It's been a little over three years since "45" was inaugurated. The dude still has a lot of popularity among those of us who agree with him. Sad story. Fact is, Trump is a reflection of the people of America and we've failed the world in our selection of this miscreant as the leader of the free world.
Once again, we have an opportunity to right the wrongs that we've inflicted upon ourselves and the rest of the world next November. We have a president who after being impeached, has no intention of amending his ways as evidenced by his interference in the judicial system (Roger Stone's sentencing recommendation comment) and really, does anyone truly believe that all of his cronies wont be pardoned? We're screwed. Our only salvation is if people actually get off their asses and vote this prick out of office and if young people turn out to show that we're not the assholes we're shown to be.
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Since the average attention span of people nowadays lasts no longer than the first two lines, I doubt this will be read by many. Do you really think that standing on a street corner with a sign voicing your opinion is effective? Don't get me wrong, I applaud people who get out and voice an opinion but... Face it: it really doesn't accomplish that much other than make other folks in public either applaud you or ridicule you.
We've all heard the idiom, "Money Talks, Bullshit Walks". And this phrase my friends, is my sound opinion for a solution for many of our country's shortcomings. Newsflash: Elected officials couldn't give two shits less about your opinions. However, what they do care about is their donors and corporations in their districts (who of course, are big time donors). Corporate America doesn't give a shit about the good of society...only the bottom line. Money. That's what it's all about. Doesn't matter if it's a boycott of a particular business or public protest that shuts down your local Wal-Mart for several hours. This is the only argument they'll listen to. You have to choose your battles and zero in on one company who sells a shit load of stuff across the globe who more than anything else, fears a loss of sales that affects the bottom line and shareholder value. Since Georgia still seems to believe it's still the 1950's and along with Alabama and Ohio will probably enact a draconian abortion law, I decided to set my sights on that state (my apologies to Jimmy Carter, the last honest politician and practicing Christian). Now really, the Georgia Legislature couldn't give a shit less about my political feelings one way or another. Coca Cola on the other hand... I just sent an email to Coca Cola Chairman and CEO James Quincey informing him of my decision to shelve my favorite soft-drink and mixer Diet Coke in favor of my second choice, Diet Pepsi. I also mentioned that Aquafina is now replacing Dasani as my choice for bottled water. What do you know, looking in my fridge yielded more items for me to boycott: Minute Maid Juice and lucky me, I saw that Odwalla as well as Gold Peak Tea and Simply Juice are part of my pantry. Yep, items I've purchased in the past but will now replace with something else. I followed up this email with an actual letter sent by snail mail to Mr Quincey. Of course, he'll never see it nor does he give a shit what I think. On the other hand, if enough people actually take the time to email as well as invest a lousy 55 cents for postage to inform Mr Quincey of your disappointment in his company's home state actions against women, I tend to think it would grab his staff's attention. I'll say it again: The only thing that can make change happen is if enough people boycott companies making dough off of us start to feel the pinch. Shareholders start getting antsy and senior executives start to worry about their multi-million dollar salaries. I know it's wishful thinking on my part to make a change for the good but damn people, get off your collective ass's and at least try it. I mean really, if Coke starts to lose sales because of the state's asinine moves against women, how long before their contributions to the pols dry up and the company leans on state officials? Sheriff Andy and his deputy Barney are both dead. Physically and metaphorically. (By the way, I'm thrilled that I didn't have to rely on spell check for metaphorically.) Those days of the folksy town marshal or sheriff or the local smiling cop walking the beat are long gone. Actually, those days have been gone longer than we think.
