Gawd, i've had coffee and now i'm on a rant...

Ya know, no matter what great things you've done, how smart you are or how much money you have, at the end of the day you're only as good as your character.

Henry Ford made cars affordable and easy to manufacture. He paid a good wage to his workers...

..and he was such an anti-Semite that freakin' Hitler gave him a medal.

Charles Lindberg, aviation hero!...was an outspoken racist, anti-Semite, and white supremacist.

Guglielmo Marconi invented wireless radio...and he was an Italian Fascist.

Christopher Columbus discovered (for Europe) an entire new continent....but he was complicit in the murder of the indigenous people here.

Some of our most righteous church leaders, of all denominations, even Popes, were thieves, liars, pedophiles and caused the deaths (either by edict or complicity) of thousands...if not millions, of innocent people.

I could go on and on, but you get the point.

Today we know better than to believe our heroes were necessarily good people, so you'd think today's innovators and heroes would take a lesson from history and try to be on the right side of ethics and morality?

Apparently not. Heady with their success and wealth they (most of them it seems) look down on those less fortunate who have lifted them up.

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 It's because their policies no longer represent the majority.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

The ending of G+

By now we all know that G+ will come to a screeching halt on April 2, 2019. Many Plussers are scrambling to save content (not a problem for me...i have nothing worth saving there) and searching for the next soc-med platform on which to continue their rants and ruminations and build up their "following" (another problem i don't have).

For me social media isn't a pressing need. It's there and i use it, but most of the time it's just a magnet for controversy. I usually show up at G+ almost daily to find a handful of acquaintances and an army of blue-head trolls and angst-ridden conspiracy theorists (Left and Right wing inspired) ready to confront literally any rational statement. I don't think this is uncommon in any social media, so i don't blame G+ specifically...it just seems to be human nature. I don't expect that whatever (if anything) replaces it will any better or worse.

I didn't come to G+ to establish a following or create a cult of personality....In fact i don't even know what made me use it to begin with. I don't care if i have one "follower" or 3k. I didn't know anyone there when i came. It was just sort of an amusement that took the place of Twitter when i left there. I can't say i'm sorry to be off Twitter either. Twitter, once a great place for debate and sharing, has become a wasteland of unfiltered hogwash and combative acrimony....a place where the absolute worst elements of society get to have their 140 words of fame.
...Needless to say, i won't be returning there.

I've been frequenting Facebook for some time. The difference there being that i know personally just about all of the people i interact with. I have to admit it can become pretty tense when you have to deal with friends and family who are prone to prejudice, misinformation and Trumpism....but such is the world we live in. The  2016 election and the vindication of extreme Right-wing ideology that came with it has brought all of the bigots, racists, fascists, conspiracy theorists and so-called "Libertarians" out of the closet. It was somewhat of a rude awakening for me....but also a pleasant surprise in some instances. The people i knew in the past to be bigots still hadn't gained any more understanding of their fellow man over the years, but some people i thought were likely to lean Right actually turned out to be Progressives!

I will neither celebrate nor mourn the going of G+.....I don't believe it ever really lived up to its potential anyway. The few people there who i've interacted with positively can look me up on Facebook or Youtube if they like...or not. I know Facebook is supposed to be one of the great Liberal Satans (along with Amazon, McDs, Starbucks and literally any corporate or financial entity larger than a lemonade stand), but internet access comes at a price, and any social media is going to have its flaws.

Posting and defending your opinions publicly as yourself (not using an assumed name or handle) has its drawbacks. Confronting people you know personally will cause tension and often resentment. It won't likely make you popular with everyone. But if your convictions are genuine, you'll retain them no matter where you go. No one said it would be easy....

Another Rant...

Ok.  I guess i'm headed for another rant.
This one is (again) on speaking up and making choices.

