Another of those WTF Moments …

Posted on May 19, 2019 by jilldennison under Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants

The Equality Act was introduced into the House of Representatives by Representative David Cicilline of Rhode Island on March 13, 2019. In summary …

This bill prohibits discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system. Specifically, the bill defines and includes sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity among the prohibited categories of discrimination or segregation.

The bill expands the definition of public accommodations to include places or establishments that provide (1) exhibitions, recreation, exercise, amusement, gatherings, or displays; (2) goods, services, or programs; and (3) transportation services.

The bill allows the Department of Justice to intervene in equal protection actions in federal court on account of sexual orientation or gender identity.

The bill prohibits an individual from being denied access to a shared facility, including a restroom, a locker room, and a dressing room, that is in accordance with the individual’s gender identity.

Nothing too controversial there, right? The LGBT people in our world surely deserve the same rights and protections as everyone, right? It isn’t rocket science, right? Well …

“Standing with my colleagues in opposition to the so-called “Equality Act” as it undermines human dignity, freedom of speech, religion, and conscience, and puts parental rights at risk.” – U.S. Representative Warren Davidson, Ohio

Say WHAT???

No no no no no Warren! Human dignity is what it is trying to protect and preserve. What, do you want separate water coolers, perhaps, for LGBT people? Or … perhaps they should have segregated schools? Oh, I know … you don’t want any to be able to buy a house in your neighborhood, or to get a decent job, or even to be able to purchase a wedding cake, perhaps? Or … perhaps you would like them to have a number tattooed onto their arms and wear a gold star on their clothing? Dignity, Warren? How do you define that word? Seems to me you’re trying to take away the dignity of an entire group of people … yes, Warren … people.

Religion? How does giving an LGBT person a fair shot at a job or at a slot in college or to get a loan to purchase a car interfere with anybody’s ‘freedom of religion’? Answers, please? Freedom of speech? Um, excuse me, but what … you want to be able to shout from the steps of the Capitol Building “I hate gays!”? Sure, go ahead … see if anybody votes for you next year. How in the Sam Heck does ensuring equal rights for people interfere with your or my freedom of speech? The answer is it doesn’t.

And lastly … “puts parental rights at risk”??? What planet are you on, Warren? Let me ask you a quick question, if you don’t mind … just how much alcohol do you drink in the course of a 24-hour period? First, I’m not even sure what you mean when you say, “parental rights”. I think of parental responsibilities as parents’ duty to keep their children warm, healthy, well-fed, safe and to see to their education, but … what “rights” do you refer to? And how does giving people equal opportunities in employment, housing, credit, education, and public facilities undermine those “parental rights”? Answers, please.

Warren Davidson happens to be my representative and I know him to be a fool who is more concerned with preserving bitcoin than human life, so apart from the fact that he represents my district in Congress, it would be easy to write his babbling rhetoric off as foolishness. But …

“Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC) joined with Reps. Vicky Hartzler (R-Missouri), Jody Hice (R-Georgia), Warren Davidson (R-Ohio), Roger Marshall (R-Kansas) and Carol Miller (R-West Virginia) to speak out about the Equality Act’s harmful effects on women and girls. Alongside the lawmakers, representatives from CWALAC, Women’s Liberation Front, Alliance Defending Freedom, Susan B. Anthony List and Family Research Council, were clear – the “Equality Act” will do away with women’s sports, safe spaces for women, and jeopardize parents’ jurisdiction over their child’s health care. It is dangerous for our country. This bill is extreme and dangerous. It is not about equality; it is about imposing a new form of discrimination against women and people of faith in our country.” – Concerned Women For America

WTF???

Has this entire bloomin’ nation gone loco?

There is not one single legitimate concern voiced by either Davidson or this “women’s” group or anyone else, for that matter. So … what’s going on here? Well, folks, it’s called b-i-g-o-t-r-y. Homophobia. Fear of that which is not understood. So, rather than seek to educate, they choose hate. Rather than accept people as they are, they choose to shun them because they are not just like them.

LGBT people are people. Humans. Just like me and you. Just because some narrow-minded portion of society feels threatened by people who love someone of their own gender is no reason to deny people the right to earn a living, live in a decent neighborhood, shop in their local store, send their children to school, get a loan, or have a wedding cake baked. People, that’s all.

The Equality Act bill passed in the House of Representatives on Friday by a vote of 236-173, with 23 abstentions. Eight of the ‘Aye’ votes were by republicans, and all 173 ‘Nay’ votes were by republicans. The eight republicans who supported the bill are:

Susan Brooks (Indiana)
Mario Diaz-Balart (Florida)
Brian Fitzpatrick (Pennsylvania)
Will Hurd (Texas)
John Katko (New York)
Tom Reed (New York)
Elise Stefanik (New York)
Greg Walden (Oregon)

These eight deserve a thumbs up for voting their conscience instead of toeing the party line. The rest of the republicans continue to do the bidding of the evangelicals and the person in the Oval Office … shame on them!

Sadly, the bill will die a rapid death when it reaches the Senate, for Mitchell McConnell has made a pledge, it seems, to ensure that no bills that are for the benefit of the people of this nation will pass under his watch. And, if it passes the Senate by some miracle, Trump will veto it, for his puppeteers like Franklin Graham, Robert Jeffress and Pat Robertson are against it and he does their bidding, not ours. ‘Tis a sad state of affairs when people in this nation no longer have basic civil rights, human rights.

