3 a.m. | The SIMPSONS — Endorse Hillary
They Almost Had It Right
I was walking through one of big box stores that dominant the American retail landscape. 
Headed towards the checkout was white male in the 3oish… 40ish age bracket. He had on a t-shirt the front of which read,”DONALD FUCKIN’ TRUMP’. The back read,”IF YOU DON’T BLEED RED, WHITE & BLUE, TAKE YOUR BITCHIN’ ASS HOME”
I started to say something to this individual, then reminded myself that you cannot argue with stupid.
I’m not a prude, but wearing a t-shirt with profanity on it is a line no one should cross. Continue reading “They Almost Had It Right”
Transgender Bathrooms
One of the big issues waging in the never ending culture wars is “bathroom” laws. This has been brought on by attempting to deal with transgender folks on a level that meets their needs. Transgender people would like use public restrooms that match what they perceive as their gender identity. Many states have passed laws attempting to force transgender people to use public restrooms that match the gender on their birth certificates.
First a confession, Continue reading “Transgender Bathrooms”
Mr. Blunt — You have blood on your hands
I recently contacted both of the Senators from Missouri and my Congresswoman, Ann Wagner.
The reason for my contact was to support President Obama in his push to institute some sanity in gun regulation and control by executive action. This dysfunctional Congress is unable and unwilling to address this important issue. Meanwhile 30,000 Americans a year continue to Continue reading “Mr. Blunt — You have blood on your hands”
The Little Blue Book by George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling
The main point of this book is that words matter. And the words that we debate with have been chosen by the conservatives to the detriment of progressive causes.
Someone recently posted on Facebook a quote by Robert A. Heinlein that sums up our current political situation nicely:
“You can sway a thousand men by appealing to their prejudices quicker than you can convince one man by logic.”
The authors phrased it thusly: Continue reading “The Little Blue Book by George Lakoff and Elisabeth Wehling”
Rev. Joe’s Random Thought # 6,279
yeah I know you did not ask!
I used to have faith in my fellow citizens and democracy. With so many of those fellow citizens thinking that the narcissistic egomaniac, Trump, is a viable choice for our president that faith has evaporated. The man has the intellectual depth of a sewage lagoon.
Rev. Joe’s Random Thought # 8,591
yeah I know you did not ask!
To all those wanting to build fences on our borders… Remember a fence works both ways. Just ask the folks of North Korea or the former East Germany to name a couple.
Mother Jones – The Cost of Gun Violence
Both Sides of The Gun Debate Are Coming From The Same Place
It strikes me that both sides of the gun debate are coming from the same place. They both fear the violence and crime that is present in society, especially when it involves guns. One side believes the solution is to arm as many people as possible. Then we would have a “cold war” of Mutually Assured Destruction, i.e. everyone not using their weapon as someone else might have a weapon. If they did encounter crime, they believe they could stop it. The other side seeks to remove guns from the equation believing that fewer guns led to fewer gun fatalities. Crime is less violent when the tools of crime are less violent.
Somehow the two sides need to sit down together, and rationally discuss the situation using objective evidence. They then need to arrive at mutual agreeable solutions. Operating from a place of fear, relying on urban myths, feelings, emotions and beliefs is not solving the issue.
That there is an issue with gun violence in this country is the one thing both sides can agree on. We should not have to live our lives from a place of fear. We are smart enough to solve this problem if we peel away down to fact based data and are brave enough to use what we find.
My Christmas Wish
My Christmas wish is that the gun owners of America would gather together and collectively give the NRA the bird. They would then work collectively to push Congress to pass sensible gun regulations that would protect their rights as sportsmen while protecting all of us from the current mayhem of gun violence.
That is my wish.