In today's political climate and ethical crises, there are going to be people who you disagree with vehemently. Most disagreements are subjective in nature. That is, they are a matter of personal taste or predisposition. So there are bound to be a lot of them (opinions are like noses, everybody has one). But there are situations when an opinion is incorrect at its very core, when it causes damage to others, and/or when it denies the proof that is evident in reality. As the old saying goes; "Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts".

When you are faced with a situation on Facebook, in other social media or perhaps in personal contact where a friend or family member deviates from what you would consider to be a sensible opinion, you are given a choice; If the subject of the opinion is frivolous and causes no harm (like who their favourite band is or how to properly cook a burger or whether there should be a stop sign down on the corner) then i'd suppose the best thing is to have a lighthearted discussion and, if necessary, agree to disagree.

But what if that opinion will affect peoples' lives? What if it would cause death or injury to someone....or some group of people? Suppose the opinion denies what we observe of the world around us? Suppose it's based upon lies or ignorance? Is it then not important to dispute it? What if it were to go unchallenged and became the general consensus?  Wouldn't injustice and dangerous delusion be the result? So, aren't some opinions so inherently wrong that the argument cannot end with "we agree to disagree"?
What then?

Well, i suppose one could just walk away from the confrontation and hope it will resolve itself....or occupy oneself with other distractions so as to ignore it. That certainly is the path of least resistance. It causes less stress initially. But wouldn't we be just kicking the snowball down the road? Sooner or later these ideas will gain mass and momentum as a result of that lack of resistance. As they do they become more difficult to displace until the lies and ignorance are so entrenched that they cannot be disputed effectively. If these misconceptions are sufficiently harmful they will cause loss and destruction and set humanity back to the days when ignorance ruled the world.....when science and the demand for human rights were punished as crimes and abominations.

So lets assume you become a party in one of these discussions. Let's pick white supremacy as an example: Your buddy Joe is a white nationalist. He's constantly posting stuff in social media and commenting about the supremacy of white Europeans and openly denounces all nonwhites and Jews. You may have confronted him about this and it makes no difference...he persists in his delusions no matter....maybe even becomes abusive in his argument. What now? You could just ignore it as if it's not happening. You could hope he sees the light and reforms over time. You could continue to  confront him about it......Or you could just call it quits and cut him off from contact as a friend.

Since these people tend to fall in with others who believe as they do, reformation is not likely. There is constant reinforcement within the group. Joe will most likely be a racist 'til he dies. So you can either accept him and the racism along with him or decide to take a stand and hope your dissatisfaction will leave an impression. This last option, if done often enough, sends the message that society will not tolerate lies, hatred and willful ignorance. If a person wants to be generally accepted, they will need to be sensible and ethical.....or they will lose the people they care about as friends and associates. This is a tough thing to do, i know. It often ends up in hard feelings and you may lose a person who has been important to you in your life. But the only other option is to give positive reinforcement to bad behaviour and, in so doing, ensure its persistence.

Have you noticed all of the fruitcakes who have come out since Trump was elected? The climate change denialists, religious fanatics, racists, homophobes, misogynists, antisemites....the people intolerant of the poor, the gun nuts with their armory of death? Why do you suppose this is? It's because it appears to them that society has vindicated their erroneous and harmful beliefs and opinions. It has become socially acceptable to be anti-social, anti-science and anti-reality. Is this really something we wish to encourage and perpetuate? I'd say the logical options are to openly oppose and, if necessary, make the ultimate statement by cutting off emotional support for those who continue in their harmful ways. It's not a matter of intentionally hurting them. It's saying "no" to behaviour that will ultimately do harm to them and others.

The latter is a big step and won't be suitable in all cases. It's a judgement call. Sometimes debate is really the best recourse. It's hard to influence someone you don't interact with and there are times  when the association is something you don't want to (or are unable to) terminate for good reasons.  But occasionally, when all else fails, drastic measures are all that's left.
Hopefully, one won't find this necessary in most situations.

Why?

