June 30, 2019

The Brits acknowledged our Declaration of Independence. Too late to say "Didn't mean it?"

I read the Declaration of Independence and see the things the founding fathers went to war over and these are things we let Trump and McConnell do and then we say "Oh well" or "Elections have consequences" to.

"He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only. AKA gerrymandering.

"He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands. OK

"He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries. Ahem, Merrick Garland might have something to say about that.

"He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance. Future Space Force

"He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures. The 'national emergency' right there

"He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power. Military budget right there for you

"For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States: Talk to AG Barr about that one

"For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent: It sure would be nice to have a government that represents us, one man, one vote. That sort of thing.

"For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury: What Trump's bff Putin wants, he's not going to denounce it, are we going to see it here?

So I guess maybe an apology to the British crown and the people of Britain is in order if we're not going to keep living up to the same standards we set up for ourselves in 1776 when we declared independence from them, if we like living under the thumb of McConnell and Trump and being subject to their whims, then at least we should say to the British that we didn't mean all those things back in 1776. It makes sense.

June 30, 2019

"Disenchantment" with liberalism is not a surprise to anyone, it's the authoritarian game

This is what they have been doing... they've whipped up a generation of Americans to see the liberal as the "Them", as a pejorative, you've got Keith Ablow saying on Fox News that the Unabomber had a point about liberalism being bad, and frankly, if liberals started coming out and saying they were against cannibalism, incest, and human sacrifice, we'd have people coming out FOR them and they've got all the "reasons" for it on lock. A combination of contrarianism and conditioning has led us to this point.

I have a feeling that Putin was practicing that speech against liberalism for years, years before Trump was even elected. Just looking for a place to use it, I'm sure he has more lined up.

The authoritarian uses things up and then discards them when they no longer have value to them, you know how how Trump was questioning Obama's legitimacy for 8 years through the racist birther movement then suddenly disavowed when it was clear he was going to win the nomination? Like that.

That applies to people too, just ask the people of Ryazan in 1999 or the people of Beslan when the Russian government needed to look strong against Islamist terrorists and decided to wipe EVERYONE out.

You, me... we're fodder to the authoritarian, an interchangeable part. The same as the 30%ers too, but they won't realize that.

Giving hugs to people who say "I'm not racist but..." won't stop this; it's the Constitution, American values, freedom, equality, guaranteed rights and protections on side and authoritarianism on the other.

I think the least horrible solution here is removing the platform of the authoritarian, it's what we got to do.

June 23, 2019

Keep Omelas Great?

When I was a kid, I read the story "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin, it stuck with me, I read this story before Trump, before Obama, before George W Bush even to give you an idea, and it stuck with me, that's why I'm bringing it up now. It haunted me so to speak.

I suggest reading it, I will say this though, Omelas is a place of greatness and wonder, but something dark and evil powers that greatness and wonder.

And then I see the US, I see how great and wonderful we're supposed to be, but what is the cost of that greatness?

This is made all the more apparent in the conditions the detained children are in. How squalid these conditions are or dealing with angry and sadistic guards. "We" are expected to feel better about ourselves, safer, more secure, superior because "we" can and do this to children.

The "Great Again" in "Make America Great Again" is our Omelas.

But I'm not content with just walking away from Omelas, Omelas should fall.

June 15, 2019

The same people who ate up a video that made Pelosi look drunk and stories about pizzeria satanists

Are now urging war over a Totally Authentic Video that shows Totally Iran doing Totally Bad Things.

Don't let 2019 be a repeat of 2003.

June 13, 2019

"Socialism" is not toxic or poisonous, but I can tell you what is...

It's the wing of the political spectrum that says valuing human lives over confederate statues, that getting vaccinated, that buying supplies before a potential disaster, and, oh right, not wanting to get shot in school are all examples of "socialism" today.

It's weird how this isn't obvious to everyone.