Monarchy or Supreme

 While it claims to be a nonpartisan, neutral arbiter of the law,[ The Supreme Court], its conservative majority was deliberately cultivated to expand religious freedom for conservative Christians at the expense of the rights of those deemed less worthy of protection. (MSNBC)

Once again, a Justice of the Supreme Court, is in the news, for creating the news, and not for acting as an impartial Jurist. Justice Alito, a bible-thumping, conservative-leaning political figure, who somehow believes that the Founding Fathers, secretly did not intend this nation to have a divide between Church and State, had apparently confided to the Evangelical Christians associated with the Bring Back Christianity crowd at Hobby Lobby, by divulging the outcome of a closely watched religious freedom case, Burwell v. Hobby Lobby, in which the court held that private corporations can demand religious exemptions from the Affordable Care Act’s requirement that employer health plans cover contraceptives — this LEAK is the second from which both rulings were penned by Alito. The first was a leaked draft of the decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, overturning the right to an abortion.

 I am SICK AND TIRED of this level of hypocrisy performed by the cadre of Christian Conservatives and honestly must wonder, how in the world the common citizen can survive the ever-flowing Tsunami of double standards! Sure there must be ways and means to stop this suicide of democracy, like creating a law that the Supreme Court Justices no longer serve a life term on that bench. The Supreme Court Justices actually do not have any other court from which enforcement of recusal can be mediated, as the Supreme Court is the highest court in our nation. This means there are currently NO other courts to keep a check and balance on the Supreme Court. Some higher authority needs to be implemented…or else the SUPREMES might as well be Monarchy!

 

 

MY MARRIAGE

  

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) forced the upper chamber to delay a procedural vote on the bill this month until 10 p.m. after he was unable to win the necessary support for his amendment to further strengthen the religious liberty provisions. “They shouldn’t be able to punish religious belief,” Lee said on the Senate floor before the Nov. 16 vote. “That’s all I want. A protection saying the federal government may not punish any individual or entity based on a religious or moral conviction-based belief about marriage. That is not too much to ask.” (The Hill)

 

Fuck you, Mike Lee. You insist that somehow this NO NATIONAL OFFICIALRELIGIOUS NATION, has the power to create laws that won’t discriminate against Holy Rollers, but IT can and will discriminate against those for whom the RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS have a problem! Religious Liberty, as in some religions DICTATING their own PREJUDICES against those Americans for which our Constitution guaranteed liberty, and freedom? You are a Homophobe, plain and clear. And I wonder Mike Lee, as a Mormon, what about Interracial marriages?  Like other religious groups, Mormons have a complicated history around race. Until a few decades ago, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints taught that they “shall be a white and a delightsome people,” a phrase taken from the Book of Mormon. Until the 1970s, the LDS Church also restricted black members’ participation in important rituals and prohibited black men from becoming priests (The Atlantic) 

 

“This bill maximizes the protections we were able to get with the votes we have,” Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) told Changing America. “We can certainly build on that to try to fully codify the constitutional law, but this was an important and necessary step.” “We’re settling for crumbs,” Alejandra Caraballo, a prominent LGBTQ activist and instructor at Harvard Law’s cyberlaw clinic, tweeted after the amended bill was released. (The Hill).

 

I am an American citizen. I am a Jewish religious American citizen. I am a Gay Male American citizen, and today, once again MY RIGHTS, MY DIGNITY, and MY CHOICES remain in JEOPARDY!

they are the same

 It’s that Trump has always been desperate to send signals to his base of support that he agrees with and loves them. That his political instinct has always centered on stoking loyalty from his most energetic supporters, a tactic that helped him narrowly win the presidency in 2016. Others in the party, often worried about party primaries, adopted a similar policy of declining to confront Trump’s base, which is why the response to controversies has consistently been silence. (Opinion/Washington Post). 

Desperate Deranged, Delusional. Pick one, choose all, make your own selection, but whichever adjective you provide before the name of Trump, and at least 95%of our current crop of Republican Politicians, understand that Trump and his parade of Turd Collectors, are in their jobs, not for the good of the people, but for the welfare of themselves. 

 

I honestly have to wonder, are the current crop of Coup loving GOP politicians, so afraid of inciting the rage of the BASE OR, perhaps, MAYBE they do indeed share the Racist/Anti-Semitic/Homophobia/Misogynist/Bigotry embraced by TRUMP and his Minions?

PERHAPS, BUT

 Perhaps. But then again NOT

Sports, as in Professional sports, should never meld into politics. Really! So athletes can promenade on a field wearing their version of their country’s colors sing their National Anthems wave their flags, and pretend that anti-LGBTQ, anti-women, anti-immigrant, anti-freedoms, and liberties are family secrets and nobody else’s business.

 

Becoming an Anti-Trump is now a righteous Republican quality. Really! He was a good guy acting as a wanna-be dictator. He encouraged Bigots, Racists, Xenophobes, Anti-Semites, and Homophobes to step forward and take priority. He incited a Coup attempt and motivated treasonists to overtake the Capitol. But that was cool, and he was cooler. Except when too many loons didn’t win their elections, so suddenly being anti-Trump is the right-wing thing to do.

 

Jews, LGBTQ Latins, and African Americans in America are free to vote Republican. Really! Let me guess, it’s all about the Benjamin, and the economy somehow (pardon the pun) trumps morals and ethics. Let me guess, religion as in the Jews think the Evangelicals are better friends of Israel, the Latins, and the African Americans can be disgusted with the un-Christian-like actions of the LGBTQ and the upper financial echelon of LGBTQ are more invested in their Capitalistic material well-being than equality.

 

Crime is real. Really! Which crimes are we speaking of. The crimes are only in urban areas, of course not in rural towns. Not the crimes each time a State Legislature creates politically gerrymandered districts. Not the crimes of lying about election results and threatening the Poll Workers. Not the crimes of participating in a COUP. Not the crimes of a tax system that only seems to Trickle Up.

 

Hypocrisy is all around us. Bullshit lounges on the ground from which politicians walk. And way too many of us prefers to look away. Perhaps But then please no longer.

