the easily-refuted propaganda, but it never happened. So here we are.

There is, however, a gift to our nation that this surrender of honor and rationality has wrought, and that is the gift of clarity. Many gray areas have transformed dramatically into black and white. The time is fast-approaching (one could argue that it has already arrived) where you are either in, or supporting with your silence, the demonic, Constitution-destroying cult or actively engaged against it. For those who still honor their baptismal vows, their oath of office, or both, the path forward is stark and a little sad. 

I have been, for many years, a practitioner of non-violent action for change. Seeing the recent sacrifices made by peaceful people in our nation to honor their vows and their oaths is sobering, yet inspiring. 

Here is a short video of my commissioning in the USAF - exactly 41 years ago today. When I watch it, I can feel the intense joy of diverse people united in the purpose of perpetuating democracy and freedom. I hope that you can feel that too. It is a good thing to do good things with others, even when it entails great risk. And I am looking forward to doing good things this year with others. 

Much peace! Much love! Maeve  

Haiku Friday - January 23, 2026

 

Bill's beautiful photo! 

Face-deep in cellphone, 

Dark eyes reflecting blue light:

Look at me, my love. 

Max Q

A cold winter moon

Caught in the frosty branches

Time slows to a stop

Bill

Horns of the new moon

Hang perfectly suspended 

Within the darkness 

Rikosan

See the universe

It should bend toward justice 

Which way do you push?

Maeve

MLK March - January 29, 2026 - Spokane, Washington

 

Estimated between ten to twenty thousand people marching in Spokane for Martin Luther King Day - Monday, January 19, 2026. Donald Trump and his fascist cult have mobilized most decent people to action. One of the best things about a march like this or a No-Kings protest is that you get to stand with thousands of honorable, kind, intelligent and caring people. The good energy is palpable and it gives you strength and hope to stay in the fight. Thanks to the Mighty PJAMRS for the great music!

Yesterday's Out and About - Inland Classical Theatre's production of Mary Stuart!

Director Abby Burlingame and actors Sydney Anderson and Jayme Worrell were on the show yesterday to talk about Inland Classical Theatre’s upcoming production of Mary Stuart. Abby has added a great twist on this play concerning the relationship between ruler Queen Elizabeth I and her prisoner, her cousin Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots. A fictional account based on true events, Abby upped the ante. At the beginning of each performance, a coin is flipped. Jayme and Sydney will find out which role they are playing - Queen Elizabeth or Mary Stuart. Opening on January 29, the play will be performed at the Blue Door Theatre for four performances. Tickets are available  here.  We had the pleasure of hearing Sydney and Jayme perform some dialogue from the play - after a coin flip - of course! 

If you missed yesterday’s show and want to have a listen, here’s a link -   https://archive.kyrs.org/mp3/kyrs_260120_160000b.mp3

Tune into Out and About every Tuesday at 4 pm on KYRS at 88.1 and 92.3 fm. Also streaming at KYRS.org. Thanks for listening! Maeve 

Today on Out and About - Mary Stuart!

I'm looking forward to talking with director Abby Burlingame and cast members from Mary Stuart. Mary Stuart is Inland Classical Theatre’s inaugural full-length, fully-staged theatrical production. You might remember this talented troupe from the lovely job they did performing a live, fun, thirty-minute version of The Tempest on Out and About last summer. This production is going to be a lot of fun too. The two actors - Sydney Anderson and Jayme Worrell will, right before each performance, flip a coin to see who will play Queen Elizabeth and who will play Queen Mary. Very cool!  

Opening on January 29, the play will be performed at the Blue Door Theatre for four performances only. Tickets are available  here. 

Tune into Out and About every Tuesday at 4 pm on KYRS at 88.1 and 92.3 fm. Also streaming at KYRS.org. Thanks for listening! Maeve 

Haiku Friday January 16, 2026

The denuded hills 
High above Pasadena
Dressed in rags of green

Max Q 

The constant abuse 
Victimized by a toddler 
Life of a mommy

Nikki

If it's the right time
Death can be a welcome friend
Blissful end of pain.

Bill

Tiny silver fish 
Lying dead on the shore line
Reflecting the sky

Rikosan

An embarrassment 
He’s a brain-damaged Hitler
Europe please save us

Maeve 

Yesterday's Out and About - The Batman calls in and he really hates cross-country skiing...

Yesterday’s show was supposed to feature only Trevor Finchamp who was going to be talking about Mount Spokane's Winterfest which takes place this weekend. Trevor seems to really fire up some detractors, so, as usually happens when he is on, we had some folks call in to the show. Most notably, Batman. He had a beef with Trevor, as Trevor seems to embody cross-country skiing. Batman, it turns out, is not a fan of cross-country skiing. It seems the sport has made it hard for him to make new friends after his retirement to Spokane. In fact, you could say the sport is his bane. Bruce Wayne called in not long after and started to psychoanalyze The Batman. And luckily, we were out of time. 

All of this was after I introduced the show with a pointed monologue addressing the cowardly fascists/traitors/pedophile-protection-force in Minneapolis who murdered Renee Good last week.

It is important to remember that these disgraceful dummies would like to kill honorable people every chance they get, but in the meantime they'll try to make us afraid, sad and angry. Batman's call was an unwitting blow against their efforts.  

If you missed yesterday’s show and want to have a listen, here is a link -   https://archive.kyrs.org/mp3/kyrs_260113_160000b.mp3

Tune into Out and About every Tuesday at 4 pm on KYRS at 88.1 and 92.3 fm. Also streaming at KYRS.org. Thanks for listening! Maeve  

Today's Out and About - a visit with Trevor Finchamp!

It is a sad and shameful time for our nation, as we see the most basic norms of decency being violated. Every day brings new violent lawlessness from the Trump Administration. It is no secret that the most dishonorable and immoral of us celebrate this continual assault on our nation. It is also no secret that they get off on how this evil makes them feel when it causes sadness, anger or fear from decent people. Witness the ICE “agent” proclaiming“F%&king bitch,” right after he murdered Renee Good by shooting three bullets into her face, and how he has been celebrated by vile and evil Trump supporters. 

We are not going to give them any fear, any anger or any sadness on today’s Out and About broadcast. There are plenty of opportunities for action against the sewage flowing out of Washington D.C. There are better outlets to find out what is happening in places where the Nazi are doing all they can to fulfill Vladimir Putin’s wishes through his puppet Donald Trump. You won’t see much video of what's happening in Minnesota right now on corporate media. For that, I recommend watching the Meidas Touch Network and Status Coup Network on YouTube. And, locally, Spokane Indivisible is the number one organization  to connect with to peacefully stand up to Trump and his lackeys, including our own dishonorable representative Michael Baumgartner.

 
But, today we are going to purposefully have fun on Out and About. I will be talking with Trevor Finchamp. When Trevor comes on to talk about community events happening in the area, there are usually people with him or people calling in to the show that have made folks pull their cars over, turn up the radio and say “What in the blue blazes am I listening to?!?!”  Why not recharge your moral/patriotic/anti-fascist battery with a 55-minute break from the national horrors and join the "funfusion," won’t you? When standing up for good and fighting against these fascists, we should have as much fun every opportunity we can find.

Tune into Out and About every Tuesday at 4 pm on KYRS at 88.1 and 92.3 fm. Also streaming at KYRS.org. Thanks for listening! Maeve