A New World Leader …

Posted on February 7, 2019 by jilldennison under Global Issues, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Today, I would like to pay tribute to our neighbors to the north by sharing the work of one of my favourite New York Times columnists, Nicholas Kristof. His words need no further introduction from me.

Thank God for Canada!

Our boring neighbor is a moral leader of the free world.

By Nicholas Kristof

Opinion Columnist

February 6, 2019

After the Canadian foreign minister, Chrystia Freeland, tweeted concern about Saudi Arabia’s imprisoning of a women’s rights activist, the crown prince there seemed to go nuts.

Saudi Arabia announced that it was expelling Canada’s ambassador, halting flights to Canada, ending purchases of Canadian wheat, recalling students from Canada and selling off Canadian assets. Did the United States or other Western countries stand up for an old friend and ally, Canada?

Not a bit.

“The United States doesn’t have to get involved,” Heather Nauert, then the State Department spokeswoman, told reporters.

Yet Canada stuck to its principles. When a young Saudi woman, Rahaf Mohammed Alqunun, fled to Bangkok last month and warned that she would be murdered by her family if she was forced home, it was Canada that again braved Saudi fury by accepting her.

Freeland was at the airport to welcome Alqunun as a “very brave new Canadian.” And Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t mince words, saying, “We’ll stand up for human rights and women’s rights around the world.”

Canada may be one of the world’s more boring countries, as yawn-inspiring as sensible shoes — wake up, reader, I know you’re snoozing!— but it’s also emerging as a moral leader of the free world.

There’s no one else. The United States under President Trump is on a nationalist tear. Britain’s leaders seem determined to drag their people over a Brexit precipice. France is distracted by protests. Germany is preparing for succession.

So Canada is stepping up.

Jessie Thomson, left, and Amany Alhadka, right, were among the countless Canadians who helped Syrian refugees acclimate to their new country.CreditCreditJustin Tang for The New York Times

During the worst of the Syrian refugee crisis, President Barack Obama admitted just 12,000 Syrians and provoked a furious backlash, including Trump’s Muslim ban. Canada accepted 40,000 Syrians, with Trudeau appearing at the airport to hand out winter coats to these new Canadians.

All around the world, doors to refugees were clanging shut. But Canadians were so eager to sponsor Syrians that organizations were clamoring for more of them. Canadian politicians are mostly rewarded for showing compassion.

Trump gets headlines with his periodic threats to invade Venezuela to topple President Nicolás Maduro, but Canada has been quietly working since 2017 to help organize the Lima Group of 14 nations pushing for democracy in Venezuela. When Canada recognized the opposition leader Juan Guaidó as interim president, he won credibility because nobody sees Ottawa as an imperialist conspirator.

Canada has spoken up about the mass detention of about one million Muslims in the Xinjiang region of China even as Muslim countries have mostly kept mum, and it detained a Chinese executive at the request of the American government. China retaliated by arresting Canadians and sentencing one to death, but Canada is sticking to its guns — even as Trump undercut Canada by suggesting that the case against the executive might be dropped for political reasons.

For aid programs in the developing world, countries usually try to finance big, glamorous projects that will get lots of attention. Instead, Canada champions programs that are extremely cost-effective but so deathly boring that they will never be discussed on TV — initiatives like iodizing salt to prevent mental impairment.

Reader! Wake up!

Still, Canadians can be devious. A couple of years ago I sought an interview with Trudeau for a piece about Canada’s successes — and he kept stalling. Aides explained that praise from an American might damage his relations with Trump. That may have been the first time I’ve had a leader resist laudatory coverage.

Whenever I say something nice about Canada, I get indignant emails from Canadian friends pointing out the country’s shortcomings (which are real). Fortunately, Canadians don’t seem capable of mean emails. Not even of mean tweets. One study found that Americans’ tweets are loaded with curses and words like “hate”: Canadians’ tweets are larded with “awesome,” “amazing” and “great.”

(Note: Ignore all the bits about Canadians being nice when playing hockey with them. In the rink, they’re brutes.)

Off the ice, Canadians pursue policies that are preternaturally sensible. Canadians regulate guns, oversee the banking sector so as to avoid financial crashes, and nurture entrepreneurship and economic growth without enormous inequality.

Typically, more Canadians use mass transit, and the country has better traffic safety laws, so that the vehicle fatality rate there is half that of the United States’. If the United States had Canada’s traffic death rate, we would save more than 20,000 American lives a year.

