Tag Archives: mask mandates

Snarky Snippets Must Be Shared!

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Filosofa seems to be filled with snark tonight.  I wonder if it might be the heat, humidity and poor air quality that have filled my poor head with so much snark?  Anyway, it seems unfair for me to have all the fun, so allow me to share some of my snark with you!

There actually were a few positive tidbits in the news yesterday, as it happens.  First, Donald Trump lost his appeal to delay his New York fraud trial.  It would seem that delaying tactics are the only thing Donnie has in his bag o’ tricks, and those are getting worn thin from overuse.

Second, the Biden administration announced that it will prohibit drilling in 13 million acres of pristine wilderness in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and cancel all drilling leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.  This is a huge win for the environment, for all of us!

Third, in Mexico the Supreme Court decriminalized abortion nationwide.  Apparently, contrary to what we’ve been told, Mexico is a far more progressive nation than the U.S.!!!

But alas, there was also much to set off my snark-o-meter …

The highly UNqualified senator from Ohio, the state I currently reside in, J.D. Vance, has proposed new legislation in the United States Senate titled the “Freedom To Breathe Act.”  The bill would make it illegal for the federal government, schools, airlines, and other public transit companies to require masks for the protection of the general public.  Covid cases and deaths are on the rise once again with the latest variant, but ol’ J.D. wants us to put ourselves at risk.  The man is a bloomin’ idiot!  But he is not alone …

Then there’s former Arkansas governor and two-time presidential candidate, Mike Huckabee (also the father of current Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders).  When they wrote the book “How To Be An Asshole”, they asked Mike for advice!  His latest lunacy is his statement yesterday that … “If these tactics end up working to keep Trump from winning or even running in 2024, it is going to be the last American election that will be decided by ballots rather than bullets.”  Fortunately, I don’t think too many people bother to listen to what a washed-up former governor has to say, but then all it takes is a few to get the ball rolling, as we saw on January 6th 2021.

And speaking of which … I was beyond pleased to see Proud Boys’ leader Enrique Tarrio sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in the January 6th attempted coup, but what I most want to see is those who plotted from behind the scenes, those who are awaiting trial down in Georgia … GO FANI WILLIS!!!  Lock ‘em up!!!  Every last one of them, up to and including the former guy.

Then there’s ‘Senator’ Tommy Tuberville who is currently sitting on more than 300 military promotions, leaving the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps with only ‘acting heads’.  One might think that a month-long paid vacation would have mellowed Tubs a bit, but nope … he’s as determined as ever to refuse to allow the Senate to do its job and confirm those promotions.  It’s somewhat reminiscent of 2016 when Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died in February, and then-Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to even consider confirming a replacement for nearly a full year in hopes that a Republican would win the election in November of that year and be able to have his pick.  Hmmmm … Tuberville … McConnell … dirty dealings?   🤔

And one last bit of snark, speaking of the Supreme Court.  That aforementioned sleight of hand was the beginning of the end of the legitimacy of the Court.  Today, trust in the Court is at a new low of 47%, as compared to 76% in 2009.  Part of the reason, of course, has to do with some of the extremely partisan decisions such as the Dobbs decision that have been handed down, and part no doubt is a result of the hanky-panky by Justices Alito and Thomas that has put the Court in the shadow of corruption.

Whew … I feel much better now that I shared all that snark!

Just Two Snippets de Snark

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Environmental Issues, guns, Law and justice, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I just have two short snippets of snark today.  Sometimes two is enough.

Pandemic or no pandemic???

“You cannot have your cake and eat it, too” said my mother on a near-daily basis.  And yet, that is precisely what a portion of this nation would like to do.  They pushed and pushed to declare the pandemic “over” and finally got their way.  Mask and vaccine mandates are largely now a thing of the past and people are going on about business as if there had never even been a pandemic. The girls and I went to 📚Barnes & Noble yesterday (first time since March 2020!), responsibly wearing our masks, and there was not one single other person there, not even the staff, wearing a mask.  There will be a price to pay for this perfidy, but that’s a story for another day.

