MURDER!!!

Posted on March 15, 2022 by jilldennison under animals, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, guns, Law and justice, Rants, Social commentary

WARNING: This is a rant, and one for which I make no apologies.

Humans comprise only 1 of 2.12 million species on the Earth today that we know of. Some scientists believe there are actually somewhere between 5 million and 10 million species on the planet. Think about that one for a minute … we are not the ‘be all and end all’ of the planet, although it seems we are trying very hard to end life on this planet for most all species including ourselves. The one thing that humans take the #1 place for, though, is arrogance. Humans evolved and at some point, decided that they are the most valuable, superior species on Planet Earth. To that end, mankind has somehow concluded that it is his “god-given right” to kill members of every other species either for food or for sport.

Do you remember a man named Greg Gianforte? He was a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 2017-2021 and is now the governor of Montana. But what Gianforte is most famous for is beating up a member of the press, Ben Jacobs of The Guardian, simply because he didn’t like the question Mr. Jacobs asked him regarding his view on health care policy during his 2016 campaign. Gianforte tried to claim that Mr. Jacobs had grabbed his wrist, but that was proven to be a bald-faced lie by witness testimony and recordings of the event. In the 2016 election, Gianforte was elected despite (or perhaps because of?) his assault on the reporter … says something about the state of Montana and its people.

Gianforte lasted only four years in Congress but is now the governor of Montana and never has there been a more despicable example of the human species. What has he done now, you ask?

It happened last December 28^th when Gianforte decided to commit murder. The 5-year-old mountain lion was wearing a GPS-tracking collar that Yellowstone biologists use to monitor the rare and elusive predators. Park staff knew the animal by its research number: M220. I have no idea what gave Gianforte the notion that what he was about to do was in any way fair or honourable, but what he did was chased the mountain lion with hounds until it ran up a tree for safety, at which time Gianforte and his friends shot and killed the lion.

Look at this face … isn’t it far more beautiful than that if its murderer, Greg Gianforte?

There was no ‘fair fight’ … Gianforte and his group had 4 bloodhounds and hi-powered guns that could cover a distance far greater than the lion could, while the lion had only his claws and teeth and he could not possibly have gotten close enough to cause so much as a scratch on any of those so-called ‘men’.

This was far from the first murder Gianforte has committed upon other species. Less than a year earlier, Gianforte killed a Yellowstone wolf in a similar area that was also wearing a tracking collar, prompting an outcry among environmentalists. On October 28, 2000, he was fined a measly $70 for violating state Fish and Wildlife Commission rules by killing an elk. In February 2021 while governor, he violated state hunting regulations when he trapped and shot an adult black wolf known as “1155”. This sorry excuse for a ‘man’ believes he has a ‘right’ to murder innocent animals for trophies!

Gianforte grins as he shows off his “trophies”

Gianforte has four children … this ‘man’ should NEVER have been allowed to reproduce! Why isn’t this ‘man’ in prison??? He committed a crime … a crime against this entire nation, against all inhabitants of this planet!

While I believe that Gianforte is among the very worst examples of the human species, there are others vying for that title. In a period of just under six months last year, hunters shot and trapped 25 of Yellowstone’s wolves — a record for one season — the majority killed in Montana just over the park border. The hunting has eliminated about one-fifth of the park’s wolves, the most serious threat yet to a population that has been observed by tourists and studied by scientists more intensively than any in the world. The Republican-controlled legislature in Montana passed laws mandating a decrease in the state’s wolf numbers and allowing hunters to catch wolves in neck snares, hunt them at night and lure them with bait, sometimes chopping off the animals’ feet and heads, among other atrocities.

A wolf’s carcass left to rot by murderous hunters

I’ve long said, only half-jokingly, that if I get the chance to come back to Earth again, I’m coming back as a wolf. I still hold that hope, for I’ve always felt that the wolf is my ‘spirit animal’ if such a thing exists, but today I hope that if I do return to Earth as a wolf, it is almost anyplace other than the United States! People here love their guns and are so damned arrogant that they believe they are superior to every other species and that it gives them the right to murder members of other species. Heck, I won’t even kill an ant or cricket I find in my house if there’s any way to rescue them and return them to nature! Apparently I am an anomaly among the human species, at least in this backward nation!

Meanwhile … no, humans, you are quite possibly the most flawed species that exists today. You fight against doing those things that might ensure the survival of yours and others’ futures here on Earth, but would rather keep driving your big cars, keeping your house the perfect temperature, and buying more and more ‘boys toys’ — guns to kill, to murder. To murder … helpless wolves, mountain lions and other beautiful animals who have never harmed you in any way.

AAAARRRRROOOOOOOOO

Posted on March 28, 2021 by jilldennison under animals, Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Just one short snippet for this Sunday morning, for I am both exhausted and discouraged and most anything I write is going to come out surly at best.

Mr. Greg Gianforte first popped onto my radar in May 2017 when he beat up a reporter … yes, physically beat up Ben Jacobs, a reporter from The Guardian during a campaign event. The fools in Montana elected him to the U.S. House of Representatives anyway, and last year they went one better and elected him as the governor of Montana.

