No I'm not embarrassed to be a Democrat

       Someone, on another persons Facebook post said that anyone who said they were a Democrat should be embarrassed. I chimed in that I was a proud Democrat, and that I wasn't embarrassed. Him: "You should be." 

      Really? I should be? You know who really should be? 

      Those who voted for the loud mouthed star of a reality show who never showed an ounce of couth, decency, or class. (Unless it was put before him on a teleprompter.) 

      Those who voted for a "businessman" whose businesses went into bankruptcy six times. 

      Those who voted for a man who has made such crass remarks like he can "grab women by the p*ssy."

     Those who voted for a man who bullies his political opponents with such childish names as: "Nervous Nancy" (Pelosi), "Sleepy Joe" (Biden), "Pocahontas" (!) for Elizabeth Warren, "Crooked Hillary" Clinton, etc. etc. etc. 

     Those who voted for a "businessman" who has put the US debt at an astronomical trillion dollars plus.

     Those who voted for a man who separates immigrant children from their parents, and who jails immigrants in inhumane conditions. 

     (And, those who voted for a man who was directly or indirectly responsible for the death of at least six children and dozens of adults in such detention centers.)

     Those who voted for a man who continues to strip environmental protections that were implemented to ensure healthy living measures for now and into the future. 

     And, those who voted for a man who has given huge tax cuts to the rich and corporations, yet plans on cutting programs for the poor, disabled and elderly.

     I could go on and on, but, really, one phrase comes to mind that sums it all up, and, it's not  that Democrats "should be embarrassed."

     

    It's that, if I was a Republican, I would be ashamed.

Why Was Trump Impeached?

             I know that there is a lot of confusion about why
        Donald Trump was impeached.    
          
             I hope this information helps to clear up some of that
         confusion. 

1.     First, and, most importantly, Trump held back military aid to Ukraine. This aid was approved by Congress, and, was to be used, as it had been since 2014, to keep Russia from attempting to intimidate Ukraine, after it had seized Crimea, a part of Ukraine, in 2014. 
2.     "I would like you to do us a favor, though." Most people have heard those words with regards to Trumps impeachment. He said that to President Zelensky of Ukraine in July of 2019, implying that we would release the military aid in exchange for a declaration from their government that Joe Biden and his son Hunter were under investigation for improprieties in Ukraine. This is, by definition, quid pro quo. Trump basically said "I'll give you what you want, if you give me what I want."    
3.    This is what led the House of Representatives to impeach Trump. And, yes, he is, and, forever shall be impeached.
4.    After the House votes to impeach, the case goes over to the Senate, who tries the case, and, then they vote to see if there are enough votes to remove the president from office. (Which, there won't be, because Republicans hold a 53-47 majority, and a 2/3 Senate majority vote is needed to remove the president from office.)
5.    The problem with the Senate trial is, they're arguing that there is no evidence. This is a ridiculous assertion, because Trump forbid the potential witnesses from testifying in the House (which, they really didn't need testimony, because the notes from the Trump phone call - which Trump himself approved for release - with Zelensky show that what Trump did was an impeachable offense.)   
6.   And, finally, the leader of the Senate, Mitch McConnell, is also refusing to allow witnesses or documents to be presented. Also, it is rumored that Republican members of the Senate have been threatened that they'd best not vote against Trump, or, again, this is rumor, their head will be on a pike. 
7.   Oh, and, if you're wondering, impeachable offenses are: "The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors."

I'm Sick of Republicans and Donald Trump

I'm sick of it. 

I'm sick of watching the local news and hearing things like "Donald Trump says the news is fake" when there is video and audio proof of him saying what he says is fake. 

I'm sick of having to watch Fox News at relatives, or wherever, and having to hear stupid comments like "Liberals goad Trump on" when Trump is a loose cannon bully who has no idea what he is doing and doesn't need goading because he says whatever is in his pea brain at the time. 

I'm sick of opening the local newspaper (I'm looking at you, Vindicator) only to see headlines in the editorial like "If people vote for Democrats, they're voting against America" when our "president" has cozied up to Russia and Putin and Kim Jong Un (who, by the way Trump is in love with! His words!! )!  

I'm sick of being told by religious authorities that we have to vote for people who have respect for all life, when, what about people who have already been born?? What about the poor, the elderly, the sick, children and women? For God's sake!! 