Today’s point is that … while people selfishly wanted to believe and convince others that there is no longer a pandemic, they are now ranting and carrying on because President Biden lifted Title 42, a restriction against immigration put into place by the former guy because of the pandemic!  Now, if there is no more pandemic, then there must be no more Title 42.  If you want Title 42 to remain in place, then you must believe the pandemic is still a danger and must agree to mask and vaccine mandates!  You cannot have it both ways!!!

The reality, as we all know, is that a sizable portion of the people in this country are anti-immigration and they see the pandemic as an excuse to deny asylum to migrants and refugees.  Plain and simple bigotry.  Call a ♠️ a spade.

Right to life???  Don’t make me laugh

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, guns have become the leading cause of death for children and adolescents in the United States, surpassing car crashes, drug overdose and poisoning.

“There were more than 4,300 firearm-related deaths among people under 19 in the U.S. in 2020, a 29 percent increase from 2019.”

According to the report,  the rise in gun-related deaths among Americans between the ages of one and 19 was part of an overall 33.4% increase in firearm homicides nationwide.

Population of U.S.               330,000,000
Percentage of population that owns guns 32%
Number of gun owners in U.S.               105,600,000
# of guns in hands of citizens               390,000,000
Average # of guns per gun owner                              3.69

People scream and yell about the “right to life” when the subject is abortion, but nary a peep do you hear when the topic is kids being murdered by guns.  Way to go, Americans!  With more than 390 million guns owned by US civilians that we know of, and only a total of about 330 million people in the nation with only about 32% being gun owners, something is seriously wrong here. This means that on average, each of the 105.6 million gun owners owns 3.69 guns!  WHO THE HELL NEEDS 4 GUNS???  I guess it’s one way of cutting back the population … see, there’s a positive side to everything.

And a belated ‘toon in honour of Earth Day (yesterday) …

Oh Da Snark … Try Watching Grass Grow!

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, education, Environmental Issues, Political commentary, Social commentary

It seems I keep finding things to snark about.  I have tried to clear my mind of the detritus, tried lying in the yard watching the grass grow to find some peace of mind, but some of the blades of grass began looking like politicians after a while.  I threw myself into housework … for all of ten minutes … and then I was tired, so I went back to reading the news.  So, letting loose the snark here on ye olde blog seems to be the only way to evict it from my head!

Punished for doing the right thing

Okay, my friends … I’m going there again … ‘there’ being the place I try very hard to stay away from:  religion.  Well, not religion per se, but rather certain religious ‘leaders’ who have flown repeatedly onto my radar, almost as if they are begging me to swat them down.  Sigh.  I really don’t like delving into the realm, for I understand that in this area, I am a minority and my views have little or no value to the majority.  However …

Greg Locke, pastor of the Global Vision Bible Church in Nashville, Tennessee, is not a nice man.  He has floated across my radar numerous times, but until recently I swished him away, pooh-poohed him as just another foolish evangelical.  Until recently, that is, when he actually had the unmitigated gall to tell his congregation that if they wore a mask, they would be thrown out of church!

“If you start showing up [with] all these masks and all this nonsense, I will ask you to leave. I am not playing these Democrat games up in this church.”

‘Democrat games???’  Who’s playing games now, Greg?  What’s next for Mr. Locke?  Will he throw out parishioners who have been vaccinated?  What about those who eat healthy and exercise regularly … are they to be given the boot?  Folks, this is not about whether one chooses to believe in a higher being or not … this is about life and death, about personal choices, about our health.  Mr. Locke has just mandated that his congregation must engage in dangerous, life-threatening behaviour in order to have the dubious ‘privilege’ of hearing him opine on that of which he is proven ignorant.

This isn’t Locke’s first foray into the unconscionable.  Previously he insisted President Joe Biden was not legitimately elected and claimed only “crack-smoking” leftists would think he beat Donald Trump to the White House.  He has falsely accused the State of Tennessee of building ‘quarantine camps’ to house the unvaccinated, and last September he published a book titled, This Means War: We Will Not Surrender Through Silence (Pastor Greg Locke: Spiritual Warfare Series).

What a joke he is … I wonder how many people will die because they listened to him?

And on the subject of masks …

Do you ever look around, read the news, and just wonder if the whole damn world has lost its collective marbles???