We white folks have only become aware that cops regularly beat the shit out of citizens when the Rodney King beating came to light. Funny though, black folks have know it for as long as they've been black. We can thank the innovation of various filming methods used to record these abuses of authority, otherwise "mad whitey" would still deny it. Of course now, "mad whitey" just finds justification for any violations of one's civil rights by way of "He must be guilty, so he deserves it". These are the folks who grovel at the feet of authority, willing to sacrifice your sons and daughters as well as you for the sake of their security, your rights be damned. I brought up Sheriff Andy because as I recall, back in the 50's Andy only had to deal with a local drunk and a wayward farm animal or two. Sgt. Joe Friday and his partner always treated the public with respect, knowing that they were public servants. Officers Malloy and Reed on Adam-12 as well as Ponch and Baker on CHiPs never once beat the shit out of anyone, nor did they kill anybody. They didn't intentionally arrest people falsely, haul them to jail and fuck their lives up. But the 80's. Ah, the 80's. Hollywood started giving us more and more gritty cop shows with assorted baddies for us to loathe and badged heroes to adore. You remember them I'm sure (if you're older); Hill Street Blues, NYPD Blue, Law and Order and a plethora of others. Amazingly enough, all of the suspects and persons of interest encountered by the cops are always seedy individuals who deserve to be lied to, leaned on, slapped around, beat-up because hey...they're guilty of something right? If you've done nothing wrong you have nothing to worry about. Unless of course you happen to be say, Botham Jean. Oh wait, he had an eighth of weed, certainly an executable offense. Silly me. I mention the Hollywood connection because I truly believe that the American public have become inured to the abuses committed by cops due to the scenarios portrayed by movie and television roles. Bad cops are seldom portrayed as a danger to the general public and never as abusive towards it. The news media has to take a share of the blame as well for not covering abuses and regular civil rights violations. Only recently have they been covering obvious killing committed cops even though the public has been slow to react. Juries are reluctant to convict a cop for fear his brothers in blue will allow mayhem and disorder to occur rather than be second guessed. Once again, willing to give up their rights under the Constitution. Sad shit. We've reached the point now where law enforcement is accountable to no one. Police unions wield far too much power for spineless politicians to oppose. We now accept that we the citizens are willing to dole out tons of tax money to victims of police abuse but are unwilling to hold bad cops responsible, allowing them to return to the street to continue as though nothing had changed. The justice system is a joke and it's becoming closer to the time where the only way official tyranny will end (and yes, cops are presently sovereign and nearly immune to laws) is when people take retribution and justice into their own hands. Chaos ahead? Most assuredly. The Washington state Gambling Commission seized 300 roosters and arrested two indTheThe Washington state Gambling Commission seized 300 roosters and arrested two individuals for their alleged roles in an illegal cockfighting operation in Port Orchard, Washington. W“With assistance from our law enforcement partners, we were able to take the ringleaders into custody and save these birds from a cruel and violent death.” ashington state Gambling Commission seized 300 roosters and arrested two individuals for their alleged roles in an illegal cockfighting operation in Port Orchard, Washington.ividuals for their alleged roles in an illegal cockfighting operation in Port Orchard, Washington. The roosters were unable to be rehabilitated and were humanely euthanized due to their aggressive behavior and the drugs they were given.
I'm really curious as to what constitutes humane. Thankfully, I will never experience the sight of a loved one or friend being abused by someone with authority. I'll be 69 next week so chances get slimmer by the day as I (as everyone else) get closer to the end.
Various things come to mind. The abuse of young athletes by coaches as well as doctors. Sexual assault of young boys and girls by those who hold power over them occurs far too often. Assaults and deaths at the hands of police is becoming an everyday occurrence and we accept it. Maybe they had it coming, or not. The "or not" should be troublesome but isn't. What I find bizarre, is the father's acceptance of imprisoning a high-profile person (Dr Nasser) for his many assaults while failing to hold responsible the person who abuses or kills his loved one. Why does money talk and why does a family accept a payout for a transgression made by someone who pays no penalty? The money comes from the taxpayer and insurance company but not the actual assaulter or killer. I'll admit it...I'm going to focus on the abuse of citizens by people who abuse their authority. The latest video shows a cop in New Jersey beating up a 20 year old on the beach for the heinous crime of drinking beer on the beach although you can find many other video incidents. Remember the black dude in Florida who was a counselor for the autistic guy who laid in the street with his hands up and still got shot? Here in the Tacoma area, a couple of kids were awarded a half mil by a jury finding that they were illegally abused and held by an off duty cop. Cop responsibility? Zero. Whatever happened to men who took an assault on a loved one as an assault on their honor? I guess it's pretty easy for me to sit back and judge present-day man when I have nothing to risk, but that being said... . I'd seethe. I'd seethe like a motherfucker for a long time but during that time I'd visualize a just vengeance. I could see a situation where years later, a person could regain his honor and extract just payment for the affront to his loved ones. What do you do when the law turns against you? Resistance brings the verbal justification for beating the shit out of you. Speaking of resisting, it's been said that cops former and present are instructed in the use of the phrases exonerating you of any responsibility; 1, Stop Resisting (this allows the cop to beat the shit out of you even while his body cam is rolling). 2, Quit reaching for my gun (see above) and of course the carte Blanche of them all: I feared for my life. (handy to use when you slay a 95 pound teen with a cell phone). Don't participate. Don't call or rely on the police to exact any justice for you...you gotta get it on your own. I don't know. I just don't know. I may be getting old but I still believe in personal responsibility, honor, and retribution. Those nasty-ass immigrants trying to get in are a threat to our jobs! Recently, I applied for a highly sought after position as a lettuce harvester only to find that the position had been filled by an illegal Mexcun. I bet he brung all his offspring along with him, using up all of our resources that only us God fearing Mericans deserve. Anyway, I could have got this primo job picking lettuce. Did you know you get to exercise by bending over all day long while working? And you fools pay to get exercise in a health club. So I bet I could have made about 15 bucks an hour doing this and since I'm about 50 or so pounds overweight, have led an extremely sedentary life for the past 10 years, I know in my heart I could last at least a day. Damn you illegal Mex. We still don't accept those damn kneegrows what makes you think we want you here? God put us here to kill all those pagan injuns and implement a white only land.