Still thanking

 The day after Thanksgiving. Friday, November 25, 2022. As I awoke, I immediately made a decision to continue my sense of giving thanks, by ignoring reading the news on my telephone, opting instead to actually use the bathroom sans any electronic device. (I did amaze at just how much quicker I was able to partake in any and all flushing of bodily fluids.) I asked Siri to play the best of Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young, ignoring my iPhone for that request, as I brushed my teeth and washed my face to the songs, “Our House,” and “Teach Your Children.” I felt a pang of WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED gnawing in my gut but trying my best to pretend that if bad news happened, someone would have called me and told me to fill up our bathtub with water. (In most apocalyptic movies of the 80s and 90s whenever a nuclear bomb blasted, most characters filled their bathtubs for fear that the water might become contaminated.---Joe and do  not have a bath tub---OY!)

I walked past our TV in the bedroom, raising my middle finger and as I passed by I said Screw You MSNBC, and you too CNN. Our pooch, Enzo, looked at me with concern on his face, as I suppose my statement of Screw You had been quite loud. Phew, I said walking into our living room and heading for the kitchen, so far I am awake for at least 35 minutes, and I can breathe freely, without the worries that Musk/West/Trump/Carlson and other 15-of-fame whores took over the world. Breakfast time and still I had no idea of how many times Boebert denied she was a homophobe, how often Putin-Greene lied about her homophobia, and how the murder of the LGBTQ community could be excused because they were homosexuals.

 

I made it past breakfast, but still no phone usage for me, or even acknowledgment I owned one. No watching the TV in the living room providing me with news channels acting more like infomercials for opinionated persons. Again, I inhaled, hoping that the pang of anxiety now lodged in my upper chest was just gas. I stretched for 5 minutes, thinking this bit of exercise would help me pass the gas. I asked our living room, Siri, to play Carol King's song “So Far Away,” and the rest of her songs from the Tapestry Album. I found some photo albums the older ones from decades gone by, and as Carol sang I turned each page and knew why I could and should and would give thanks.

 

And then it became darker outside as the rain increased, and the night was begging to arrive. I returned the Photo Albums to their shelves and said to no one but Enzo. It is time. And minus any quilt or trepidation, I read the news today, as the Beatles once sang. And I wrote my blog.

Thanksgiving then and now

 It seemed, back in the day, any holiday, be it a Jewish celebration or an American traditional event, it was our house hosting friends and family, and my mother was the official cook and baker. It also seemed, back in the day, no one wanted to argue, because dinner at Rena’s house, was one wonderful, delicious way to celebrate.  

We would add the two wooden extensions to our dining room table, extending that seating area, to accommodate, 14 people, squishing the small tushies between the relatives with not-so-small tushies. The nice dining room chairs with the softer cushions were for grandma’s older aunts and uncles, and if anyone was pregnant at the time. My little sister and I had to go to our scary part of the basement, next to the old coal shoot, and collect the stack of folding chairs, which always seemed full of spider webs, and spiders. It was usually freezing outside, but we had to take those folding chairs outside and wipe them off. The neighbors supplied the two folding metal tables and random extra chairs. No complaining however because the feast that early evening was going to be a reward worth touching spiders and spider webs.

 

At the height, when most of my family had been living in Pittsburgh, in the 1950s, for Thanksgiving, would somehow squeeze into our tiny row house, at least 28 people. I had no idea of the concept of a nuclear family way back then, but damn, as I recall and remember, how wonderful indeed it was to have everyone together gathered for Thanksgiving dinner. I never knew the names of the perfumes the women wore, but I do remember thinking that my grandmother smelled like roses, my aunts smelled like lavender, and my mother seemed to have the aroma of lilacs around her. We knew who had just arrived at our house because back then their perfumes arrived before they did. Most of the men were surrounded by Old Spice, and back in the day, they used an awful lot of that. But then, of course, once we started with homemade chicken soup and onto the choices of turkey or brisket, nothing but the intoxicating aromas of food lingered. Often times we had 7 different Jell-O-molds in various shapes and colors, and of course cakes, cookies, pies, and ice cream. The meal would end with a combination of Peach Schnapps and something my family called Romanian Coffee, dark, and with the pungent aroma of coffee beans.

 

I miss then. I am happy with now. But the older I get, the more I remember, once upon a time. I am grateful for who I have become, and the life I have lived…but since this IS Thanksgiving, I want to thank all of the family and friends, from a life so long ago for helping me make it to today!

Imagine Again

 Imagine.

 

I do. Imagine if there was a law passed that stated there is no Corporate money permitted to purchase politicians, and rather that all politicians receive the same amount of cash, paid for by taxes. Imagine if we actually could make gerrymandered districts illegal, and have each state, create districts based on natural boundaries rather than the artificial ones state legislators have drawn. Imagine if we had term limits for all members of the Federal and State Legislatures,  we would be able to create term limits for the office of the presidency so why not for the entire slew of politics. Imagine, if The Supreme Court Justices did not have a life appointment, but lessened that to a decade or two, knowing that culture and civics change, and any long-term judge, may not change. Imagine if Supreme Court Justices, had an ethics and honor code, the same ethics codes that all other judges must adhere to. Imagine if anyone running for any government position first had to qualify by at least passing an 8^th Grade Civics Exam or taking the same test people applying for citizenship must pass. Imagine if everyone running for office had to show the public their returns.

 

Imagine. 

 

I do. Imagine how those politicians who never have any competition from the opposite party because of their gerrymandered districts might have to appeal to their entire electoral base. Imagine how gun laws could be passed because no more buying and selling of politicians with huge donations would take place. Imagine how, those stodgy long-term politicians might have to actually do the work for the people, rather than linger in office and just rely on their longevity. Imagine, Supreme Court Justices who are not considered Royals, creating laws for everyone but themselves. Imagine how facts, history, truth, and justice would be served, if politicians were held accountable to fulfill their job descriptions of and by the people. Imagine how we the people would have a better idea of just where the wealth from politicians came from, and to whom these politicians seem beholden.

 

Imagine. I do. Regaining control of OUR Government!