On Tuesday night, a meeting of the school board was held in Williamson County, Tennessee, the wealthiest in the state and one of the 20 wealthiest counties in the country.  The purpose of the meeting was to decided whether or not there would be a mask mandate in place when children return to school next week.  Unlike some other states, there is no ban on mask mandates in Tennessee and the decision is left up to each school district.

The meeting was so chaotic that it ended up taking four hours to decide that yes, they would mandate masks for teachers and students at the elementary school level.  Masks will be optional at the junior high and high school levels where most students are over 12 years of age and thus eligible for vaccination.  Angry parents showed up, almost none wearing a mask, and frequently disrupted the meeting, expressing their fury that their child might be ordered to wear a mask.  One person became so violent that he had to be escorted out by county deputies.

But it was what came afterward that makes me think our nation is devolving into something cruel and inhumane.  As the meeting broke up, hundreds of protestors were waiting outside.  The meeting had included health care professionals who attested to the value of wearing a mask during this time when the Delta variant of the coronavirus is running rampant.  Upon leaving the building, the health care professionals were surrounded by protestors chanting and issuing threats such as “We know who you are,” and “We will find you.”

If this is what it means to be an American, then I want no part of it!  These people are loons!  Doctors and nurses, trying to keep the children of these loons safe and alive, are threatened for doing so.  PEOPLE!  WAKE UP!  This is not how rational human beings behave!!!  Or is it?  Are people completely losing the ability to disagree in a civilized manner?

Something to ponder

Our friend Jerry, aka Grumpy1180, left a comment on my post about Andrew Cuomo’s resignation that I found very astute …

I’ve had several epiphanies since leaving the Republican Party. Here’s one of them: When a Republican “leader” gets caught with his or her hand in the cookie jar–or his or her pants down, or choose your cliche–Republican followers turn on the accusers, the law enforcers, the court system, the media, and anyone else who would dare to question the integrity of their hero. They side with the person over the principle. When a Democrat leader gets caught violating a law or an important social norm, Democrat voters say, essentially, “Sorry, _____. I liked you, but principles come first. Time for you to move on and be replaced by someone who understands the importance of upholding crucial, society-sustaining principles.”

Think about that for a minute … he’s right!  Did you hear a single Republican call for Trump’s resignation in light of his many proven sexual harassment accusations, his lies, his corruption?  He even admitted to some of them, yet not a whisper was heard from Republicans in or out of Congress.  When confirmation hearings were being held for Brett Kavanaugh to occupy a seat on the U.S. Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, and a highly credible woman accused him of sexual assault, who did Republicans turn on?  The woman, not Kavanaugh.  And more recently … have you heard a single Republican call for Representative Matt Gaetz, who is being investigated on sex trafficking charges, to step down?

Think about it … which party has shown integrity?  Jerry is right … it damn sure ain’t the Republican Party!

Two Monsters In Governor’s Clothing

Posted on by under education, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

The state of Florida currently has more hospitalizations due to COVID than any other state in the nation.  Cases in Texas are also surging, sending hospitals scrambling to find ICU beds for all the patients.  Both of these states have Republican governors who are doing everything in their power to reduce the population in their states.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (left) and Texas Governor Greg Abbott

Both Governor DeSantis of Florida and Governor Abbott of Texas have banned mask mandates in their state, meaning that localities cannot legally put a mask mandate into effect in order to protect the people.  Bad enough under any circumstances, but now, with parents preparing to send their children back to school in a week or two, it is critical.

Columnist Greg Sargent has the latest on the battle between the governors, localities, and school boards …

The rebellion against pro-Trump, anti-mask GOP governors is gaining steam

Opinion by

Greg Sargent

Columnist

Yesterday at 11:04 a.m. EDT

Let’s state this up front: GOP governors are not required by some higher Trumpian law to use official powers to actively thwart efforts to fight the spread of the coronavirus. Some are choosing not to do that: In South Dakota, the governor left decisions about mask mandates to local officials, and in Arkansas the governor admitted that an earlier ban on them was an “error.”