U.S. Rules The World???

Posted on May 17, 2019 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants, religion, Social commentary

As I noted in a post earlier this week, there is a movement among republicans and groups who misnomer themselves as “pro-life” to overturn Roe v Wade, the Supreme Court decision from 1973 that gave women the right to make their own medical decisions when it comes to abortion. A growing number of states have passed or are attempting to pass highly restrictive laws that contradict Roe v Wade and would take away women’s rights. I had not planned to revisit this issue this soon, but something came to my attention that stirred my anger yet again …

Trump is trying to impose his and the evangelical’s heinous views on other nations as well, cutting off all funding to any overseas organization or clinic that will not agree to a complete ban on even discussing abortion. The ban, dubbed the “global gag”, was actually instituted by Ronald Reagan, but has been revoked by every democratic president, and re-instated by every republican president since then. And along came Donald Trump. Donnie, so eager to please the only people who support him, the radical right-wing evangelicals, has decided that he (or rather people like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham) knows what is best for the 7.7 billion people living on planet Earth.

In March, the US extended the gag, stating that any organization counselling women on abortion and using funds from elsewhere – even from its own government or a donor in another country – will no longer be eligible for any US funding. Take, for example, an international health care agency that provides women’s health care, possibly including family planning and abortion counselling, but also treating kids with HIV in other countries … countries where there is no women’s health planning, for it is illegal. Those organizations will no longer be eligible for any funds from the U.S., not even to take care of sick children in African nations.

My friend Jeannie, who lives in the Netherlands, told me the other day that “The Netherlands have one most liberal laws about abortion in Western Europe, but the number of actual abortions are amongst the lowest worldwide.” Think about this, folks … facts, not fantasy. A study published last year by the Guttmacher Institute found that countries with the most restrictive abortion laws also have the highest rates of abortion and that easier access to birth control drives down abortion rates.

A 2012 study found that when women got no-cost birth control, the number of unplanned pregnancies and abortions fell by between 62 and 78 percent. But political appointees under Trump advocate for abstinence-only approaches, which have been shown not to affect unplanned pregnancy rates. Not to mention that they are impractical.

This isn’t just about abortion, people … this is about making women second-class citizens around the globe. This is about men’s dominance over women. In many nations women already have few independent rights, but in the Western world, women have come a long way in the past century or two. In the U.S., we are now allowed to vote as we choose, to own property, and there are laws to ensure we receive equal pay and treatment in the workplace, though the reality is often something different. And for the past nearly 50 years, we have been able to make our own health decisions. We cannot … we must not … allow this abomination to continue.

The United States is a secular nation whereby the government does not favour any one religion over another, and no religious organization or cult should be able to influence the law of the land to the detriment of all others. The United States is one of 195 nations on this globe, and we do not have the right to set policy in other nations. It is the height of arrogance to think that we do. It is time for the evangelicals to understand that they may have a place in this country, but that their beliefs are not shared by us all, and that the rest of us have rights also. It is time for government to base decisions on facts, not the religious fantasies of one group.

If abortion rights are taken from us, the abortion rates won’t drop, but more women will die as they seek back-alley or do-it-yourself abortions. That is an undisputable fact. Let this nation legislate based on facts, and let other nations decide their own policy … nobody died and left the right-wing white evangelicals leaders of the world. They will take us back to the Dark Ages if we let them.

OH FOR PETE’S SAKE!!!

Posted on May 16, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants, Social commentary

Ever notice how sometimes a headline catches your eye and your jaw immediately drops to the ground? The lunacy, the utter ignorance and stupidity of the human race never ceases to astound me. A couple of things brought about this head-shaking, eye-rolling, jaw-dropping reaction from me today. The first …

Proposed Fur Ban in New York Pits Animal Rights Advocates Against Black Ministers

New York City is currently considering a proposal to ban the sale of animal fur. For the record, and in case there was any doubt, I fully support this proposal! If nobody can sell the fur, fewer animals will have to die. Most of you already know that I like animals better than I like people, for the most part. So, where’s the controversy?

Black ministers have protested the proposed ban on the steps of City Hall, saying that furs are a treasured part of African-American tradition and culture. Hasidic rabbis point to their own tradition of many Hasidic men wearing fur hats on the Sabbath. And fur shop owners and garment manufacturers have raised alarms over the potential loss of jobs and an attack on an industry that has a centuries-rich tradition in New York.

So, let me get this straight … we should encourage the wanton killing of beautiful animals so that fur shop owners can continue to make a profit, so that Hasidic rabbis can buy new fur hats when they wish (take care of the one you have, or wear faux fur!) and so that African-Americans don’t have to be deprived of cultural frou-frous? Um … probably half of my friends are African-American and I don’t know a single one who actually owns a fur garment.

I can only imagine what the hunters and the NRA will have to say once they hear about this proposal and respond! Have I mentioned that people are selfish, arrogant and ignorant?

Pat Robertson: God Will Destroy America if Pro-LGBTQ Rights Bill Passes

Well, Pat, you know what? That’s fine by me, for I don’t think a nation that discriminates against people on any superficial basis should exist, and I damn sure don’t want to live in such a narrow-minded, bigoted nation.