I've been asked; Why do i argue against the Trump presidency? What's the point? What good does it do?
Well...
The reason why is because this Republican administration is attempting to destroy all we've accomplished over the last hundred years. Workers' rights to collective bargaining, civil rights, women's rights, environmental regulations, public schools, ending unnecessary wars...even science, are under attack by these people. 
There are also ethical reasons to oppose the Trump regime; The lies, the racism and misogyny; The crass disregard for basic humanity.....literally snatching babies and toddlers from families who are seeking asylum. This dystopian government has become the darling of fascists, racists and religious fanatics who want to further disenfranchise minorities and women. 
Look at the organizations who support it; the KKK, American Nazis and the white supremacists of the Alt Right. I know Trump has made some lame efforts to distance himself from these groups, but his actions don't reflect his words. This is a dysfunctional...one might even say evil, administration which will drag us back to the bad old days of Jim Crow, the robber barons and science denial. They antagonize our adversaries and alienate our allies. They lie and cheat and tell you that what you see with your own eyes isn't true.
What's the point? The point is that people fought, died and were beaten and arrested to achieve the freedoms and the advances we have gained over the last century. This didn't all happen so some fascist oligarchy led by a game show host could undo it with a scribble of his pen. Something needs to be said or this will become the new norm in the USA. Freedom requires participation and participation includes speaking up.
The good it does is that by speaking out, be it in person or on social media, we add our voices to the cause of reason, justice and good social ethics. Staying silent is what Trump and Republicans want you to do. While they spread their lies, hatred and vitriol, they'd like for us to remain quiet. That's why you'll be told over and over to shut up. You'll be cursed out, ridiculed and told that you don't matter. You'll be encouraged not to vote because it makes no difference since "both parties are the same".
....but this isn't what they're doing. Republicans are speaking out in their groups, plotting their next moves and voting in elections even as they tell you not to. 

     So, keep up the pressure. Hold people accountable for their actions and words and don't back down from criticism and bullying. Equality, reason and social justice in America didn't evolve at the point of a gun.....they came as a result of people speaking out and demanding them. 

What are we doing?

......So it's the year of the Congressional mid term elections. What have Democrats been doing?

I don't think it's a secret to anyone that if "we" don't reform this Congress, we'll be at the mercy of every racist, homophobe, warmonger and misogynist in the country for at least two (and maybe six) more years. Barring some kind of political miracle where both Donald Trump and Mike Pence are impeached for eating babies, we're in this until we vote our way out. 

So what will that take?
It will take solidarity from Democrats. They'll have to find some common ground and pick candidates that will at least suit most of their basic ideology. So we might not get Medicare for all or a $15 minimum wage this year, but we can build towards that goal. That's what we were doing during the Obama administration...and then Democrats lost Congress in the mid terms. See how that went? Six years of a Progressive President who couldn't accomplish anything except by executive orders which are now being easily overturned with a stroke of Donald Trump's pen.

Look, i understand that some people hayyyyyted Hillary and that Bernie looks like an old white guy, but look at where we are now. Every day more civil rights are lost, more environmental protections are done away with, more social programs are discontinued. Global warming is being denied at the highest levels, religion is becoming law. Racism and intolerance are increasingly being accepted. How much longer can we allow this to go on?

Is it worth it to hang on to the acrimonious, mostly Russian and Republican inspired attitudes that prevailed among Democrats in the last election? DC has been reduced to a festering rat hole of fascists and morons. Shouldn't we get down to throwing the bad guys out of town and worry about the details later?

I'm going to make a plea....
If you're any kind of Progressive, PLEASE get out and vote for whoever it takes to end this. Maybe they won't be your first choice, but it WILL make a major difference in your life and the lives of those you care about. This might be the most important mid term election you will ever vote in......make it count!

Happy Holidays!