 

Georgia on my mind

 “…Oh, Georgia, don't do that, had to know well

No peace I find, won't you hear me now

It's just an old sweet song, I said, oh, I said that

Keeps Georgia on my mind…”(Georgia On My Mind/Carmichael/Gorrell)

 

“Do y’all know what the definition of an enemy is? A enemy is somebody that don’t like you,” Walker said, according to Jezebel, which obtained audio of the Nov. 20 rally. “But they been telling you they don’t know the definition of a woman either. So think about that either. They don’t know the definition of a woman.” Hershel Walker (VICE)

 

He certainly DOES know the definition of women, however. The campaign of Herschel Walker publicly acknowledged this week that the Republican Senate candidate has three children by women he was not married to in addition to his son by his former wife. (CNN). But it is NOT the issue of women, NOPE, this douchebag, wants to make his America great again, by scapegoating Transgendered individuals. Ya’ all know, in Georgia, no Trans people will cut inflation, lower gasoline prices, stop the Russians from conquering Ukraine, keep democracy thriving, and end climate change!

 

“Tragically, 300 Americans die of fentanyl poisoning everyday in America and Biden says and does nothing,” Greene said, referring to one of the latest fringe rightwing myths: that drug dealers are putting the synthetic opioid fentanyl on random people’s car door handles in parking lots, causing them to die when they touch the fentanyl-laced door handles. (LGBTQ Nation). Margie PUTIN-Greene is not someone worth quoting, but the mere fact she has been re-elected to sit as a Congress Woman, does mean she is also someone who can’t be ignored. 

 

Her response to YET one more MASS-SHOOTING: “Tragically, 5 people were killed in a shooting in Colorado and Biden immediately demands a ban on assault weapons. The solutions are this: 1. Secure the border and stop the drugs.; 2. Defend our right to keep and bear arms so that people can defend themselves from killers who could care less about laws.” (LGBTQ Nation)

 

The voters of GA 14th District decided an ignorant bigot, purveyor of COUPS and hate, should represent them. Now, we turn to the rest of Georgia, watch, wonder, and worry!

 

another DAY AFTER

 One more DAY AFTER. One more DAY AFTER, with a flurry of awful news regarding the lives wasted by an individual. One more DAY AFTER, with the parade of Thoughts and Prayers, however a lot less because those who died might have been LGBTQ. One more DAY AFTER, as cause and effect are ignored, replaced by the PERVASIVE POLITICS of Gun Ownership. One more DAY AFTER, when HUBRIS AND HYPOCRISY act as a duo, spilling out of the mouths of Republicans who pretend they are PRO-LIFE, but only while that so-called life remains inside the womb.

 

One more DAY AFTER, and of course we beg the question, how many more DAY AFTERs must we once again face?         

 

One more DAY AFTER, and of course for a wee while, those who have bragged about their own HOMOPHOBIA, in the past, will cower in the shadows, waiting until this latest hue and cry of one more DAY AFTER quiets down, not regretting their hate, but holding on to it, perhaps a week after, the DAY AFTER!

worry

 Rep. Schiff and other Democrats said McCarthy is trying to court support from hard-right conservatives like Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. – who was expelled from committees during a 2021 vote of the full House because of her incendiary statements about Democrats.

"I suspect he will do whatever Marjorie Taylor Greene wants him to do," Schiff said on ABC's "This Week." "He is a very weak leader of his conference, meaning that he will adhere to the wishes of the lowest common denominator. And if that lowest common denominator wants to remove people from committees, that’s what they’ll do." (USA Today)

 

The GOP, as I see it has maintained a female as Speaker of the House, perhaps not one to sit upon the throne as Kingmaker but to sit on her royal toilet as Queenmaker. The Dems had Ruth Bader Ginsberg, replaced by a Handmaid named Amy Coney Barrett, and now Nancy Pelosi will be replaced by a parasite named Marjory-Putin-Greene. If McCarthy is elected as Speaker of the House, the person packing his balls and backbone will actually be Marjory-Putin-Greene.

 

Of course, all of America, even you MAGA/NAZI/FASCIST/CONFEDERACY/CHRISTIAN NATIONISTS will suffer the consequences of having MARGIE, as the true leader of the Republican House Caucus, because it seems the only talent MARGIE seems to demonstrate is to behave as might a 5-year-old brat, raised by wolves. Oh yeah, and those of you who just, simply had enough of inflation, high gas prices, and crime, don’t hold your breath waiting for the GOP House to attend to any of that business. 

Names-Names-Names

 Say the names: SPINELESS MCCARTHY…PUTIN-TAYLOR-GREENE-JIMMY -THE SHOWER-JORDON…

…If voters thought House Republicans would learn their lessons about extremism after the outcome of the midterms, think again. The party in the House seems to be charging ahead with a polarizing agenda aimed at inflicting political pain on President Biden and Democrats. (MSNBC)

 

Keep on saying the names: Voters of Long Island, flipping 2 seats Red and keeping 2 seats Red because THEY VOTED ON CRIME AND INFLATION…

…House Republicans are apparently more focused on Joe and Hunter Biden in the lead-up to their assuming the majority in Congress, instead of inflation and crime, two issues that they made prominent during the midterm elections. (NBC)

 

Some more names to say: THE FLORIDA TRIFECTA. Governor and both the Senate and House a Majority Republican, permitting gerrymandering and redistricting, so the odds of any Democrat gains are null and void. Add the names of  SOINELESS-ROBERTS, MR. GINNI THOMAS, HANDMAID-COMEY, I LIKE BEER AND LOOSE WOMEN-KAVANAUGH, IT’S A CHRISTIAN NATION-ALITO for ignoring the politicization of voting rights…

…Republicans are already talking about impeachment proceedings as well as investigating Anthony Fauci and Hunter Biden. (Vanity Fair)

 

YEAH! RIGHT! UH-HUH! The Party of Trump has been decimated, because, Trump is a jerk, was a jerk, and will remain a jerk. The Evangelicals swear they were blindsided. FOX News claims a memory loss as to ever supporting him. The GOP Mega Donors feel cheated. BULL SHIT. MAGA remains the BLACK HOLE IT WAS AND WAS MEANT TO BE!  Those of you who pretend that the only reason you voted RED was for any other reason than Racism, Bigotry, Anti-Sarmatism, Fascism, Misogyny…REMEMBER THE NAMES, cause your life just got worse!

PRIORITIES

 DAMN YOU, TICKET MASTER….DAMN YOU TWITTER

Where is the justice? Where is the Humanity? Where is the Empathy? Where is the Compassion? YOU BOTH have made living in a Middle-Class America a shambles, a shame, a sinister system of denial!