“They always give good names to these things. This is a devastating blow to religious freedom and to the sanctity of America. If you want to bring the judgment of God on this nation, you just keep this stuff up. I was reading in Leviticus where it says because of these things the land ‘will vomit you out.’ Vomit you out. I think God will say, ‘I’ve had it with America if you do this kind of stuff, I’m going to get rid of you as a nation.'”

What an arrogant, narrow-minded, nasty prick! Sorry … I try not to be vulgar here, but this ‘person’ has ruffled my feathers and I’m not biting my tongue on this one.

The Equality Act is a bill that would modify existing civil rights legislation to ban discrimination against LGBTQ people in employment, housing, public accommodations, jury service, education, federal programs and credit. Now would somebody please explain to me just what has Mr. Robertson’s knickers in a wad? Remember when we had to pass legislation to ensure these very same rights to African-Americans? It was called the Civil Rights Act. Why do we keep having to legislate common sense? Why??? Because of people like Pat Robertson and Franklin Graham who think that their religious beliefs give them the right to take away fair treatment for those of us who do not share their beliefs.

The bill’s sponsor is David Cicilline, a democrat from Rhode Island, who says …

“In most states in this country, a gay couple can be married on Saturday, post their wedding photos to Instagram on Sunday, and lose their jobs or get kicked out of their apartments on Monday just because of who they are.”

Even though the bill is all but guaranteed to pass in the House, it’s fate in the Senate is less certain, and Trump is almost certain to veto it, as he has expressed his opposition already.

Sigh.

Conservative Radio Station Plans To Rebrand As ‘Trump FM’

Yep, you read it right, folks. And this one isn’t even down in Trump country! A far-right conservative radio station in Connecticut plans to temporarily rebrand itself as “Trump 103.3” when it converts from an AM station to an FM one. Like Trump needs his ego stroked even more???

The station hosts a number of far-right-wing syndicated programs, including Bill O’Reilly, the NRA’s Dana Loesch, Michael Savage, and the Daily Wire’s Ben Shapiro. Full Power Radio, which owns the station, said the goal is to “unite conservatives in Connecticut” and make the state a conservative, Republican-led one. NOOOOOOOO … we don’t need any more of those!!! What have these people been smoking???

“There is a real hunger for the truth and ‘Trump 103.3’ will report and uncover statewide waste and corruption that conventional media are afraid to touch.”

Truth??? Oh the irony!

Well, folks, that’s it for now … I’ve got work to do … be back later!

Going … Going … Gone

Posted on May 6, 2019 by jilldennison under Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

This morning the United Nations released a report by the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES), the premise of which is that as many as one million plant and animal species are on the verge of extinction. Think about this one, folks … one million …

That in itself is cause for grief, but the report goes a step further than previous studies by linking the loss of species to humans and analyzing its effect on food and water security, farming and economies. According to the report, more plants and animals are threatened with extinction now than any other period in human history. Nature’s current rate of decline is unparalleled, it says, and the accelerating rate of extinctions “means grave impacts on people around the world are now likely.”

Now, personally I do not, as some do, see the human species as superior to all others. Obviously, if the human species were so superior, we would not be willfully destroying every living creature on the planet. No, I think humans are without doubt the greediest, most selfish species on earth. But, since we broke it, it is up to us to fix it, and yet the very people with the greatest ability to do so, refuse, putting their own convenience and profit ahead of the future of all life on earth.

It isn’t only the effects of climate change that are causing the global crisis. The report emphasized the effects humans have on animals that are key to their own survival. Pesticides sprayed by farmers that kill pollinators such as bees and other insects will likely have a devastating effect on crops. Homeowners contribute to the problem by purchasing “bug zappers” that target mosquitoes but also eliminate key pollinators such as butterflies and moths, as well as common flies that some animals rely on for food.

The report has a positive spin, saying that “it is not too late to make a difference.” But that difference requires more than 100 developing and non-developed nations to work together to bring about change. Today. Not tomorrow or next year – TODAY!

A friend recently told me that she believes God gave the earth to humans for the purpose of their enjoyment and that there is nothing to worry about, for in essence God wants people to be happy and will replenish the earth without us changing our lifestyle. Well, folks, guess what? That is the biggest line of bullshit I’ve ever heard. The owners of those factories spewing tons of CO2 into the atmosphere, the companies that produce the killing pesticides, the fossil fuel industry have all contributed to convincing people to “stay calm”, that the scientists are all wrong, and that everything will be alright.

EVERYTHING WILL NOT BE ALRIGHT!

So, why am I carrying on again about the same topic I’ve written about multiple times? Because we’re not getting through to the politicians who can make the biggest difference through legislation. Because we’re not getting through to our friends and neighbors. Because … we all have children and grandchildren and we are allowing their future to be destroyed. I know you’re tired and so am I, but we need to do more. We need to do our own small part, sure, but we also need to get back on a letter-writing, phone-calling, e-mailing campaign and tell our elected officials to get off their sweet patooties and do the right thing.

An anonymous comment I read this morning in The Washington Post says it all …

“For many decades, environmentalists have been sounding the alarm that people are destroying the Earth through their callous disregard of nature, because of the misguided thought that we are supposedly lords over the planet instead of another species that is PART of the planet.

People who think of themselves as separate from nature rather than part of it fall in to the dangerous assumption that they can just keep on killing off whatever plants and animals they want, in as large numbers as they want, without it affecting human life too.