Yes, Happy Holidays to Everyone!
        It's that time of year again when we all wish each other happiness, joy and prosperity. Why leave anyone out? Last time i looked i had friends and family that were Christian (various denominations), Jewish, Muslim, Pagan, Atheist and i think there's even a Hindu. Why would i snub them at this most peaceful and important time of the year? Why would anyone want to do that?
Donald Trump says that, "we can finally say 'Merry Christmas' again"...but haven't we always been able to say that?  Why would i wish someone a Merry Christmas when i know they celebrate Kwanzaa? Isn't that rude and insensitive? I hope Americans will get to the point one day where we accept that we're all equal but different. 
Until then....

The Trump Collusion Conundrum

People are very angry....
As the media continue to speculate and Trump continues to chant, "no colloosian, no colloosian", one thing seems likely; Trump himself will probably never be found guilty of anything. Flynns may rock and cronies may roll, but we are most likely stuck with "President" Trump for the next 3 years.

First of all, The Donald didn't win the election because of Russia. He won because 63m people bought into his bullshit. He won because Democrats would rather have a pissing match with each other than unite around a common cause....and he won because damn near half of American voters were too lazy to walk away from their couches and TVs long enough to cast a ballot.

So now, after the fact, they want to fix things. They tried contesting the vote count, invoking the Emolument Clause, crying sexual misconduct, Russian collusion and impeachment...But none of this is going to amount to a hill of beans. We own this loser for at least the next three years.

My email is filled every day with pleas to "sign this petition to impeach Trump (and please give us $5)". Where does all this money go? It likely goes to people who plan new ways to ask for more money! Since when do we have to pay for our democracy? You want to defeat Trump? VOTE! Vote against him...Tell everyone you know to vote against him. We're stuck with Orange Mussolini for three more years...let's try not to make it seven.

Please Stop!

     It just gets worse and worse!
     I mean, my email inbox is literally inundated every day with politicians and their minions requesting donations. The "we have to get the money out of politics" people never seem to miss an opportunity to beg for more money. I'd say about 3/4 of my email is given over to this nonsense.
    These are people i've never heard of requesting donations for politicians i don't know, mixed with pleas from everyone from Bernie to Obama to support the "DCCC" or some such organization which promises to fight for some cause or another. I've tried unsubscribing from them and marking them as spam, but they just pop back up like some kind of email wack-a-mole!
    Now i don't know about you, but i don't have a lot of excess income. What little i do have goes to an occasional Starbucks French Roast (black, no sugar please) or a fish fillet meal at McD's. I simply can't be expected to pay for my democracy....i already pay the people who pay the politicians!
     ...and it's not like money wins elections anyway. That's just a loser's excuse. Bernie outspent Hillary....he lost. Hillary outspent Trump....she lost. In my district the Democratic candidate outspent her Republican opponent...and lost. It's time we threw away this myth and admitted that it's votes that matter not the size of the "war chest". Politicians need to actually get out and campaign intelligently in order to gain votes. If the people understand what will benefit them, they might actually (no guarantee) vote responsibly. If not, more campaign money won't fix that. Paid-for political announcements, dumb and often misleading memes, lying lobbyists and pundits.....none of them work on well informed voters. You can't buy their votes...they know better.
     In a democracy, the people have the responsibility to inform themselves and vote reasonably. All of this soap opera bullshite that we fund with donations just detracts from that.
     So to the various politicians begging at my email and mail box i say, "No....i won't give you money. I shouldn't have to give you money. Get out there and make a reasonable case for why i should elect you. If you can't convince voters using logic and reason instead of drama and innuendo, then i don't need you....and if the voters don't respond to logic and reason, no amount of money spent campaigning will persuade them."

I think the last election has finally proved that.