 

NOOOOOOOOOO! Elon Musk, you must bring back the TWEET, it is the TWEET that makes America really great! And YOU BOOGY MEN and WOMEN of TICKET MASTER, how dare you deny ticket sales for the Taylor Swift Eras Tour, it’s her music of each century she has made music.

 

Yep both TWITTER and TICKET MASTER are cultural establishment icons. Yep, our society has grabbed onto both as a means of communication and commerce. Yep, they remain priorities for those who have no other way to communicate or purchase tickets. Yep, both are Privately Owned Corporations BUT DAMN IT TO HELL, they remain as important to living as OXYGEN! At least for way too many!

 

Imagine if you will, the same outcry regarding TWITTER and TICKET MASTER, when January 6^th took place and the Republican Party pooh-poohed the whole thing as JUST A PROTEST…Imagine the same outcry, if you will, regarding TWITTER AND TICKET MASTER when the Supreme Court decided that Voter Suppression/Anti-Abortion/and Ginni Thomas’s joining the COUP was no biggie and actually lawful… Imagine the same outcry, if you will, regarding TWITTER AND TICKET MASTER when Gerrymandering was implemented causing the Majority of the GOP to gain the HOUSE.

 

DAMN AMERICA, you have some hell of a set of PRIORITIES!

DUMMIES

 Ventriloquism will add a new addition come this January 2023.  We have all been accustomed to a person sitting on a chair with a dummy on his or her knee, and if the person is really good, we amaze at how we never see his or her lips move as the wooden dummy speaks to us! How talented we think, to throw your voice, almost never move your lips, and yet this inanimate object made from wood seems to be doing all the talking! WOW-WHEE!

 

But the concept of a person and dummy will become so yesterday, when January 2023 approaches as the House of Representatives (Honestly it should be renamed The House of Gerrymandering), turns MAGA Red, and Kevin McCarthy certainly becomes Speaker. Look closely America, because if McCarthy (Who has never publicly called January 6 a COUP) is nominated and sworn in as the Speaker of the House, we will witness for the first time, a person has two dummies on his or her lap.

 

Yeppers, we will see a THREE-WAY DUMMY VENTRILOQUIST ACT! It will be TRUMP, moving his lips, as Taylor-Putin-Greene moves her lips, and as we witness Kevin McCarthy pretending it is actually he who is speaking. What now, you say, with great question. Well, it is simple.

 

TRUMP will express his opinions based on nothing but paranoia, fear, fiction, and loathing to Taylor-Putin-Greene, who only seems to read the history books written by TRUMP, who has hold of McCarthy’s balls permitting him to become Speaker. Taylor-Putin-Greene will insist that whatever Fascist, Demagoguery, Bull Shit TRUMP says will become the Priorities for the Republicans as the Majority in the House, or else, Kevin! Kevin, only concerned with his own future, will gladly act the whore for Putin-Greene and TRUMP.

 

Ventriloquism will have its first DUMMY, SITTING ON A DUMMY SITTING ON A DUMMY!

 

 

States Wrongs

  

The Senate on Wednesday advanced the Respect for Marriage Act, which would enshrine marriage equality into federal law, clearing the way for the bill’s final passage in the chamber this week. “As you can see, the bill is really very narrow,” the Ohio Republican, Portman said. “It’s constitutional and it does not infringe on state sovereignty.”

 

I will of course await the final vote, from the Senate and once again from the House before I celebrate a law to protect my marriage, and the current and future marriages of millions, both same-sex, as well as interracial. This is a step forward from which I am happy. But please read this quote from Senator Portman, and please wonder, …“It’s constitutional and it does not infringe on state sovereignty.”… 

 

State sovereignty! As in WTF! As in, if a state decides that Gay is bad, and Transgender is bad, and Abortion is bad, and Immigrants are bad, it is in their purview to deny civil and equal rights? As in, if a state believes that Misogyny is good, Anti-Semitism is good, and Racism is good, it is their purview to deny liberty and justice to those demographics?

 

The U.S. Constitution declares that federal law is “the supreme law of the land.” As a result, when a federal law conflicts with a state or local law, the federal law will supersede the other law or laws. BUT, somehow NOW, that there are many, many states with a large Majority or Republicans in control (many due to Gerrymandering), somehow, Federal Law is not considered a priority. Please remember the Southern States wanted the right to keep SLAVES!

 

 

Dance With You

  

“I don't want to start a riot

I don't want to blaze a trail

I don't want to be a symbol

Or cautionary tale

I don't want to be a scapegoat

For people to oppose

What I want is simple

As far as wanting goes

I just wanna dance with you” (Dance With You/The Prom/Chad Bequelin) ……….  

Two girls, in high school,  sharing a wonderful crush on one another only wanting to go to their Prom, and dance with one another. On a Broadway stage, how mesmerizing, how magical, and as with most Broadway Musicals, the girls dance, and swoon and kiss. I have always LOVED musicals because, with musicals, the kind of real life of wonder and awe, music and dance, rhythm and rhyme happens, and happens with great applause, and sometimes standing ovations.

 

“Let the whole world melt away

And dance with you

Who cares what other people say?

And when we're through

No one can convince us we were wrong

All it takes is you and me

And a song” (Dance With You/The Prom/Chad Bequelin)……….   

On the stage of Real Life, if these girls lived in Florida, and now Texas, and soon way too many Christian Nationalist States of America, they would most likely be taken away from their families, their families put in jail, their teachers fired and of course threatened with prison time also. From the LGBQ community and now in particular the Transgender Community, it seems the Republican Party has fashioned these groups of American citizens as ENEMY NUMBER ONE. I am a Gay man, among the many traits and attributes I was born with, and I am SICK AND TIRED of the insecure, ignorant, inept idiots who act superior, only, as I have learned in my 73 years of life because they know how inferior they are INDEED!