Today there’s a vacuum of constructive global leadership. Canada may be incapable of a mean tweet, but it’s tough when necessary — and it may be the leader the world needs.

I want to move to Canada!!!

Sickening …

Posted on December 13, 2018 by jilldennison under Environmental Issues, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

I did not realize I was feeling ill until the following “breaking news” came popping up on my phone last evening …

House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows is no longer under consideration to be Donald Trump’s chief of staff.

“Congressman Mark Meadows is a great friend to President Trump and is doing an incredible job in Congress. The President told him we need him in Congress so he can continue the great work he is doing there,” White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.

Meadows, a staunch Trump ally, had been a top contender for the position, and he had signaled his interest in recent days. But ultimately, aides said the president thought it best for him to remain in Congress, where he can continue to be a strong defender of the administration.

Now, first off, I am glad that Meadows, who is a grade-A, bigoted, radical right-wing jerk, is not going to be the new chief of staff. But when I read that he is doing “an incredible job”, my stomach churns, and when I read that he is to stay in Congress “so he can continue the great work …” I am full on sick to my stomach.

For those who may be unfamiliar with Mr. Meadows, let me summarize …

Meadows voted against relief for Hurricane Sandy in 2013
He is anti-abortion and anti-birth control
Oddly, he claims to support a balanced budget, though he has largely contributed to the highest deficit we have seen in six years
He demanded that Trump get rid of all federal funding to study climate change
He also requested Trump repeal environmental regulations including the Renewable Fuel Standard, stop the prohibition of drilling oil on federal lands, and pull the US out of the Paris Climate Agreement
Meadows voted against renewing the Violence Against Women Act
He has proposed that the United States should tap into oil and gas reserves to keep energy prices low, and to develop energy independence. He supports tapping into off-shore oil and gas supplies
Meadows opposes same-sex marriage
Meadows opposes any restrictions on gun purchases and opposes a national gun registry that would list detailed information about firearm ownership
He has voted numerous times to repeal the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act
He supports tax cuts for the wealthy and large corporations, and is against net neutrality

Well, you get the picture. Mark Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, and member of the U.S. House of Representatives from North Carolina is the worst of the worst of the republican party. In essence, if it is good for the wealthy and bad for the rest of us, he is for it. If it helps the average Joe, he will fight against it. And he is considered one of Trump’s closest allies in Congress. That tell you something? This is a man whose conscience is measured in dollar signs.

And so now you might understand why, when I hear Sarah Huckabee Sanders and Don Trump refer to him as “doing an incredible job”, I feel ill. An incredible job at what??? Destroying the nation and the global environment? Sending women’s rights back two centuries? You might ask just what the good people of North Carolina were thinking when they elected him for a fourth term last month, but the reality is that his district is so heavily gerrymandered that almost all minorities have been excluded. He campaigned for the 2018 elections by touting his support of the madman Trump, while claiming that any republicans who didn’t support Trump should be removed from office.

Mark Meadows is, contrary to Ms. Sanders and Mr. Trump’s opinion, not doing a great job at anything. He is the poster boy for why we need to have all district maps re-drawn to appropriately represent the voters.

So, we are left with the question … who will be the next chief of staff? Nick Ayers and Rick Santorum have thus far turned down the job, Mark Meadows is out of the running … who’s left? The three leading contenders appear to be acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, a former campaign manager David Bossie, and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie. But then, who knows … by tomorrow it could be Daffy Duck! Whoever it is, I’m sure he or she will make a lovely addition to this circus of clowns.

It’s Still A Man’s World …

Posted on September 29, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

There were about 125.9 million adult women in the United States in 2014. The number of men was 119.4 million. At age 85 and older, there were almost twice as many women as men (4 million vs. 2.1 million). Women, in other words, comprise over half the population of the United States. Now, let’s look at Congress.