And, I'm sick of hearing both sides do it, when we have two (one brand new!) justices on the Supreme Court who are misogynists, at least, or have been abusive towards women? Then there's the right wing bomb senders, murderers of Jews, white racists who won't shoot other white people, but, was only happy to gun down an African American man and woman? 

These aren't isolated incidences! Hatred is on the rise on the far right, and, I'm sick of it. 

So sick of it, I'm going to go out and vote Democratic November 6th and every other election that I can until we denounce this Republican hatred for what it is. 

Sick.

The Price of Convenience

How arrogant we are. Arrogant and selfish. 

Think about it. We have clean water in our house at our disposal. We have a furnace to warm our home when it gets cold outside. We have air conditioning to cool our home when it's hot out. We have a car in our driveway to take us where we want to go whenever we want to go. If we want to fly somewhere because our car won't take us there fast enough, we have airplanes to do that, too. 

We have phones to talk or text anyone, anywhere, at anytime. We have smart phones or computers that have a huge amount of information available to us. We can use those smart phones to take pictures or video of people or events and can post those pictures or videos on the web for the whole world to see in the blink of an eye. 

Life is so easy for us. Or, is it? 

I once heard that just over a century or two ago, most people never traveled more than twenty or so miles from their house. And, that's how it was since the beginning of human history. Before modern technology, which made everything easier, from transportation to "all the comforts of home", if people were hot, they opened a window or used a hand fan. If they were cold, they put on more clothes. 

When the Industrial Revolution occurred around 1800, there were one billion people on Earth. (If you want a real wake-up, visit this site on world population.) That sounds like a lot, unless you realize that it took all of human history for us to reach that point. And, now, we are at 7 billion. (I can remember a college professor expounding on the coming population explosion back in 1980, when the world population was 4.5 billion. Yes, it's grown that much since then.) All of those improvements have allowed for longer lives, which means more people are on our planet for a longer amount of time.

The obvious question is how many people are too many? What is the tipping point that will inevitably say enough is enough? When will we not have enough resources to supply the people on our planet?

We continue to plunder our natural resources with massive disregard to the safety of our actions, or the consequences, thus further endangering their availability. Toxic waste from coal, crude oil and fracking, (not to mention nuclear energy) are among the biggest offenders.

It's the price we pay to have what we want when we want it.

I'm not saying that I don't use or even enjoy most of the modern conveniences, so, yes, that makes me a hypocrite. But, I'm also painfully aware that there is going to come a time when I, along with the rest of our growing population, will have to pay the piper.

Who knows what the price will be?

On Climate Change Deniers

Climate change is happening. A large percentage of scientists agree with that. But, there are those who disagree.

I think that their main issue is not about climate change, but about whether mankind has done anything to cause it. They fail to see or admit that dumping chemicals into our water, our land and our atmosphere could cause any significant damage.

I can't understand how they fail to see that. How would they feel if someone came into their home and dumped toxic chemicals on their floor? Or, if the water company decided to put toxic waste directly into their water supply? I know, eww, right?

Our planet does not have unending resources. When "accidents" like the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico happen, our environment doesn't automatically renew itself. There are consequences for our actions, and climate change is just one of them.

The total lack of justice in the current Supreme Court

As a guest on the Stephanie Miller Show this past week, Karl Frisch said "The Supreme Court, with Chief Justice Roberts at its head, has become an institution that stands up for the powerful against the people."

I couldn't have said it any better.

Celebrate? Really?

So, the Supreme Court made one judgment to protect civil rights today. Wonderful. No, really, I'm happy for everyone who will be positively affected by their ruling.

But, seriously, after yesterdays kick in the pants ruling on voting rights, how can we be celebratory? What is the basic reason for celebration today? Civil rights for all, despite their sexual preference? That's what the GLBT community has used as their rallying cry, their reasoning in asking for equal rights.

They got what they wanted. Again, wonderful. But, what about all of the people who are going to be denied their basic civil rights because of the Supreme Courts decision just twenty four hours ago? What do we say to them? "Sorry you lost, but hey we won today! Isn't that great??"

Civil rights for all suffered a huge loss on Monday. Pardon me if I take time to mourn that before I put on a party hat.