January 13, 2021

January 6, 2021

At the moment, I still can’t wrap my head around what happened last week. What we all saw was something that happens in other countries, not in the USA. If we take a little slide into history we can see where the seeds were sown, and how they were encouraged to bloom into five (maybe more) dead.

During the Reagan era, 138 members of his administration were investigated, indicated, or convicted for various scandals. Reagan helped to bring more corruption into Washington – not that the corruption needed too much help. Reagan also put “trickle-down economics” in place. This is a scheme to give the rich as much money as you can, while telling everyone else that this stolen money will magically “trickle down” on the rest of us. With our Federal minimum wage set at $7.25 an hour, and billionaires proliferating into trillionaires we can see how well this has worked (sarcasm). Reagan also worked as hard as he could to destroy and demonize unions. This is still going on today as the GOP puts out propaganda against unions almost continuously. Since Reagan was able to hide behind “family values” and ignore the AIDS epidemic, he and his fellow Republicans self-righteously caused many more deaths than there should have been.

If we follow these actions, we can see how this led to the GOP’s problems. They have made making money off the misfortunes of others; for example buying stock in companies that make body-bags at the beginning of the Pandemic; passing laws that were written by lawyers working for the actual industries (oil, Wall Street, etc.) that the laws were initially intended to control; and raising taxes on the poor while lowering taxes on the rich (the top .01% of the rich); keeping federal minimum wages at $7.25/hour while telling the middle class that all the problems in the country are caused by the poor, people of color and “illegal immigrants”. By ignoring and villainizing the people who died of AIDS, Reagan and the GOP actually helped acclimate their followers to the idea that AIDS didn’t exist (and if it did), blame the victims, and additionally demonize science by disregarding it. This was the beginning of the belief that science really isn’t factual.

So, the actual seeds to our problems today were initially sown years ago. FOX News watered them, other “news” outlets poured plant-grower on them, and the GOP helped to legitimize them. But the real problem is the people who believe everything they hear and see. There is little critical thinking going on. This is also a problem caused by the GOP in their race to de-fund education. See, for years we’ve been de-funding many programs around the country. Public education has been replaced with “magnate” and/or “charter” schools. These schools are often run by large businesses with an agenda. Look up Betsy DeVos schools. These schools often have a curriculum that “white-washes” history and/or simply ignores history that may be uncomfortable to their “preferred” student – white and Christian. There is little to no critical thinking being taught. Even teachers have problems with talking about critical thinking. Much of the way that students are taught relies on rote learning and repeating back what the teacher said.

What happened on January 6^th was the culmination of these various factors. After all, the electoral college not only elected a President who has told over 30,000 verifiable lies over the last four years, but he did not even win the majority of votes. However, instead of being called lies, the media calls them disinformation. Disinformation is lying. Remember that.

When a mob of violent domestic terrorists invades a federal building with the intent to kill legitimately elected officials, we need to call it what it is. Sedition, insurrection, DOMESTIC TERRORISM. We cannot let any of these individuals, including the GOP legislators who helped incite this, “get away” with these actions. Bludgeoning Officer Sicknick to death, destroying property, stealing mail, urinating on federal property, writing on walls with fecal matter, bringing bombs, guns and other material with the intent to blow up and kill any number of people is NOT peacefully protesting. Arrest and charge to the fullest extent of the law. There should be no uniting with these terrorists. Have each one of them go to jail for the fullest extent of their sentence. Shut down the lies. Educate. And, once and for all, white people, realize you are a world-wide MINORITY! As whites, we are not superior to any other person.

I am heart-broken. I am angry. The hate I saw on those faces threw me and others into depression. Many of these people claim to be Christian, so do why aren’t they following Jesus Christ? Do whatever it is that you can do to support democracy. Pay attention to what is going on around you, when you see injustice speak out against it. But most of all, be kind. Treat others as you would like to be treated. Nothing happens in a vacuum, what effects one, effects everyone, for we are all one.