For many decades, politicians have been ignoring these calls for people to have a greater respect for the natural world of which we are a part. For many decades, those calls have been answered with criticism from those who believe there should be no environmental regulations, no protections for wildlife, and that humans should be able to just destroy whatever they want, whenever they want, as often and as much as they want, because to them, making money by destroying the environment is awesome.

Now they’re going to learn the hard way that it’s not awesome at all. The environmentalists have been correct about this all along, and the greedy selfish people who think environmental regulations are bad just keep on trying to claim they’re not.”

This isn’t just another political issue. This should rise far above partisan politics, should take precedence over trade wars, over corporate profits, and every other issue, for frankly, if we don’t do this now, none of the rest will matter a whit by the end of the century. You won’t be around to see it nor will I, but our great-great-grandchildren will. Think about it.

The Face of Ugly

Posted on May 5, 2019 by jilldennison under education, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants, religion, Social commentary

I generally try to avoid ranting. As a rule, my ‘snarky snippets’ are enough to release the pressure that builds as a result of the chaos and corruption of our government and the idiocy of our society, and then I can go back to breathing and writing more well-reasoned pieces. But sometimes a number of issues converge, and it is blowup time. I can either blow up at my family, who do not deserve to be the brunt of my temper, or I can let the steam off here on my blog in an all-out rant. I choose the latter, so please bear with me.

There are two professions that should be above politics, though there is a necessary correlation: Teaching and Medicine. There is only one valid reason to enter into either of these fields, and that is a genuine desire to help people, to make a difference in this world, to be a humanitarian. Anybody who enters either of these professions for any other reason … well, they ought to get out. If you have any other motive, then I do not want you teaching my grandkids and I don’t want you being responsible for my life or that of a loved one.

Of late, it seems that some in the medical profession have decided they only want to treat people of one sort, while excluding some of the people who may need their services most. They are bigots and homophobes, and they ought to go work in an auto plant or a bank, for they are not humanitarians. I am talking, of course, about the recent push by some to allow health care workers to legally discriminate against the LGBT community.

Discrimination is against the law, just in case anybody has any doubts. We have something called ‘civil rights’ in this country, or at least we did until just over two years ago. I would also remind you that this is a secular nation, meaning our government is not tied to any specific religion and does not make laws that discriminate pro or con any specific religion. Until, that is, the evangelical Christians and Donald Trump came together. Suddenly, under the Reign of Trump, it is said to be okay to refuse health care to LGBT people.

Why, you ask? Because the bulk of those who support Trump are these evangelicals and Trump believes he only needs to serve his supporters, not the majority of us who cannot stand the ‘man’! So, along come the ‘evangelicals’ and they say to Trump, “Hey, Don, our bible says that sex between two men or two women is a sin, and so we want to have nothing to do with those gay and transgender people. Can you help us out here?” And so Don helps them out.

From the New York Times …

President Trump on Thursday announced an expanded “conscience rule” to protect health care workers who oppose abortion, sterilization, assisted suicide and other medical procedures on religious or moral grounds.

The rule establishes guidelines for punishing health care institutions with the loss of federal funds if they fail to respect the rights of such workers.

“Just today, we finalized new protections of conscience rights for physicians, pharmacists, nurses, teachers, students and faith-based charities,” Mr. Trump said in a Rose Garden event for the National Day of Prayer. “They’ve been wanting to do that for a long time.”

The ‘rights of such workers’??? What about the rights of a sick person or a child??? What about the human rights to an education and health care? What about civil rights??? Only about 25% of the population of this nation identify as evangelical, and yet that 25% … that minority … now gets to decide on the laws of the land for us all?

As those of you who have followed this blog for a time are aware, I am not religious, but I respect the religious views of all others, including Muslims, Christians, Jews, Hindus, Jains, and all others. I shy away from discussing religion on this blog for that very reason … I recognize that there are many different sets of beliefs out there and I would never willingly offend any. That said, there is only one qualifier: don’t shove your religion on others, including myself! This latest move by King Trump is doing just that. It is saying that a nurse can refuse to take the blood pressure of a gay person, an ambulance driver can refuse to transport an accident victim who happens to be transgender and instead may leave him by the side of the road to die.This nation was founded in part on religious freedom, and yet now, some 230 years later, the current regime is attempting to force this entire nation to believe as a mere 25% of the population believe. What is wrong with this picture???

I want you to think about a question: What’s next? Yes, what’s next … we know there will be a ‘next’, for when Trump gets his way once, it emboldens him to go on and push for more. So, by autumn will he sign a new rule saying it’s okay to deny an education or medical treatment to African-Americans? Far-fetched, you say? I think not. The bulk of his supporters are evangelicals, and they got what they wanted. The bulk of his supporters are also white and believe that this nation should favour Caucasians. Will they get their way also?

Bigotry takes on many forms from homophobia to misogyny to Islamophobia to racism and in every instance it is a result of fear … in every instance it is the face of ugly. I look around this country … a country I’ve lived in all my life, a country I thought I knew … and more and more I see the face of bigotry, the face of ugly. I see the arrogance of those who think they are somehow superior based on the colour of their skin, or their religion, or even their gender. I don’t like what I see, do you? Think about it.

She … She Said WHAT???