Of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, 84 are women, or 19.3%
Of the 100 members of the Senate, 23 are women … 23%

So, women comprise approximately 51.3% of the nation’s population, yet only a mere 20% of our main governing body. Does anybody besides me see anything wrong with this picture??? And interestingly, of the 107 women in Congress, 78 are democrats and only 29 are republicans, a ratio of nearly 3:1. And this, in spite of the fact that the republicans hold a majority in both chambers of Congress!But, there is something wrong with the title of this post. Yes, it is still, as the above statistics show, very much a man’s world. But what about this …

Of the 435 members of the House of Representatives, 48 are African American, or 11%
Of the 100 members of the Senate, 3 are African-American, or 3%

African-Americans, in other words make up only 9.5% of our main governing body, even though they comprise 12.6% of the population. A little closer than women, but still not equitable representation.The point being that the U.S. Congress is largely comprised of white males. And so, is it any wonder that when it comes time to confirm a potential Supreme Court justice, and the nominee is one who is likely, given the chance, to trample all over women’s rights, we are not represented? When said nominee is also accused of having sexually assaulted women in his past, it doesn’t matter, for those who will judge him are white males, many of whom have likely done the same themselves. They share a wink-wink and say, “Ahhh … the good ol’ days, eh? But that’s long ago, and he shouldn’t have to pay for what he did 30+ years ago, right?” And once again, we are not represented. If you doubt that there is the pervasive attitude among some, but certainly not all men, that women are put on earth for their (men’s) pleasure, just look at how many men have been brought low in the past two years by the #MeToo movement. Look at Bill Cosby, Matt Lauer, Mel Gibson, Charlie Rose, Harvey Weinstein, Roger Ailes, and the list would take the next 15 pages or more, but you get the idea.

Remember Brock Turner, the former Stanford University swimmer who received naught more than a slap on the wrist for raping an unconscious woman on campus after a party? Even though he was found guilty on three felony counts, he got off lightly because a) his daddy had money, and b) well … boys will be boys, right — wink, wink? The judge said he saw no reason to ruin young Turner’s life and sentenced him to only six months. Turner served 90 days in prison.

The Senate Judiciary Committee that heard the testimony of both Dr. Christine Ford and Brett Kavanaugh is comprised of 21 members: 11 republicans and 10 democrats. The next day, Friday, a vote was held, and predictably 11 members voted to move Kavanaugh’s confirmation out of committee and to the full senate for a vote. 10 voted against. Can you guess who voted how? There are four women on the committee … all four are democrats.After the vote, retiring Senator Jeff Flake called for an investigation by the FBI prior to the full senate vote. A noble gesture for which he is being lauded. However, the fact is that he voted “Aye” in the committee vote speaks louder. Another, Senator Lisa Murkowski, also called for an investigation prior to the full senate vote, leaving Donald Trump with no choice but to order the investigation. However, he ordered a ‘limited’ investigation on Friday evening, giving the bureau only until next Friday to present their results. I see this as paying lip-service, an attempt to appease those of us who believe that Brett Kavanaugh is not who or what he purports to be and is not qualified to sit on the highest court in the land.

The face of ugly

All else aside, Brett Kavanaugh has shown us an ugly side this week, vacillating between fury and whining. Even if he hadn’t lied under oath and if he didn’t sexually molest Dr. Ford, his emotional instability and his lack of respect should disqualify him. The behaviours he has exhibited this week would have disqualified any woman who had been facing a confirmation hearing.

My best guess is that either a) the FBI investigation will be so limited in scope and time that it will turn up nothing to disqualify Mr. Kavanaugh, or b) no matter what the investigation reveals, Kavanaugh will be confirmed anyway by the mostly male senate. I hope I’m wrong. I also hope that Brett Kavanaugh is not confirmed to the Supreme Court, for he is very much a partisan, and I fear will not ever be capable of being fair and impartial. We shall see.

Women’s ‘Rights’? HAH!

Posted on September 21, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

Way back in the beginning days of this nation, women were not allowed to own property, nor were they allowed to vote. Women were basically considered, as were African-Americans, to be chattel, possessions. Gradually … and I do mean gradually, ever so s-l-o-w-l-y … women gained a few human rights, such as the right to own property (1848-1895) and the right to vote (1920 – 19^th Amendment). It would be 1963 before it was decided that women should receive equal pay for performing the same job duties as men.

Women’s rights has been every bit as much a struggle as were civil rights for African-Americans, albeit not as violent. By the end of the 20^th century, most would tell you that women were now fully equal in the eyes of the law to men, that the barriers for women’s equality had been removed. Remember back in the 1970s, the advertisements for Virginia Slims cigarettes, whose slogan was “You’ve Come A Long Way, Baby!”? But in this, the year 2018, I would argue that we’ve still got a long way to go. Two issues prove my point.

The first, is whether a woman has sovereign rights over her own body, and anyone but a fool knows the answer to that is that ‘no’. There is a push today, mainly by the Republican Party on behalf of the evangelical Christians, to deny women access to both birth control and abortion. Strange, don’t you think, that there is no hue and cry about men obtaining drugs such as Viagra, but women and birth control is a different matter.

