Tag: politics

Letter to Martha McSally

I am writing to you on the eve of the start of the impeachment proceedings/trial in the Senate against President Trump following his legal impeachment in the U.S. House of Represetatives. I am asking that you stay honest and impartial while listening to the evidence presented against the President recently forwarded by the US House of Representatives.

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Thoughts on Fall 2016 Election Cycle

I’m not experiencing pain and sense of loss because of the behavior and statements of President-elect Trump and his followers. My anger, pain, and sense of betrayal stem from how many Americans were tricked and others decided to betray the social contract of all-for-one, one-for-all when they voted with a strong voice against President Obama’s legacy and the vision of Hillary Clinton and said “Yes!” to Donald Trump.This blog, Don’t Fall Apart, does a great job of describing the angst and the stress Hillary voters are experiencing. To me, the anguish is so much more. I’m feeling a strong sense of betrayal and dread that Americans, specifically white Americans, really are a bunch of racist, misogynists, xenophobic, ignorant fucks – perfect mirroring of their adored figurehead, Donald Trump

I’m angry and hurt that this nation made it clear that it has abandoned:

  • women (expecting their right-to-chose, their equal pay for equal work, equal opportunities),
  • our hard-working immigrant population (seeking a better future in America, respect and fair, humane treatment),
  • the sick (looking to the medical care safety net of the Affordable Care Act),
  • the poor (needing the assistance safety net help with food, shelter, work-training programs),
  • the elderly (facing an uncertain future of cutbacks to their Social Security lifeline, their Medicare being drastically modified)
  • the down-trodden and homeless (needing a help hand, job training, understanding and compassion)
  • the mentally ill (needing assistance, housing, therapy)

Don’t get me wrong, I find the horrible statements made against the above groups, the language and behavior, lack of compassion and acceptance of “the others” that Trump (and his band of racists) harasses, ridicules, physically assaults in person, in the press, on TV news cycle – all of that is reprehensible and casts such a bleak pall over America.

We’ve seen so many times where members of the American Taliban (ultra-Christian Right, misogynists, racists/white supremacists/KKK hiding behind the clever tag of Alt-Right) vilify women, non-white people, and progressives who stand for social justice and the social welfare contract. These American Taliban call themselves God-fearing Christians, who shield themselves behind their Bible, spouting their hatred all the while they profess their sense of entitlement, white privilege, power and strength because of their Savior. My recollection of Jesus’ teachings are caring for others above yourself – where did that mindset go?

Here’s a great guest piece on Bill Moyers’ web site Farewell, America that I totally agree with. The thin layer of veneer that was hiding white hatred, white male insecurity has been pulled back and exposed with the millions of votes for Trump. The writer, Neal Gabler, questions if our American society will ever be the same!

It’s just after the Christmas season, right before New Year as I write this. I’m searching for words that can help soothe my soul and prepare me for 2017 and the Trump Presidency. (Holy shit, whoever thought we’d be facing that nightmarish reality?!?) Here’s an insightful thought from Kate Johnson, a contributor to the January 2017 issue of “Lion’s Roar” Buddhist magazine Have a Very Buddhist Christmas

“As a dedicated dharma practitioner, my beliefs have changed, but my longing for unconditional love and a fresh start for humanity have not. I still see Christmas as a time to celebrate the shared wish for a better world. It seems like we all want peace and for everyone to be safe and fed. Yet we have all contributed to a system in which these things seem impossible, and that truth is breaking our hearts.”

Yes – the truth of our national betrayal does break our hearts. Let’s not live with broken hearts or anger and frustration surging through us during these next four years – let’s reach out and help our fellow Americans, all of them! Here’s a wonderful quote from revered teacher, Joan Halifax, Roshi from an article in Lion’s Roar Buddhist magazine published soon after the election – Buddhist Teachers Respond to News of Trump’s Presidential Win:

“So please, stop and look deeply, and let’s work together in not building a contentious future, but a generative one. And let’s not pretend we know, but be open and learn; let’s bear witness to what is happening in our country, in our world, and take wise, compassionate, and courageous responsibility. Let’s reach through differences, listen deeply, and ‘give no fear.'”

Let’s move on and not cling to the anger and bitterness of this past election cycle. Let’s now continue to remind our elected officials that they work for us, they should be doing our bidding and reminding them that their well-heeled contributors/corporations needs and desires do not take precedence over the citizens’ needs. I don’t give a whit about the Citizens United decision – yes, I want it reversed but that might be a while with the new Supreme Court this next year. We must tell our elected officials that we are watching them and we hold them accountable. We won’t let them take America down with them as they stuff their pockets full of corporate cash.