Posted on April 16, 2019 by jilldennison under 9/11, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants, Social commentary

Ms. Sarah Huckabee Sanders sold whatever soul or conscience she once may have had long ago, perhaps on May 5, 2017 when she held her first White House press briefing, standing in for then-Press Secretary Sean Spicer. Mr. Spicer ultimately had the good sense to realize that he would not be able to sleep at nights if he continued telling the outrageous lies demanded by Trump, for he was possessed of a conscience.

I largely ignore Ms. Sanders, for she is naught but a mouthpiece, says what she is told to say, and I cannot stand to look at her facial contortions nor hear her whiny voice. However, this past weekend she was on a tear, and dear friend Ellen fed me just enough tidbits to pique my curiosity, so I had to go see for myself. Sigh. Where is that blood pressure medicine???

How doth she offend me? Let me count the ways …

During an interview with Chris Wallace on Fox ‘News’ Sunday …

“I don’t think Congress — particularly not this group of congressmen and women — are smart enough to look through the thousands of pages that I would assume that President Trump’s taxes will be. My guess is that most of them don’t do their own taxes, and I certainly don’t trust them to look through the decades of success that the president has and determine anything.”

Grrrrrr. Any single member of Congress is more qualified to review those taxes than Ms. Sanders, and we don’t need ‘thousands of pages’. We’re only asking for six lousy years’ worth! And Sarah … “success”??? The ‘man’ with more than 5,000 lawsuits in his career? Think about that one, sweet cheeks.

“[Trump] is a person and a president of law and order. That’s his entire focus since coming in is actually restoring law and order to this country. … The president has asked them to do everything they can and everything they’re allowed to do under the law to stop the massive crisis we have at our southern border. It’s the same thing he says publicly day in and day out.”

Grrrrrrrrrr. Law and order??? Did she really say ‘law and order’? Trump believes himself and his minions to be above the law. He incites violence, defends lawless organizations such as white supremacists and neo-Nazis, and she says he’s about law and order? There was no crisis at the southern border until Trump fabricated one, then started stealing children from their parents and tossing them into cages, not even bothering to keep track of where they were! Just last week Trump privately urged acting Secretary of Homeland Security, Kevin McAleenan, to close the border and told him that he would issue a pardon if McAleenan ran into any legal troubles for doing so. How is this ‘law and order’???On This Week with George Stephanopoulos …

Regarding Trump’s ignominious, hateful tweet about Representative Ilhan Omar:

“It’s absolutely abhorrent the comments she continues to make and has made and Democrats look the other way. I find what her comments to be absolutely disgraceful and unbefitting of a member of Congress and I think that it’s a good thing that the president is calling her out for those comments, and the big question is why aren’t Democrats doing it as well.”

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. If you could be bothered, Ms. Sanders, to read the entirety of Representative Omar’s CAIR speech, perhaps you could better understand that the single sentence your boss chose to focus on was taken completely out of context and that there was not a damn thing wrong with what she said! She did something you never do … she told the truth! Your boss put her life in danger, with a childish, juvenile act more befitting a 9-year-old than a 72-year-old who happens to be, for better or for worse, the leader of a nation.

I’m certain that if I wished to dig deeper, I could find even more, but already I had to take a break from writing this post to de-stress by washing a sink full of dishes … don’t worry, I only broke a couple. The job of a White House press secretary is to serve as a liaison between the president and the press. Ms. Sanders is, rather, a puppet … a mouthpiece, who is so pre-programmed that when she is asked a question, the best she can do is condemn the reporter who asked it. I suppose that if one lacks intelligence, the best defense is a good offense, and Ms. Sanders has that one down pat – she is very offensive.

Just Two Snarky Snippets …

Posted on March 29, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

Wouldn’t you think we could have just one day where I am not stomping my feet and growling like an angry leopard? Noooooo … that’s too much to ask, isn’t it? Sigh. Hold onto your hats, folks, for I’m on a tear tonight!

Still more evidence that …

The only people who matter in the current administration are those who love Trump … a distinct minority, yet a loud, obnoxious one. The evidence of this lies in the debate in the Oval Office on Monday whereby Trump’s staff convinced him to support a decision to eliminate healthcare for no less than 20 million people in this nation. As most of you know, a lawsuit filed by 18 state’s attorney-generals and 2 governors came before Texas District Court Judge Reed O’Connor last year. The judge was tasked with determining whether the ACA individual mandate that requires everyone to have health insurance was lawful. However, Judge O’Connor took it a step further and declared the entire Affordable Care Act to be unconstitutional. Appeals, of course were immediately filed. At that time, the Department of Justice, while supporting overturning the individual mandate, did not support overturning ACA in its entirety. Then came Monday.

On Monday, acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney and Domestic Chief of Policy (whatever the heck that is) Joe Grogan convinced Trump that if he, via the Department of Justice, supported the complete repeal of the act through the courts, his base (a minority) would “love it”. They told him that the move would be seen as ‘fulfilling a campaign promise’ and that it would help secure his re-election next year. Thus, even though Attorney General William Barr expressed concerns about the move, it was announced later that day that the U.S. Department of Justice will support the move to have ACA declared unconstitutional and thereby sign death warrants for some 20 million people or more.Although Trump has claimed he would make republicans “the party of health care”, there is no plan on the republican side of the aisle with which to replace ACA. Just … do away with it … let poor people die … who needs ‘em anyway?