Confessions of a Centrist Liberal

 

    I was a Republican once. I'm sure you've seen those memes showing what Republicans stood for back in the days of President Eisenhower; Unions, equal rights, women's equality, better wages and less wars. That was essentially my family; Working class union members who just wanted to live and let live.
    But that all changed in the '60s. Southern Democrats, stung by President Kennedy's push for equality and segregation fled the Democratic party in droves finally finding a home in the GOP. After not very long the parties had traded places. Democrats became more Liberal and Republicans more Conservative. The Republican party after Nixon became the party of religion, racism and intolerance. It became enamored with war and big money while Democrats championed, more and more, the poor and middle income classes.
    I hung with the GOP hoping to make a difference in the primaries, but it never happened. Finally in 1999 i'd had enough crazy and re-registered as an Independent. I wasn't sure i wanted to be a Democrat. I was not a fan of Bill Clinton. He didn't seem to have a handle on how to run a government and i cringed as he made one stupid blunder after another. I was actually encouraged when Al Gore ran for President. Finally it seemed we'd have a brain in the White House!
...but no.
    When Bush (Dubya) took office i feared for the worst....and he never let me down. He literally gave away the budget surplus of the '90s and gave tax breaks to the wealthy and big corporations while managing to spend more than ever. Using the nationalism that arose after 9/11, he started 2 wars. One, justifiably, to take out al Qaeda who had attacked us....and one in Iraq based upon lies and bullshit. Unfortunately many Democrats were caught up in the patriotic mood of the day...Many Americans were calling for a "war on terror" and Democrats were hard pressed not to oblige them given the horrors of 9/11. But anyone who was paying even the slightest attention could see that "Operation Iraqi Freedom" was a sham. It was literally a war for oil. After we were committed, Dubya as much as said so.
    As we all now know, the Bush years left us with two military occupations and an impending depression. When Barack Obama got elected, i was encouraged once again. Here was a man who seemed to have it all under control. The Depression was reduced to a recession (still bad, but somewhat less than a disaster) and he scaled down our useless involvement in Iraq. He even managed to actually get the person responsible for 9/11 without starting a new war. Things appeared to be looking up!
...but no.
    Republicans in Congress, bent on making Obama a "one term president", scuttled any and all legislation that would have improved the lot of poor and middle income class Americans. They wanted an end to the ACA (Obamacare), more tax breaks for the rich and less regulations for the companies that pollute our water and air. Blue Dog Democrats soon turned on the President and Far Left Progressives scolded him on everything from not closing Guantanamo to not including the Public Option in the ACA....none of which he had any control over. I've never seen a president get so badly hammered from both sides, right and left, and still manage to keep his composure and get things done. It was the most amazing display of calm and competence i have ever witnessed in government.
    By the end of the Obama administration it seemed that the logical choice for America was going to be to carry on with his policies and try to reform Congress.
....but no.
    At the beginning of the 2016 presidential campaign i was a Bernie Sanders supporter. I liked Bernie as a person. I was proud of his history as a champion of equal rights and middle class opportunities. There were a few places where i thought he went somewhat over the top...but i was sure that, should he win, he'd adjust to that. As an Independent in NY State i couldn't vote in the Democratic primaries. I could only watch and hope. When Bernie lost the primary i was disappointed, but not crushed. Bernie would still be in Congress...he'd gotten Hillary Clinton to agree to most of his agenda and, at worst, we'd have another Clinton in the White House who would be a tolerable, if not great, president.
....er...but, no.
    No sooner were the primaries over than the Hillary Swooners and Bernie Bros went at each other, dividing the Democratic party into two constantly warring factions. Watching this from social media, i warned both sides that the inevitable outcome of this inability to come together on Nov 8th would be President Trump. Well they didn't...and now we are ruled by an imbecile and a Congress devoted to marginalizing everyone except the wealthy. Good Job!
     So this brings me to why i'm no longer an Independent.
Well...being a Republican is still out of the question. There is simply too much crazy there to even consider it....i mean.....Donald Trump? Staying Independent would mean i'd get to watch helplessly again as the Democratic Party (which still actually maintains some semblance of sanity) implodes. At least next time i'll get a shot at the primaries.
    Now, what makes me a Centrist (apparently) is that i don't hate and vilify all corporations and Wall Street. I don't believe all white people are born racists by default or that all men are inherently misogynists. I don't think all the cops are killers. I don't believe GMOs were invented to poison us for profit. I don't agree that vaccinations were invented by "big pharma" just to make money......
.....and for crisakes there are no fu**in' "chemtrails"!
     So that puts me somewhat at odds with the uber-left. I would say i'm an Obama Democrat. If that damns me then so be it.....
I couldn't hope to be in better company.
 