Beating up a reporter who was simply trying to ask a question is a serious crime, one worthy of some prison time and certainly not one to be taken lightly, as the people of Montana have apparently done. Gianforte had a history of abusing and damning the press even before the 2017 event, and he does not, obviously, have the temperament to be in government … in any position.

But what he did last month is, to me, worthy of a life-long prison sentence. He committed murder. Yes, murder … for no good reason whatsoever, he trapped and killed a black wolf in Yellowstone National Park. Now, I’m in a rage because of what he did to the wolf … a collared wolf, meaning he was under the protection of the park. Others, however, are only upset that Gianforte didn’t take a mandated trapper education course before murdering the wolf. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. He was given a warning, no fine, and is being allowed to keep the beautiful victim’s head and hide for … bragging rights? The wolf, No. 1155, was born in the park, was estimated to be 6 or 7 years old and had been collared by park biologists in 2018.

This wasn’t Gianforte’s first murder, either, for in 2017, the same year he beat up Ben Jacobs, he murdered a bull elk and was given only a warning and a $70 fine. Okay, as far as I’m concerned, we can cut Montana out of the United States map, if people there are stupid enough to first send this evil idiot to Congress, then elect him to the governorship, and not care that he murders beautiful, defenseless animals. Gianforte, by the way, received a written warning. He better hope that when I come back to earth as a wolf I don’t land in Montana!

And now I shall go howl myself to sleep …

I Thought We Were Better …

Posted on November 10, 2019 by jilldennison under Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

There was a big college football game between Louisiana State University and the University of Alabama, to be played on Alabama’s home field yesterday afternoon. For some reason that still evades me, Trump and Melania attended the game … at our expense, of course.

Now, in recent weeks, Trump has received less than warm receptions at other sporting events, such as game #5 of the World Series where Washington Nationals fans ‘boo-ed’ him and chanted “lock him up!” One Fox News commentator said …

“They should hold those fans accountable. You don’t boo the president! You show respect to him!”

Excuse me, sir, but respect is earned, and thus far Mr. Trump has done nothing to earn mine. Though I have mixed feelings about the boo-ing and chanting, it is a means of peaceful protest, and I’m pretty sure that had I been at that game, I would have boo-ed as loud as any.

And then, there was the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) last week that was attended by Trump, accompanied by his sons Junior and Eric and Republican lawmakers Kevin McCarthy, Mark Meadows and Peter King. The crowd there also jeered the party, and some even held signs calling for Trump’s impeachment and removal. One gets the impression that he is not as well-loved by ‘everybody’ as he claims, yes?

So, fool that he is, he made plans to attend this Alabama college game. College campuses were almost made for protest, it seems. Young people in the U.S. today are politically savvy and most are not very happy with the way the country is being run, so it stands to reason that there will be protests, right? But wait! Officials at the University of Alabama declared that any students caught “disrupting” Trump’s visit would lose their reserved seating for the remainder of the season. This is a direct violation of students’ First Amendment right to engage in peaceful protest, to make their voices heard.

And so it was that Trump received a ‘warm’ reception at the game on Friday night. Too bad … I think it would have been appropriate if everyone had protested by boycotting the game. But, there was at least one protest outside the stadium …The baby Trump balloon was on display at a park near the stadium! For a few minutes, anyway … until some over-zealous Alabaman/Trumpian decided to … slash it!According to one of the organizers of the protest …

“It was a random dude just ran up to the balloon, stuck a knife in it, and ran off. We had police close by because of another driver earlier, so they went over and arrested him and his getaway driver.”

Three things bother me greatly about this:

Why has Trump, with Melania in tow, wasted taxpayer money and his time to attend three separate sporting events in the course of two weeks? Does he really have so much free time on his hands? Is there not work he could be doing? Is this what we pay him for??? Or are we paying to feed his over-bloated ego, paying for him to “be seen” by his loyal masses?
If the students of the University of Alabama had to be threatened in order to give Trump a ‘warm’ reception, doesn’t that tell you something about the sentiment of the public toward Trump? And … where were the students’ first amendment rights? I know it’s Alabama, but last I looked on the map, it is still one of the 50 ‘United’ states, and as such, its people have the same rights, as afforded by the U.S. Constitution, as any of us.
Where is the civility? I do not recall a single time that anybody acted in this manner when President Obama made a public appearance. But then, I don’t recall Obama ever acting in the manner in which Trump acts in public, either. Perhaps it’s true what they say, that sh*t flows downhill, and Trump’s behaviour has flowed all the way down to his fans. But, are we really going to allow Trump’s behaviour and hateful rhetoric cause us to regress as a society to the point that we cannot even allow a peaceful protest?

The right to peaceful protest is one part of the foundation of this nation. But, like every other right, it is contingent on accepting the responsibility that accompanies it. When protests turn violent, we risk losing that right. But, think about it … remember during the 2016 campaign when more than once, Trump urged people to perpetrate violence on protestors? Remember he even told one group at a rally that he would pay their legal bills if they were arrested for beating up protestors? I wonder if he will offer to pay the legal bills for the man who slashed the balloon? Remember when Trump applauded then-candidate, now-Congressman Greg Gianforte for beating up a reporter who simply asked him a question he didn’t like?