Never Forget

 Oh, it's cryin' time again, you're gonna leave me

I can see that far away look in your eyes

I can tell by the way you hold me darlin' Oooh

That it won't be long before it's cryin' time. (“Cryin’ Time/Buck Owens)

 

So now, backbone, and balls, have been rediscovered by the Band of Brothers and Sisters known as the REPUBLICAN HYPOCRITES. Pretending that they never really, truly, honestly, earnestly, loved, adored, or worshiped, TRUMP, the cadre of GOP clowns, has once again placed their perspective political promise ahead of the public, and SWEAR, that TRUMP IS NOT THE LEADER OF THEIR PARTY. Take a hike, chump, TRUMP, they shout! Of course, it was not INSURRECTION, A COUP, AUTHROTITARIANISM, or FASCISM that rankled the souls of the Republicans, but rather, losing majorities, so the rest of the Republican Party, could also act the Fascist/Plan another Coup/ become the next Authoritarian/and perform their own Seditious actions against the USA. 

 

One has to wonder, how an injured Psychopath, will react to being told HE is now the perceived ENEMY! Ego is on the line, a shot at his NARCISSISM is at hand, and most importantly to this DERANGED MANIACLE MONSTER, his income may become depleted!

 

From Pence, whose soul has completely retreated to FOX News and the MURDOCH CLAN, who truly never had souls, to the spineless and sad sack Republicans like Mittens Romney and Aunt Bea Collins, they all suddenly think that most of America is DUMB ENOUGH to have forgotten how far into TRUMPS they had crawled!

 

I know how much the GOP fears the truths about HISTORY, so I also hope, WE NEVER FORGET!

The Vapors

 Suddenly, they (GOP) no longer cower in fear of the MAGAlomaniac ex-president or shrink from the petulant thunderbolts Donald Trump flings from his Mar-a-Lago bunker.

Shredding decency, inviting foreign interference in our elections, suborning insurrection: All those trespasses could be tolerated.

But not squandering a shot at winnable elections. Trump’s leaden political touch has cost Republicans control of the Senate, and many in the party are finally willing to state the obvious out loud. Trump is a loser, whose losing ways are hurting the GOP. (Los Angeles Times) 

 

For anyone who is NOT naïve, oblivious, awoken from a 10-year coma, that sucker born every minute, if you consider that somehow the Republican Party has had a change of heart regarding the survival of Democracy then I imagine you are just plain STUPID! This UPSET and DISGUST, which has come over the Republican Politicians are as corny as “THE VAPORS,” when back in the day, some southern belle suddenly, pretends she is upset and imagined she has “COME DOWN WITH THE VAPORS!”

 

If the GOP truly cared about YOU and ME, the White Supremacists/The South Will Rise Again/American Nazis/Bigots and Racists would have been denied access to any power within the Republican Party, and anyone bragging about being an Oath Keeper or Proud Boy would have relegated to the sewers from which they originated. Suddenly, the Republicans act as if they have a backbone of conscience, when truly this Bull Shit rhetoric, is ONLY about the GOP wanting to claim power. It AIN’T ABOUT DEMOCRACY.

 

As the LA Times wrote: “Shredding decency, inviting foreign interference in our elections, suborning insurrection: All those trespasses could be tolerated.” There may have been a Red trickle, but there was and is still enough of a HUE of Sedition/Insurrection/Treason/and Anti-Democracy, staining our road forward. Please Democrats remain VIGILANT and not PASSIVE!

 

Fight On

 PHEW, at least for the next 2 years, PERHAPS some American Business for the welfare of the American citizen can be accomplished, at least in the Senate. But PA-LEEE-ZE, let's stop with the IT WASN’T A RED TSUNAMI bull shit. Enough Republicans still won, which for me says way too many people in this nation still found Fascism. Authoritarianism, Racism, Bigotry, and Hate were palatable enough to pretend Inflation and Crime were the real culprits. And NO, Joe Biden is not a bad President. So let’s stop permitting the news cycle to be about, President Biden's job, when in fact he at least cares about the health and welfare of the average American, and not the bottom lines of the Corporations and the Puppet Masters who buy and trade Republican Politicians! 

Trump may have had a so-so track record this Mid Term, but, as I see it the cancerous tumors which split off from his malignancy, are still able to cause pain and suffering. When there remain people in Congress who still cannot call Trump a Traitor to this nation, admit that January 6, was a Coup and that Trump is an anarchist, America, and Americans we still have serious issues. Be it the newly elected MAGA or the wolf in sheep's clothing like Collins or Romney, there still are way too many Republicans, in DC ready and able to continue to slick-talk America and act the Hypocrite.

 

Then we have the next version of Trump, a real Snake Oil Sleaze Ball, more educated than Trump, and much more sly than Trump, DeSantis! So back to the State and local elections, places where true anti-Democracy can take root, and Misogyny, Homophobia, Transphobia, Xenophobia, Anti-Semitism, Book Banning, and Censorship, we have a nursery for homemade Death to Democracy! I will celebrate this bit of bright news, but to be lulled into thinking all is well, is for me THE TYPICAL WAY too many Democrats behave. Fight on, Fight up, Fight hard, America because the survival of Justice, Liberty, Freedom, and Equality are long, long Gorilla style of Warfare initiated and loved by the GOP! 

Who's the Boss

 ‘Quit being wimps’: Michael Moore tells Dems to go on offense after Roe backlash. Michael Moore, after 5 states held referendums on abortion rights in the 2022 midterms. “We don’t want the government saying what women can do… Democrats have got to quit being wimps and fight on these issues… Be ahead of the curve.” (MSNBC)

 

WIMPS, INDEED! I am a Democrat. I vote BLUE. I want justice, equality, freedom, liberty, and choice. I HAVE NO IDEA HOW OR WHY SO MANY IN THE LEADERSHIP OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY, HAVE NO IDEA OF HOW TO FIND A BACKBONE AND ACT INSTEAD OF REACTING!

 

The Republicans for all they suck at, do not suck at remaining loyal to their misguided principles. The Republicans are like pigs in a sty,  they flock to the dirtiest of places, bathe in the sludge, and come back for more. The Democrats, shy away from a fight, apologize for having any principles, and immediately point a fickle finger at themselves. HOLY SHIT!

 

As a Democrat, I honestly want to know who is in charge, and I want to change those whose leadership seems to be cowardice and chance. As awful as the GOP may be, at least the GOP goes in at least 99% embracing their evil as if it was a golden bar from Willie Wonka. The Democrat leadership, except you Speaker Pelosi, are your own worst enemies. SERIOUSLY WHO IS IN CHARGE?