But the Republican governors of Texas and Florida — Greg Abbott and Ron DeSantis — are in a class by themselves. Their states are seeing some of the worst surges of covid in the nation, yet they are continuing to hamstring local officials from acting to protect their constituents.

Which is why these governors are facing a rebellion of sorts. In both states, ABC News reports, officials are defying limits on mask mandates, setting up direct conflicts with those governors.

This will flush out into the open the truly twisted nature of what DeSantis and Abbott are doing. They piously claim to be defending their constituents’ freedom from government mandates. But they are using their power to prevent local officials from implementing basic public health measures in a highly selective way that is plainly molded around the obsessions of former president Donald Trump and his movement, not anchored in any genuine public interest rationale.

Local officials are rebelling

The derangement of this position is particularly clear in Texas. On Monday, Abbott announced that he is seeking the help of outside medical professionals to deal with the state’s covid surge. He is also asking hospitals to postpone all elective medical procedures as hospitals fill up.

Amid all this, the Dallas schools superintendent has reasonably announced that students, visitors and staff will have to wear masks in schools. He noted that the decision is an “urgent” matter of “protecting” children, teachers and workers.

Yet this directive required him to defy Abbott’s executive order barring mask mandates by government entities. To be clear, Abbott’s own actions amount to a stark admission that the state is in serious trouble — yet he continues to ban localities from taking measures to protect public health.

The absurd result, as the New York Times reports, is that local officials are scouring legal codes to find ways to get around Abbott’s blockade on implementing public health measures. This isn’t how officials should have to spend time and resources during a public health emergency.

In Austin, where cases are surging, local officials have recommended masking, but cannot require it, which has led the mayor of Austin to declare the situation “dire.” The Austin school district just announced a mask requirement, defying Abbott.

Meanwhile, in Florida, the superintendent of Alachua County Public Schools is moving ahead with mandatory masking. This is in defiance of DeSantis’s recent executive order empowering the state to withhold funds to punish school boards who implement mask mandates.

Incredibly, it appears DeSantis may make good on this threat. The superintendent, Carlee Simon, told “Morning Joe” on Tuesday that she’s received a letter from the state demanding justification for her move and essentially indicating that funding is at risk if she continues.

A handful of Florida parents are now suing DeSantis. One mom told CNN that she “never envisioned” that the governor “would actively be trying to harm my child,” and lamented correctly that limits on mask mandates are interfering with her son’s ability to get educated safely.

Anyone who has taken a young child to a camp or gathering this summer has witnessed how children playing together continue to drift inevitably into very close contact. It’s particularly ludicrous and venal to bar local officials from acting to defend these children from spread.

Abbott and DeSantis love to proclaim that they are defending the liberty of their states’ residents to proceed free of public health mandates, and that they should merely exercise “personal responsibility” in dealing with covid. But it’s hard to discern any genuine ideological vision here, since they have no apparent objection to all manner of other public health mandates.

“We have plenty of mandates,” Steve Vladeck, a law professor at the University of Texas at Austin, told me. “We require elementary school students to get various vaccinations. We require drivers to wear seat belts. We require adults to wear clothes.”

“There are any number of ways in which the laws of every state, including Florida and Texas, impose mandates that are designed to protect individuals,” Vladeck continued.

‘Covid exceptionalism’

All of which suggests that the real working ideology here is something you might call “covid exceptionalism.”

Obviously it would theoretically be possible for DeSantis and Abbott to believe, in good faith, that mandates against covid represent unacceptable incursions on liberty while other mandates do not.

But everyone knows the real reason DeSantis and Abbott are suddenly concerned with protecting people from public health mandates on covid in particular is that government officials eager to battle covid this way have become associated with assorted enemies of Trump and his following.

Because Trump and his movement have required this adherence to covid exceptionalism, local officials are being hamstrung from carrying out their own official responsibilities to act in defense of public health. It’s hard to find the right language to describe the seething contempt for public service and the public good that’s truly on display here.