No matter what side of the political fence a person is on, there is simply no excuse for violence. This, coupled with the lunacy of the gun culture in this country, is a recipe for disaster. I thought we were better than this, but more and more I’m learning that we are not.

And So It Begins …

Posted on November 8, 2018 by jilldennison under Free Press Issues, Political commentary

Jim Acosta

Jim Acosta, one of CNN’s most astute reporters, has had his press pass, his access to the White House, revoked “until further notice”. Why? Because he was doing his job, he was asking questions. The same as Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs was doing when then-candidate for the U.S. Congress, Greg Gianforte, took umbrage and knocked Mr. Jacobs to the ground and proceeded to beat him. A year later, Donald Trump praised Gianforte for his actions, and now Trump has barred Mr. Acosta.

Jim Acosta was doing his job … he was asking Trump questions like why he lied about the migrant caravan, calling it an ‘invasion’, asking why he was demonizing immigrants. He was, in other words, doing precisely what we want our free press to do … holding the president accountable for his words and actions. See for yourself …

As you can see, an intern attempted to take the microphone from Acosta and he did nothing but hold onto the microphone and turn slightly to keep her from taking it from him, for he had not gotten an answer to his question about the highly controversial, racist ad that Trump ran at the end of the mid-term campaign. Trump put an end to Acosta’s questions, calling him a “rude, terrible person”, and the microphone was removed from Acosta’s hand by a White House staffer.

Later in the day, Acosta attempted to return to the White House for a scheduled program with Anderson Cooper, but was stopped outside the White House by Secret Service agents, one of whom blocked his way, and another of whom asked Mr. Acosta to hand over his press credentials, which he did without argument.

Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders lied … blatantly lied about the interaction between the intern and Mr. Acosta, saying …

CNN Producer Allie Malloy responded to Sanders via Twitter: “This is a complete lie. The woman grabbed Jim’s arm repeatedly. He never once touched her. In fact at one point @Acosta tells her politely ‘pardon me, mam’ as she’s yanking on his arm.” As you saw in the video, Acosta did not “place his hands” on the intern.

April Ryan

The news conference lasted one hour and 26 minutes, and Acosta was not the only reporter denigrated by Trump. April Ryan, also with CNN, attempted to ask a question about voter suppression concerns, when Trump said to her …

“Sit down please. Sit down. I didn’t call you, I didn’t call you, I didn’t call you.”

Yamiche Alcindor

Toward the end of the event, Yamiche Alcindor, a correspondent for PBS “NewsHour,” asked Trump about the widely shared view that his rhetoric has emboldened white nationalists. Trump’s response was to tell her that it was a ‘racist question’ and then proceeded to tell her (falsely) that he had the highest poll numbers ever among African-Americans. Watch …

The White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) issued the following statement in response to Acosta’s press credentials being suspended:

“Journalists may use a range of approaches to carry out their jobs and the WHCA does not police the tone or frequency of the questions its members ask of powerful senior government officials, including the President. Such interactions, however uncomfortable they may appear to be, help define the strength of our national institutions. We urge the White House to immediately reverse this weak and misguided action.”

Friends, this is the most egregious abuse of power, the most blatant attempt to shut down the free press, that we have seen from Donald Trump to-date. This cannot go unnoticed, cannot be allowed to pass without comment. Please ask yourself this question: What next? The answer should scare you … it scares the hell out of me.

**Here is the full White House statement:

“President Trump believes in a free press and expects and welcomes tough questions of him and his Administration. We will, however, never tolerate a reporter placing his hands on a young woman just trying to do her job as a White House intern. This conduct is absolutely unacceptable. It is also completely disrespectful to the reporter’s colleagues not to allow them an opportunity to ask a question. President Trump has given the press more access than any President in history. Contrary to CNN’s assertions, there is no greater demonstration of the President’s support for a free press than the event he held today. Only they would attack the President for not being supportive of a free press in the midst of him taking 68 questions from 35 different reporters over the course of an hour and a half — including several from the reporter in question. The fact that CNN is proud of the way their employee behaved is not only disgusting, it is an example of their outrageous disregard for everyone, including young women, who work in this Administration. As a result of today’s incident, the White House is suspending the hard pass of the reporter involved until further notice.” — Sarah Sanders

ENOUGH!!!

Posted on October 19, 2018 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Free Press Issues, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

A number of things in the news caught my eye today, made me shake my head, roll my eyes, and say … You have got to be kidding me!!! Five years ago, most of what we see in the news today would have been unthinkable … it would have seemed like the thoughts of somebody with an overactive imagination … on steroids! But today, the world that could never be … is. Is it here to stay? I think that pretty much depends on us. We better figure it out soon, though.

The headline reads …

Men and Christians experience higher amounts of discrimination than other groups, Trump voters claim

…more than women, LGBTQ people, Muslims, or non-white people.

And I said … Say WHAT???

How often do you hear of an unarmed white male being shot multiple times until dead by a cop? How often, really, do you even hear white males called ‘honky’? How often do people call the police on white males just because they were walking down the street, or swimming in a pool? How often are white males denied service in a bakery, restaurant or hardware store?

