Why have Republicans gone sour on Democracy ?

 In the last 20 years or so i've heard more and more Republicans making the statement that the US isn't a democracy, it's a republic. Well, this is only half false; The US is a Constitutional Democratic Republic. We are a republic with representative democracy and Constitutional protection to set limits on governmental power. 

But why are Republicans so insistent on getting rid of the term democracy? It's because their policies no longer represent the majority. That's why the last two Republican presidents only won by the Electoral College. They can no longer depend on the popular vote to get them into office. So what's been happening lately is that they're ditching democracy...and even the Constitution in order to get in
to...and hold onto, power. This is why Republicans once quoted the Constitution (however badly) and now we have Trump saying he will "suspend the Constitution" if he gets in. 
Their problem is that what Republicans stand for, most Americans don't want.

Let's check the list;
>Bigotry; Republicans and right-leaning independents represent nearly every racist, homophobe and anti-Semite in the country. Most Americans understand that this is wrong. So this won't win elections.

>Environment; Most Republicans don't want any regulations. They prize money over clean air and water for us and our children. The majority of Americans support a clean environment, green energy and regulations on pollution. So being anti-environment won't win elections.

>Women's choice; The majority of Americans support a woman's right to choose whether or not she will have a baby and easy access to birth control and family planning. Republicans don't want this. If you control a woman's body you control the woman...they want that. But most of America is opposed to that doctrine. So that won't win elections.

>Religion; The majority of Americans want to be free to practice the religion of their choice, or no religion at all. The GOP is opposed to this and wants to make Evangelical Christianity the official religion of the US. This conflicts with the Establishment Clause in the very First Amendment of our Constitution! There's a reason the Founders put that there. It's because state religions have always ended up ruining governments. Most people don't want that...so it won't win elections. 

>Guns; Republicans want assault weapons to be accessible to every white person...even paranoid schizophrenics and violent domestic terrorists. The reason for this is that these are the people most likely to take up arms against their government, or their neighbors, in case things don't go their way politically. Guns are also used to suppress and intimidate minorities. The gun lobby makes sure these people stay riled up and ready to commit crimes in the name of "freedom". Most people don't want this. Polls have shown over and over that the majority of Americans support gun control. So "assault rifles and extended magazines for everyone" won't win elections.

>Immigration; Most people agree that refugees fleeing for their lives do not amount to an "invasion". Trump said; "They're sending murderers, rapists and drug dealers, and a few, i assume, are good people." The actual truth is the exact opposite. Most refugees are just that; good people fleeing for their lives. A few are criminals, but criminals exist in any group of people. The thing is to weed out the bad and keep the good ones. There are solutions for the immigrant situation, but making them into "evil invaders" is not one of them, and most people know that...so it won't win elections. By the way, Congress attempted to pass a bill that would appropriate funding for border security. Republicans in the House killed it on orders from Trump. That effectively ends it as an election issue.

>War; The Republican party has been the party of war at least since Ronald Reagan. They have been either starting wars or supporting proxy wars around the world for decades. War is good for the arms industry and helps support the oil industry by gaining access to oil in foreign countries by installing and maintaining regimes friendly to the US. In the '60s we fought in Vietnam because of communist paranoia. We have had at least 2  more failed wars since then. People died for nothing. Most Americans don't like needless wars, so a party which constantly wants to go to war should be unpopular.

>Money; This is a big one. The majority of middle/upper income Americans love personal prosperity. They love the stock market and you see it on the news every day, "the market is up" or "the market is down". It affects everything from our kids' college funds (if we can afford one) to our retirement. Wealthy and well off Republicans LOVE the stock market because it's a way of getting lots of money without working. Someone else does the labour and stockholders get paid. This is why they hate public schools, the US Postal Service, Medicare, Medicaid, "Obamacare", Social Security and virtually any other government agency that provides a service that they would like to see privatized so it can be put on the stock market to generate dividends. Unfortunately, this has two side effects; First it cuts vital services which help people who are low wage earners or unemployed. Second it cuts the salaries of workers in favour of paying dividends to investors and wealthy CEOs. People are beginning to figure this out...and they are voting accordingly.