 

Republicans Gone Wild

 JUST A FEW MORE PATHETIC PIECES OF REPUBLICAN CRAP…

 

Have ya heard the Republicans suddenly talking shit about Trump…NO, NOT because he planned a COUP, NO, NOT because he has abused the laws of this nation, and NO, NOT because he is a Handmaid for Vlad Putin…BUT BECAUSE, he inserted himself so deeply into the REPUBLICAN PARTY, and got them pregnant with a bunch of POLITICIANS who look like, smell like, and act like him, and way too many of them LOST…and now they want to ABORT TRUMP! I love it when the GOP pretend they care about this nation, as if during the four years as President, and the two years following, almost every Republican either acted like the Anarchist, or Fascist TRUMP had been, and not a single jerk spoke against TRUMP. A bunch of fearful, self-serving douchebags suddenly pretending they have a backbone and conscience.

 

Votes Are Still Being Counted in Arizona and the GOP Is Already Crying Foul Play. MAGA world is getting awfully worked up about a stolen election despite many, many votes yet to be counted. (VICE) The slime of course has not been decontaminated from within the GOP, even though some without spines, or backbones, or balls are pretending to have suddenly re-discovered them, NO…ya still got the likes of a very dangerous Kari Lake, a purveyor of self-aggrandizement, and lover of all things Fascist. She and the Insurrectionist Party of Arizona have preempted the legal and lawful counting of votes in her wanna-be Banana Republic of Arizona, and somehow assumes the power of predicting the future, and have made it clear that voting was rigged. While some in the GOP pretend they have seen the light, trying to keep TRUMP in the dark, she is still embracing her own BIG LIE. Be afraid of this Republican Piece of Crap. 

 

Lindsey Graham said critics of Herschel Walker sought to "deter" young minorities from embracing the GOP.
​ "If they destroy Herschel, it will deter people of color from wanting to be a conservative Republican," he said. (Business Insider). Another What The Fuck, from the Republican Party’s ICON of HYPOCRCY, Little Lindsey Graham. Oh, Lindsey, you have ultimately become the Senate version of RUDY GIULIANI. The rot and ruin which has been festering inside that feeble example of a human being have found their way outside your body and the slime is gross and foul. To deter people of color from wanting to be a conservative Republican, as if your Party has never instilled RESTRICTIVE VOTER REGISTRATION for people of color as if your Party doesn’t still endorse the Confederacy as an important part of Americana. As if your Party, and especially you had nothing to say when TRUMP reminded us there are good people on both sides. I might ask, have you no shame, but GIRLFRIEND, you lost any respect, once you became the collector of poop for TRUMP, and while picking up his poop, smiled and sent heart emojis to him!

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​

 

 

 

 

 

Veterans Day 2022

 Dear Dad,

You told me, how freedom and liberty should never ever be taken for granted.  You said that leading by example, was the best way to demonstrate, your truer thoughts, and honest motivations. Never talk the talk, you often spoke, but walk the walk, maybe taking baby steps, giant leaps, or a steady but purposeful gait. At 17 you joined the Navy and later became a Soldier, feeling that serving your country was your calling. You told me, that to love this nation is to protect the rights of those who may never find their own voice, those who have the will, but seldom find the way. Good must win you often explained, because good takes time to achieve, whereas evil is always at the ready to hitch a ride on the lazy, the ignorant, and the self-loathing. Be proud you told me, find your path, forward, and become what you believe! Believe in making GOOD, the way of the world.

 

It is Veterans Day, 2022, Dad, and as I think of your service and the many men and women who as JFK said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” I am saddened that Freedom/Liberty/Equality/Justice and Democracy have been wounded. Not waving the Stars and Stripes for which you fought, these people wave the Nazi Flag, the Flag of the Confederacy, and other false flags created from Anarchy, Fascism, and Hate. 

 

Pretending to identify as Patriots, the majority are nothing but Traitors, erasing history and ignoring the lessons history teaches. In the fight for Democracy, Dad has moved from foreign shores and has landed on the East Coast and West Coast of America. There are many who know, the sacrifices made by you and the TROOPS of way too many wars, and we will remain vigilant.

 

With my love and gratitude, Dad, I think of you on this day!

 

Your Son, Gerry

 

America

 “…So I looked at the scenery

She read her magazine

And the moon rose over an open field

"Kathy, I'm lost", I said

Though I knew she was sleeping

"I'm empty and aching and

I don't know why"

 

Counting the cars

On the New Jersey Turnpike

They've all come

To look for America

All come to look for America

All come to look for America” (America/Paul Simon)

 

I am waiting. Not with the preverbal bated breath, but waiting, nonetheless. Maybe no red wave, but I am still cautious, because any hue, tint, or shade not blue, tells me to beware! For me, this kind of, sorta good news Midterm results make my mood less edgy but thinking about how so many in this nation could still embrace the Republican Party of hate and racism, worries me. I will wait the extra hours for the Talleys to be told, knowing that either way the spin for truth will make me dizzy.

 

I fell back on the days of my life, to consul my soul, listening to the music of Simon and Garfunkel. Almost like a pill of nostalgia, playing the music of these two artists keeps me from wandering too far to the brink of all and everything. I once went looking for America, as a young kid in college, and more, and more I am still wondering, and yearning! 

LOOK OVER THERE

 “LOOK OVER THERE!”

 

Yep, the answer the Republicans provide when asked about any concern relevant to an average American citizen, not of the 1% Puppet Master Class, the answer is always, “LOOK OVER THERE!”

 

What will you do to deal with Inflation? “Stop the Drag Queens from reading books to kids”. No seriously what economic plans do you have to help lower inflation? “Don’t let Trans kids play sports, and definitely don’t let them use bathrooms in the school.” For the last time what is your plan regarding the economy? “It must the Jewish Mafia!”

 

How do you respond to accusations of Voter Intimidation? “Rape and Incest is a gift more women should accept!”  Seriously hasn’t history proven that Democracy thrives when all people are encouraged to vote. “Replacement of the Caucasian is as real as History,” Facts have proven that the Trump “Big Lie,” was a ploy to keep him in office, and deny Americans their right to vote. “There are good people on both sides.”

