Arthur_Frain
Arthur_Frain's JournalSince we usually start a new category every presidential election year specifically for those OPs,
and that time is coming around soon, may I request we get another one specifically for the Israel/Palestine content?
Balm to my soul
(On edit) classic picture of Obama seated just before going to address a gathering of Scool shooting survivors and relatives. Haven’t mastered to new DU 4 techniques on this. Apologies.
We once had a man such as this. Agonizing over moments that would become his legacy, not because he was concerned about that legacy, but because he knew that how you behave in moments like this, the face you show the world, defines the success of your administration.
Joe knows this because Barack knows this, taking the hit for Afghanistan withdrawal, raising the fed interest rates because zero percent for so long isn’t good for the economy, stepping forward to speak truth to power in the face of the RW propaganda onslaught.
I find that I like this Joe Biden. He doesn’t fear what needs to be done, and he’s wiser than I am, he’s seen more. I’m going to trust him in this ME conflict that’s been raging, the one that’s seemed so utterly futile for all of my life.
A bit of doggerel for you on the occasion of the nomination for speaker
With apologies to Guy Fawkes, the bard, and all others who appreciate fine verse…
I’ll never get over
The twenty fourth of October
Sedition, treason and plot
I see no reason
Why maga bred treason
Should inordinately be forgot
McCarthy and jordan, emmer and johnson
Traitors to oath one and all
A house without guidance
Chaotic and strident
The constitution is backed to the wall
A powder keg leaking, a match to a flame
The path ahead mined past all knowing
A party of bomb throwers bent on destruction
Democracy stretched thin and bowing
The nexus awaits the will of the people
This election is one we’ll take pride in
Get out the vote, hold their feet to the fire
There is no other vote ‘cept for Biden
On edit: got so caught up in reworking the original I lost all track of time! October doesn’t rhyme as well, making it true doggerel I suppose.
Another test, no reply necessary.
Will my iPad mini post a new thread while my iPhone SE won’t?
Anyone check if the pen in the Boebert incident contained cannabis?
Test her immediately. If she tests positive, then try her and Hunter together?
Same crime except tons more guns in her locker, amirite?
So I don't get it. Did we win, or did we lose?
It seems so obvious to me that the mug shot distributed for public consumption was contrived. How many takes did he get? How many takes would you or I get?
We still don’t have his actual weight. 215? Puh-lease.
Height? Not 6’ 3”.
But there’s been no official release.
Rules for thee, but not for me?
Going to support the writers on this one.
Tomorrow I cancel all the streaming services I’ve been accumulating during the “emancipation” from cable. If given the opportunity I’ll tell them I support the writers.
Need to cull my profile anyway, seems like a good time to encourage anyone who supports unions to do likewise.
Well, after the Fox/Dominion debacle,
I’d suggest to those hoping tfg gets held accountable for his crimes in any meaningful way, now might be a good time to lower your expectations.
Two Americas. Several different sets of justice, apparently.
I bookmarked this several years ago. Thought I'd repost, as it still resonates.
Lori Gallagher Witt
about 2 years ago
An open letter to friends and family who are/were shocked to discover I'm a liberal...
This is going to be VERY long, so: TL;DR: I'm a liberal, I've always been a liberal, but that doesn't mean what a lot of you apparently think it does.
Some of you suspected. Some of you were shocked. Many of you have known me for years, even the majority of my life. We either steadfastly avoided political topics, or I carefully steered conversations away from the more incendiary subjects in the name of keeping the peace. "I'm a liberal" isn't really something you broadcast in social circles where "the liberals" can't be said without wrinkling one's nose.
But then the 2016 election happened, and staying quiet wasn't an option anymore. Since then, I've received no shortage of emails and comments from people who were shocked, horrified, disappointed, disgusted, or otherwise displeased to realize I am *wrinkles nose* a liberal. Yep. I'm one of those bleeding heart commies who hates anyone who's white, straight, or conservative, and who wants the government to dictate everything you do while taking your money and giving it to people who don't work.
Or am I?
Let's break it down, shall we? Because quite frankly, I'm getting a little tired of being told what I believe and what I stand for. Spoiler alert: Not every liberal is the same, though the majority of liberals I know think along roughly these same lines.
1. I believe a country should take care of its weakest members. A country cannot call itself civilized when its children, disabled, sick, and elderly are neglected. Period.
2. I believe healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Somehow that's interpreted as "I believe Obamacare is the end-all, be-all." This is not the case. I'm fully aware that the ACA has problems, that a national healthcare system would require everyone to chip in, and that it's impossible to create one that is devoid of flaws, but I have yet to hear an argument against it that makes "let people die because they can't afford healthcare" a better alternative. I believe healthcare should be far cheaper than it is, and that everyone should have access to it. And no, I'm not opposed to paying higher taxes in the name of making that happen.
3. I believe education should be affordable and accessible to everyone. It doesn't necessarily have to be free (though it works in other countries so I'm mystified as to why it can't work in the US), but at the end of the day, there is no excuse for students graduating college saddled with five- or six-figure debt.
4. I don't believe your money should be taken from you and given to people who don't want to work. I have literally never encountered anyone who believes this. Ever. I just have a massive moral problem with a society where a handful of people can possess the majority of the wealth while there are people literally starving to death, freezing to death, or dying because they can't afford to go to the doctor. Fair wages, lower housing costs, universal healthcare, affordable education, and the wealthy actually paying their share would go a long way toward alleviating this. Somehow believing that makes me a communist.