In 1973, the issue of abortion was settled by the Supreme Court in the case of Roe v Wade, and it was ruled that a woman has the right to seek an abortion if she so chooses. But the ruling has been the subject of much criticism by Christian churches, and in 2016, when Donald Trump was campaigning for the office of president, he appealed to the evangelicals by promising to appoint judges who would overturn Roe v Wade.

Furthermore, access to birth control has been challenged and although the Affordable Care Act (ACA) requires that employer-sponsored health insurance must provide coverage for birth control, again the Christian groups stepped in and the courts have ruled against women’s rights. Newly-minted Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch is partly to thank for that one.

There is much, much more I could say about these assaults on women’s rights, but I want to move on to my second point, which is the one prevalent in today’s news, and that is the right of women to be respected, to be taken seriously, to not be turned into a sex object and the brunt of male perversity.

The subject, of course, is Dr. Christine Blasely, the woman who came forth to tell of the time, some 30+ years ago, that Brett Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her during a party. I won’t re-hash the details, for you’ve heard various versions likely hundreds of times in the past week unless you’ve been in a coma. But my point is the abysmal treatment Dr. Blasely has been afforded ever since she came forward. She has been called a ‘liar’, it has been suggested that she made up the story at the behest of the Democratic party, and she has received death threats.

Donald Trump and the members of our not-so-illustrious congress have cast aspersion on this woman and attempted every trick in the book to browbeat and bully her. And in so doing, they have set women’s equality back decades. Rather than jump to claim she is lying, why didn’t those in charge of the confirmation hearings order an investigation to bring the event into the open, to put to rest any doubts? Why? Because they know. Somewhere deep down, they know that she is not lying. They know that their esteemed Brett Kavanaugh is guilty as charged. They know that this will likely, if taken seriously, be the nail in the coffin of Kavanaugh’s confirmation. And they know the price they will pay from the ‘man’ in the Oval Office if they fail to complete their mission of confirming Kavanaugh quickly before the democrats find their voice in November.

Senator Scott Newman: “Even if true, teenagers! Frankly, I don’t believe her.”
Kavanaugh spokesperson/activist Josh Marshall says it’s not clear that the incident was attempted rape as opposed to just “rough horseplay”.

Remember in 2016 when the Access Hollywood tape came out with Donald Trump making disparaging remarks about his treatment of women? His defenders, despite evidence that he was indeed guilty of multiple cases of sexual abuse, brushed it off as only “locker room talk”.

Tell me, folks … if the tables were turned … if a female nominee were accused by a man of having groped him, attempted to disrobe him, and clapped her hand over his mouth in order to keep him from calling for help, would the senators be so glib? I think not. I think they would pretend to be horrified and decide early on that she was not qualified to sit on the bench of the U.S. Supreme Court. But, the ‘good ol’ boys’ network is alive and well, and instead of horror, there is a wink-wink, a knowing smile, and ultimately a confirmation of a man with too little integrity.

But understand, please, that Dr. Blasely is not the first, nor will she be the last woman to be treated in such a manner. Women throughout the ages have been disbelieved or expected to accept sexual abuse as their due. Sure, we’ve “come a long way, baby”, but make no mistake … women do not have equal rights in 21^st century America, and I despair that we ever will.

** Here are links to two excellent timelines of the history of women’s rights, in case you’re interested:

A Woman’s Right …

Posted on July 2, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

It is likely that the fight over the next Supreme Court nominee will boil down to a single issue: abortion. Some claim that the entire 2016 election was largely about the issue of abortion and a lead-up to this moment. Now mind you, the abortion issue as per the historic 1973 Roe v Wade decision, is far from being the only human rights issue that is endangered by the threat of yet another ultra-conservative ideologist on the Court. Same-sex marriage, LGBT rights, freedom from religious mandates, immigration, and many other issues stand to be endangered. I will deal with each of those in the coming week or two, but the initial fight will likely center around Roe and abortion. As usual, I have a few thoughts on the matter …

The issue of abortion is … or at least ought to be … a personal one. Roe v Wade was not about abortion as much as about the right of a woman to have a say about what happens to her body and in a broader sense, her life. Now here’s the thing … if you are a religious person and believe that life begins at the exact moment of conception, believe that a fetus is a sacred being, that is certainly your right. Nobody is trying to challenge your beliefs, nobody is trying to take away your rights, and nobody is ever going to force you to have an abortion! Your right to give birth to as many children as you wish is safe. BUT … the rest of us have rights also, and while we are carefully not trampling on yours, we ask that you not trample on ours. Live and let live. Women do not choose abortion lightly … it is an agonizing decision for each woman, and one that she will live with for her entire life. Don’t make it harder for her with your holier-than-thou protests and denigrating remarks. Just sit down and shut up.

