Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Puzzled
Something I don't understand:
While I myself have no interest whatsoever in other people's sex lives those on the hard right, MAGA and such, seem obsessed with other people's sex lives. It's not normal, and it can't be healthy.
Why? What's the appeal? There are so many other, more interesting and far more important things in the world, especially if you're a Christian, as these folks aggressively claim to be.
Our Lord charged us to be good stewards of the Earth, to love and care for our neighbor - and, who is our neighbor? all people, especially the poor, the stranger, the sick.
No matter how often I read the Gospels, I never find Jesus telling his followers to poke their noses into other people's private lives. And I certainly don't find Him counseling us to condemn, quite the opposite.
There's so much to do in this beautiful world the Lord gave us, who has time to care whether, when or how anybody else performs the sex act? It's a head scratcher.
Monday, November 18, 2024
Will the Senate Continue Pushing Back on Trump's Absurdly Unqualified AG Pick - Matt Gaetz?
Earlier today I was pondering this very question. The conclusion I came to was that it's a long time from mid November to mid January - plenty of time for Trump to bully, intimidate and arm-twist. So, no, in my oppinion it is highly unlikely that the Senate Republicans who now are talking sensible and tough will actually hold that position come January. Sadly, someone a lot smarter and more experienced than myself, Glenn Kirschner, seems to have come to the same conclusion.
Sunday, November 17, 2024
Saturday, November 16, 2024
Friday, November 15, 2024
Trump's war on workers has begun
A Texas judge has blocked a Labor Department rule raising the salary threshold for white collar workers to receive overtime pay. It is not immediately clear what, if anything, the Biden administration can do to counter the move by Trump-appointed Judge Sean Jordan.
Thursday, November 14, 2024
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Trump Judge Draws Pictures in Most BIZZARE Ruling Ever
What the judge writes in this so called ruling is truly the most bizarre nonsense I've heard in a long time.
There are no two ways to look at an AR15. It is a mass
killing device, nothing more and nothing less. The only people who should have
access to such devices are highly trained combat troops. No civilian has reason
to possess such a device. That is the logical conclusion to come to. This is
not a shotgun, it's not a hunting rifle, it is a weapon of war. As such, its
use must be restricted to military personnel.
What do these people use for brains?
Miscellaneous Thoughts
Not feeling so hot today. As you noticed if you looked at the blog archive, I was up and posting much later than usual last night, which probably is part of it. Yesterday I was feeling better, both physically and emotionally. Today, not so much. It’s a pity, since the sun is shining and it’s a very pleasant day, if chilly. Wearing flannel-lined jeans for the first time this season. Well, it is the middle of November.
Still confused and discontented about the election results. Last I heard, late last night, the margin was approx. 52 Trump to approx. 48% Harris. That’s well within the three percent margin of error so, it seems to me, Harris would be justified to request a recount. Recall that Trump demanded seemingly endless recounts in 2020 even though he lost decisively. But much as I love Pres. Biden – and I do love Pres. Biden – I am resigned to his doing nothing about it. He is too busy trying to do as much as he can to help Ukraine and the like. And we know A.G. Garland is useless. I must say, though, I’m fed up to the teeth with the Dems rolling over and playing dead while the Reps get away with murder. Yes, if nothing happens to stop them, they will murder our democracy this time. I don’t have the luxury of leaving the country. At least I’m in a blue state. Our governors and A.G.s will do what they can, but I’m frightened and heartsick.
If it were only Trump, that would be one thing. But it’s not only Trump. He is surrounded this time with people who are intelligent, cunning, ruthless and prepared. Things change from hour to hour with regard to the House and even the Senate. Last I heard, the Pennsylvania senate race had not been resolved and there were still twelve House seats unresolved. We may, perhaps, still take the House. I probably forgot to post it here, but a few weeks ago UBS, a bank, gave a ten percent probability that Trump would take the White House with Rep control of both Senate and House. By contrast, they gave a sixty-five percent probability of Harris winning the presidency with a divided Congress. UBS aren’t squishy, bleeding heart liberals. They clearly preferred the prospect of a Trump victory, but nonetheless called the election as they pragmatically saw it.
And that brings me to another point that has been niggling at me. If everyone from the kooky YouTube psychic lady who sees flying monkeys to Alan Lichman with his Thirteen Keys and the respected British newspaper The Economist had Harris winning yet, apparently, she didn’t, it doesn’t take a conspiracy theorist to see that something’s wrong.
YouTube is interesting, if sometimes frustrating. Like, how come this channel that I’ve never heard of is at the top of my feed when I can’t find some of the channels I’m subscribed to? Yet, sometimes, those seemingly random channels prove serendipitous. Last night, thanks to my feed, I discovered The Sons of Liberty. At first I was apprehensive that it would turn out to be a MAGA group, since they try to appropriate everything and anything patriotic. But, it is a resistance group. I followed them on YouTube and Threads for now. It’s helpful to follow commentators and even the occasional light worker, but I get the impression The Sons of Liberty mean business; serious nonviolent resistance, protecting the vulnerable, etc. When you combine such a group with civil society groups like the ACLU, Common Cause and the like working on the legal front, we might, maybe, be able to make it through till the midterms in 2026.
We have a lot of work to do, and a lot of praying.
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Monday, November 11, 2024
Think you support mass deportation? Watch this.
This video was posted about a month ago, but with Trump's election, it becomes even more relevant.
Sunday, November 10, 2024
CNN: Racist texts referring to ‘picking cotton’ sent to Black people across US after election
Be careful with your comparisons
Passing Dad's television (showing Fox News) just now, I caught a single phrase:
"the greatest political comeback since Richard Nixon"
I admit it. That made me smirk.
Greatest comeback since Nixon, eh? Well now, you might want to be careful comparing your boy to Tricky Dick. If you'll recall, that second term he won in a massive landslide didn't work out so well for him. Just something to think about.
Saturday, November 09, 2024
Friday, November 08, 2024
Here's what Trump's proposed immigration plan could mean for Texas
Thursday, November 07, 2024
Wednesday, November 06, 2024
On Abortion Bans
Any law that makes miscarriage a death sentence is a bad law, both poorly written and immoral. An abortion ban must be written in close consultation with obstetricians to be sure, for instence, that routine, life-saving procedures such as DNC that have nothing to do with abortion are not criminalized.
Rather than being rare, Miscarriage (spontaneous abortion) is quite common. If current, poorly designed abortion bans remain on the books, the spectrum of women of childbearing age - from teens to late forties - will be decimated, leaving millions of motherless children. Such an outcome cannot be healthy for society as a whole. And it is most assuredly not pro-life.
Trump Won
Donald Trump has won the electoral college, and he looks set to win the popular vote as well. God help us all!