July 22, 2020

Far Left (Antifa) Fascism?

Can the Anti-Fascism movement be fascist? That’s what some politicians are claiming. However, who and where did this come from, who paid for this idea to be put forward, and why is it being used against people who are against fascism? How can you be anti-fascist, but be fascist at the same time? I thought that I would look into this fascinating idea, and I have to say that I was not surprised at all by what I found.

One of the places to find this idea is Reason.com which is funded by the David H. Koch Foundation, and the Sarah Scaife Foundation. Both Koch and Scaife are affiliated with most, if not all the large Libertarian Think Tanks. David Koch, along with his brother, have been leading influencers in the Republican Party (it is estimated that they have given over 1.5 billion dollars to extreme conservative groups, including the GOP). The Sarah Scaife Foundation also contributes extreme amounts of money to the far-right, including anti-immigrant and Islamophobic organizations such as The Center for Immigration Studies and the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_activities_of_the_Koch_brothers

https://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Sarah_Scaife_Foundation

This is why Reason.com has pushed an agenda of Antifa supposedly being a fascist organization. This idea has spread far and wide and is being touted by Trump. So now that we know who is paying for this idea to be spread, lets discuss whether or not it is a legitimate stance to take.

Scholars have agreed that fascism has core elements that need to be agreed upon to make the organization fascist. These include: Nationalism – and using large amounts of money to make the nation stronger and more powerful – this national strength makes the nation “good”; Allegiance to a specific group of people that are thought of as superior in some way or another; Propaganda – various news outlets that promote only one view and denigrate opposing points of views (including facts); Support of a leader, regardless of what that leader does or says; and the “beauty of violence” as perpetrated against the “others”.

https://www.livescience.com/57622-fascism.html

So, does this sound like Antifa to you? There is no “group” known as antifa. It’s basically a bunch of different people who loosely agree on various subjects such as equality for all – including LGBTQIA; BLM; Indigenous Peoples’ Rights; health-care for all – including reproductive rights; higher wages; equal opportunity; immigrant rights; and inclusivity. I’m sure there is more, but this a loose list. There is no superiority, no nationalist viewpoint. It’s a “we are all here together” and “we are all one” view of the world. Most importantly, there is no one leader in charge. As such, there is no media outlet that they own creating propaganda in order to push their agenda on others.

https://theconversation.com/what-or-who-is-antifa-140147

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/what-is-antifa-trump-terrorist-designation

So, if we use this idea of fascism against those who say Antifa is fascist, what do we find? The answer is some damning evidence. The conservative party (GOP), is quite nationalist – after all, their most powerful member ran on the platform of “America First” and “Make America Great Again”. This party is almost entirely made up of white people, many of whom are aligned with members of white supremacist groups. This also gives them a “leader” to whom the GOP has basically pledged allegiance to regardless of what he says or does. For example, just look at Trump’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic and the chorus of Republican Congressmen/women, who continue to support him. Furthermore, the GOP has multiple media outlets that push their agenda, including, but not limited to, Fox News. They have also spent extraordinary amounts of money on the military, spending $738 billion in just one year.

https://prospect.org/civil-rights/republican-party-getting-even-whiter/

https://www.americanprogress.org/issues/security/reports/2020/07/01/482414/white-supremacy-returned-mainstream-politics/

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2020/feb/29/paul-singer-elliott-management-twitter-jack-dorsey

https://www.defensenews.com/congress/2019/12/19/pentagon-finally-gets-its-2020-budget-from-congress/

Finally, to come to a conclusion, the GOP itself has a long history of being against anyone who is “different”. How have they done this? By fighting against Civil Rights, LGBTQIA – refusing to fund a cure for AIDS, equality, etc. These examples are endless – the fight against equality and healthcare for all is an on-going battle that I quite frankly am tired of fighting – but they unfortunately are not. So, if Antifa is a loose group of people who are not part of any one organization, do not believe in Nationalism, have a leader, nor media outlets producing propaganda and have no way of building up a military, how are they fascist? Answer, they are not. However, their detractors are.