Even Mike Pence argued against the move, not because he cares a whit about we common people, but because he felt it might have political ramifications down the line. You think? Under ordinary circumstances, I would say that in making this move, Trump just signed away his re-election, but we have not had normal circumstances in this nation since 20 January 2017. This is just one more in the growing pile of signs that We the People really do not matter. The only ones who count are the bloomin’ fools who wear red caps and chant “Lock ‘er up!”

A step too far … way too far!

Last night, a friend posted this to my Facebook page …

Now, this particular friend sometimes gets a kick out of ruffling my feathers, in a good-natured way, so I thought this might be a … joke? But no, I looked into it, and steam began coming from my ears, my teeth gnashing, and lightning bolts emitted from my eyes.

The so-called constitutional carry bill would permit anyone age 21 or over, who is not disqualified by federal law due to a felony conviction or other offense from obtaining a weapon, to carry a hidden gun — without obtaining a concealed-carry permit. Currently, Ohioans can only carry a concealed weapon after obtaining a $67 permit from a county sheriff upon passing a criminal background check and completing eight hours of training by a certified instructor, including two hours of range time and live-fire training. The legislation would not be restricted to handguns — it also would allow Ohioans to conceal and carry long guns, such as rifles and shotguns (though I’m not sure how one conceals a long gun … seems it would be a might noticeable sticking out of their waistband). Ohioans already are allowed to openly carry firearms without a permit. The bill also would repeal a current requirement that concealed-carry owners notify police officers they are carrying a gun when stopped. The police are going to love this one, yes?

Do any of these fools remember Parkland in February 2018? Do they remember Las Vegas? Do they remember their own damn names? Fools. Idiots. Then, while I was still frothing at the mouth, the same friend informs me that Kentucky just passed a similar law. Back to searching … yep …

Bright looking bunch, eh?

From the March 28^th Cincinnati Enquirer …

“Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin just signed a law allowing residents to carry a concealed gun without a permit and the prerequisite training.”

And then … I find out that this is not a new thing, not an anomaly, but that there are sixteen … yes, SIXTEEN states where residents can carry guns with no permit, no training, and in some cases, no background checks.

Those states are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

More ‘Einsteins’

The law is called “Constitutional Carry” because it reflects the view that the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution does not abide restrictions on gun rights, including the right to carry or “bear” arms. This is utterly ludicrous. This is the absolute stupidest thing I have heard of!

But back to the proposed Ohio law …

At least one Ohio legislator, David Leland, had a bit of sense (hint: he’s a democrat) …

“It’s going the exact opposite direction of what most people want. If more guns make more people safer, we would be the safest country in the world. Yet, our gun violence exceeds most every other country on this planet.”

Correction, Mr. Leland … not ‘most’ every other country on the planet … EVERY other country on the planet!

Chris Dorr, director of Ohio Gun Owners, sent an email to supporters …

“We already know there will be efforts by anti-gun Democrats and Rino-Republicans to block, stop and KILL Constitutional Carry. And as we saw last General Assembly, there’s always a lily-white coward willing to cut a deal and water down these pro-gun bills.”

Scumbucket.

It appears that the only thing that is going to wake these people up is if next time it’s their own child who is killed in a school shooting, or a drive-by.

And that’s it for tonight, folks … I must stop the steam coming from my ears, brush what I haven’t gnashed away of my teeth and go to bed for another fun night of night terrors. Gee, I can’t imagine what’s causing them, can you?

Deep Sighs From Deep Within …

Posted on March 26, 2019 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Free Press Issues, Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants

Filled with angst, I share with you today another version (what is this, version XXMVII?) of Snarky Snippets. Deep breaths … in … out … in … out …

You know how, if you tell a child not to do something, he/she will do it or die trying? (I know this because I was once that child!) It seems that such stubbornness is not limited to children, for humans around the globe are guilty of the same.

There has been no dearth of information about how CO₂ emissions are causing damage to the atmosphere that will ultimately be fatal to the human race. Humans have been advised, on a large scale in every nation on the globe, to cut back on energy use, and that the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, oil, and gas are among the largest offenders, putting more CO₂into the atmosphere, when renewable energy sources are more efficient, less toxic, and ultimately less costly. But have we listened? Apparently not!

The International Energy Agency released a report yesterday saying that energy demand around the world grew by 2.3 percent over the past year, marking the most rapid increase in a decade.To meet the increased demand, the report continues, some nations did, in fact, turn to renewables such as water, wind and solar energy. Other nations, however, responded with increased use of fossil fuels, which satisfied nearly 70 percent of the skyrocketing electricity demand. As a result, greenhouse-gas emissions from the use of energy — by far their largest source — surged in 2018, reaching a record high of 33.1 billion tons. Emissions showed 1.7 percent growth, well above the average since 2010.

Even as renewable energy rapidly expands, many countries — including the United States and China — are nevertheless still turning to fossil fuels to satisfy ever-growing energy demand.

Way to go United States and China! Why not just sign our death warrant?

Michael Mehling, deputy director of the Center for Energy and Environmental Policy Research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, described Monday’s findings:

“To me, all this reflects the fact that climate policies around the globe, despite some limited pockets of progress, remain woefully inadequate. They’re not even robust enough to offset the increased emissions from economic expansion, especially in the developing world, let alone to spur decarbonization at levels commensurate with the temperature stabilization goals we’ve committed to under the Paris Agreement.”

Yo, Republicans … want to pat your ‘hero’ on the back and say, ‘Way to go, Prez’?