Why do women choose to have an abortion? In most cases it is because they are not able to take care of a child at this point in their lives. The reasons may be immaturity, i.e. the high school girl who was careless and found herself pregnant while still a child herself. Financial reasons are a major factor … consider the single-mother who already has 2-3 children and is struggling to keep a roof overhead and food on the table. In some cases the mother’s health may be in danger. The bottom line is that none of us are in that one woman’s shoes or can know what factors are driving her decision, and it is not our place to take the decision out of her hands, forcing her to possibly endure a lifetime of hardship.

One of the things that puzzles and annoys me most about this argument is that the anti-abortionists claim to feel a responsibility to the ‘life’ of a fetus, to give it an ‘opportunity’ to live, but then once a child is born, they wash their hands of it. It is for this reason that you will not see me calling them “pro-lifers” as they call themselves, for they only advocate for a life for nine months, after which … “oh well”. Almost every person who is against abortion is also against their tax dollars going to help support that child, to ensuring it has medical care, a home, and food to eat. They sniff loudly, turn their noses toward the sky and claim that the mother is simply too lazy and deserves no help. It is rather akin to adopting a puppy to keep it from being killed, and then allowing it to die from neglect and malnutrition in your garage! I have known people who did exactly that!

Those who would take away a woman’s right to choose are fond of saying that there is the choice to put the baby up for adoption. Obviously none of these people have gone through the adoption process at any stage in their lives. It is a long, arduous and often painful process, not to mention expensive. Because of the cost, it generally turns out that children are not adopted by those who most want a child, who would be the best parents, but rather by those who have the single qualification of wealth. I do note that there are exceptions. Children placed for adoption often end up in the foster care system that, while the intent is noble, the actual implementation is a nightmare rather than a success story. Look up the statistics of children in the foster care system who are abused or neglected.

Then there is the consideration that the world is already over-populated and it is simply unconscionable to bring into it another child that has an uncertain future. The world’s population is growing by 1.1% per year, or approximately an additional 83 million people annually. From 2017 to 2050, it is expected that half of the world’s population growth will be concentrated in just nine countries: India, Nigeria, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Pakistan, Ethiopia, the United Republic of Tanzania, the United States of America, Uganda and Indonesia (ordered by their expected contribution to total growth).

“Because of the abundance of our nation’s resources, we have long been careless about our level of consumption, but it is the precipitous rise in the U.S. population over the last four decades that has resulted in our outstripping of our national resources. We are living beyond our means and are doing so increasingly as our population expands. This is a serious problem with major implications for future generations.” — Fairus

Still feel good about protecting that potential, as yet un-formed, unborn fetus?

At one point during Trump’s 2016 campaign, he claimed that women should be ‘punished’ for having an abortion. Let me tell you something … women ARE punished for having abortions … they punish themselves every day for the rest of their lives! We do not need the courts and law enforcement to add insult to injury, and we do not need the religious right to shame them.

If your religion teaches you that it is wrong to have an abortion, then fine, don’t have one. But understand that not everybody ascribes to your religion. Understand that ours is a secular government and that our laws are not driven by the Bible, the Quran, the Vedas, the Torah or any other religious text. Jews and Muslims do not eat pork, but they do not try to keep the rest of the nation from eating pork, nor do they lobby the government for laws to make pork illegal! Realize, anti-abortionists, that your beliefs are not the only legitimate beliefs.

Groups on either side of the abortion debate are poised to spend big bucks … tens of millions of dollars … in advertising their position in the upcoming debate over the confirmation of a nominee to fill the Supreme Court vacancy. It is, without a doubt, the most watched issue of the day. It is a sad state of affairs, if you ask me, that the law of the land will be determined for the next several decades based on a single religious group’s stance on a woman’s right to control her own body. It shouldn’t even BE an issue! It is not your right to choose for another. It is not the right of the U.S. Supreme Court to tell me what I must do with my body. We all need to understand that we do not live in a perfect world and that sometimes people make mistakes, but that they should not be forced by a group of nine men and women to have their lives ruined because of a single mistake.

