America is delusional. I don't make this statement lightly, but events in recent weeks make me wonder about the ability of We, the People, who are supposed to be working toward a more perfect union, to manage to elect a functional government... or at least one that understands this is ONE country, ONE people, ONE population yet it's increasingly evident that no one is listening to the vox populi, the voice of the people.
To wit:
And if that's not enough proof that no one is listening, try this one out for size:
Well, his name isn't Jake, it's Jack Teixeira and he's not a patriot. The twit leaked classified information on a gamer website. That means a member of Congress, an elected official of the United States government, is defending an act of high treason.
Imagine if the kid's name was Jake Goldstein. Then, he woulda been an agent of George Soros, a tool of the Jewish Space Laser corps.
And speaking of questionable government officials, imagine the outcry if Justice Clarence Thomas's name was Justice Chaim Tomashefsky. Hoo Ha! The attacks on that guy from the right would be legendary! Can you even imagine the pitchforks and flaming torches outside the house of Elena Kagan if she were taking zillion dollar vacays with Mark Zuckerberg? Or selling a bit of property to Sergei Brin? I mean, they'd be calling for her expulsion to a gulag in Oklahoma for sullying the hallowed halls of justice. How about declaring income from a company that hasn't existed for almost a decade? Oh, that woulda sent Ketanji Brown Jackson straight to jail with life imprisonment for tax fraud.
But the House Judiciary Committee doesn't wanna discuss Clarence Thomas; Jim Jordan, the chairman of said committee is too busy trying to demand trial evidence to a point where DA Bragg had to sue to get him to stop violating the criminal process. Jordan is working a little Texas two-step here to distract and deflect. Or, as Ziggy would say whenever there was a Dairy Queen up ahead on the right...."LOOK! A PINK ELEPHANT!" while frantically pointing to the left. The kids might've fallen for that once or twice....but one would think We, the People, are more sophisticated than that.
Or not.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch...
Since April 1st, there've been a whole lotta mass shootings; 33 dead, 167 injured. That doesn't include the cop shootings: 2 dead in Wisconsin, 1 dead in Minnesota. Let's not leave out the Black kid in Kansas City who was trying to pick up his siblings...and got shot in the head by an old White guy when he rang the wrong doorbell. Oh, it's worth mentioning he made it to other houses to ask for help, and when one opened the door he was told to get down on the ground, which he did...and lost consciousness. He's alive and recovering. Lucky the guy who shot him was really old and couldn't see.
How is it we not agree guns are a problem? How is it one national party calls itself pro-life yet refuses to rein in the merchants of death? How can you carry on about controlling women's bodies when you refuse to in any way hamper weapons of death from getting into the hands of people who will use them on other people NOT in a war zone?
The Washington Post ran an article about the mass shooting in Alabama this morning. Do take a moment to read it...and try to keep your last meal down. But it was something said in the comments section that really got to me. A commenter who goes by Lamar 72 wrote: The gunman was merely exercising his rights of expression via blasting everyone in sight. Since they did not have parties in the 17th century with DJ’s, the Supreme Court has determined there is nothing you can do about this.
That stopped me in my reading tracks: Originalist thinking at its very basest root.
The way originalist thinking as applied by this court is not good for America. It seeks to prevent the country from moving forward in today's world. How can it? Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and ConeyBarrett do not recognize modern social development or scientific achievement. I mean, look at vaccinations. Gender identity. What they are really saying, along with the rest of the GOP pro-death contingent, is that women are chattel to be kept barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, and "non-conforming" gender identity is a game.
Our very own Senator Klobuchar hit the mark in an interview when she asked:
"What is going to be next? Is that judge going to not like birth control pills? Are we going to have a judge that doesn't like [cholesterol medication] Lipitor? There's a reason that Congress gave the FDA the power to make these decisions about safety."
In case you're wondering about this stream of vitriolic angst, there actually is a line the goes right from my first salvo down to this one... in case you missed it. What We, the People want has absolutely no relation to what the GOP is trying to shove down our throats even with a Democratic administration. Their methodology is distract and divert in hopes no one will look behind their curtain because the rest of us are too busy putting out these absurd fires. Their goal is to take this country back to a time before information was available to anyone who could read, much less access to Google. They are counting on schools to dumb down curricula to a point where kids don't learn about how government is supposed to work, no longer care about anything outside their bubbles, and allow these people to control what they read, what they think, what they do.
You think I'm kidding? Red states are actively banning books. Not just books about sexuality and gender, but about history....Anne Frank...the Holocaust, slavery in the United States. BELOVED is on the banned list in several states, along with THE KITE RUNNER. Really? We cannot possibly expose children to history, can we?
