Things Flying Under The Radar

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Global Issues, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, religion, Social commentary

Who … me????

I began working on this post yesterday afternoon but had to take a break from it to fold a load of laundry.  I made the mistake of leaving the lid open on my laptop, and when I came back, there was an ‘AZAZx’ typed where I had left off, and a pop-up box asking if I wished to continue using the microphone!  BOO!!! I know it was Boo, for he’s the only one that uses the computer, but I had my microphone disabled, so how the heck did he … that darn CAT!!!  Anyway … on to the business at hand.

For the past week or so, the news has been filled with the leaked Supreme Court draft that will almost certainly overturn Roe v Wade setting women’s rights back at least 50 years, and not much else has been covered.  Even the war in Ukraine took a backseat to Roe.  Now, I am as incensed as any about this decision and plan to speak more on the subject shortly, but there really are some other things of import that we should be aware of.  One such is another Supreme Court decision that was handed down last Monday that, in my view, treads dangerously onto the concept of separation of church and state.

The case was Shurtleff v Boston and the Court ruled that the City of Boston violated the First Amendment by denying Shurtleff’s application to fly a Christian flag over Boston City Hall.  City Hall is a government building that is visited by members of all religions and those of no religion, so why should one single religion be allowed to fly a flag.  To me, the U.S. flag and Massachusetts state flag are the only ones that should be flying over the Boston City Hall.  Not everyone working there or visiting will be Christian.  Does the Court suggest, then, that Muslims, Jews, and Jains should all be able to fly their own flags at the building?  Will it soon resemble the United Nations building?  And then … does this open the door for KKK and Nazi flags, as well?  Religion and government should never mix, and the highest Court in the land, the Court that claims to understand the Constitution so well, should have realized this was a bad decision that will open numerous doors that probably should remain closed.

Already, the Satanic Temple requests Boston to fly their flag for “Satanic Appreciation Week” from July 23-29.  Good luck keeping this from becoming a free-for-all, not only in Boston but around the nation.

In other news, First Lady Jill Biden visited Ukraine over the weekend.  It is extremely rare for a first lady to enter a war zone, but then Ms. Biden, like former First Lady Michelle Obama, has class.  She entered the country from Slovakia on Mother’s Day and met Ukraine’s first lady, Olena Zelenska, who had not appeared in public since the Russian invasion began February 24th.

“I wanted to come on Mother’s Day. I thought it was important to show the Ukrainian people that this war has to stop, and this war has been brutal, and that the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine.”

First lady Jill Biden and Olena Zelenska, spouse of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, join a group of children at School 6 in making tissue-paper bears to give as Mother’s Day gifts in Uzhhorod, Ukraine on May 8. (Susan Walsh/AP)

Quite a change from the last First Lady [sic] who wore a jacket printed with “I really don’t care, do U?” when going to visit migrant children who had been separated from their parents at the U.S. border.

And speaking of Ukraine … on Saturday, the day before First Lady Biden visited, the Russians bombed a village school in eastern Ukraine, killing as many as 60 people.  There were about 90 people sheltering in the school when the bomb hit, setting it ablaze.  More than 170 civilians were evacuated from the Mariupol area on Sunday, bringing the total to around 600 given safe passage during a week-long rescue operation.  More than 3,000 civilians have been murdered by the Russians since the initial invasion on February 24th, and it is far from being over, I fear.  Perhaps it’s time to stop allowing Putin’s thinly-veiled threats hold us hostage, keep us from ending this war before half of the people in Ukraine are dead.

Here is just one example of the reason we MUST learn the lessons of history, that we must NOT whitewash or hide true history from our young people.  In the Philippines, yesterday was election day and the people chose a new president:  Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the son and namesake of the former Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos and the infamous Imelda Marcos.  Reading about the rallies and the support he has gotten made me feel ill, was eerily similar to Trump rallies and the fans were similar to Trump’s, chanting and holding up peace signs.

According to an article in the New York Times

Rehabilitating the family name has been a recurring theme. Over the decades, the Marcoses have sought to target young voters with no memory of martial law or the torture and killing of political prisoners. Fifty-six percent of the voting population in the Philippines is aged between 18 and 41, and most did not witness the atrocities of the Marcos regime — ideal circumstances for the spread of disinformation, opponents say.

Several groups have sought to disqualify Mr. Marcos’s candidacy, pointing to a 1995 tax evasion conviction and the $3.9 billion in estate taxes that his family still owes the government. Mr. Marcos, 64, has brushed off the attacks as “fake news,” and refused to participate in nearly all presidential debates. (Sound familiar?)

