April 21, 2021

“Anglo-Saxon” Traditions

I’m sure that you’ve heard of the “America First Caucus” that Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar have said they are creating. This “caucus” is supposedly going to focus on keeping “Anglo-Saxon” first in public discourse, and of course law. Now note that they have claimed, after much backlash, that they will not do this, don’t be fooled. These are actually ideas that they and other Republicans have been pushing for years. These ideas will not go away.

So, this begs the question – what the f*ck are “Anglo Saxon” traditions? First of all, a discussion of who exactly these Anglo Saxons are is in order. The Angles, Saxons and Jutes were Germanic tribes that invaded what is now known as England after the Romans left in approximately the 5^th century. When they arrived, they were not Christian, instead they were pagan, and it wasn’t until later that they became Christian. Of course, as we all know, the rule of the Anglo Saxon’s ended in 1066 with the Battle of Hastings during the invasion by the Normans. So much for them.

So, if you want to read all about the America First Caucus Platform you can access it here

Click to access America-First-Caucus-Policy-Platform-FINAL-2.pdf

In a nutshell (case of nuts?) they intend to follow what Trump started – reel in immigration, keep “American principles” (as a nation of immigrants – most of whom are not Anglo Saxon, that seems rather far-fetched). Also, there are the repeated claims of election fraud (you would have thought that all the numerous court rulings would have put the kibosh on that idea, but…). Along with these ideas is the one of eliminating Federal rule in order to put State rule in a superior position. Just wondering, but does this mean that the states that put in the most taxes toward the federal government don’t have too anymore? I’m sure that California (fifth largest economy in the world) would be more than happy to keep their money in the state. Other ideas include forcing “big tech” to publish lies and slander with no consequences to those who lie and slander.

Again, immigration must be stopped – as long as all those who come from Anglo-Saxon areas are still allowed in. And, once again we hear about Anglo-Saxon traditions (which other then paganism, I was unable to find on any historical website – well, they also had the tradition of pillaging each other, so there’s that). They also include an odd fascination with Anglo-Saxon “architecture”, which was made of wood with wattle and daub walls – so, no not for me. They seem to be under the mistaken idea that Roman works of infrastructure are Anglo-Saxon and not Roman. Again, perhaps an education would have helped those who wrote this “platform”.

They also want to do away with sending any form of aid to foreign countries. Keep money within the country and disentangle from any countries who are in need. However, they also want to have a very close relationship with both Russia and North Korea – I suppose because dictators and fanatics should stick together.

Most telling is the fact that because social distancing, mask wearing and shutting down some businesses during the worst of the Pandemic was bad for business, even though many businesses did indeed get free money from the U.S. government, we must not continue. Schools should be open; businesses should be open and no more mask wearing nor social distancing. Americans have rights and the right to die of a Pandemic is one such right! Don’t tread on me!

Again, ideas for the environment, trade and energy will all be exploited from American soil, air and water for the use of Americans – no Green New Deal, no Paris Climate Accord, no clean air and water. Lands will be opened up for hunting, fishing and oil. Clean air and water are an impediment to business, and the ability for business to make money is paramount. American’s health be damned!

They also believe that people – rich people – should be able to own unlimited amounts of silver, goal and bitcoin… why rich people? They’re the only ones who can afford silver and gold. We should also keep American money away from the global monetary stage.

The ideas for changes in education are also just as ludicrous. Somehow there is the impression that America is an assimilated society and culture. Just for your edification, assimilated means that we’re all alike. Excuse me, but I thought that the U.S. was the U.S. because of our differences. Do you know that one of the things that I like best about visiting a large city is the fact that within the space of a few blocks I can hear dozens of different languages spoken? This does not mean that we aren’t all U.S. citizens. It means that we’ve all got different things to offer. To get back to education, they are against the fact that our history is taught in some states with a modicum of truth. Yes, there have been times in the history of the U.S. that we were not on the side of human decency. This is an imperative truth and should be taught.

