It's time to get serious.....

https://www.popvox.com/

As we proceed to what will likely be the most contentious presidential inauguration in history, it's plain to see Republicans and Democrats have learned nothing from this last election cycle. Republicans are still baiting haters with racism and trying to remove the very social programs that they themselves benefit from. Democrats are still crying "unfair" over the primaries and general election and clinging to their conspiracy theories.

All this does us exactly no good. Time to stop pissing and moaning about the media and big money (who played little, if any, part in the election's outcome). Time to stop posting memes about Melania's naked pics and Donald's hair and get down to what we're going to do about the coming policies that Republicans are going to push for in the next four years. When the dystopian bills start to come through Congress and Repubs try to reverse Roe v Wade, no one will give a rat's about snarky social media posts and why Bernie or Hillary lost. For gods' sake, Democrats, get your heads out of the sand. Stop the useless wars on GMOs and the anti-vaxxing nonsense and concentrate on the coming armageddon of Republican legislation that we will face as this administration comes to power.

Our priority now should be Congress, not the 2020 Presidential election (fercryinoutloud!). Reforming Congress in 2018 is our last chance to put the brakes on a Republican agenda running wild. Past voting turnout for Midterm elections has been absolutely embarrassing. It's as if we don't know how our government works. Let's get focused on what counts...This is for all the beans. PAY ATTENTION to what Republicans will be proposing in the next two years. Contact your Congressperson. One of the best ways to do that is by opening an account at POPVOX and voting there early and often. The votes and comments go directly to your Congressperson. There is no more important thing you can do right now than try to control Congressional authority. I see Republican voters using POPVOX constantly...the numbers there always favor them. Why is this? Instead of crying over the spilled milk of the 2016 election and posting the latest  Melania meme, MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD WHERE IT COUNTS!
https://www.popvox.com/

It's Official...

....the USA has officially chosen Donald J Trump as the 45th President. I don't know about you....but this is as close to the Twilight Zone as i've ever been. Despite all of his unethical business practices, poor articulation, obvious ignorance, prejudices and pussy grabbing, a substantial number (although not the majority) of Americans gave the nod to him over the well-hated Hillary.

I'm now being told by my Conservative friends and acquaintances to  "give him a chance" and that he will "go down in history". Well, on the first item i'd say "no". If they could trash a decent, intelligent President because he was obviously Liberal and (holy jesus!) black, i suppose i can hold Trump's feet to the fire for being a lying, cheating, mostly illiterate racist and misogynist. It seems fair to me.
On the second, i'd have to agree; I remember some of the same people assuring me that George W Bush was going to "go down in history" as the greatest President ever. Turns out they were half right. He went down all right....and he'll certainly be remembered for it. But the only "great" he was, was as a liar and a loser. So, i'm now supposed to trust the judgement of these people who got it so tragically wrong in Y2K?

Here's my prediction (for what it's worth). Despite giving corporations and the wealthy more tax deals and "incentives" (actually ransom), good paying jobs with benefits will continue to diminish. Public schools will lose funding. There will be more privatization of prisons, schools, and health insurance. Health insurance costs will absolutely spike. College educations will become more expensive. COLA for Social Security will diminish (or disappear) and Medicare/Medicaid will lose funding and they'll try to go for a voucher or "health savings" system. We'll become butt buddies with Russia in the Middle East....again subverting democracy there. Look for more "boots on the ground" leading to more deaths and injuries in our armed forces, who will then be totally ignored when they return. The great "law enforcement President" will give the impression that the police are infallible, leading to more abuse, beating, arresting and shooting of minorities. More social unrest will ensue. Lots more shootings, accidental and otherwise, as the gun monkies get more and bigger death toys.

On the bright side; No wall will be built, millions will not be deported and Hillary will not go to jail for being snarky. So Conservatives will still have to cry in their beer over those.....Maybe they can find some random Democrat to blame.

I'm totally looking forward to being proved wrong over the next 4 years.....I'd hoped i was wrong about Bush. It didn't take him but a few months into his administration to prove me right.
.....and some are still in denial that he sold us out for the promise of some oil and profits for the Military-industrial Complex. But hey, that's history.

So to Conservatives i'd say; Hell no! If this guy screws the pooch, i'll be right there calling him on it. No chances. If he happens to do something right (as in something ACTUALLY right. Not just in line with Rightwingnutism) then you can let me know.

Let the games begin!

Looks like it's once again the season for my Holiday rant....

 I can't believe i've waited a whole year!

Every year there's a big to-do about what to celebrate and what should be wished. Can we say Happy Holidays or will the Christmas fanatics descend upon us again and shame us for our lack of Christian tradition? Well, i'm sorry to say it's already begun and the very people who have an enormous tree put up in NYC just to honour their Holiday are already claiming repression. I feel for them....but i can't quite reach.

I don't really celebrate Christmas. I do, however, have a Holiday that happens to coincide with it. That's Winter Solstice. The two fall only days apart and i'm convinced that the reason is that most early iron-age people didn't notice there was going to be a lengthening of the days 'til a few days after it had begun to happen. So Christmas is on the 25th of December instead of the 21st. No matter really....that's close enough for religion.

So, why do i choose Solstice over the more common American Holiday?
Well, it just seems to make more sense. It's older than Christmas. In fact its observance is older than all of the religions. If we accept that Stonehenge is the oldest physical indication that ancient people knew about the Solstices, that places that realization at some 5 thousand years ago (3,000 BCE). There may be evidence that even before that monument our ancestors knew when the sun had ceased its northward march and was "coming back". It was an important event back in the Neolithic. Knowing how soon they could expect spring was literally a matter of life and death...it's no wonder they were concerned about it. That makes the Solstice celebration the oldest traditional winter Holiday of them all.

Another reason i like the Solstice Holiday is that it's essentially non-controversial. There can be no argument about when Solstice happens or why. It's a physical thing we can all see, understand and experience. It doesn't matter what religion you believe in. It doesn't even matter if you don't believe in any religion at all....Solstice can be shared with everyone.

Good Solstice to ya!