February 21, 2018

Religious Freedom Division in the Federal Health & Human Services Department

What in the heck is “religious freedom”, and what does it mean to your health? Here is a definition of “religious freedom” from the people who want the legal right to “practice” it.

“… is the right to use religious beliefs as a license to discriminate, and to provide special protections for Christians that fly in the face of the First Amendment.” https://newrepublic.com/article/140645/trump-republicans-redefining-religious-freedom-favor-christians

So, now that we have the definition down, what is going to happen to you, if you need to go to a health provider? Well, the following may happen to you if you are the following: the child of a gay couple who needs health care; a LGBTQ+ person in need of health care; another religion, including but not limited to: Muslim, Hindu, or something other than Christian. How will you be denied care? Well, if your health care provider does not “believe” in contraception, he/she need not offer it to you as part of your health insurance, because their beliefs are more important than your care. The same holds true if you need the “morning after pill” regardless if that is because of rape, incest, or another reason – no need for you to take it, since an unwanted pregnancy is a “silver lining”, or even an “unexpected gift from God”. Because this is the “belief” of the health provider, you don’t get a choice. Another problem with this new law is that if a woman needs an abortion, and there are a variety of medical reasons for this, including a dead fetus, the hospital or doctor can deny them the choice, leaving them with a) having to endure an induced labor and a still birth; b) carrying a dead fetus and hopefully not dying herself due to a septic womb.

Another item to take note of here, this “religious freedom” is used to control women and their health decisions along with anyone who is not a cis man. I don’t see anyone worrying about prescriptions for Viagra, or even prostate examinations.

However, the most interesting question is this – whose religion is it that we must worry about with this freedom of religion? Is it only the Christian religion, or does this also include: Hindu, Muslim, the Church of Satan? Is there a line, and if so where is it? This opens a huge legal can of worms, and it will be interesting to see where it leads. I’ve left some links for you if you want to know more about this subject.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-administration-could-narrow-affordable-care-acts-contraception-mandate/2017/10/05/16139400-a9f0-11e7-92d1-58c702d2d975_story.html?utm_term=.8d7198460d17

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-religion-legal/trump-move-on-healthcare-religious-freedom-prompts-discrimination-fears-idUSKBN1F800L

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/2/6/1737656/-A-Trump-official-wanted-to-forcibly-reverse-an-unaccompanied-teenager-s-medical-abortion?detail=emaildkre

March 10, 2017

Unity

The only way to fight injustice in the world is make sure that we fight for all who are in need of it. That means that we need to stand up not only for ourselves and our own concerns, but we must stand up for all the others who are marginalized. We must stand and resist together. It’s the only way change will occur.

February 8, 2017

What’s Wrong with being a Social Justice Warrior?

I have to admit that I’m extremely confused here. A few months ago, I started to see strange memes on Instagram which were all very anti-social justice warriors. Since A, I had no clue as to what this is, and B, it looked like typical back-lash to me, I decided to finally look up the whole thing. This is what I found:

“‘Social justice warrior’ (commonly abbreviated SJW) is a pejorative term for an individual promoting socially progressive views,^[1] including feminism,^[1]^[2] civil rights,^[1] multiculturalism,^[1] and identity politics.^[3] The accusation of being an SJW carries implications of pursuing personal validation rather than any deep-seated conviction,^[4] and being engaged in disingenuous social justice arguments or activism to raise personal reputation, also known as virtue signalling.^[5]

The phrase originated in the late 20th century as a neutral or positive term for people engaged in social justice activism.^[1] In 2011 when the term first appeared on Twitter it changed from a primarily positive term to an overwhelmingly negative one.^[1] During the Gamergate controversy, the negative connotation gained increased use, and was particularly aimed at those espousing views adhering to social liberalism, cultural inclusiveness, or feminism, as well as views deemed to be politically correct.^[1]^[2]