According to a recent and fairly extensive survey by YouGov and The Economist, people who voted for Trump believed that Christian males were the most likely to be discriminated against. More so than women, African-Americans, Hispanics, and even LGBT people.

75% of democrats said that white people have it easier than other races, while only 20% of republicans thought that to be the case. 45% of democrats said that Christians have it easier, but only 11% of republicans. When asked about the level of discrimination against Arab-Americans, 56% of democrats felt it was significant, while only 17% of republicans saw it that way. And when it came to discrimination against African-Americans, 61% of democrats felt the level of discrimination was high, while only 10% of republicans believed it.

This was an interesting survey, covering a wide variety of topics from how other countries are perceived, to how effective the response to Hurricane Michael was to gun control, LGBT rights, the economy, and more. Thus far, I have only viewed a few topics, but as you can see, it would appear that republicans and democrats view the world through an entirely different set of lenses. Perhaps this is part of our problem?

Here is a Trump tweet that has everybody rolling in the aisles …And this comes just one day after Mitch McConnell promises/threatens to renew the attempt to repeal ACA immediately following the mid-term elections next month! Methinks the first person da prez needs to talk to is ol’ Mitchie!

Twenty republican-led states have filed a lawsuit claiming that the ‘pre-existing conditions’ clause is unconstitutional, and the Department of Justice is supporting that view. And just last week, 50 Republican senators approved the Trump administration’s expansion of health plans that can deny coverage to people with pre-exiting medical conditions.

President Trump Healthcare Press Conference

Ha ha ha ha ha ha

So, just what alternative universe did Trump wake up in yesterday morning??? It’s bad enough that he is a rotten president who cares not a whit for the people of this nation, but when he thinks we are so stupid that we cannot see the lie, the utter insanity in his words?

Remember back in May 2017 out in Montana when the republican candidate for the House of Representatives, Greg Gianforte, beat a reporter for The Guardian with his fists for simply asking a question, doing his job? Gianforte won the election anyway and now sits in the House. That was 17 months ago, but last night at a rally in Montana, Donald Jerk Trump brought it up again, praising … yes praising … Gianforte for his actions!

“We endorsed Greg very early. But I heard that he body-slammed a reporter. This was the day of the election or just before, and I thought, ‘Oh, this is terrible! He’s going to lose the election.’ And then I said, ‘Wait a minute, I know Montana pretty well, I think it might help him.’ And it did. He’s a great guy. Tough cookie. Greg is smart. And by the way, never wrestle him. You understand. Never.”

And the crowd cheered. Need I say more?

Folks, the state of this nation is the worst it has been in my lifetime. I have lived through the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Cold War, the war in Vietnam, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, the Civil Rights movement, the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, and much more. But even during those events, I never felt that the country wouldn’t be alright in the long run, never felt the sense of hopelessness that I feel today. I never felt that half the people were so determined to destroy all that was ever good about the U.S. This nation is a runaway train heading for a long downhill stretch with a treacherous curve somewhere in the middle, and the train is without an engineer. Instead, there is a madman posing as the engineer and half the people on the train are blind and deaf. It is past time that we stand firm and say, “ENOUGH!”

How Kind, Mr. Ryan …

Posted on February 4, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

Paul Ryan’s net worth is reported to be $7 million. Not a lot by the standards of the top 1%, but a figure that is beyond imagining for most of us … the other 99%. Yesterday, Ryan was apparently attempting to convince his Twitter followers how wonderful the tax bill passed by Congress in December was, when he tweeted …

$1.50 per week, $78 per year. Mr. Ryan likely throws away $78 without a thought on any given day. I doubt there is an article of clothing in his closet that costs less than $78. I am willing to bet that some members of Congress have paid that much for a pair of bloomin’ socks! This, as much as anything, offers proof that our elected representatives are completely oblivious to the needs of those they supposedly represent.

After he came under fire from some of us in the 99%, he removed the tweet, but once seen, it cannot be forgotten, and fortunately it was seen by enough, recorded by the media, that it is not going away anytime soon.

A recent comment on one of my posts noted that the ever-widening gap between “us” and “them” is likely to lead to the next civil war in the United States. They may be right, for it is clear the people who are making the laws under which we all must live are not only out of touch with We The People, but that they plan to stay that way.

Do you know who the wealthiest member of Congress is? Greg Gianforte, with a net worth of $315 million. You remember Greg, right? He’s the one who, on May 24, 2017, the night before he was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, beat up a reporter from The Guardian who was only doing his job, asking a question. Gianforte didn’l like the question. He was conviceted of a misdemeanor, but was nonetheless elected and still has his $315 million. If I had done that, I would still be in jail, and would still be poor.

Mind you, I have no problem with people who work hard, are innovative and earn their way, having millions of dollars. None at all. There surely must be rewards for hard work and innovation. However, we do not need people representing us, people making decisions that affect our very lives, who cannot even comprehend what it is like to have to decide between paying the telephone bill or putting food on the table.

To see Mr. Ryan patting himself on the back for passing a bill that will benefit his wealthy friends to the tune of millions of dollars, while giving the secretary an extra $78 in a year is sickening and disgusting. And it’s even worse than it appears on the surface, for in early 2019, when that secretary sits down to prepare her income tax return, she will find that $78 and possibly more is going right back to Uncle Sam, for she will no longer be allowed to take certain deductions that she was once able to.