 

What plans do you have regarding Immigration in this nation? “Slavery was an economic boon for the Southern States.” You say ANTIFA is a real organization, but it does not actually exist. “Fascism is worse than Communism, I mean look at how strong a leader like Putin has become.” But even though ANTIFA does not exist, the definition of ANTIFA is ANTI-FASCISM, so why do you always refer to ANTIFA as the bad guys? “Fake News!”

 

“LOOK OVER THERE!”

 

 

 

Fixing a hole

 I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in

And stops my mind from wandering

Where it will go…

I'm filling the cracks that ran through the door

And kept my mind from wandering

Where it will go…

And it really doesn't matter if

I'm wrong I'm right

Where I belong I'm right

Where I belong

See the people standing there

Who disagree and never win

And wonder why they don't get in my door (Fixing a Hole/John Lennon)

 

Sunday, November 6, 2022. Two days in which America awaits for Democracy to remain intact, albeit as battered as a sailing ship might be, riding out the winds and waves of a giant Hurricane and surviving. Or, we receive the final blow from Putin’s puppet Trump, and his cadre of clowns, the majority of Republican Politicians and those who vote for them, to thwart, diminish and demolish Democracy.

 

We have been told by the GOP, that this nation is divided. The GOP continues to place the cause of this division upon the shoulders of the Democrats, insisting that freedoms for the minority populations are evil, justice for all is a perverse reaction negating the denial of freedom by a few, and that justice is as make-believe as history. How that message seems to resonate louder than the truth baffles me. I will fight the GOOD fight, I will hope that GOOD triumphs over bad, but right now to quote John Lennon, “I'm fixing a hole where the rain gets in, and stops my mind from wandering.”

 

I AM JEWISH

 With the midterm elections bearing down upon the country, Republicans suddenly can’t seem to stop talking about, admonishing, and even threatening Jews.

This places Jewish Republicans in a bind: Will they side with their party and its deep roster of candidates, who are trafficking in subtle and unsubtle forms of antisemitism? Or will they speak out against bigotry and adhere to a more traditional Jewish-American ethos of placing the safety of the entire community first and foremost?

 

Right now, it looks like they’re taking the low road of putting up with antisemitism out of partisan commitment, and neglecting to consider how dangerous of a wager they’re making. (MSNBC)

 

I am Jewish. Raised as a Reform Jew but worked my entire professional career as a Communal Worker within the Jewish communities of Pittsburgh, Columbus, Houston, Orange County, and Contra Costa County, encompassing not only Reform Jews but the gamut of beliefs from Reform to Ultra-Orthodox and Cultural Jews. I actually was taught history, via teachers and professors, but also by my family members and families of each city and county in which I worked. Jews not ‘placing the safety of the entire community first and foremost’, is nothing new, it is a sad old story, retold and retold. Be it the Jews of Berlin or Rome who thought their money was enough to keep them safe from the Fascists, be it the wealthy German Jews living in New York City who believed too many Jews from Eastern Europe would and could and should not become Americanized. Be it, in recent years, the Jews who somehow think that their financial status, will shelter them from the hatred toward the other Jews, as in not so wealthy.

 

As an American, who among other qualities was raised as Jewish, I am perplexed, not surprised, sadly, at how and why any Jewish person, with any bit of empathy, sincerity, and love for one another, would vote for a political party which no longer uses Dog Whistles to express, ANTI- SEMITISM! 

 

WHO will be next

 Florida doctors can no longer provide gender-affirming treatments for transgender minors. Doctors will no longer be allowed to provide treatments such as puberty-blocking medications, hormone therapy and surgery to transgender people younger than 18, under rules approved Friday by the Florida Board of Medicine and the Florida Board of Osteopathic Medicine. (Miami Herald) 

Imagine. A GOP majority in Congress voted into office in November and sworn into office in January. Imagine. The government and politicians, whose oath to the Christian Bible has now become the official Book of Laws by which they swear their allegiance. Not just any Bible, like the Tanakh/Talmud (Judaism), the Quran/Hadiths (Muslim), The Vedas/Upanishads, (Hinduism) The Tipitaka (Buddhism), The Dao De Jing (Taoism), The Seven Valleys/The Four Valleys (Baha’i), The Agamas (Jainism), Guru Granth Sahib (Sikhism), The Constitution, the Book of Laws established to make certain there was or will be a national religion.

 

So you really could give a shit about those Transgendered Kids. Not your problem you say. Just like Rape and Incest, nothing to do with you personally must be bad families and maybe even loser women. Let a bunch of Christian Nationalists be the Morality Police, just like in Iran. Let the Government decide the kind of lifestyle you will live. You demand lower prices, NOW, and once your wallet is put back into financial shape, you will worry about FREEDOMS!

 

It NEVER just stops with someone else’s human rights being denied as if the OTHER is not you. Nope, read some history books, whether or not they offend you. Discover the insatiable appetite for HATE and LOATHING, causing the BULLY to devour all that HE or SHE considers THEIR enemy!

 

Gag reflex

  

‘And on the 8th Day’: DeSantis Rolls Out Cringe Ad Saying He Was Sent by God

“And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said I need a protector. So God made a fighter,” a creepy voiceover says over a montage of DeSantis pics. Those able to make it through the entire video are left with this quote from the impassioned voiceover: “God said I need a family man. A man who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply with smiling eyes when his daughter says, she wants to spend her life doing what dad does. So God made a fighter.” (Daily Beast)

AS I BEGAN READING THIS ARTICLE I ACTUALLY FELT MY GAG REFLEX ACT UP. I paused, drank a glass of water, and urged myself, please continue, THIS MUST BE an article from The Onion. And I continued, pinching myself as I read on and on wondering if perhaps I might be dreaming, as I have become overwhelmed regarding the EVIL from within this nation, trying to claim the entirety of this nation. I finished reading this article, closed my computer, opened my back door, and walked outside to a very wooded place on our property. I looked up to the sky now so much more visible due to empty branches and the myriad of falling leaves, and to the entity, I understand as my God, screamed PLEASE MAKE THIS STOP!

No more Dog Whistles, or Innuendos necessary, America. There is NOW a very clear choice, presented and honed by the Republican Party. Make America a Christian Nationalistic White Nation or perish as the USA becomes the USA of Christianity. If there are still those who pretend all of this is just your typical father's politics, then just like the slogan of this is your typical father's Oldsmobile, guess what…there are no more Oldsmobiles manufactured.