So, what do you think of the America First Platform? As you can see, this is just another way of trying to legitimize the old idea of whites first. I am appalled by this “Platform. Which is interesting, since one side of my family is Anglo-Saxon, but the other side of my family were from Scandinavia, so I’m also descended from the Normans. However, like most of the European immigrants, I’m a mix of many other ethnicities. That’s what makes us great. What a boring country it would be if we were all the same. Vive la différence!

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.

November 11, 2020

Let’s Talk About Veterans

Yesterday was Veteran’s Day. Supposedly we “honor” our Veterans, take care of them, and respect them. That’s the premise, anyway. However, is this anywhere near the truth of the matter? Firstly, we must take into consideration how “illegal” immigrants are treated within our Military. They are told that if they serve, they will earn their citizenship. However, that does not happen – especially to veterans from Central and South America. Deportations are real, and they happen often. Here is a link for your edification.

https://www.npr.org/local/309/2019/06/21/733371297/deported-u-s-veterans-feel-abandoned-by-the-country-they-defended

Other issues include: severe physical problems, for example loss of limbs, PTSD, mental and psychological issues, and the list can go on. The VA has been underfunded for many years and there is a big push to privatize it. Here are some links for you to check out. The authors of these articles explain the problems much better than I can.

https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/485438-boosting-va-funding-is-not-enough-to-support-veterans

https://jacobinmag.com/2018/06/veterans-administration-health-care-privatization

Other problems include low wages for military members. Many of our military and veterans are on food stamps. This is an issue. Here are links explaining these problems.

https://www.military.com/paycheck-chronicles/2018/02/21/why-do-military-members-qualify-food-stamps.html

https://www.cbpp.org/research/food-assistance/snap-helps-13-million-low-income-veterans-including-thousands-in-every

So, after reading these articles, let me know how well you think the U.S. “honors” its’ Veterans.

October 21, 2020

Ad hominem Attacks

Definition of ad hominem

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : appealing to feelings or prejudices rather than intellect an ad hominem argument

2 : marked by or being an attack on an opponent’s character rather than by an answer to the contentions made made an ad hominem personal attack on his rival

The newer sense of “ad hominem,” which suggests an attack on an opponent’s character instead of his or her argument, appeared only in the last century, but it is the sense more often heard today. The word still refers to putting personal issues above other matters, but perhaps because of its old association with “argument,” “ad hominem” has become, in effect, “against the person.”

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ad%20hominem

Okay, the definition of ad hominem is before you, and the obvious observation is that instead of arguing the facts, the other person is argued against. It’s a personal attack and not a fact attack. We’ve all come across people who use this argument, haven’t we? The type of person who uses this has no actual reasonable argument, or facts, instead they attack you personally. This is no argument, instead it is devised to pull you yourself down, and make them look better.

Beware these people. They have no facts on their side, they have no proof on their side. They are devoted to the muddy-the-waters routine. There is no acknowledgement of a problem (or guilt) on their part, they offer no solution, they just attack. Don’t ever look to these people to be problem solvers, innovators, or capable of thinking in a cohesive manner. They will do and say anything to make themselves look good/better than their opponent. They are not to be trusted.

October 14, 2020

Nominating Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court

What is wrong with Barrett that so many people within our society are upset by this nomination? I’ve heard a lot about this nominee and decided to look into her background to discover for myself why Barrett is seen as being so problematic for our democracy.

So, what did I discover? Well, Barrett is well-educated; she is well-liked by her students at Notre Dame Law School; she is the mother of seven children, two of whom have been adopted from Haiti along with one child with Down’s Syndrome. She is considered to be “supernatural” since she works out at 4 a.m., then drives almost 2 hours to work. But the real questions revolve around her work on the bench and her articles/letters regarding women and how they should be “controlled” by the state and the church that leave one with many questions.

In 2015 Barrett signed a Letter to Synod Fathers from Catholic Women “Pope Francis has highlighted the need for women to be an “incisive presence” in the Church, and an “effective presence” in the culture, the workplace, and wherever “the most important decisions are taken,” in harmony with women’s “preferential attention” for the family. And Pope St. John Paul II observed that women “have the task of assuring the moral dimension of culture … a culture worthy of the person.” This letter goes on to condone what the Church has to say about gender, sexual orientation, conception, and a “women’s” place in society. This itself is problematic regarding women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights and contraceptive rights. So yes, this is a valid issue. Please look at these links regarding the church Barrett belongs to – People of Praise for your edification.