The really sad part is that those who are seeing an extra dollar or two on their paychecks may well praise the republicans for their tax bill, may go to the polls in November, before they have seen the ultimate outcome of their “tax cut”, and vote the same rich candidates right back into office.

The upper 1% see the rest of us as fools, and perhaps we are. It is time for us ‘fools’ to awaken from our dream where we believed that our elected officials were actually looking out for us, for our best interests, for they are not and perhaps never were.

We did not need that extra $1.50 nearly as much as we needed Congress to work toward fixing what was wrong with ACA, but instead they have fractured it to the point that it no longer guarantees affordable healthcare to all. We did not need that $1.50 nearly as much as we needed regualtions on fossil fuels that would put us on the path to a cleaner environment. We needed regulations on the banking industry that would prevent the likes of the Koch brothers from causing another crisis such as we saw in 2008, where many of us in the 99% lost a significant portion of our retirement funds. We needed reforms in our education system that would make college more affordable for all, not just those in the upper echelons. No, we did not need an extra $1.50 on our paychecks that is but an illusion to begin with.

Paul Ryan, Mitch McConnell and most of all Donald Trump are so out of touch with the reality of the people they purport to represent that it is unconscionable. I wonder how these people can look themselves in the eye when they shave or brush their teeth in the mornings. I wonder how they fall asleep at night.

Think about this, republicans, as you boast and toast the fact that your guys have a majority in Congress, that your guys are in charge and leading the way toward “making America great again”, that your guys have those ‘liberal snowflake democrats’ under their heels. They aren’t doing you any favours, and the only people for whom they are making the nation great are themselves.

As for you, Mr. Paul Ryan, you can take that $1.50 and put it you-know-where. A civil war of the 1% vs the 99%? Think it’s impossible? I wouldn’t be too sure. We in the 99% may be fools in believing you and your cohorts actually represent our best interests, but eventually the day will come when we say, “ENOUGH!!!!”

Paul Ryan’s home

Other homes in Ryan’s hometown

Sunday Morning Snippets …

Posted on October 22, 2017 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Social commentary

Rather than a more in-depth post, I have put together a few snippets, bits of this ‘n that, from the past few days, for there has been so much “news” that it is a bit overwhelming at the moment. Snippets are always fun on a lazy Sunday morning, yes?

The “lady” is packing …

I’m sure you all remember back in May, when Greg Gianforte, then a republican candidate from Montana vying for the seat in the House of Representatives vacated by Secretary of the Interior, Ryan Zinke, body-slammed and physically beat Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs. The incident took place on the eve of the election, and even so, Gianforte went on to win the seat in Congress. Mr. Jacobs was a reporter … doing his job … doing what reporters do … trying to get answers. Now, five months later, for some reason, an obscure Montana Republican party official, Karen Marshall, while giving a radio interview said …

“If that kid [Jacobs] had done to me what he did to Greg, I would have shot him.”

Seriously? This is how party officials talk these days? Oh yeah, well we do have a president who has been sued thousands of times and who has been accused of sexual assault at least 16 times, yet he won the election. And a representative who beat up a reporter, and he won the election. I guess there are no longer any rules of etiquette in the political forum. My own fighting instincts surfaced and I had a response on the tips of my fingers to Ms. Marshall, but then, Michelle Obama’s voice entered the back of my mind, saying, “When they go low, we go high”, and I bit my tongue … er, fingers. However, let it be known that I think Ms. Marshall is very un-qualified for her position and should be terminated for making that statement in a public venue.

Greg Gianforte mug shot

On the other hand, perhaps it says more about the voting public, that they are willing to vote for people of such low values and ill-repute.

The Bannon cannon fires another shot in the dark …

Good ol’ Steve Bannon has been fodder for this blog far too many times, and today … he’s baaaaaack. “What now?” you ask in your tired voices. Remember earlier this week, when former President George W. Bush gave a speech whereby, without mentioning Trump by name, he very eloquently put Trump down? Well, apparently Stevie Bannon took umbrage. Speaking to a crowd of about 500 people at a California Republican party convention on Friday night, Bannon said …

“He embarrassed himself. The speechwriter wrote a highfalutin speech. It’s clear he didn’t understand anything he was talking about … He has no earthly idea whether he’s coming or going, just like it was when he was president of the United States.”

As my late grandmother would have said, chutzpah! Steve Bannon, self-defined white supremacist, the man who said he would like to tear down our system of democracy and start over, has the unmitigated gall to say this about a former president who, while not my favourite, has at least a thousand times more class than Bannon. Some days, you just have to laugh at it.

Oh, and by the way … the “crowd” of 500? They each paid $100 for the dubious honour of listening to this fool speak. Just goes to show that some people have more money than good sense.