So what to do, Republicans ask themselves? Well, one thing to do is to cast doubt on the election process and then declare democracy to be ineffective. We saw that happen in 2020. Another is to declare the Constitution to be invalid whenever it conflicts with their goals (we've been hearing that from Trump). 
...and finally the last is to foment discontent and insurrection in their base in order to rule over the majority by force if necessary.
The way this works is for all those special interests above to pledge loyalty to one party, and its politicians, no matter what. It's called "unite the right". It brings together all the racists, bigots, fascists, mysoginists, gun nuts, religious fanatics, greedy and just plain haters under one tent. Although these groups separately can't win an election, collectively they can command enough voting power to swing the Electoral College. 

...and there you have it! They either win the EC or they declare the election to be a "fraud", without any proof, and mount an insurrection driven by bogus conspiracies and lies. 
The GOP has become anti-democracy and anti-America...and millions of Americans are ok with that as long as it gets them what they want.

Ok, Rant over.

What is Woke?

Webster's Dictionary defines woke as;

adjective; ˈwōk , chiefly US slang: aware of and actively attentive to important societal facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice).

This is the actual meaning of the word as it was first used some years ago. It does not mean making white people feel guilty about the past. It does not have anything to do with late term abortions or "killing babies" (neither of which are actually happening). It does not have to do with teaching Critical Race Theory in public schools (another thing which is not happening). It's not about trying to turn children gay or trans (yet another thing that's not happening). It is nothing that the political right says it is. Despite what Ron DeSantis, Trump and the right wing media would have you believe, being "woke" is benign and actually what every American should want to be: aware of what is going on around them.

It's a sad fact that as time goes on, people tend to forget the past. It only takes one generation before, unless they are reminded of it, young people lose touch with the mistakes and evils of even recently bygone times. Things like slavery, Nazism, the KKK, white supremacy, anti-Semitism, gay bashing and other social aberrations lose their perspective and some people fall back into the old dysfunctional behaviour that plagued this country for centuries. Sometimes they're even reinforced by parents and peers who haven't yet shed their animosity toward people who are different from them. Lately there has been a concerted effort by right wing politicians and media to use these differences to cause distrust and hatred  between different social groups in order to gain and keep power. It's the old  "divide and conquer" routine where they brand the opposition as "others" in order to make them look evil. 
....so lies are told, situations are exaggerated and conspiracy theories formulated for this purpose. People predisposed to these lies tend to cling to them and share them among their friends and family. Right wing media whips up a frenzy of hatred and distrust to be fed to their viewers on a daily basis and now social media helps to divide people as well....never understanding (or caring about?) the great damage they're doing to America. 

This is what wokeness tries to combat...and why the right hates it so much. Because informed and aware people are harder to control. Because forgetting the past makes people less likely to question the present so we don't repeat it. 

So yeah, i am "woke" in the classic sense...maybe more people ought to be.

Open Letter to Elon Musk #elonmusk

 

Dear Elon (Mr. Musk if you prefer),
    

I'll get right down to the nitty-gritty here and forgo the usual honourisms if you don't mind. 
    I understand that you've been harassed by many liberals recently, even after being a supporter of most liberal Democratic principals for years. I get it that you're annoyed (or supremely pissed off) by what seems to be a betrayal by the very people you thought were going to help you make the world a better place. I also accept that being an inventor and innovator brings with it the possibility of major compensation...so becoming a multi-billionaire, in itself, shouldn't be held against you.
But...

Going over to what amounts to the dark side of the force is, IMO, the last thing that you'd want to do. Republicans share none of your convictions and asperations. They don't "believe" in climate change. They have little use for space travel unless it can be weaponized and they, as a social entity, despise electric cars and green energy. Add to that the absolute dysfunction and criminality of the Trump regime and you have nothing less than neofascism. 
This is not the camp you want to be in, no matter how badly liberals appear to treat you. I realize knee-jerk liberalism has taken over a large proportion of the Democratic party, but in the end they're still headed in the same direction you are. 
An alternative might be (it was for me) to align yourself as an Independent. Support those who support you and your objectives and let the rest of the prattle roll off your back. I know it's hard to be on the right side of history while people are harassing you, but it seems to me to be the only logical option.