The term has entered popular culture, including a parody role-playing video game released in 2014 titled Social Justice Warriors.^[6]^[7]^[8]“

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice_warrior

WOW! So, other people presume they know what these individuals think and feel, and ridicule them for supposedly trying to improve their own social standing through fighting for the rights of minorities. Cool. Apparently working for others isn’t really a thing anymore. I mean, seriously, if you believe this, then all the people who work at places like: soup kitchens, food pantries, for United Services, NAFI, Habitat for Humanity and the like, are really only volunteering in order to make themselves “look good”. Of course, oftentimes others go to help out in the aftermath of a hurricane or tornado. So, these people also are only working in such a way to make themselves look good.

This, of course, is an attack on human and civil rights. In this way of thinking, no one really believes in helping others, they only do it to make themselves look better. Apparently, we’re just a collection of individuals who couldn’t care less about each other and only want to inflate our own egos. According to this logic, the following individuals really didn’t want to change anything, their motivation was to “look good”: Jane Adams (better housing for the poor, founding member of NAACP); Louis Brandeis (defended labor laws, etc.); Florence Kelley (fought against child labor); John Dewey (founder of NAACP, fought for freedom of ideas, etc.); Eleanor Roosevelt (advocated for worker’s and civil rights, etc.). I could go on and on, however, I’ll stop here. Many of the individuals who have worked for social justice have done so at their own peril. As it is, many people are arrested every day advocating for social justice. Yet, the logic of those who denigrate social justice warriors is that they only do so for their own social advancement. This is said in order to negate any good that comes out of working for the poor, downtrodden, and ignored in society. After all, if you’ve got yours, why bother helping others?

So, my take-away from this whole thing? I feel sorry for those with this kind of belief system. To spend your life making fun of others whose purpose is to make life better for everyone is just sad. Too sad.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2015/10/07/why-social-justice-warrior-a-gamergate-insult-is-now-a-dictionary-entry/?utm_term=.3ebc48e08622

February 6, 2017

Keeping Depression at Bay

Here are some quotes for those of us who sign petitions, write letters and still feel depressed about the way the country is going. Keep up your chins, hold love in your hearts, and keep on hoping for a new day.

November 16, 2016

I’m Just a “Little Bit” Broken

For years, I’ve been having heart attacks on a pretty regular basis. Of course, I’m not speaking about actual heart attacks, but I’ve been upset on many occasions by the state of the world, the environment and the actions of a few people with a lot of power. I spend probably a few hours a week signing petitions against this or that; or even for this or that. Things that really have integral value such as clean air and water, wars and poverty. That kind of thing.

However, as time has gone on, my stress level has skyrocketed to the point where after the election on last Tuesday I was afraid that I would have an actual heart attack. When I calmly, nicely and quietly questioned some people I know who voted for Trump, they didn’t really actually like (or even know) what he was running on, they simply liked the things that he said. When asked specifically what things it was that they liked, the response was invariably the hateful things that he said. Sadly, my experience didn’t seem to be much different from the videos and articles I’ve seen and read regarding the reasons people voted this way. The most upsetting part of this exercise in futility was in regard to the sad realization that none of the people I spoke with had a clue as to exactly what would be the out-come of a Trump presidency. They had no idea of what he was going to do – other than “build a big beautiful wall.” So, I’ve had to ask myself is this the America that I thought it was? I have to say that I had no idea that so many of my neighbors and acquaintances felt the way they do in regard to race, religion and gender.

In the end, after all the hand wringing, wondering, and intense depression, there is one question that I feel I must ask myself. What do I do, knowing what I now know? There are a lot of people, who, because they feel they have been short-changed (and I do agree, working people have been short-changed – I should know, I’m one of them), have decided to blame those who are just as powerless as they are. A large segment of our society has blamed the blameless. What about the banks that caused the 2008 financial crisis? What about the corporations whose greed has broken down much of our society? The CEO’s who have finagled ways out of paying any taxes, received many tax breaks and even receive subsidies from us, the working class, paying all our taxes (and then some). Why have they not been held accountable? Bernie Sanders, who tried to bring this knowledge to light, was right.