Covidiots and Maskholes

Posted on by under education, Environmental Issues, Political commentary, Rants, Re-blogs, Social commentary

Our friend Jeff over at On the Fence Voters is angry, and I don’t blame him … I share his angst and anger on this issue. COVID in the U.S. could be but a distant nightmare today, but instead, thanks to politicians, the Republicans, the former guy, and willful ignorance, we are once again seeing surging cases and a rising death toll. We are still … those of us with any sense … confined mainly to our homes. It didn’t have to be this way … Thanks, Jeff, for sharing your thoughts on this, which are the same as my own.

On The Fence Voters

Please know that the derogatory title to this post only refers to those who refuse to do the right thing and help their fellow human beings by getting a shot and wearing a mask when necessary. By no means do I mean to offend anyone. But if I do? I couldn’t care less.

What’s it going to take, folks? How many more deaths? How much suffering must the American people endure? It appears that for a particular segment of society, there is no inflection point. Their minds are already made up, so the carrots our governmental leaders have extended to them are no longer worth continuing. It’s time to use the most oversized sticks we can find to whack them over their heads.

Enough.

I want to submit to you some statistics from the Del Norte County Public Health website that will give you a glimpse of what’s going on…

View original post 1,332 more words

So Much Snark, So Little Time

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

Having had a very rare decent night’s sleep last night, I awoke full of vim and vigor (or piss and vinegar as my grandpa used to say) and ready to snark away …

The long arm of da Fox …

Most people reading this blog don’t watch Fox ‘News’, for it isn’t a news network, doesn’t report news truthfully, and the opinions of their ‘hosts’ are typically far right and stepping into the realm of conspiracy theories.  However, if you think Fox doesn’t have an influence on the people of this country, think again.

Fox hosts have historically denigrated the vaccine, pushed wild conspiracy theories such as that the vaccine contains some sort of microchips that will track your every movement, etc.  Recently, though, the Fox hosts have changed their tune … along with numerous Republicans … and the likes of Sean Hannity, Steve Doocy and others have encouraged their viewers to be vaccinated.  Fox even went as far to show a graphic that “vaccines work” alongside data in order to encourage viewers to get the jab.

The only explanation I have for the about-face is that they noted Republicans, largely comprising the anti-vax crowd, were dying of COVID, while vaccinated people were not so much.  Since Fox changed their tune, there has been a shift in the mindset of its viewers.  According to a Morning Consult poll …

Vaccine “reluctance fell to an all-time low this week among adults who watch Fox News,” wrote the polling company. The reported findings are as follows, “27 percent of viewers now say they probably or definitely won’t get vaccinated, down from 30 percent the week before and a high of 37 percent in mid-March.”

Whatever works, right?  Of course, ol’ Tucker Carlson, America’s #1 Idiot, is still promoting lies about the vaccine and still denigrating it, but perhaps someday Fox viewers will wake up and realize that Carlson is naught but a political plant … one sans intelligence or conscience.

School Boards are telling DeSantis where to put his ‘order’

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis recently issued an order barring schools from implementing mask requirements for kids.  In my book, this is the height of stupidity … and cruelty.  He is finding out, however, just how little weight his ‘order’ carries.  According to Politico …

“Late Tuesday night, school board members in Alachua County in north Florida voted to require all students to wear masks during the first two weeks of school. And Wednesday morning, Leon County, which includes Tallahassee, announced it’s seeking a mandatory mask rule for students in pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.

Even the Broward County School District, which just days ago said it would comply with DeSantis’ order, announced Wednesday that it would keep its mask mandate in place for the foreseeable future.

The governor, who has consistently downplayed the threat of the virus, has banned cities and schools from putting in place Covid requirements like masks or vaccine passports.

District leaders are left to choose: Eliminate mask mandates or face the loss of state funding.

“As controversial as it may be, I absolutely believe this is the right thing to do temporarily until we have a better understanding of the Delta variant and the impact it has on school-aged children,” said Leon County Superintendent Rocky Hanna on Wednesday.”

It has long been rumoured that DeSantis is considering a bid for the presidency in 2024 … let’s hope this latest idiocy of his kills any notion he might have of throwing his hat in the ring.

Elaine Chao finally found a job!