Think of all the great people who let themselves be seduced by anger, vengeance and dark politics; Marconi became a fascist, Von Braun a Nazi....even Henry Ford turned into an anti-Semite and paid lip service to Hitler! These actions tarnished forever all their great achievements and now history judges them accordingly. 

Be better than your detractors.
Dump the Sith party and return to who you are; a free-thinking independent and visionary....It'll benefit both you and the rest of the world in the end.
Ok, Rant over.

In the immortal words of Ringo,
"Peace and Love",
Phil Rounds

WOW!

I've been checking out my recent posts and it looks like i've really been living up to this blog's title! There's a lot of outrage and anger...and a more than fair amount of social commentary. Maybe it would be refreshing to add some more lighthearted content for a while...just to break things up a bit. On the other hand, would it still be a "rant" if i did?
Actually, looking back on the last time i posted, maybe i should at least post something! If i hadn't been reminded of this blog by a friend, i most likely wouldn't have paid any attention to it for yet another year.

So, i shall endeavor to post both more diversely and more often....

Let's see how that works out  :P 

The Age of Making America Great

Back in "The Age of Aquarius" i never really expected Americans would all learn to "love" each other. But i did have some expectation that they would learn to respect each other and care for each other, rich or poor.
Instead what i'm seeing these days is an attitude of "fuck you, i've got mine". 
Furthermore, racism is bullshit...people are people. Historically you can see that if you put any group of people in a certain circumstance, they will react the same way regardless of race or ethnicity.

The recent idea that America should enjoy a privileged place in the world while the rest goes to hell is immoral, unethical and counterproductive. The world is a smaller place now than it was 250 years ago. What happens on the other side of the planet affects us almost immediately. We don't need to just protect and improve the USA...we should help the whole world to survive and prosper. It seems we knew that back in the '60s...WTF happened? A starving person in Guatemala is still a starving person. An oppressed person in Afghanistan is still an oppressed person. How is it ok to sit here in the land of wealth and opportunity while the people who build our cell phones and grow our food live in poverty and squalor?

...and exactly when was America "great"? How are we making it great "again"? By returning to the days of antisemitism, racial segregation, homophobia and misogyny? Are we going to be greater by denying the fact of global warming and reverting back to a 200 year old energy producing technology? Are we greater if we substitute real science for greed, superstition, religious dogma and conspiracy theories? How are Republicans today making us "great again"? At what point in our past were we greater than we are now? During McCarthyism? During the cold war? During segregation? Seems to me they want to drag us back to the bad old days of the robber barons and child labour.

Greatness comes from acting great, not boasting and bullying; Being a good example for the world...helping those less fortunate and respecting human beings no matter who they are or where they live.

The Cult of Trump

So, why do people vote for someone who they know is a liar and a cheat and who has no talent for governing or intelligence?


Perceived self interest plays a big part. People think they're getting what they want. What they can't seem to grasp is that they've become suckers for the wealthy and irresponsible corporations. Their prejudices, fears and perceived self interest (the idea that something will benefit them, rather than the fact that it will), makes them easy marks for fascists and plutocrats.

Environmental laws are there to protect the air that they breathe, the water they drink, the forests they camp and hunt in and the streams they fish in. Environmentalism is not a liberal plot. The air and water are better now because something was done to curb pollution. Pollution wasn't going to go away all by itself. Addressing climate change isn't a liberal plot either. It's what we need to do to protect the planet we live on and the planet our children and grandchildren will inherit from us. The financial sector will adjust itself to the change. That's how capitalism works.

Higher wages (including the minimum wage) make the economy better. More income>more spending>more demand>more jobs. It's just that simple. The rich DO NOT "create" jobs because they have money...that's stupid. They add employees because there is a greater demand for products and services and they cut the workforce when demand is low.