 

 

Made In America

  

TRUMP YEARS PART TWO:  A Mid-Term sequel to Fascism. Bigotry, Hypocrisy, Christian Nationalism, Homophobia, Transphobia, Anti-Semitism, Misogyny, Xenophobia, Deceit, Treason, Tyranny,  and all-around HATE. I thank the folks at Vanity Fair for providing a list of the vilest and Anti-Democracy Candidates running for office under the banner of the Republican Party. As Smokey the Bear reminded us, “Only you can prevent forest fires,” and ONLY you can help those who think Inflation is the only item on the ballot this year, to try and understand freedom, liberty, and justice ARE the main issues on the ballot.

 

And even if folks think they are not Jewish, or People of Color, or Immigrants, or Women asking to be raped, or LGBT, or Muslim, remind them that once those groups of the American population are imprisoned or fined or banned, the folks who love a good DICTATOR like Trump, will need to feast on someone ELSE. The Complete Guide to the GOP Midterm Candidates Who Should Scare the S--t Out of You From governorships to Congress to secretary of state races, these are the people who, given the opportunity, will do unimaginable damage to the country. (Vanity Fair)

 

 

Blake Masters AZ, Don Bolduc NH, Mehmet Oz PA, Herschel Walker GA, Adam Laxalt NV, J.D. Vance Ohio, Ron Johnson WI, Marjorie Taylor Greene GA, Doug Mastriano PA, Ron DeSantis FL, Tudor Dixon MI Greg Abbott TX, Tim Michels WI, Kari Lake AZ, Mark Finchem AZ, Anna Paulina Luna FL, Mike Collins GA, Karoline Leavitt NH, Joe Kent WA…..And in either own words or actions:

 

: “Planned Parenthood [is] the #1 killer of the unborn that also promotes child grooming via sex ed curriculum & providing puberty blockers to kids.”… “great replacement” rhetoric… ban abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest… “pro-life extremist.”… a major election denier… avowed proponent of “the big lie,… elected officials operate a global child sex-trafficking ring… “God did not create us {women} to be equal to men.”… “people should just, just be ready to get out on the streets with pitchforks and torches with how low the liberal media has become… rape victims can find “healing” by giving birth to their attacker’s child… “Don’t Say Gay” bill into law. “Stop WOKE” act—which basically makes it illegal to have conversations about race that might make white people feel bad

 

 

SERIOUSLY

 As I was driving, towards Provincetown, I made the mistake and played the CNN channel on my radio. I have promised myself 10 minutes in the morning to read the news, and try and go on with my day, hoping throughout my day, the various and sundry daily experiences might take hold of my conscience, and the mostly bad news of this nation and the world will be relegated to the inner sanctum of my gut. But, because, I believe, ignoring the news, is not always the best medicine, I listened as one of the CNN talking heads, informed me that INDEPENDENT VOTERS, are frustrated with President Biden, and polls show they will vote Republican!

 

To no one but the emptiness of my car, and to the bodiless voice emanating from the CNN studios, I SCREAMED, what the fuck, holy fuck, and added a fuck you for good measure. How I maintained my hands on the steering wheel, and foot on the gas pedal, I am not quite certain, but I do know that somehow my head must have recoiled like that of one of those crash dummies, back and forth, as my sunglasses flew onto my dashboard. I did pull over to the side of the road, for safety's sake, but mainly so I could actually exit my car, kick the dirt, and shout to the HEAVENS, WHYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!

 

I do not believe in polls, and I have never been selected to be polled. But, even if CNN is trying to make its own headlines (which for me is why I often do not watch any news but read about it instead), the mere idea that anyone with a soul, conscience, empathy, and intelligence, could, would, should intend or already has voted for any GOP candidate, hurts my gut the same as, if I had just decided that the left-over Mexican food, from a week ago, with green mold, thinking it might be delicious.

 

COVID Vaccines, Government responsibility for, keeping you and your family from dying, Female Reproductive Rights, Democracy, LGBTQ Rights, Voting Rights, saying the words Climate Change, Inflation Reduction, Infrastructure, Social Security, calling the January 6^th a Coup, explaining that there are4 not good people on both sides, all Biden's priorities.  Yet somehow, according to the folks at CNN, INDEPENDENTS are disappointed in President Biden. SERIOUSLY! (Oh, by the way, I got back into the car and for the remainder of the trip listened to 60’s Gold!

 

 

POPULISM

  

Populism is an approach to politics which views "the people" as being opposed to "the elite" and is often used as a synonym of anti-establishment; as an ideology, it transcends the typical divisions of left and right and has become more prevalent in the US with the rise of disenfranchisement and apathy toward the  rise of disenfranchisement and apathy toward the establishment. (Wikipedia)

 

When Keri Lake, GOP Arizona Gubernatorial says “you can’t talk about vaccines,” of course she means that elevating false claims about the dangers of coronavirus vaccination and downplaying the obvious benefits (like staying alive) yields pushback or condemnation. When she says “you can’t talk about elections,” she means that she can’t make unfounded claims about the election results being tainted without scores of actual experts and objective observers pointing out that she’s wrong. When she says “you can’t talk about Paul Pelosi” — the husband of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) who was bludgeoned with a hammer in their home last week — she means that elevating grotesque, unfounded conspiracy theories to turn the attack into a political ding for the left results in similar condemnation. (Washington Post)

 

Fox News host Laura Ingraham says if the Republican Party remains focused on populist messaging put forth by former President Trump, it is likely to have success in future elections and will be in a strong position to take back the White House in 2024. (The Hill)

 

I am AFRAID of people like Keri Lake and Laura Ingraham. Both of these women, seem to enjoy a life of NO TRUTH, AND NO CONSEQUENCES. They both live in an Elitist Ivory Tower, as does Trump, but pretend, somehow they are of the people, just like the people. Both are smart enough to understand how to talk HATE/STUPID/BIAS and BOGUS appealing to the masses as if they both share anything at all in common. POPULISM is such a catchy idea. The GOP pretends not a single Republican Politician considers she or he better than the rest.  YET, the GOP wants to tell the rest just how to NOT or how TO live their lives!