5. I don't throw around "I'm willing to pay higher taxes" lightly. I'm self-employed, so I already pay a shitload of taxes. If I'm suggesting something that involves paying more, that means increasing my already eye-watering tax bill. I'm fine with paying my share as long as it's actually going to something besides lining corporate pockets or bombing other countries while Americans die without healthcare.
6. I believe companies should be required to pay their employees a decent, livable wage. Somehow this is always interpreted as me wanting burger flippers to be able to afford a penthouse apartment and a Mercedes. What it actually means is that no one should have to work three full-time jobs just to keep their head above water. Restaurant servers should not have to rely on tips, multibillion dollar companies should not have employees on food stamps, workers shouldn't have to work themselves into the ground just to barely make ends meet, and minimum wage should be enough for someone to work 40 hours and live.
7. I am not anti-Christian. I have no desire to stop Christians from being Christians, to close churches, to ban the Bible, to forbid prayer in school, etc. (BTW, prayer in school is NOT illegal; *compulsory* prayer in school is - and should be - illegal) All I ask is that Christians recognize *my* right to live according to *my* beliefs. When I get pissed off that a politician is trying to legislate Scripture into law, I'm not "offended by Christianity" -- I'm offended that you're trying to force me to live by your religion's rules. You know how you get really upset at the thought of Muslims imposing Sharia on you? That's how I feel about Christians trying to impose biblical law on me. Be a Christian. Do your thing. Just don't force it on me or mine.
8. I don't believe LGBT people should have more rights than you. I just believe we should have the *same* rights as you.
9. I don't believe illegal immigrants should come to America and have the world at their feet, especially since THIS ISN'T WHAT THEY DO (spoiler: undocumented immigrants are ineligible for all those programs they're supposed to be abusing, and if they're "stealing" your job it's because your employer is hiring illegally.). I'm not opposed to deporting people who are here illegally, but I believe there are far more humane ways to handle undocumented immigration than our current practices (i.e., detaining children, splitting up families, ending DACA, etc).
10. I believe we should take in refugees, or at the very least not turn them away without due consideration. Turning thousands of people away because a terrorist might slip through is inhumane, especially when we consider what has happened historically to refugees who were turned away (see: MS St. Louis). If we're so opposed to taking in refugees, maybe we should consider not causing them to become refugees in the first place. Because we're fooling ourselves if we think that somewhere in the chain of events leading to these people becoming refugees, there isn't a line describing something the US did.
11. I don't believe the government should regulate everything, but since greed is such a driving force in our country, we NEED regulations to prevent cut corners, environmental destruction, tainted food/water, unsafe materials in consumable goods or medical equipment, etc. It's not that I want the government's hands in everything -- I just don't trust people trying to make money to ensure that their products/practices/etc are actually SAFE. Is the government devoid of shadiness? Of course not. But with those regulations in place, consumers have recourse if they're harmed and companies are liable for medical bills, environmental cleanup, etc. Just kind of seems like common sense when the alternative to government regulation is letting companies bring their bottom line into the equation.
12. I believe our current administration is fascist. Not because I dislike them or because I'm butthurt over an election, but because I've spent too many years reading and learning about the Third Reich to miss the similarities. Not because any administration I dislike must be Nazis, but because things are actually mirroring authoritarian and fascist regimes of the past.
13. I believe the systemic racism and misogyny in our society is much worse than many people think, and desperately needs to be addressed. Which means those with privilege -- white, straight, male, economic, etc -- need to start listening, even if you don't like what you're hearing, so we can start dismantling everything that's causing people to be marginalized.
14. I believe in so-called political correctness. Not because everyone is a delicate snowflake, but because as Maya Angelou put it, when we know better, we do better. When someone tells you that a term or phrase is more accurate/less hurtful than the one you're using, you now know better. So why not do better? How does it hurt you to NOT hurt another person? Your refusal to adjust your vocabulary in the name of not being an asshole kind of makes YOU the snowflake.
15. I believe in funding sustainable energy, including offering education to people currently working in coal or oil so they can change jobs. There are too many sustainable options available for us to continue with coal and oil. Sorry, billionaires. Maybe try investing in something else.
I think that about covers it. Bottom line is that I'm a liberal because I think we should take care of each other. That doesn't mean you should work 80 hours a week so your lazy neighbor can get all your money. It just means I don't believe there is any scenario in which preventable suffering is an acceptable outcome as long as money is saved.
So, I'm a liberal.
(c) 2018 Lori Gallagher Witt. Feel free to share, but please give me credit, and if you add or change anything, please note accordingly
Last night I saw the most satisfying SOTU I've seen in a long time.
To their detriment the conservatives are apparently beginning to believe their own propaganda completely. They think Joe is sleepy, or feeble, or diminished, just like they say over and over again.
Must be something that happens when you hit your 80’s and you’re still in full control of your faculties, and you see some idiot headed your way who thinks you’re not, and plans to take advantage of you. Man it must be a satisfying feeling to know you’re going to rip him a new one.
That’s exactly what I saw last night. Joe gave them the set up, they ran into it as fast as they could, and then he knocked them down. And like Lucy with Charlie Brown he kept doing it, I think he did it 3 maybe 4 times.
Let’s ‘effin’ go Brandon!
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Member since: Fri May 23, 2014, 03:42 PMNumber of posts: 1,849