I call on the U.S. Senate to block any Trump nominee for the vacant seat on the Supreme Court. Every woman in this country stands to lose if they do not. Every member of the LGBT community stands to lose. Every Jew, Muslim, Hindi, atheist or agnostic stands to lose. We the People stand to lose.

Vermin in the White House

Posted on February 13, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Social commentary

It was not my intent to write about the scandals in the White House. I did not want to touch that one with a ten-foot pole. My reasoning in the beginning was that it was a topic better handled by the gossip rags, and that I needed to stick to policies and procedures, to what was being done today to destroy not only our nation, but our planet. My other reason was that I knew many others would dive into the story, and my voice was not needed in order for the story to be told. I was wrong. The deeper the muck gets, the more people are willing to turn a blind eye, saying, in essence,g “boys will be boys”, the more I realize this topic is important, for it defines the values, or lack thereof, of the people who we have placed in charge of our nation and by extension, our very lives.

How can we expect our leaders to make and uphold laws to ensure women are treated fairly and as equals, when it is clear that they, themselves do not believe in women’s rights?

In 2016, after solid evidence was presented that Donald Trump is a misogynist and an abuser of women, the people of the United States elected him to the office of president – the highest office in the land. Then late in 2017, Roy Moore of Alabama ran for a seat in the U.S. Senate. There is credible evidence that Mr. Moore sexually abused underage girls several years ago. Donald Trump supported Roy Moore. Roy Moore came very close to winning that senate seat, as some 650,436 people, 48.4% of the voters, voted for Moore.

Many have come and gone since Trump entered the Oval Office in January 2017, an extraordinarily high turnover rate, in fact. But then just in the past two weeks, the muck got even murkier and took on a very nasty smell.

Robert Roger Porter was the White House Staff Secretary until last week when both of his ex-wives went public with credible evidence that he had been guilty of domestic abuse. Porter resigned his position on February 7^th, but not before his immediate superior, White House Chief of Staff John Kelly, tried to talk him out of resigning. But the real kicker? Both John Kelly and White House Counsel Don McGahn had been aware of the allegations for quite some time … McGahn for over a year, and Kelly since last fall. Yet, neither deemed his status as a wife-beater to have any relevance.

And what of Donald Trump, himself a sexual predator?

“He said very strongly yesterday that he’s innocent. So you’ll have to talk to him about that. We absolutely wish him well. Did a very good job while he was at the White House.”

And then, another shoe dropped when White House speechwriter, David Sorensen resigned amid allegations of domestic violence. And Trump once again took to Twitter …

“Peoples [sic] lives are being shattered and destroyed by a mere allegation. Some are true and some are false. Some are old and some are new. There is no recovery for someone falsely accused – life and career are gone. Is there no such thing any longer as Due Process?” – 10:33 AM – Feb 10, 2018

It should be noted that the lives he is so concerned about being “shattered and destroyed” are not those of the victims, but the abusers.

There is no doubt in my mind that both Porter and Sorensen are guilty as charged, else they would not have resigned without an argument, without a defense. But there are two bigger questions here:

How many more are there in the current administration? How many more with histories of domestic violence or sexual abuse? Supposedly background checks are performed on any who are considered for positions in the administration, especially those who need security clearances. It should be noted that Jared Kushner , Trump’s own son-in-law and advisor, still does not have security clearance after working in the White House for more than a year, likely due to the number of lies and ommissions he has told. This is a breech of ethics, but seems to go unnoticed. My recommendation after the past week is that we have an independent security firm do immediate and extensive background checks on every single employee in the White House, from the maid to the president.

Why are people willing to overlook these crimes against women? Are we still believed to be second-class citizens? Why did nearly half of all Alabama voters ignore Roy Moore’s obvious character flaws and vote for him to become a major decision maker for the 330 million citizens of this nation? Why do some 40% of people polled say that Trump is doing a good job? Have we, as a nation, completely lost our values? Judging by this situation, it would seem so. It would seem that ‘ethics’ is a word that no longer has meaning.

Here is a snippet from a recent interview with Kellyanne Conway on George Stephanopoulos’ show, ‘This Week’:

George: …And then he talks about mere allegations, people being falsely accused. So let me ask you again, does the president believe that Rob Porter is falsely accused?