In yet another effort to quash freedom of the press, the jerk-in-chief has urged major news networks to not allow on their shows several people, including Democratic lawmakers, who have been critical of him. WHOA … STOP THE PRESSES! Not even the president, as if we had one, has the right to dictate to the news media what of who they can or cannot cover!

Tim Murtaugh, director of communications for Trump’s 2020 re-election campaign, called on the networks to refuse six commentators:

Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut
Representative Adam Schiff of California
Representative Jerry Nadler of New York
Representative Eric Swalwell of California
Democratic National Committee Chairman Tom Perez
Former CIA Director John Brennan

Why? Because they, as well as millions of others of us, have criticized Trump and stated they (we) believe Trump did conspire with the Russians to sway the 2016 presidential election. THIS is illegal. It goes against the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. I believe Trump conspired … I KNOW he did … so, come on, Murtaugh … I dare you to try to stifle me!

What a ‘fearless leader’ Trump is to be so scared of a little bit of criticism that he would willingly violate the very Constitution he took an oath to uphold! Look how much criticism President Obama had to contend with, but never once … NOT ONE TIME … did he suggest stifling the freedom of the press!

Lastly (bet you’re glad, aren’t you?), you don’t hear much from or about ol’ Alex Jones lately, do you? It could be because he’s been tied up in court a lot these days in the suit brought by Six families of victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. Or, it could be because he has been banned by Twitter, Apple, YouTube, and Facebook. Personally, I find it like a breath of fresh air not to see his ugly mug and hear his ranting conspiracy theories all over the ‘net.

But apparently, he still does a radio show … or internet show … does anybody still watch this crap? Anyway, yesterday he began his show by saying ‘traitors’ should be executed, and defining traitors as, I gather, anybody brave enough to stand up to, or disagree with, Donald Trump. Okay, typical fare for the Jones-inator, yes? But in the background, while he was spluttering his message of hate, he was playing a video of MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow in the background. Maddow took it all in good spirits …

Y’know, Alex, your brand of ‘humour’ went out in the 1930s. It’s old, Alex. Take your retirement package and go live on an island somewhere, please?

Okay, folks, that’s all I’ve got for tonight. You may have noticed that I haven’t written yet about the Mueller report, William Barr’s brief summary, or the right-wing street dances. I will. Give me a moment, please. If I had written on Sunday or Monday what I thought, I would be sitting in a jail cell now. I need to take just a few more deep breaths, let the hand pull me a bit more out of the rabbit hole, then you will hear my take. Meanwhile, both Robert Vella and Jeff over at On The Fence Voters have written excellent posts on the topic.

The Heartbreak of a Nation

Posted on March 25, 2019 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

Last week was a sad one, not only for the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School community, but for the entire nation. Two students, survivors of the mass shooting at the school in February 2018, have ended their lives in the past week.

The first was Sydney Aiello, the second an as-yet-unnamed male student. These two are victims just as much as the 17 who died on that fateful day. How many more will there be?

In the wake of the Parkland shooting, many of the students who survived the attack rallied in protest of the United States’ current gun non-laws, and they did a fine job making their voices heard. Those of us with live cells in our heads applauded their efforts and hoped their resistance was only the beginning. I thought their protests would help them, knowing that they were doing something positive to try to change this nation, to try to make sure this never happened again.

But while most of us were applauding these young people’s efforts, others were putting them down. Representative Steve King was one such … you’ll remember I wrote about his bigotry and racism just a couple of days ago. Mr. King put down Emma González, one of the leaders of the protests, in a Facebook post whereby he criticized her for having a Cuban flag on her denim jacket.

“This is how you look when you claim Cuban heritage yet don’t speak Spanish and ignore the fact that your ancestors fled the island when the dictatorship turned Cuba into a prison camp, after removing all weapons from its citizens; hence their right to self-defense.”

What. A. Jerk. Senator Marco Rubio from Florida … the state where the shooting took place … jumped on the criticizing bandwagon, as did many conservative media outlets. Could it possibly be that all the criticism played a role in the deaths of the two young people? First, they were traumatized by a classmate shooting up their school. Then, they found that they had lost dear friends and teachers. Then, they try to take positive action to ensure others won’t have to go through what they went through, and they are criticized by the very people who should be helping them! Gee, I wonder why they were depressed? I wonder why they felt that this nation had let them down. I wonder why they gave up hope?

For months, the name-calling and trolling of these young people continued, even crossing into conspiracy theories when it was suggested that these students were paid actors. Rush Limbaugh, Tucker Carlson, Ann Coulter and Laura Ingraham, all nationally syndicated television personalities, jumped on the bandwagon criticizing the kids, not the NRA, not lax gun laws, not even the shooter, but instead the kids who are sick and damn tired of living in a country where guns are more important than human lives. In my book, every single one of these people have the blood of the two who died last week on their hands. That includes every single member of the NRA. That includes every member of Congress who has taken NRA money in exchange for voting against a ban on assault weapons or other gun safety regulations. That includes Donald Trump, who has been bought and paid for by the NRA. That includes every single person who puts his “right” to own a gun above human lives. These are the ones that killed these two young people.