Nazis go home?

In the wake of the recent events in Charlottesville,Va i've seen a number of posts and memes featuring the slogan, "Nazis go home!"....and i wondered, if you're a nazi, who wants you? Where could you call "home"? Certainly nowhere in America where we fought a world war to end nazism. The rest of the world probably wouldn't want you either. Most of the EU has anti-nazi laws. In Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, The Czech Republic and Slovakia you can be arrested for giving the nazi salute, and in Germany, for simply denying the Holocaust. 

So if we were to round up all the nazis and put them on a boat, where could they go? The answer is likely "nowhere".  If you're a nazi you are welcome nowhere. No country would take you...no people would accept you. 

I think we need to do this in the USA; We need to make it absolutely clear that if you are a nazi, this is not your country. You don't belong here....We don't want you. 

....and i think Donald Trump personally should be making this statement. So far he has refused to do this. Why? Are there now nazis in the White House? We know the alt-right identifies with nazi ideology. Perhaps Trump himself is a nazi sympathizer. Until he makes it perfectly clear that he isn't, we'll just have to assume that might be the case. 

Dictators are always con men in the beginning. At first they need to make it look like they're benevolent in order to gain power. After they're entrenched, their true colours show....But if you look closely you can see a tinge of intolerance and oppression right from the beginning. I think Donald Trump was displaying bits of his plumage during his presidential campaign....and now we're seeing the full spectrum of his true ideology.

Why I'm Becoming a Democrat

Well, i suppose the time has come. After being an Independent for 18 years, i'm being forced to pick a party. What's compelling me to do this? Trump.

For 30 years i was a Republican. My first vote was for Nixon (before we found out he was a crook). He was the last Republican i voted for. For 3 decades i watched the GOP become less and less a party of the people and more and more a party of moneyed fat cats, religious fanatics and deluded conspiracy theorists with guns. In '99 i couldn't take it any more and re-registered as "no political affiliation". When Al Gore lost to George W (lie you into a war) Bush, i was vindicated....and when Barack Obama became President, i was proud of my country for the first time in 45 years. Things looked like they were finally on the road to sanity....and then......

In 2016 i supported Bernie Sanders (although i couldn't vote for him in the primaries) and then HRC (because she was the only sane choice).
....and what happened? America managed to elect a half-baked reality show star and crooked businessman to be the most powerful person in the world.

To some degree i blame myself. I hadn't become a Democrat back in 1999 because i disagreed with some of their predispositions. I was essentially a political centrist. I didn't believe that all of the corporations were evil, that all of the banks were screwing us or that all white people shared the original sin of racism. I also wasn't into beating up my country for the actions of the far right.  I don't see the USA as the great devil (like Noam Chomsky). I understand that we've made mistakes in the past and that paranoia and profit have sometimes dictated foreign policy. But on the whole the USA does have noble (if often misguided) intentions. I don't believe that we should never defend ourselves, i understand that some wealthy people do, in fact, deserve to be wealthy and i don't believe that all of the cops are out to kill us. So i wanted to be neutral and objective politically, while at the same time supporting sane choices for our leaders and representatives.

But nooooo! In the last election i watched in horror as the US actually elected a damn fool over an uppity female to run the country. Even given that Hillary wasn't the best choice in the world and probably was the darling of the DNC at the expense of Bernie, she was the only sane choice. Donald Trump is ignorant, inarticulate, crooked, bad tempered, narcissistic and an absolute pig of a misogynist. But somehow Americans overlooked all that because hell.....HILLARY!

So now i'm going out Monday and sign up as a Democrat. I still don't agree with a lot of their new dogma...but the prospect of a decade of Republican rule has made me do it. You can thank Donald Trump.