Kellyanne: The president believes, as he said the other day, you have to consider all sides. He has said this in the past about incidents that relate to him as well. At the same time, you have to look at the results. The result is that Rob Porter is no longer the staff secretary. It is — it is — the president tells me that he learned just this week, when the rest of us did, what these allegations are, what — these pictures, the contemporaneous, police reports, the detailed information as having been provided to the FBI.

And we are all trying to process that against the person that we worked with for over a year. But this president has — I think he’s doing a great job for America’s women. We have to look at the full picture. You have 800,000 women took new jobs last year because of his leadership. You have women who work at over 300 companies now that are getting wages and benefits and capital investments happening within their own communities. We are a safer, more prosperous nation, that includes all of us, including the nation’s women because of Donald Trump’s leadership.

I call it ‘deflect and distract’. Her facts are not even accurate, but to the purpose of this post, that is irrelevant, for Kellyanne, as we learned more than a year ago, deals in ‘alternative facts’. Kellyanne is a disgrace to women everywhere. The larger issue is that she had no answer to the question asked.

Over the past two years, there have been many issues that should have been ‘wake up calls’ to the people in this country. So far, none has, and I don’t imagine this one will either, but that doesn’t mean that I, or any other people who hold their values dear, will sit down and shut up.

Black History Month In Canada… Rosemary Brown

Posted on February 10, 2018 by jilldennison under Racism & Bigotry, Re-blogs

Meet Rosemary Brown, a trailblazer who changed the world in her fight against racism and sexism. The story of Rosemary Brown is the latest installment in John Fioravanti’s series on Canadian Black History Month and she is a worthy addition indeed! I was inspired by this noble lady, as I know you will be too. Thank you, John, for telling us of this wonderful woman!

Words To Captivate ~ by John Fioravanti

Rosemary Brown – Social Worker and Political Trailblazer

“To be black and female in a society which is both racist and sexist is to be in the unique position of having nowhere to go but up,” said Rosemary Brown.

A staunch feminist and a socialist, and Canada’s first Black female member of a provincial legislature, Rosemary Brown battled for equality and human rights in her lifetime. Black women have endured discrimination in Canada and much worse — over the course of history.

Rosemary Brown has the distinction of being Canada’s first Black female member of a provincial legislature and the first woman to run for leadership of a federal political party. Brown was born in Jamaica to a politically minded family. She immigrated to Canada in 1951 to pursue post-secondary studies in social work at McGill University (BA) and the University of British Columbia (Masters of Social Work). As a…

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A Very Ugly Man …

Posted on February 2, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry

It is difficult … nay, nearly impossible … to imagine that in this, the year 2018, there are still people who believe that women are a sub-standard segment of the human race. What is even more difficult to grasp is that one such person is running for a seat in the U.S. Senate in November. Allow me to introduce Courtland Sykes who is running for Senator from the state of Missouri against the incumbent, Claire McCaskill.

Sykes, age 37, is a graduate of Harvard and an 8-year US Navy veteran. How he even got into Harvard, let alone graduated, is beyond me. Sykes left the military in 2011, and last year he co-founded a company, Talosorion, that is listed as a security firm, but what they actually do seems a bit obscure. Sykes himself refers to the company as a ‘defense consulting firm’, but even on Talosorion’s website, there is nothing to say what they actually do. According to Sykes, it is …

“… a consulting and education firm, frankly; specifically designed for military and special forces intelligence guys.”

The company lists its mission as “bridging military and diplomatic strategies.” Rather vague and obscure, don’t you think? Per a September 2017 phone interview with the Kansas City Star, the firm has no clients. Bound to be a money-maker, yes?

And now, I will let Mr. Sykes speak to you in his own words …

“I don’t buy into radical feminism’s crazy definition of modern womanhood and I never did. They made it up to suit their own nasty, snake-filled heads.”

“I don’t buy the non-stop feminization campaign against manhood. I want to come home to a home cooked dinner at six every night, one that Chanel [Sykes’ fiancée] fixes and one that I expect one day to have daughters learn to fix.”

“I don’t want them [his daughters] to grow up into career obsessed banshees who … become nail-biting manophobic hell-bent feminist she-devils.”

“… big media has become too many dumb blonds…too many leg dangles, too many ‘tee-hee’s,’ too many hate-Trump stories, too much ‘fake news,’ too many left-biased reporters, too much mud-slinging — the credibility is shot to hell and with it big media.”

“There is nothing more Anti-American than the modern day democrat.”