Gee, isn't that what Hitler did? Actually, yes. He believed he could win the hearts and minds of German youth through indoctrination via Hitler Youth and League of German Girls. At a rally in support of Feckless Loser hosted by (get this one) Mom's For America, freshman congressclown Mary Miller from Illinois told the crowd:
This is the battle. Hitler was right on one thing. He said, 'Whoever has the youth has the future.'
And so, kids, this is why I doubt we are not necessarily able to elect a functional government. Clowns like this are making these statements in public. And way too many people are drinking this brand of Kool-Aide.
Just a thought.
The Wifely Person's Tip o'the Week
If you live in Minnesota, summer was last week.
If you were out of the state, you missed it.
Bummer.
Makes you wonder if we are done as a sensible, thinking country .
ReplyDeleteMy only hope is that the youth vote continues to increase (see link to article below).. At least in CA, they tend heavily towards progressive politics. Even though we have a long way to go in encouraging young voters to fully participate, the fact that they lean heavily towards Democrats has been enough to make a difference.
ReplyDeleteI believe the voting results for Justice Protasiewicz in WI were astounding - she won by 11 points in a basically divided state. I believe that was due to women and youth, and the men who support women.And the extreme Republican stances on just about everything, at this point, are helping to elect Democrats.
I believe the youth vote is heavily driven by the state of our planet, gender rights, women's rights, guns, etc. They finally feel they have skin in the game and are seeing that they need to be politically engaged if they want the future they envision. Power to the youth - think about the recent events in TN! I think/hope/believe the youth are finding their power and their voice.
I just cannot give up. I continue to write my Postcards to Voters to encourage those in Democratic/Independent districts to register, and then to vote. 30,000+ cards written, and counting...
https://calmatters.org/commentary/2022/11/california-youth-senior-election-vote-turnout-progressive/
Kathy
You are so right about Wisconsin; it was a stunning victory for women in general. Now, the trick is to get out the youth vote. we cannot rely on the grown-ups to do what is right for the future of this nation.
DeleteI hear from so many parents in my generation (I am in my late 60s) that their kids weren't taught civics in school. If this is true, then our generation needs to teach today's youth the importance of a firm grasp of civics. I feel like this current world is their norm - we need to tell them that it can be better. I speak to young people whenever I can. When I tell them that I was able to get a college degree at a State College, work part-time, and have an apartment - and no college debt - their eyes bug out!! I feel that more and more young people are starting to get it. I think they see the chaos, hate and insanity that the Republicans are spewing. That party has no answers. This generation just needs to know that becoming an active, voting member in this society can make a difference in their lives. I am going to be hopeful, but knowing it is going to take a lot of work - relentless.
ReplyDeleteZiggy and I were horrified at the lack of civic education for our guys, and ended up teaching it at the dining room table. We were really bullish about making sure they understood how government works, and that the right to vote was of paramount importance. I will do the same for the grandkids when the time comes. This stuff is just no longer taught in schools and that pisses me off.
DeleteThose Trump Republicans count on an uneducated society. That is a big source of their power. I have no doubt you taught your guys well - I would have loved to been a part of your dining room table discussions!! But, I guess through your blog - I am! Always enjoy reading your thoughts - keeps me on my toes and fired up for change!
ReplyDeleteThank you!
DeleteThe biggest challenge we have is apathy. Far too Americans really don't care what happens until and unless it hits their own little bubble of job/family/friends/401k plan. They have long forgotten, if they ever learned, how government is supposed to work. They vote, if they vote at all, in presidential elections and ignore down-ticket races except to the extent they vote for their current officeholder because their name is familiar.
ReplyDeleteI know people like this. I worked with people like this. They aren't stupid, they just think nothing bad will happen, and they have forgotten whatever civics they may have learned. They say "I'm not political" or "They're all the same" or "It doesn't matter to me" or "You're right, I really DON'T care if it doesn't impact my life." I had one of these people call me when the right ginned up Pizzagate and asked me "You're up on these things, is there anything to this?" Hey, at least she asked. But the idea that the thought even entered her mind that it could be true because she heard it is troubling. The Trumpazoids are beyond repair. It's THESE people who worry me. How do we reach them?
So good… “The way originalist thinking as applied by this court is not good for America. It seeks to prevent the country from moving forward in today's world. How can it? Justices Thomas, Gorsuch, and ConeyBarrett do not recognize modern social development or scientific achievement. I mean, look at vaccinations. Gender identity. What they are really saying, along with the rest of the GOP pro-death contingent, is that women are chattel to be kept barefoot and pregnant in the kitchen, and "non-conforming" gender identity is a game.”
ReplyDeleteAlso, originalist interpretation/thinking about the right to bear arms in 21st century America threatens every school child and teacher in our country. Shame on every public official who makes being re-elected a higher priority than protecting the public from the results of irresponsible gun laws. It’s the least they can do since if you get shot you probably won’t survive the immorally high cost of medical care in this country.