In case you wondered what ol’ Elaine Chao, former Director of Transportation under the former guy, and wife of Senator Mitch McConnell, is doing now that she is out of government, wonder no longer!  This week, grocery giant Kroger named Ms. Chao to its Board of Directors.  Hmmm … looks like I might have to find someplace else to do my grocery shopping!  And I am not alone …

A slap on the wrist

The latest trend for those who participated in the attempted coup, the attack on Congress and the Capitol on January 6th, is to claim that they are ‘political prisoners’.  I say that is complete and total BULLSHIT, and it turns out that one of my favourite judges, Judge Amy Berman Jackson, agrees with me.

The case in which she so ruled was that of Karl Dresch of Michigan.  Dresch, or rather his lawyers, worked out one heck of a plea deal whereby Dresch pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge of “parading, picketing or demonstrating in the Capitol”.  But what is more important are the other four charges against him that were dropped in exchange for this single ‘guilty’ plea, including a felony count of obstructing an official proceeding of Congress.  Dresch attempted to claim that he was a ‘political prisoner’, that he was being singled out because of his political beliefs.  Judge Jackson was having none of it …

“He was not a political prisoner. We are not here today because he supported former president Trump . . . He was arrested because he was an enthusiastic participant in an effort to subvert and undo the electoral process.”

Judge Jackson sentenced Dresch to six months, his time in jail since his arrest on January 19th will count as ‘time served’ and he will now be released.  It is beginning to appear that few, if any, of the thousands who attempted to overturn our election, our very foundation of government, will pay much of a price.  I may be considered a hard-liner, but I don’t think a single person who entered the Capitol without legitimate purpose that day should serve anything less than 5 years, and those who caused any damage to property should serve 10 years.  If they assaulted a police officer … 20 years.  Good thing I’m not a judge, eh?

Hell No, They Won’t Go …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Environmental Issues, Political commentary, Social commentary, voting rights

Last night I read that a number of House Republicans are protesting the mandate that Congressional aides and visitors must wear masks, as per the U.S. Capitol Police.  Of course they are … that is all they do, is object to anything and everything. They are much like the annoying, obnoxious lawyer who jumps up and dramatically yells “Objection, your Honour” every time the prosecution calls a witness or asks a question.  I have referred to the GOP more than once as “The party of ‘No’” and this just proves my point.

The Republican members of Congress, with few exceptions, are parrots, repeating their chants over and over again, never speaking with intellect, never saying anything of substance.  It’s just a continual chant of “Hell no, we won’t go”.  Hell no, they won’t support the right of We the People, the taxpayers who pay their bloated salaries, to vote.  Hell no, they won’t support taking care of the people of this nation who have suffered financially and otherwise during this ongoing pandemic.  Hell no, they won’t tell their constituents to get the vaccine so that this nation might someday rise above the ashes of COVID.  Hell no, they won’t encourage people to wear a mask in order to protect themselves and others, for they won’t even wear a mask themselves.  Hell no, they won’t vote for an increase in the minimum wage such that every working person is at the very least above the poverty level.  Hell no, they don’t want an investigation into the attempted coup on January 6th because they are ALL complicit to one extent or another.  Hell no, the Republicans DO NOT CARE ONE WHIT for the people of this country.

I am sick and tired of listening to Kevin McCarthy telling lies that he knows are lies, as he tries to worm his way into the heart of only one person … the former guy.  I am fed up to the gills with Jim Jordan and his rolled up blue sleeves and yellow necktie (does the ‘man’ not own any other clothing?) as he continues to push back, without cause, against every single thing that President Biden and his administration are trying to do for We the People!  I literally feel nauseous every time I see the newbies like Margie Greene, Matt Gaetz, Josh Hawley, and Lauren Boebert pretend to be viable members of our legislative body, while at the same time toting guns into the Capitol, supporting conspiracy theories, and killing their own constituents by lying to them.

And what is being done to stop the madness?  Nothing.  Talk, talk, talk, and more talk on Capitol Hill, and nothing changes.  But it isn’t only the politicians … what the hell are We the People doing?  Nothing.  The anti-vaxxers are in the streets screeching about their ‘god-given’ right to refuse the vaccine, to refuse to wear a mask, but where are the protests about our constitutionally mandated voting rights being taken away?  The 2nd Amendment supporters are vocal enough, but where are the rest of us, those of us who believe that our right to safety is more important than their right to their killing machines?  Understand that I include myself in this conversation, for I’m not out protesting loudly, either, but merely sitting in my kitchen office writing a blog, occasionally writing to members of Congress to express my displeasure, and lying awake nights cursing at the ceiling.  We are, it seems, the silent majority.  Meanwhile, the Republicans are being heard loud and clear, killing whatever is left of this nation.  The Founding Fathers would not be proud of what we have become.