Words from the King of Calypso …

Most of my readers, I think, are old enough to remember the silvery voice of Mr. Harry Belafonte. He is in a class by himself, an entertainer, for sure, a beautiful singer, but so much more. He was a civil rights activist, working closely with Dr. Martin Luther King throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and even lending financial support to Dr. King’s family during lean times. He is also a humanitarian and political activist, his causes far too numerous for this brief snippet. I will likely be writing more about Mr. Belafonte soon, but today I merely wish to report on his appearance at Carnegie Music Hall Friday night … an appearance that is said to likely be his last. He spoke on a number of topics for nearly two hours, reminiscing about his life and his career. And he took a moment to add his voice to so many others of late, such as Senator John McCain and former Presidents Bush (Jr.) and Obama, when he said that in electing Trump, “the country made a mistake and I think the next mistake might very well be the gas chamber and what happened to Jews [under] Hitler is not too far from our door.”

Martin Luther King & Harry Belafonte

I have many fond memories of Mr. Harry Belafonte and his music. One of my long-time favourites is one of his first hits, The Banana Boat Song, and I would like to share this with you in honour of not only a great entertainer, but a great and wise man.

A few good men …

Five former U.S. Presidents, Barack Obama, George W Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Jimmy Carter appeared in Texas on Saturday at a concert to raise money to help those caught up in the devastating trails of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria. We did not hear any of them whining about how Puerto Rico was a disaster, nor did we hear them bragging about what a good thing they were doing. They just went and did.

All five presidents appeared on stage for the anthem, before taking their seats to watch acts including Lee Greenwood, who opened with Proud to be an American, and Lady Gaga. These guys are a class act, and the difference between them and the current occupant of the Oval Office is that of night vs. day. Some of these gentlemen I have liked better than others, but on Saturday, it was “politics aside, people need help and we are here to try to help”. I don’t know about you folks, but my hat is off to them.

And that concludes Filosofa’s Sunday morning snippets. No, it is not a regular feature … it comes along when my mind bounce is such that I cannot seem to delve deeply into a single story. Happy Sunday, friends!!!

Monsters Walk Among Us …

Posted on October 1, 2017 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Social commentary

An editorial in the OpEd section of the New York Times crossed my path last night. The author is Erick Erickson, a politically conservative American writer and radio host. I would like to share the first part of his editorial …

“A year ago my life went to hell. After I declared myself unable to support the election of Donald Trump because of my faith and conservative convictions, three protesters showed up on my front porch. They did not threaten physical harm. But they did express feelings of betrayal and declared their intention to ruin my career as a conservative talk radio host and writer. I needed to carefully reconsider, or else.

I just could not bring myself to do it. For the next three months, we had armed guards parked outside our house. People called my radio station demanding I be fired. My children came home from school in tears because other kids were wondering when I would be shot or telling them about all their family members who hated me.

A woman in my wife’s Bible study group said that she and her friends wanted to punch me in the face. For a while we stopped going to church. At the grocery store, my children were accosted by a stranger yelling that their father was destroying their lives and the country.”

Is this, then, what our nation has become? Do we somehow believe that it is alright to threaten and bully a man’s children because we may not agree with his political views?

Erickson is not the only journalist who has been on the receiving end of this abominable behaviour. Jared Yates Sexton, a New York Times contributor and assistant professor of creative writing at Georgia Southern University has received a number of threatening messages since unveiling the internet troll who created the video clip that shows Trump beating a reporter with a CNN logo for a head. One such threat warned him of a looming “journocaust” — presumably a holocaust for journalists.

In May, Greg Gianforte, the millionaire Republican running for Montana’s open congressional seat, beat up a reporter from the Guardian. He nonetheless won his election bid. What message does this send? What message does it send when the man who occupies the Oval Office posts a video of himself beating up a reporter? These people have been elected to represent this entire nation of over 300 million people, and yet they cannot act with dignity, they cannot show respect for human life? What are we thinking? Are we thinking?

Yes, some of our leaders and elected officials are sending the message that it is okay to exert violence on those who disagree with them, but still … it is we who bear the responsibility. We are the adults here. Do we not have enough good sense to act in a humanitarian manner? Do we not have enough humanity to realize that, even if Trump & Co. imply that it is alright to threaten harm to children, we know that it is indeed not okay? Do we no longer have consciences?

My mother had a saying when I was a child, “If so-and-so tells you to jump off a bridge, are you going to do it?” The point, of course, was that I should think for myself rather than blindly follow any one else. It appears that some people in this nation need to learn that lesson. Or … even scarier … are they thinking for themselves and this horror is the result of their thought. Donald Trump, Greg Gianforte, and others in positions of trust own this nightmare. But so do We The People. We own our thoughts, actions, and the results of those actions, and I thought we were better than this.

I try to be professional and not indulge in name-calling … sometimes I even succeed. But I am going on record here and now as saying that any person … ANY PERSON … who threatens a person, or most of all that person’s family over political differences is a monster. The lady in Erickson’s wife’s Bible group? She is not a Christian, but she is a monster. The stranger who accosted his children in the grocery store? A monster. Frankenstein was an angel compared to these monsters.

In the words of CNN commentator, Ana Navarro, Trump “is going to get somebody killed in the media. Maybe that will stop him.” I once thought it might, but that was before I came to know him and came to know that he is an empty shell of a man, filled with hot air, and lacking a conscience, lacking any sense of decency. Now I know that the death of a reporter would not faze him. Donald Trump is a lowlife, and apparently at least some in this country wish to lower themselves to his level and wallow in the filth with him. I still believe in the basic goodness of mankind, but I wonder if this disease is not spreading? Are those who support Trump so afraid that they must fight even young children? What is it they are afraid of? Where, along the way, did these people lose their compassion, their humanity? And the biggest question of all … how do we stop this terrible disease that is threatening to destroy our country?

