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.