So, again, where do I as a person go from here? What is the way forward and how do I find it? My reaction has been the realization that I’ve got to learn how to deal with stress in a much better way. I’ve got to keep myself busy working on creating a better world around myself. I’m making a list of some of the things I can do just in my little world. Of course, I’ll keep signing petitions, writing letters to the editor and voting with my dollar. I intend to work with the marginalized (whom I feel will become even more marginalized); volunteer work is a great way to start. However, another one of my goals will be to make my own house a shelter, a peaceful place to retreat from the craziness that those of us who did indeed read the Republican Platform know is coming. Keep safe, find peace somewhere in your own lives and keep fighting the good fight. Love each other and have courage!

http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/trumps-america-racism?akid=14867.302291.KMX_93&rd=1&src=newsletter1066971&t=18

March 23, 2016

American Renewal Part 3b in Social Issues Series

This is a continuation of my post from last Wednesday regarding the list of American Renewal achievements from the RNC. Here is the list from the RNC regarding the American Renewal goals stated. In this post I’m writing about the last five achievements, since I wrote about the first six in my post from last Wednesday.

CONSTITUTION – Our Constitution should be preserved, valued and honored.

ECONOMY – We need to start growing America’s economy instead of Washington’s economy so that hard-working Americans see better wages and more opportunity.

BUDGET- we need to pass a Balanced Budget Amendment to the Constitution, make government more efficient, and leave the next generation with opportunity, not debt.

HEALTHCARE – We need to start over with real healthcare reform that puts patients and their doctors in charge, not unelected bureaucrats in Washington.

VETERANS – Our veterans have earned our respect and gratitude, and no veteran should have to wait in line for months or years just to see a doctor.

SECURITY – Keeping America safe and strong requires a strong military, growing the economy, energy independence, and secure borders.

EDUCATION – Every child should have an equal opportunity to get a great education; no parent should be forced to send their child to a failing school.

POVERTY – The best anti-poverty program is a strong family and a good job, so our focus should be on getting people out of poverty by lifting up all people and helping them find work.

VALUES – Our country should value the traditions of family, life, religious liberty, and hard work.

ENERGY – We should make America energy independent by encouraging investment in domestic energy, lowering prices, and creating jobs at home.

IMMIGRATION – We need an immigration system that secures our borders, upholds the law, and boosts our economy. https://www.gop.com/principles-for-american-renewal

The next achievement is that of Education. The RNC claims that every child should have access to a “great” education. Except when they shouldn’t. The Republicans have voted to cut the budget for education at every turn. They also don’t believe that students should get loans for higher education. There is also the issue that “charter schools” are for profit; they educated far fewer students than public schools for more money, etc. Here is a link regarding these and more problems with charter schools. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2014/05/20/a-dozen-problems-with-charter-schools/ and http://democrats.budget.house.gov/fact-sheet/fact-sheet-republican-budget-cuts-education and http://www.usnews.com/opinion/knowledge-bank/2015/06/25/why-the-gops-education-funding-bill-gets-an-f

As far as poverty is concerned, the RNC claims that their goal is to lift people up out of poverty and put them to work. Again, look at their record. How do people get lifted up out of poverty when their wages are at or below poverty levels? As I stated earlier, there is also the issue of the Republicans continuing the tax breaks on corporations that ship American jobs overseas. http://takingnote.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/03/04/republican-hypocrisy-on-the-minimum-wage/ and http://www.politicususa.com/2014/03/15/republicans-dream-nation-wage-slaves-obama-overtime-pay-rules.html