Racism is bullshit. Poverty and crime are not about colour or ethnicity; they're due to lack of opportunity and disenfranchisement. We've had poverty and crime in inner cities and elsewhere for 150 years in the USA (longer in other parts of the world) involving one ethnic group or another. You'd think we'd understand the pattern by now. But it's easier for the racists and bigots to blame people who are not like them for their misfortune (real or perceived) and it's a convenient tool for governments that want to divide the population and scapegoat minorities. We've seen this before too....you think we'd learn.

Guns are guns. They were designed to kill. Look it up... they're tools for killing. A weapon that is called an "assault" rifle and carries an extended magazine isn't for hunting. It isn't for target practice and it isn't for "protection". It's a weapon of war wielded by people who are paranoid and/or haters.
No, you won't need it when the minorities "rise up" or to defend yourself against your own army. That's bullshit. You will never be Rambo. Movies aren't real and conspiracy theories are nonsense. People like Alex Jones are liars and rabble-rousers who spread hatred and distrust. Don't be a sucker! We need gun control laws...We control motor vehicles, we should control guns.

Wall Street is a nice source of income. I have some stocks. But i also understand that people need to work to make money.....and they need to support themselves and their families. When the priority is to raise stock values and increase dividends instead of paying a living wage we're putting the cart before the horse. It's the worker who enables businesses to thrive, not the stock market; Wages first, then dividends....that's what works.

Healthcare is absolutely essential for EVERYONE. No one should be left to suffer and/or die because the price of health insurance is beyond their reach. We need AT LEAST a public option for those who can't afford premium health insurance.

Donald Trump would tell you that this is all lies and fake news. But if you actually look into it a bit it's all very apparent and logical.....Unless you cave to perceived self interest.  In that case you've just joined the cult.

Diary of a science nerd

Sorting through my emails recently i came across one from The Planetary Society encouraging recipients to send a list of "personal milestones" in their interest in space travel and research.
That got me to thinking; How far back in my life could i trace my interest in science and space and what were the milestones and who were the people responsible for making me a science buff?

Looking back through the years the earliest thing i could remember was the TV show "Watch Mr Wizard". I probably first encountered the show sometime around 1956 at the age of 6. As i recall our first TV was an Emerson with about a 10" black and white (actually more like shades of snowy grey) screen. My earliest memory of Mr Wizard is filtered through this modest exposure. A tiny, not very distinct image of a man showing children how to do interesting experiments in basic science. 

I was instantly, it seems, smitten with the idea of doing science experiments on my own! It wasn't long before i was mixing water and baking powder to make "volcanoes" and "submarines". Then i found out about the reaction between acids and alkalies and turned to baking soda and vinegar concoctions. Mr Wizard got me interested in microscopic animals (protozoans) and soon i was pestering my mom for a microscope (which she happily indulged me in). I looked at everything through it; grains of sugar and salt, household items (cloth, paper and food), blades of grass (you could see chloroplasts!) and then i began looking at water sampled from local ponds and streams. I think my first protozoan was a rotifer. How amazing that something so small could actually be alive!

As i got more into science, there came a series of Gilbert chemistry sets followed by a program my mom subscribed to in which i was sent lab equipment and a list of experiments to perform every month. I'd spend endless hours in a spot reserved for me in the back of my mother's kitchen building steam reaction motors and learning about oxidation and other chemical reactions. I think i tested virtually every conceivable liquid with litmus paper! A considerable amount of time was spent looking at nutrient agar cultures under the microscope. I learned atomic theory and was building atoms and molecules out of coloured snap-together beads by about the age of ten. As a sort of shy and awkward child, this was just geek heaven to me! Mom also bought me youth science books. I had the entire series of "All About" books which gave me an introduction to everything from dogs to dinosaurs to nuclear energy. I searched for fossils (and found some!) in my own back yard. I began taking science books out at the school library. One of my favourites was "Animals Without Backbones", a wonderful book full of annelids and protozoans!