A lot of you mutts out there don't realize that it took Dr King's prodding of LBJ into sponsoring the voting rights act and getting it enacted.
When it comes right down to it...he was murdered just as much for his skin color as his assertion that black women and men were equal to any other race on earth. Don't need any kind of religion to tell me that there's no problem with that concept. It doesn't matter how you feel about one particular individual (I got one person I have a beef with who's black, fuck him), why the hell would it affect how you feel about an entire race? The way I see it, young white republicans will become threatened by the growing non-white population and will enact ordinances preventing any type of preferential treatment for the ruling class. The prevailing effort is to keep the division between the races still. Divide and conquer. It's still the mantra, too bad the masses don't see it yet. I don't get it...but I'm just a dumb old white guy. Will the "Kids" Succeed?The momentum keeps building for some sort of sensible gun regulations or at least serious talk about replacing those who stand in the way. Even the people who come out in public with lame attempts to attack and discredit the student movement are immediately shamed into apologizing although, it appears that the apologies are prompted by financial impact.
I think for the most part gun owners, and I include myself here, are quite sensible people. I'm not a hunter. I'm not a gun enthusiast. I don't go shooting just for the fun of blasting shit up. Hell, I don't go shooting at all. I don't have a fetish nor do I need them as a sign of my virility (quite the opposite actually) or to supplement the size of my penis. And really, if it comes to standing up to tyranny, I'm too old to get involved, nor do I have any desire to kill anything other than perhaps ants. Yeah, ants for sure. And yet, I still consider myself sensible. My weapons serve two purposes: Inflation sucks but they're still worth what I've paid for them considering they've never been fired. Secondly, you need to be your own first-responder when it comes to protecting you and your own (in reality, the cops are too late). No rant here, just want you to know where I'm at. If you've read this far, it means you may be open-minded to my thoughts. If you're frothing at the mouth and breathing heavily through both nose and mouth, please read on and increase your blood pressure. Showing up at a kids' rally for sensible gun laws armed with AR-15's or stopping your car in the middle of an intersection to flip off and do whatever lewd shit that guy did in North Bend during a march. Umm, sensible gun owners? Not in my book. These guys are dangerous zealots. Back to the gaining momentum of pointing out that if change isn't made soon, changes will be made in the legislatures. The media needs to focus on the crowd sizes, publicizing the increasing support of the public and keep pointing out where NRA money comes from and especially, where it goes and who gets it. The organizers have to maintain strict focus and absolute transparency thereby giving the movement credibility to fend off ilk like Rush and Alex and Laura and Sean and maintain this momentum through summer and increase it with more voters electing representatives more in tune with the views and mores of a majority of the sensible public. Point out the absolute need to ban this type of weapon from public ownership for the simple reason that this is more and more an inexpensive weapon of war that allows the most bang for the buck, or if you will, the most kills in least amount of time (remember Vegas? 58 kills and over a hundred injured in eleven minutes of rapid fire). This is a military weapon. Cops shouldn't even have these. They're designed for one thing and one thing only: kill on a massive scale or overkill. Point out the absurdity of the need of 20 or 30 rounds in a clip. Are you going hunting or plan to just shoot the living shit out whatever moves for fun? Keep pointing it out kids. Keep pointing it out to your friends and your parents, keep pointing right into the voting booth. Our own state legislature couldn't overcome the pressure exerted on them by Second Amendment, gun-worshiping flag wavers and ban the sale of assault style weapons. Perhaps you can accomplish what no one has had the nerve to do...defeat the big money that flows from the NRA. It it too ludicrous to believe that mass shootings of people in schools, concerts, movies or malls would drop dramatically? There will always be crazy people who have a distorted view of society or will act on one god or another telling them what is righteous and who must die but at least we can reduce the chances them acting out their delusions. Good luck Kids. We need you to succeed. Sensible adults have failed. Am I a whacked out and stoned old buzzard? Perhaps, but I'll still maintain the attribute of sensible. Not being a policy wonk nor a math nerd, I do however have fleeting thoughts during some of my more lucid moments. Problem with that is, due to age and being pleasantly stoned, if I don't have my search engine up and ready when that thought occurs, I usually forget what I wanted to look up.
That being said, I began to wonder how a tiny percentage (single digit) of American population can directly influence government policy when a majority of that population totally disagrees with the policy. Turns out, who'da thunk it; MONEY! Yeah I know, not really a revelation unless you live under a rock or followed Syd Barrett's' lead into a loony bin. Yup, turns out your elected official couldn't give a shit less what you think unless you got some serious dough to "contribute" to their re-election campaign. That's some serious representative government. So, the big tent party by passing a tax bill, just agreed that big money should get a permanent tax cut but that vaunted cut for regular folks expires in eight years. A big middle finger to us. According to Politico, Chuck Grassley actually justified big tax cuts for the wealthy because they'll invest their extra dough wisely, resulting in a trickle down effect. The dude stated that any extra dough the middle and poor class would be wasted on booze and women. Yep, they've got my best interests at heart. |
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