The NRA and the gun lobby supporters in Congress keep telling us that “now is not the time” to discuss gun regulation. Our young people, the future of this nation, if indeed it even has a future, are being killed, and the idiots who put their 2^nd Amendment “rights” before human lives have the unmitigated gall to tell us that it isn’t appropriate to discuss gun safety regulation??? To hell with the 2^nd Amendment! THIS was not what the Founding Fathers of this nation intended when they wrote the Constitution. The damn fools have interpreted it to mean what they want it to mean. And why? Because a bunch of men cannot feel like a ‘real man’ unless they are carrying a weapon that can kill.

Meanwhile, children are dying … needlessly … senselessly. Think about it.

Mindless Slaughter 😿

Posted on March 15, 2019 by jilldennison under animals, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

Could somebody tell me, please, who put humans in charge of deciding which species belongs where, and how many should be allowed to live? Humans themselves have grossly overpopulated this planet to the point where in some areas, there are not sufficient resources such as water and food, to support the population. But humans think it is their right to determine how many wolves or moose should be in a given area? Why do humans always have to manipulate, to be in control? Who the Sam Heck left humans in charge of this planet? A planet, I might add, that they have done a lousy job of caring for.

Read the following sentence from an article in the Anchorage Daily News …

“The ADF&G [Alaska Department of Fish and Game] is charged, by the Board of Game and the Alaska Legislature, to manage moose numbers in Unit 13 at the optimum harvest level for the hunting public.”

Humans believe it is their right to “manage” the number of moose to make certain there are plenty for those damned hunters to kill, come fall – or whenever hunting season is in Alaska! But wait … it gets even better.

Somebody in Fish & Game, or in the legislature, thinks that when the moose population drops, it is a result of wolves and/or bears killing the moose. They don’t know for sure, but they think so. They have determined what is the ‘ideal’ number of wolves in one particular area of Alaska referred to as Unit 13, and that magic number is between 135 and 165. This year, however, somebody determined that there are between 350 and 550 wolves in Unit 13, and they are concerned that the wolves will dine on the moose and … aw, golly gee, the hunters will be unable to kill moose!So … guess what they are doing to “manage” the number of wolves? It’s called ‘aerial wolf hunting’, and it is exactly what it sounds like … killing wolves with high-powered rifles from airplanes. For no reason other than that hunters want to be able to kill moose! Back when Sarah Palin was Governor of Alaska, she encouraged aerial wolf hunting, and even offered cash incentives!

Congress passed the Federal Airborne Hunting Act of 1972, which made it illegal for hunters to shoot animals from a plane or helicopter. However, once the Fish & Game guys determine there are “too many” wolves, then the government gives special permission for this mass slaughter. But, here’s the catch … how do you know how many wolves there are? Again, quoting from the article in the Anchorage Daily News …

“In recent years, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has been able to do population surveys and provide estimates that are a bit more reliable than those of the past. However, one needs to remember that although Unit 13 has boundaries, the wolves do not. [Emphasis added] Obviously real populations are difficult to accurately pin down.”

I’ve got news for these bloomin’ eejits … the wolves and moose were there long before humans were, and hopefully will still be there long after! They co-existed in nature without any manipulation by humans! People are the interlopers here, folks, not the wolves and not the bears … people.

Now, if we wish to take this a step further, to extrapolate some data here … as I mentioned in the beginning, humans have already overpopulated the earth. There are currently 7,558,988,647 humans on this planet as of the moment I am writing this, approximately 1:00 a.m. You can check for yourself. Go ahead … see how much it has increased since this writing. It is estimated that by the end of the century, at current growth rates, there will be more than 11 billion humans on earth. Such population cannot be maintained given the rapid depletion of non-renewable resources or given the degradation of the capacity of the environment to give support to the population. (Makes the anti-abortion crowd look rather silly, doesn’t it?)

So, what do you think? Humans have already proven that when it comes to making babies, they think more is better, so they aren’t likely to police themselves. Personally, I think China had the right idea with their ‘one child’ policy. But, given humans’ disdain for the lives of wolves, deer, and a host of other beautiful animals, what would you say to instituting a ‘predator management program’ similar to that in Alaska in order to thin the human population?

Now, before any of you start beating the keyboard sending me comments asking me if I’ve lost my marbles, yes, I am being facetious and no, I would not condone the random killing of humans simply to thin the pack. But there are two points I am trying to make here:

Humans do not have some superiority that gives them the right to kill animals for sport. They damn sure don’t have the right to decide how many of a certain species should be allowed to live in a specific area. The critters were here long before we were, they are far more beautiful, and far more self-sufficient than we are. Leave them alone!!!
You’ve heard the expression about making sure your own house is clean before you go about criticizing somebody else’s? Same applies here. We are doing a crap job of taking care of this planet. We spew toxins into the air, water and ground as if they would simply dissipate. They don’t. We spray chemicals on our food … chemicals that then contaminate our water sources. We are, whether the climate deniers would agree or not, destroying the only home we will ever have. No, folks, there is no home for us on Mars, or Saturn or the moon. Earth is it … and we are killing it.

I am appalled by the story about killing hundreds of wolves from airplanes just so there will be enough moose for hunters to kill and mount the heads over their fireplaces, bragging to their amigos. Want to impress your friends? Do something good like join Jimmy Carter in Habitat for Humanity and build houses for poor people. Volunteer at your local homeless shelter. That impresses me much more than the head of a moose who gave his life so you could brag.

Filosofa's Word

Cogito Ergo Sum

Category Archives: Rants

Another of those WTF Moments …

Deep Sighs From Deep Within …