At some point during all of this, i became aware of space....Planets and stars and rockets.....and that the Moon was actually a place you could go to and stand on if you had the right equipment! My first real memory of space science came from a book (the name of which i can't recall) by Willie Ley. In it were pictures of rockets and space stations; Proper space stations that rotated like wheels causing the illusion of gravity! There were artist's concept pictures of the surfaces of the Moon and Mars and other planets ....and beautiful galaxies full of stars and nebulae! The whole thing was almost a religious experience! I began reading about space and then became aware of science fiction which further opened up the door to my imagination. Could we actually travel to the stars in my lifetime?!

I began building my own primitive rockets. The first were fueled by match heads. I'd roll up aluminum foil around a pencil to form a tube....fold over and crimp one end and then stuff it full of clipped match heads. Then i'd stick a match in the open end and squeeze it shut to keep the "fuel" in. Ignition was achieved by heating the tube with a match or alcohol lamp until the contents lit off. I was able to achieve only about a couple of yards of flight in this manner. Later i found out that you could make black powder using certain chemicals (oxidants) mixed with charcoal and sulfur. The charcoal came from ground up barbecue briquettes and the sulfur from powdered sulfur my mom kept in the medicine chest. The oxidant was a bit more problematic as i couldn't think of any household item that would do the job. I ended up asking my mom to pick up some chemicals for me at the drug store near where she worked. I gave her little jars with labels on them for the druggist to fill. Potassium Chlorate was my choice for the rocket fuel because i'd read somewhere that it was a good oxidant. She returned one night with my supplies, handed them to me and said, "Are you making bombs?". She said the druggist told her that Potassium Chlorate could be used to make bombs. I assured her that i wasn't (i was making rockets!) and that seemed to satisfy her. The rocket business was somewhat curtailed by the lack of suitable rocket tubes (i was still using aluminum foil tubes) and i soon tired of it and moved on to experimenting with small model airplane engines (mostly the Cox .049). I built air-frames out of balsa wood and experimented with different fuels with varying results (mostly crashed planes and seized engines).

In the sixth grade our class took a trip to the American Museum of Natural History in New York city (dinosaurs!) and The Hayden Planetarium where i actually got to touch the Willamette meteorite! The AMNH was another one of those science epiphanies in my life. I'd never seen so much awesome stuff! Everything was there! Space, nature, paleontology, archaeology, ancient history....It was like being in my own special church!

As the 1960s continued i was becoming aware of things like the X-15 and Sputnik...and that got me interested in NASA...and then we sent men into Earth orbit, and finally to the Moon! 

By middle school i didn't even have to study science at school because i'd already done all of that. But the teachers didn't like to call on pupils during class that already knew the answers so very little encouragement came from them. At any rate, by the time i got to high school i'd become bitten by Beatlemania and had transferred all my energy to playing drums in rock bands and science went by the wayside. By the time i graduated, with somewhat less than college entry level grades, i'd lost interest in all but the forthcoming series of Moon landings.

Although i remained a fan of science fiction, it seemed like my interest in science and space had waned to almost the point of disinterest for about ten years....and then i had another epiphany! Carl Sagan's "Cosmos" series tuned me back in to the wonders of the Universe and reignited my interest in space. I began buying books and magazines (Discover) and actually became a member of The Planetary Society for a couple of years. Sagan was a joy to listen to and i bought a number of his books. I discovered Isaac Asimov and his prodigious number of science and science fiction stories and books. To this day, Sagan and Asimov remain my biggest inspirations in science and science fiction.
When our first daughter came, i delighted in visiting museums and dinosaur exhibits with her and explaining about ancient and extinct life forms. We became regulars at the Catskill Game Farm which she enjoyed so much that we actually had to wait for her to fall asleep so we could leave! I'd passed along the science bug to my kid, who went on to become a paleontologist and science educator.

Today i still like to keep up with current science...and especially space science. I watch every SpaceX launch and enjoy all the revelations that come from the various probes and rovers. People like Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson and Carolyn Porco (Cassini imaging) are recent inspirations. I am, however, somewhat disappointed that we didn't follow through with manned space flight for the last 40+ years. I always thought by now we'd have colonies on the Moon and people on Mars. Maybe the next generation will get it done?

                                         https://youtu.be/moa-ies4bPw