Had enough? Sykes’ Facebook page is filled with disgustingly vulgar images of prominent women such as Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren, and of course his opponent Claire McCaskill.

Sykes is an over-the-top Trump supporter, or as one writer said, “Trump-inspired populism on steroids”. It is, however, unlikely that the favour will be returned in the form of an endorsement, as Trump has praised another candidate, Missouri Attorney General Josh Hawley. A visit to his website tells us that his goals are:

To restore honour in politics
To support the freedom caucus
To fulfill Trump’s America First agenda

Sykes’ campaign video is a must-see, with warnings about immigration, crime and the possibility of nuclear war played over violent imagery before it transitions to a series of laudatory statements about Donald Trump.

Needless to say, my hackles were raised by his view on women, but the more I looked into this man’s ideology the more certain I am that he is 100% unqualified to run as dogcatcher, let alone U.S. Senator. He says he would like to stop Muslim immigration “cold”, and that the United States is a “Christian nation”. Sykes is also, not surprisingly, for unrestricted gun rights.

“I oppose gun control absolutely. The right of Americans to keep and bear arms is constitutionally inviolate. No compromises on this. I am an NRA life-member. I hunt, conceal carry, collect guns, do competitive shooting, and attend gun shows. I totally oppose gun control.”

Unsurprisingly, Sykes is a fan of Breitbart.

“I like their authenticity. They’re bold and they’re fearless.”

There is much mystique surrounding Sykes’ background. Originally from Arkansas, he has lived in Missouri less than a year. When asked about his family, he said he preferred not to discuss family. His LinkedIn page initially said he was a graduate student in London, but that was quickly taken down when it prompted questions. I strongly suspect that his campaign will not go far, so I am not too concerned about seeing him sitting in the U.S. Senate next year. What does concern me, however, is that when I visited his Facebook page, I saw many comments agreeing with his biased views, cheering him on. It disturbs me that there is a contingent of people in this nation, in the 21^st century, when I thought we had grown and matured, who still have so much hatred toward all who are not white Christian males. Has the world, in fact, turned upside down?

Keep on pushing forward ladies

Posted on January 22, 2018 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Social commentary

Last weekend, women and many men put on their marching shoes and took to the streets in protest of many policies that have been put forth by Trump & Co. in the past year. Women still suffer from issues of inequality in pay, in access to health care, in sexual harassment, and in domestic violence. Our friend Keith, along with his wife, attended one of these marches and has written on some of the points that were highlighted in the speeches of the day. Even I was shocked at some of the statistics, such as the first four murders of the year in Keith’s city being related to domestic violence. Please take a few moments to read Keith’s excellent assessment. Thank you, Keith!

musingsofanoldfart

Disillusioned by tribal politics and a President who has reduced civil discourse to a new low and untruthfulness to a new high, it was nice to get outdoors and participate in the second Women’s March in my city. My wife and I joined some friends and over 5,000 more marchers to hear important messages about pushing women and human issues forward.

I am very encouraged by the 26,000 women who have moved ahead with running for office. We need more women in all forms of government as they are woefully underrepresented. Some of the highlights from the speeches in addition to the above are as follows:

– while the push for equality was mentioned most, I was impressed by a Muslim American woman, Rose Hamid who spoke of equity, to value our differences in perspectives and not let fear of the unknown drive wedges between us. Hamid gained notoriety for…

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Universal Suffrage?

Posted on November 27, 2017 by jilldennison under Political commentary, Re-blogs, Social commentary

Ever wonder whether it really makes sense for everyone to have the right to vote, especially given the results of our last disastrous election? Make no mistake, I support universal suffrage fully, completely. However, our friend Hugh raises some salient points that, while they do not change my mind, they do provide food for thought. Please take a few minutes to read his thoughtful and thought-provoking post! Thanks, Hugh!

hughcurtler

One of the very thorny problems the English (and later the Americans) worried about in the nineteenth century was the question of suffrage: who should vote? The question centered around the issue of whether only those who know best should vote or whether everyone should vote. The concern expressed was whether those who are “ignorant” — i.e., uneducated or the “luckless poor” in the words of Thomas Carlyle — should be allowed to make political decisions that affect the entire nation.

George Eliot dealt with the question in her novel Felix Holt: Radical and it seemed clear from that novel (if good novels can be said to make any single position “clear”) that Eliot was in favor of extending the vote to all men regardless of whether or not they owned property. Interestingly, however, Eliot, despite her liberal leanings, did not think women should be given the vote. In fact…

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