A few nights ago a friend left the following comment on one of my posts:

“And so America ends, not with a bang, but with a whimper. A voice from beneath the rubble, ‘I really didn’t mean to kill America. I just wanted to hear myself talk.’”

And you know what?  He’s not wrong.

A Damn Shame

Posted on by under Environmental Issues, Social commentary

Margie Greene is among the dumbest people in Congress and, in the grand scheme of things, is largely irrelevant since she sits on no congressional committees and doesn’t even show up for work most days, now that she and sex trafficker Matt Gaetz are taking their two-person show on the road.

Approximately 732,000 people live in Margie’s district in Georgia, most of whom are not vaccinated against COVID.  In fact, her district ranks the 8th lowest vaccination rate in the nation, out of 435 districts nationwide.  And sadly, Margie is largely responsible for this.  She with her wild QAnon theories and denial of mask mandates, social distancing, and vaccines, has convinced the people in her district that the only thing they need to do to stay safe is … wait for it … lose weight.  Yep, folks, Margie used to run a gym, so she knows these things. 🙄

I wonder if the people in her district are starting to doubt Margie … now that a five-year-old child there has died of the coronavirus?  Yes, you heard me right … a little boy just five years old.  His father’s Facebook page is heartbreaking …

“My little buddy. My best friend. My helper.”

A few days ago, Greene’s Twitter account was temporarily locked after she tweeted two claims about coronavirus vaccines that weren’t true. In one, she said that vaccines and masks shouldn’t be mandated but, instead, that the government should “help people protect their health by defeating obesity, which will protect them from covid complications & death, and many other health problems.” In the other, she said that “vaccines should not be forced on our military for a virus that is not dangerous for non-obese people and those under 65,” then claimed that there were thousands of “vax related deaths.”  I wonder where Margie got her medical degree???

Earlier this week at a news conference, Greene was asked by a reporter …

“Do you feel any responsibility for keeping people in Georgia safe? There are children, skinny people who have died of the coronavirus. Do you feel any responsibility to the people of Georgia?”

Her response?  She laughed.  I wonder how the parents of that five-year-old feel, hearing their elected representative laughing about the death of their son?  She replied to the reporter …

“You crack me up. You know what? I think people’s responsibility is their own.”

Reminds me of a time when the former guy was asked about his bungling of the pandemic and he said, “No, I don’t take responsibility at all.”  More than 625,000 people have died of the virus in the U.S., including one little boy only five years old, and nobody takes responsibility at all.  Isn’t that a damn shame?

Trump’s Legacy: The Right to be a First Class Jerk

Posted on by under education, Election 2024, Environmental Issues, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Re-blogs, Social commentary

As always, our friend Jeff over at On the Fence Voters is spot on … take a look for yourselves! Thanks, Jeff! As always, you da man!

On The Fence Voters

Boorish, idiotic, and rude behavior didn’t begin with the election of the disgraced former 45th president. In my nearly six decades on this earth, I’ve run across several of these types — present company excluded. However, what we see these days when it comes to a lack of basic decency and etiquette, I will lay a considerable, if not primary, blame at the feet of the failed blogger/president. When historians take a look back at his failed presidency, surely this will stand near the top of his already disastrous legacy.

Ever since the infamous ride down the golden escalator, we’ve been subjected to his insults, lies, and politically incorrect behavior. His command of the daily narrative, usually starting early in the morning before most of us had started sipping our coffee, ruled the media throughout his four years in office. They, and many in public, couldn’t wait to hear what he’d…

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A Few Coronavirus Thoughts …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Political commentary, Social commentary

With some 156.2 million people in the U.S. partly or fully vaccinated against the coronavirus, there is much to be pleased about.  That is, after all, nearly half the population of the country.  But wait … it’s not quite time for cheering and bow-taking just yet, for there are still the other half that are not yet vaccinated.  A large number say it infringes on their “rights” and they do not plan on being vaccinated.  Others are still convinced by the conspiracy theories that the pandemic is a hoax, or that the vaccine is the government’s way of implanting a microchip in their body, though for what purpose is anybody’s guess.