Synod Letter

Other concerns are the Affordable Care Act which Barrett has had issues with; she has stated that Roe v. Wade should be “hollowed out” if not reversed. Again, problematic, since, again the majority of the country believes this is a law that should be left alone. She also believes that a fetal disability (mot of these refer to a fetus that will not live due to an extreme medical problem) should not be legally aborted. https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/08/29/u-s-public-continues-to-favor-legal-abortion-oppose-overturning-roe-v-wade/

Barrett considers herself an “originalist”, which means that she believes that the U.S. Constitution should be interpreted as it was at the time it was written – you know, when there was Slavery, only men who were white and owned land could vote; guns were single-shot with a few minutes between shots; no mechanical transportation; women couldn’t have a bank account, nor could they purchase land, nor vote. This is also a problem since many of the rights that people have fought for are now added to the Constitution – ending Slavery, all men and women ability to vote are just some of the rights that modern people enjoy.

I’m also including some more links for you to read. Please let me know what you think of Amy Coney Barrett.

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/28/917554001/amy-coney-barrett-a-dream-for-the-right-nightmare-for-the-left

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2020/sep/26/amy-coney-barrett-supreme-court-donald-trump-womens-rights

October 7, 2020

What is the Democratic 2020 Party Platform?

Last week I shared the Republican 2020 Platform. That post was pretty short, since they really don’t have one. This post will be longer; however, I’m going to be putting the link at the bottom of this post so that you can educate yourself on the details of the Democratic Platform for yourself.

Right from the top, this Platform seeks to change many problems in our country, including the Pandemic, economic distress that many people are in, inequality, etc. The first statement deals with Covid—19 by promising more testing: free vaccines when they are eventually available; keeping the ACA (which is especially important during a Pandemic); creating a stockpile of PPE and providing it to health-care workers as needed; and keeping the medical-emergency mandates in place until there is a way to control this Pandemic. They also promise to help the unemployed and low wage “essential workers” during this time. They realize that the work-force is hurting and that the families are suffering. There are plans in place to deal with these issues.

The second part of the Platform concerns economic reform. As the Pandemic has underlined, the economy is based on the workers, not the Corporate leaders, since you need someone to actually do the work that creates the wealth – for the wealthy. Due to the closure of many businesses, people are hurting. They make too little to be able to save money for a “rainy day”, and have been in financial distress for months. This will be dealt with by raising wages, promoting many of the worker’s rights that have been taken away, and taxing the wealthy. Also, family and sick leave is on the list of necessary actions to be taken.

The third statement covers health care. While not endorsing universal health care (Medicaid/Medicare for all – which is on my list), they are for all Americans to have affordable health care.

Now, to speak about Police Reform. Our Police need an overhaul, they need to undergo comprehensive education, psychological and mental screening, and through background checks. This is on the Platform, along with policing the police with community oversight, ending the private for-profit prisons, etc.

The Platform goes on to address racial injustice and inequality, hate, poverty, unions, segregated education systems, protecting women’s rights, LGBTQ+ rights, protecting Disability rights, Indigenous Peoples rights, etc. There are plans in place to address all these issues, but most important of note is the fact that they are addressing these issues in the first place. I could go on and on, but please, again, look at the platform itself.

The other statements include combating climate change (listening to the 99.9% of scientists who believe in climate change), dealing with environmental injustice and the adverse effects on poor communities. Also, plans to invest in Green Energy to mitigate damage to the environment, including re-establishing the air and water pollution laws that the Trump Administration has over-turned. There will be an Immigration Department over-haul. No longer will babies be ripped from their mothers to be placed in cages with other children. (Imagine that.) And, lastly, there is a plan in place to address the issues this country faces regarding out lack of quality education.

Okay, my suggestion to you is to read all of the Democratic Party Platform. I’m sure that you will agree with much (if not most) of what you find. Educate yourself and vote accordingly.

Party Platform

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.