The next achievement that I’d like to look at is values, which the RNC has stated as “Our country should value the traditions of family, life, religious liberty, and hard work.” This definition is pretty vague, so I looked in other places for a more definite definitions of values. I found the following: “Our country should value family, life, and hard work. This is why we insist that public policy – from taxes to education, from health care to welfare – should be created to strengthen and support, not hurt, American families. Individuals and families should be able to maintain their independence from government, raise their children by their own values and build communities of self-reliant neighbors.” https://www.gop.com/issue/family-values/canonical/ Some of these same advocates for traditional family values also advocate: hate against certain groups, including but not limited to: LBGTQ+; persons of different ethnicity; persons of different religions; and persons of a different race. http://occupydemocrats.com/2016/02/18/southern-poverty-law-center-republican-party-is-now-a-hate-group-2/ Also, I would like to briefly bring up the point that in recent years the Republicans in Congress have been “caught” in affairs and scandals. http://reverbpress.com/politics/republican-family-values-politician-caught-in-sex-scandal-forced-rep-to-resign/ and then there is this http://occupydemocrats.com/2015/09/30/republican-anti-gay-family-values-hypocrite-caught-cheating-on-wife-in-sex-tape-scandal-steps-down/

That’s enough for the sex scandals. If we start to talk about other “values”, these would include: greater poverty (or below) wages; healthcare for all, including women’s health; good public education; clean air and water; shelter and food. These, again are values that the republicans have fought against. This article talks about these issues. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/philip-slater/the-real-meaning-of-famil_b_50006.html

Now we come to the issue of Energy. The RNC says that it wants to help America become energy independent and keep jobs here at home. Again this sounds like a valid and good goal. What does it mean, though? So far, the Republican candidates for President have said that we should use all sources of energy whether or not they are polluting. They are there and we should use them. Some of them oppose tax credits for solar and wind while at the same time are planning to continue the tax credits for oil, gas and coal. http://www.lcv.org/assets/docs/presidential-candidates-on-renewable.pdf Not only that, but the Republicans have repeatedly voted against any form of clean energy. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2015/11/17/amid-record-global-temperatures-congress-to-vote-to-stop-obamas-clean-power-plan/ As far as keeping jobs here at home, once again we have Republicans giving tax breaks to corporations who send jobs overseas. http://republicansexposed.org/republicans-support-tax-breaks-for-companies-sending-jobs-overseas/

Now, last but of course, not least, there is the goal of Immigration. This seems to be a hot-button issue in this election year. The stated position within the American Renewal document sounds fairly valid and sensible. “…an immigration system that secures our borders, upholds the law, and boosts our economy.” However when we take a closer look at the rhetoric coming from the Republicans we see a different side to the immigration issue. The Republican contenders for President have moved far to the right by vowing to deport millions of illegal immigrants, break-up families and deport children. http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/jan/18/donald-trump-pulls-republicans-further-right-on-im/?page=all Here you can read comprehensive statements by all the Presidential contenders regarding their stances on immigration. https://ballotpedia.org/2016_presidential_candidates_on_immigration While there has been a lot of verbiage regarding illegal immigration, at the same time there has been little in the way of policy on the subject. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-w-traphagan/the-gop-the-new-know-noth_b_9010454.html

So, American Renewal. What do you think? Where do you stand? While I personally feel that these are good goals, I don’t really feel that given the information that I’ve found from legitimate sources that the Republican Party has either delivered on them, or in most cases moved to achieve them. Let me know in the comments what your viewpoint is.

June 30, 2015

Did You Hear? Love is Love!

The Supreme Court ruled for equality! I was so happy to hear it. We’ve had such terrible news lately, South Carolina, churches being burned down. I was beginning to despair. But finally, something to celebrate!

I have never understood why so many people seem to have a problem with what other people do in their bedroom. Not your business, I say. I love equality. After all, as a woman I’m a minority, too. We need to see each other for what we are – more alike than different. All needing love, respect and acceptance.

So, Yes!! Love has won the day!

transforminglifenow

Changing my life for health and happiness

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Did You Hear? Love is Love!