At a rally in Las Piñas, Ella Mae Alipao, 15, said that she got most of her news about Mr. Marcos from TikTok and Facebook, and that she did not “believe much in books.” After Mr. Marcos’s father was ousted, Ms. Alipao said, “the Filipinos found out how good he was; that’s when they realized that they should have made him president for a longer time.”

Mr. Marcos has made similar comments: “I’m not going to vindicate my father’s name because his name doesn’t need vindication,” he said in 1995. “I am so confident that history will judge him well.”

The current dictator calling himself ‘president’ is Rodrigo Duterte, a cruel person who has been linked to more than 1,400 ‘extrajudicial’ killings, as well as many other acts against humanitarian values.  That young lady’s statement above speaks volumes, shows us what happens when true history is withheld or whitewashed.  Are we headed down that same path?

23 thoughts on “Things Flying Under The Radar”

  1. Jill, you ask a question that has been asked before … Does the Court suggest, then, that Muslims, Jews, and Jains should all be able to fly their own flags at the building?

    At the core of the issue, the answer would have to be Yes. They should be allowed. In fact, any and all religions should now have “legal” rights to run their flags run up the flagpole. But will it happen? Probably not (except perhaps the Satanic Temple since they’re in direct conflict with Christianity) because most of the “other” religions are not so hell-bent on shoving their beliefs into the public’s face.

    You have a rather clever cat!

    Liked by 2 people

    • Yes, I don’t see how they can allow one religion and not another, so Courthouses may soon have to have 50-60 flagpoles in front! You know my thoughts on religion … especially in the last decade or two, I consider it the source of most evil. Sigh.

      Oh yes, Boo is indeed clever!!! He even sent an email I had started to my friend Jeannie in the Netherlands once and had her worried, wondering why I had quit in mid sentence!!!

      Liked by 3 people

  2. I cracked up laughing about the microphone! I didn’t realize that I needed that laugh until it happened!

    You’re so right comparing our new ‘lady’ vs the ‘I really don’t care’ one.

    Me thinks the world need more people named “Jill” – as the ones that I know – in real life or from afar – are beautiful people!

    Liked by 2 people

    • I am so happy to have given you a laugh … especially one you didn’t even know you needed!

      Oh yes, Jill Biden is a class act for sure, as was Michelle Obama! The one in between was … a gold-digger who cared about nobody but herself.

      Awwww … you are too kind, my friend! You’ve brought to my face one very HUGE smile!!! Thank you!

      Liked by 2 people

  3. It should be hard to believe that any Marcos would appear again. And yet this is what folk do. Which explains a lot about the problems of the world.
    Meanwhile what shameless tawdriness is going on in some febrile minds in the US Right as they try to discredit The First Lady’s mission to Ukraine? (there’s bound to be some)

    Liked by 2 people

  4. Pingback: THINGS FLYING UNDER THE RADAR. |jilldennison.com | Ramblings of an Occupy Liberal

  5. When Tecumseh walks over the keyboard, he has learned to avoid the keys. When SiSi gets on the keyboard, she likes to roll. She has said some pretty profound things–but too long to publish here. (I actually never recorded them, so cannot publish them.) Diabola and Millicent type in short bursts, with a lot of alliteration. Halverstock has never climbed on the keyboard, which is true to his personality; he speaks very seldom, prefering to let his sister talk for him.

    Liked by 4 people

    • I agree, Michael! The former was never an actual ‘First Lady’ but rather a former nude model who married Trump for money. Like you, I would be nervous to be anywhere in Ukraine, but you know … I think if I were in the position and had the resources, I would do it anyway. I’d love to do something more than say words of support or send a few dollars to help the cause. Sigh. xx

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  9. It;s long been said that History is written by the winners. Given that a Marcos has won it could be said that History will be rewritten by the winners as he’s sure to make all books show a different truth to that the world knows about his father and infamous mother.an will no doubt paint his as a hero o bringing down Duterte and his regime.
    Cwtch

    Liked by 1 person

    • Agreed … in fact, from what I’ve been reading, history has already been altered there to downplay or erase the cruelty of the Marcos regime, hence young people are wearing rose-coloured glasses. Even I, who have never traveled to the Philippines remember well the happenings under Ferdinand Marcos and not Duterte, so it’s incomprehensible that the people there would vote for his son who will undoubtedly follow in his footsteps. Actually, Marcos & Duterte have joined hands, and I understand that Duterte’s daughter may be Marcos’ Vice President! Couldn’t pay me to live there!
      Cwtch

      Liked by 1 person

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