This Cannot Continue …

Posted on July 3, 2017 by jilldennison under Free Press Issues, Political commentary

The Founding Fathers gave the free press the protection it must have to bare the secrets of government and inform the people. – Supreme Court Justice Hugo Black

Contrary to what Donald Trump has claimed repeatedly, the press is not the ‘enemy of the people’. The press does its job to inform the people of what is happening in the government we support, both financially and with our votes, as well as what is happening around the world. Sometimes they make mistakes, sometimes perhaps they cross a line, but for the most part, they are our lifeline to the world and to our own government. Without them, we would have become a dictatorship many years ago, I think.

Donald Trump showed no love for the press, putting them down, mocking, and criticizing at every turn during his campaign. Some believed that once he took office he would find ways to be more ‘presidential’, rather than doing things like mocking a disabled reporter. I never believed he would tone down his rhetoric against the press, and had deep-seated concerns that he would, in fact, turn up the volume until his verbiage had the effect of curtailing the freedom of the press and binding their hands. It would seem that he is well on his way to attempting to do just that.

On Saturday night, Trump attended an event to benefit veterans where he gave a speech, much of which addressed his feud with the media rather than anything to do with veteran affairs. “The fake media is trying to silence us, but we will not let them. The people know the truth. The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, but I’m president and they’re not.”

But worse was yet to come. At 9:21 EDT on Sunday (02 July 2017) morning, Trump twitted a tweet that included a video. It is a 28-second clip that shows Donald Trump at a pro wrestling event, body-slamming to the floor a man with a CNN logo for a head. Some of his fans laughed at the video. Others rolled their eyes. But it was taken seriously by members of the media, some of whom have faced threats for their reporting. This three-ring circus is what the office of the president has been turned into, folks.

Can anyone even begin to imagine what would have happened if President Obama had posted a similar video???

It is crude and crass and diminishes the respect of the office, to be sure. But equally alarming is the stage it sets for Trump, his minions in the White House, and worst of all, his supporters, to further attempt to denigrate the press, tarnish their legitimacy, and promote violence against reporters who are trying to do their job. In recent weeks, there have been a number of slaps-in-the-face to the press, starting with disallowing audio and video recordings of White House press briefings. This latest is a blatant attempt to discredit the press, and encourages those who would incite violence.

CNN issued the following statement:

“It is a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters. Clearly, Sarah Huckabee Sanders lied when she said the President had never done so. Instead of preparing for his overseas trip, his first meeting with Vladimir Putin, ‎dealing with North Korea and working on his health care bill, he is involved in juvenile behavior far below the dignity of his office. We will keep doing our jobs. He should start doing his.”

A director of the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said, “Charged rhetoric online undermines the media in the US and emboldens autocratic leaders around the world”. And one of the most legendary media figures, Carl Bernstein, said “It’s just not anti-CNN, it’s anti-freedom of the press.”

Homeland Security advisor Tom Bossert dismissed the idea that the tweet might be a threat, while he praised the president for “genuine” communication. “No one would perceive that as a threat; I hope they don’t.” Perhaps he has forgotten about the incident in May when then-candidate Greg Gianforte physically beat up a Guardian reporter the day before the election – and was elected in spite of his vicious behaviour! And certainly he has forgotten the mentality of a large portion of Trump supporters who are energized by his cheap, trashy talk.

Trump most certainly DOES incite violence with his ill-chosen rhetoric, and he is obstructing the press from doing their jobs, though I have no doubt that they will continue to do their jobs, perhaps even more diligently now, while learning to tune out the head clown in this circus.

Past presidents have been critiqued by the press, and every single one has been frustrated from time to time with the press. However, past presidents learned to work with the press, not against them. Nixon, Bush, Clinton, and even Thomas Jefferson railed against the press on occasion, but none have ever taken it to the degree that Trump has, none have ever crossed the line that begins the destruction of a free press. Mr. Trump has repeatedly denigrated various members of the press in very personal, vicious and crass ways. Take, for example, his tweets last week against the hosts of Morning Joe:

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don’t watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..

…to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year’s Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!

Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad!

At least three Republican senators spoke out against these tweets:

Lindsey Graham: “Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America.”

Ben Sasse: “Please just stop. This isn’t normal and it’s beneath the dignity of your office.”

Susan Collins: “This has to stop – we all have a job – 3 branches of gov’t and media. We don’t have to get along, but we must show respect and civility.”

The time has come to put an end to this madness … the circus train has gone off its tracks and is rolling down a very steep, dangerous mountainside, threatening to wipe out the homes of freedom, respectability, sanity and life itself in the U.S. I call on every member of Congress, regardless of party affiliation, to do the right thing and start impeachment proceedings immediately, before the circus train becomes even more out of control. We The People cannot stand for any more of the moronic behaviour coming out of the White House, and as long as the head clown is driving the train, it will never stop. And I call on those who have chosen to bury their heads in the sand, who think “this too shall pass”, to wake up, for by your silence, you are helping to allow this to become our ‘new normal’. We have lost our good standing in too many nations around the globe already, but now we stand to lose the one institution that stands a chance to protect us from the evil within: the free press. WAKE UP CONGRESS!!!