The bottom line is that while at one point last month, 100,000 were being vaccinated every day, the number has slowed down significantly, and many states are requesting that the government send them less than originally requested.  I have a couple of points to make about the current status quo.

First, the State of Ohio, a state that is withholding the extra $300 per month in federal unemployment benefits passed by Congress and signed by the President as the American Rescue Plan, is now planning to use those funds to establish a lottery to bribe people to get vaccinated.  Yes, you heard me right.  Rather than use the money for the purpose for which it was intended – helping people buy groceries, pay bills, seek medical treatment – it will be spent to award five $1 million prizes to people who get the vaccine in five weekly drawings beginning on May 26th. Talk about a reverse Robin Hood — taking money away from those in need and giving it to those who will never again struggle to buy food, if they ever did. We have to PAY people to protect their own health???  What the hell is the matter with people???  Meanwhile, struggling families will still be facing unpaid rent and utility bills, and wondering how they will feed their children.

Ohio Governor Mike DeWine

This is not and never was the purpose of those funds!  Governor Mike DeWine, who I have long considered to be one of the saner, more moderate Republican governors, made the announcement in a speech last Wednesday and seemed quite pleased with himself.  I find it abhorrent that he’s playing a lottery game with people’s lives, and I strongly suspect his decision to redirect funds that were supposed to be used to help the unemployed survive, to providing a financial windfall for just five people is illegal.  Remember folks, this is federal money, so your tax dollars are in play here!  In addition, he has said that he would be lifting all health orders that were enacted during the pandemic on June 2, except for those affecting nursing homes and assisted-living facilities.  That includes the mask mandate, social distancing rules for bars and restaurants, and more.  Which brings me to my second point.

The CDC suddenly reversed course and said that it is no longer necessary for those who are fully vaccinated to wear a mask in public venues.  I think this is the height of stupidity for a number of reasons.  First, how can you tell who has been fully vaccinated at a glance.  You can’t.  Republicans have been running around sans mask whenever they could get by with it since day one, and we all know there are many who will simply shed the mask whether vaccinated or not.  Second, over just the past two days, there have been 65,000 new cases reported in the U.S.  Granted, that number is significantly smaller than it was a few months ago, but 65,000 is nothing to sneeze at, either.  I may not be as bright as the scientists at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), but when I hear we’re still averaging over 30,000 new cases each day, then I know the virus is not gone, is not ‘under control’.

So, what happens in the coming few weeks when every Tom, Dick and Harry sheds his mask and goes back to living a ‘normal’ life, frequenting bars, restaurants, amusement parks, sitting within inches of others, nobody wearing a mask?  Take a wild guess?  Yep, the number of cases will rise, the number of deaths will rise, and we’ll be halfway back to square one.

I have as much difficulty wearing a mask as anyone.  Last week, I wore one for 20 minutes and almost passed out for lack of oxygen.  But I will continue to mostly stay home, go only to the grocery store once a week with a mask on my nose and mouth, and a bottle of hand sanitizer or disinfecting wipes in one hand.  If I can nearly die of suffocation from wearing a mask but do it anyway, then surely the rest of the fools in this country can wear one too.

I saw a comment on Twitter yesterday where a guy said “I will continue wearing a mask in public, because I don’t want to be mistaken for a Republican.  That would be so embarrassing.”  I have to agree with him.

Look, people, I think President Biden and his team have done one hell of a good job getting the vaccine where it is needed, encouraging the public, but the truth is we are not out of the woods yet.  Let common sense be your guide, please.  Remember that there are a number of new variants out there, and it has not yet been determined whether the current vaccines are fully effective on each of them.  Oh, and yes, I will be getting the vaccine soon, along with my granddaughter, and no, I will not enter that damn illegal lottery!  They can keep their blood money.