So...where do we go from here?

As the Trump presidency continues to implode, it might seem that we'll somehow be delivered from the dysfunction of misanthropic Republicanism. Alas...this is not to be. There appears to be a never-ending supply of ignorant miscreants to draw from on the right. Even with appointees and cabinet members dropping like dominoes, there still remains the prospect of a 4 year Republican administration.....and as if that weren't bad enough, we are also bestowed with a right wing controlled Congress and the possibility of a Republican appointed SCOTUS majority. Even were we to get Trump fired (Wouldn't that be irony?), we'd still have Pence in the Oval Office, which would be just about as bad. This man doesn't "believe" in climate change or evolution. How is that going to work out in a country that's supposed to be preeminent in science and technology? It's not.
Since impeachment of Orange Hitler would make little change other than putting a different ignorant ass in the hot seat, our next best hope is changing the balance of power in Congress in 2018.

So what are Democrats doing so far in that respect? Well.......mostly more of the same things that lost them the election in 2016. Crying about money in politics while begging for money, finger pointing at each other over the loss in the last election....and constantly bickering over who is the most Left of Center. Centrists have now overtaken Republicans among Progressives as the new devil. While Republicans close ranks and find common ground among their constituents, Democrats find ever more reasons for division.

It's time to close ranks and concentrate on dragging this country out of its decline into the Dark Ages! If you have any Progressive tendencies, this must be the first priority....After that we can split hairs and argue over whether Hillary had too many snarky emails or got paid too much money to give a speech....or if Bernie must be a racist because he's old and white. Right now, we have exactly one hope.....and that is reform of Congress. All the criticism and vilification of Trump is worthless if that doesn't happen in 2018.

Democrats and Progressive Independents....Unite and win in 2018!

Immigration; How can we permanently and compassionately fix the problem?

........so now we finally have a President who wants to solve immigration problems by building a wall. This is akin to stopping a leak in a dam by sticking your finger in the hole; The water stops flowing in, but the dam is still broken. It treats the symptom but the cause remains. 
When we finally get around the tragic clown posturings of Donald Trump, what will actually have been accomplished? How can we stop the inflow of desperate, undocumented people in a fair, compassionate and effective way?

A good place to start in solving the immigration problem would involve bringing the rest of the Western hemisphere into the 21st century. If  the people of Mexico, Cuba, Central America, South America, et al could earn a living wage in their countries, the incentive to come here to work would diminish.

I propose levying an import duty on any part, product or service that is sold in this country when the workers making the product or providing that service earn less than the US minimum wage. Corporations could avoid paying this duty by paying the prevailing minimum wage to their employees. 

This would help our economy in at least five ways:

1. It would slow down the the loss of jobs caused when companies move their operations "offshore" seeking to cut labor costs.

2.  It would give the people of other countries more money to spend on American products thereby increasing our exports and lowering the trade deficit.

3. It would stop the hiring of illegal immigrants in this country who will work for low wages thereby taking  jobs from Americans. This would decrease unemployment and stimulate the economy.

4. It will drastically cut back on the number of immigrants who come here to find work, fall into poverty and must resort to social services in order to survive. This will lessen the amount of taxpayer money needed to provide such services.

5. The taxes collected from "underpayers" would help offset the costs to the American people brought about by the immigration of those seeking better employment.

The situation we are in now is largely a result of NAFTA which helps promote a culture of  worker exploitation in Hispanic countries.
 Ross Perot was right. NAFTA turned out to be a disaster for American workers. The only people it benefits are rich CEOs and business owners. The rest of us are paying the price in lost jobs and lower wages.

Building walls, guest worker programs, making it a felony to be an illegal immigrant and "sending them all back" won't work. We can waste time and money on these programs or we can address the true cause of illegal immigration; extreme poverty beyond our borders.

We have got to find a way to improve the quality of life for our neighbors to the south and elsewhere in their native countries. Fleeing to America must cease to be their only salvation from poverty.