What Happened in Montana???

Posted on May 28, 2017 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Social commentary

My question for the day:

What to make of a nation whose populace praise violence and elect representatives who physically beat reporters?

What, exactly, happened in Montana, and what are we to think of a state that elects a candidate who physically beat a reporter, then lied about it, and only admitted and apologized after he won the election. And what must we think of a nation whose president applauds this action and goes so far as to offer to pay the offender’s legal fees? You will note that I have many questions, but not many answers.

The story:

On Thursday, Montana held a special election to replace former representative Ryan Zinke, who is now Secretary of the Interior (more about that in another post). The two major candidates were republican Greg Gianforte, a technology executive, and democrat Rob Quist, a folk singer. The majority of Montanans vote republican and Trump won big there last year.

: Greg Gianforte

: Rob Quist

On the night before the election, Ben Jacobs, a reporter for the Guardian, asked Gianforte a question pertaining to the disastrous healthcare bill that passed in the House a few weeks ago. Rather than answer the question, Gianforte grabbed Mr. Jacobs by the throat, slammed him to the ground and began punching him. Mr. Jacobs’ glasses were broken and he was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he was treated for his injuries. Gianforte was charged with misdemeanor assault. End of Gianforte’s political aspirations, right? WRONG.

Thursday night, Gianforte won the election by six percentage points, proving once again that many in this nation have sold their consciences down river. As I watched the results start rolling in around 10:30 EDT on Thursday night, it brought back memories of another election just over six months ago. And just as on that fateful night of November 8^th, I felt tears pooling in my eyes. Not so much, I think, for the fact that another republican beat out a democrat, but for the statement that win made, a statement that says: We the people of the United States of America no longer value kindness, compassion and freedom, but we value only money and power.

Gianforte has a history of antagonizing the press. In April, he pointed out a reporter and suggested that the crowd should all “gang up on him”. His estimated net worth ranges between $65 million and $515 million, which apparently gives him a sense of superiority and entitlement. And … surprise … he owns approximately $250,000 unsanctioned stock in a Russian company.

Gianforte initially denied his assault on Mr. Jacobs, despite the fact that there were four eye witnesses to the incident. Even a Fox reporter, Alicia Acuna, was horrified:

“Gianforte grabbed Jacobs by the neck with both hands and slammed him into the ground behind him. Faith, Keith and I watched in disbelief as Gianforte then began punching the man, as he moved on top of the reporter and began yelling something to the effect of ‘I’m sick and tired of this!’”

Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin:

“Following multiple interviews and an investigation by the Gallatin county sheriff’s office it was determined there was probable cause to issue a citation to Greg Gianforte for misdemeanor assault. Greg Gianforte received a citation on Wednesday night and is scheduled to appear in Gallatin county justice court between now and 7 June 2017.”

Only after being declared the winner of the election did Gianforte offer a tepid apology:

“When you make a mistake, you have to own up to it. That’s the Montana way. Last night I made a mistake and I took an action that I can’t take back. I’m not proud of what happened. I should not have responded in the way that I did and for that I am sorry. I should not have treated that reporter that way and for that I am sorry Mr. Ben Jacobs.”

Predictably, Donald Trump called the election results “a great win in Montana”.

How did this happen:

Quite possibly the assault on a reporter by the republican candidate might have cost Gianforte the election except for two things:

Montana has early voting by mail, and 37% had already cast their ballots via mail before the assault took place. Some actually called and asked to get their ballots back, but of course at that point it was too late.

The democratic candidate, Rob Quist, was not a strong candidate at all. He has no prior experience that would qualify him for the position, but then neither does Gianforte. He has a history of unpaid debts and property taxes, which the republicans made the most of during the campaign. Quist was able to raise only half as much money for his campaign as Gianforte. The national DNC is concentrating most of their efforts on the Georgia race and Jon Ossoff, and largely considered Montana a ‘waste of time’. Quist is being sued by a former band member and also by a contractor, both of whom say he did not pay them. All in all, Quist was not a viable candidate and the Montana Democratic Party did little, if anything, to help him, while Trump and Pence both traveled to Montana to speak at rallies on behalf of Gianforte.

The message:

The message it sends when a man with a short fuse who beats up a reporter for asking a legitimate question is the same message we heard on November 8^th last year when a man who had encouraged violence at rallies, who had threatened and bullied those who opposed him was elected to the highest office in the land. The message it sends is that we are no longer a kind, caring and compassionate nation, but rather one with little regard for our fellow human beings. Is it likely that we will see more of these brash, violent bullies elected to Congress and governorships? Possibly. I hope not, but quite possibly others will look around and think that if a person like Trump, a person like Gianforte, can be elected, then almost anyone who says what people want to hear, can win an election. And perhaps what it says is that people like violence, that respect and kindness no longer matter. Perhaps it says that this nation has sunk to a new low, one from which it may never come back.

Filosofa's Word

Cogito Ergo Sum

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