June 24, 2020

Actions

People tend to feel that if they believe something, that is what makes them a “good” person. Many people purport to be Christian, or another faith that is based on the concept of loving kindness. However, if their actions don’t reflect this belief, does that still make them a “good” person?

It can be hard to put beliefs into action. Not everyone you come across is a wonderful person, easy to get along with, or someone who has your (and others’) good at heart. Some people can be cranky, upset or just nasty. Does that justify treating them badly? Of course not. Maybe you just don’t like someone, should that be an excuse to act terribly to them? Again, of course not.

Action is what makes you a good person. Helping, loving and supporting others is what shows your beliefs to the world. If we all acted as we believed (as long as that belief is kind), the world would be a much better place. We need as much kindness and love in the world as we can get, especially now.

June 17, 2020

Times of Contempt

The Cambridge Dictionary defines contempt as “a strong feeling of disliking and having no respect for someone or something”. I’ve been thinking about the feeling of contempt and how it is used first to denigrate a specific group of people, and then leads to discrimination and violence against that same group of people. As we all know, Nazi Germany was excellent at using contempt initially against the Jewish community, but they also used it against the elderly, the mentally “insane” and “incompetent”, the LGBTQ+ community, and the Roma people. This was an organized propaganda campaign that was very effective, since it led to the death of millions of people.

Bringing this idea forward, there has been a long-standing propaganda campaign that has been on-going for many decades in the U.S. Calling Black citizens “thugs” whenever there is an altercation and/or “just because” for no reason, encouraging people to notice our supposed differences instead of focusing on our similarities, certain political figures speaking negatively about a specific group of people. This has all had a cumulative effect of encouraging contempt for people of color.

This country was founded on genocide and slavery. Indentured servants where brought here from the beginning, and slavery soon followed (the Indigenous Peoples were also enslaved). In order to “feel better” about themselves, white people convinced themselves that they were “better than” the indentured and enslaved. They used the Bible itself to proclaim themselves superior. These are practices in contempt, and we have been feeling the effects for many, many years.

Contempt is a despicable emotion. It leads to hate and violence. It is not compassionate, nor is it kind. I am well-versed in the Sermon on the Mount, and the spirit of what Jesus, whom Christians (the term “Christians” literally means followers of Christ) purport to follow, were taught believe, and how they were to act. As a matter of fact, Jesus’ words were specific and forthright. However, I see little of Jesus in the political speech and actions of some of these people who seem to preach contempt with every speech and tweet.

However, there is another use for contempt…it seeks to separate people who have more in common than not. It has been used as a clever way to keep many people from uniting. It divides us – which of course is the point. If we fight against others, we won’t see what the real point is. And what is that? To keep us busy, to make us ignore what is really going on. What this whole Pandemic has shown in vivid colors is that while the working class have been losing money, the rich have been making piles of money. The top 1% have received billions in aid which they did not need. We got little help, if any. Hospitals are struggling. “Essential workers” worked through this putting both their own lives on the line as well as their families for low wages.

Rights have been suspended or even taken away. People have been rounded up, cuffed, held in hot buses for hours and then let go for no reason other than the fact that the police know they can do so. Peaceful protestors (a distinctly American right) have been pepper-sprayed, shot with rubber bullets (many of which have metal cores), and tear gassed (tear gas is considered a war crime, and it not allowed in combat). This has happened because people were protesting against police brutality – how ironic is that?

We are at a cross-road right now. We need to stop using contempt. We need to see that we are all the same. There is no difference. As people much more intelligent than I am have pointed out, there is only one race – the human race. Just treat each other as you want to be treated. Good god, if we managed to do that, most of our problems would go away. Be compassionate.

March 18, 2020

What are Human Rights?

Do we understand what human rights are? And, do we violate them in any way? That’s a question I’ve been asking myself lately. I’m sharing links with you so that you can see what the United Nations voted on and passed regarding human rights. I am including links for you to read. Let me know what you think about these rights. Do you think that the governing bodies of the world are following their own guidelines? How about your country. Let me know what you think about this in the comments below.

https://www.un.org/en/sections/issues-depth/human-rights/

https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/index.html