McCain’s Racial Epithet

[An older piece that acts as a reminder of the bigotry and small-mindedness of Arizona Senator John McCain, good to remember that this racist is running for Senate seat again. Hasn’t he done enough damage already?]

mccain_smallArticle from San Francisco Gate (SF Chronicle) is from the 2000 Presidential election era and has resurfaced during the 2008 election era. McCain’s use of the extremely bigoted and distasteful racial epithet, gook, to describe his captors during his Vietnam war imprisonment, is completely unacceptable.

Thank goodness for StirrdUp — I’m really grateful that their users found this little gem in the Chronicle’s archives.

I wonder how Asian-American voters feel about this use of this derogatory term? Let’s hope they turn away from a party that supports such hate language. I can appreciate all that McCain went through during the Vietnam war, but to continue to use such language almost thirty years later is unforgivable. I’ve always had a very low opinion of McCain, one of my state senators, but now I think he is just a pig. My opinion of the Republican party has also dropped many notches from its previously low position.

GW Bush – Our Disingenuous President

[An older article about the two-faced, double-speaking Republican party. American public short-term memory forgets this insane period in recent history and the bald-faced lies, misdirected half-truths that poured out of Bush’s mouth.]

bushtelefonoEl Jefe spoke at the recent (2006) State of the Union address about a number of things that are out-right lies or just more George BS to let the peepul know he is on their side. Like we can really believe what comes out of his mouth?!? Let’s look at some of the jingoistic un-truths spewing from Dubya’s pie-hole, shall we…
Health Care in the US

“Keeping America competitive requires affordable health care. Our government has a responsibility to help provide health care for the poor and the elderly, and we are meeting that responsibility. For all Americans, we must confront the rising cost of care”

And we are doing this without a free, national health care system — how? Bush has too many friends in the pharmaceutical business to really be taken seriously about this. If we socialize health care in the US (as our progressive, forward thinking friends in Canada), who stands to lose the most? The PharmaCons losing their nice, cushy government subsidies and kick-backs. The main thing that shows this is Dubya BS is talking about the poor: Little George could give a rat’s ass about the poor! Why else would he be gutting programs left and right and cutting funding to programs? He knows the poor don’t have a voice, so no danger, no foul! He just has to last another 1 1/2 years and then he can slink away with the millions he’s raked in off the backs of the poor and disenfranchised.

Bush on Energy in the US

Here we have a serious problem: America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world.” and “We must also change how we power our automobiles. We will increase our research in better batteries for hybrid and electric cars, and in pollution-free cars that run on hydrogen.”

All fabulous sentiments, but they belie the fact that Bush and Klan have made their riches off of oil exploration and petroleum refinement. Mr. President, how can you make these false statements while promoting legislation for the following?

Exploration for oil and freedoms to drill in Alaska: umm, haven’t we made a big enough mess in the pristine Alaskan wilderness with the Pipeline, Exxon Valdez oil spill. Of course, one way to get around the environmental impact on-shore is to take the exploration off-shore. Brrrr…

Bush is so obvious when talking out both sides of his monkey-mouth: one side says, let’s focus on becoming less dependent on foreign oil and develop alternative fuels and energy sources; the other, uglier side says we need to open the wildlife reserves in Alaska for oil expoloration. Hmmm, maybe he’s not such a bald-faced liar after all, I mean Alaska really isn’t a foreign country we have to end our dependence from, we can do whatever the hell we want with Alaska, we own the damn place! CNN has an interesting article here.

Dubya also talks up a good storm about alternative fuels and fuel-efficient automobiles — jeezus cheerist! This is the same guy who made sure that the huge monster death machines on our roads (AKA Sport Utility Vehicles) were exempt from fuel efficiency standards. His buddies at GM, Ford, and Chrysler were whooping it up, I’m sure. Now, the SUV balloon has popped and the American people are selling their big-ass trucks and SUVs in massive numbers. Look at the car lots around town–not the mainline dealers, but the resellers and used lots: jam packed with trucks, SUVs.

In Bush’s mind, ostensibly confused and addled from his years of alchohol abuse and concaine use, atomic energy from nuclear power plants is good for the environment. Here’s an excerpt from a story carried by Portsmouth Herald:

“In an interview with The Wall Street Journal on Monday, Bush said he looks forward to working with Congress on an energy bill that includes incentives for the nuclear-power industry. ‘It [nuclear power] certainly answers a lot of our issues. It certainly answers the environmental issue,’ he said.”

Whoever is feeding this information to Bush is equally at fault, equally a foe of the American people. I mean really, our fearless leader can’t even pronounce “nuclear” (apparently, it’s a Southern thing or on par with Homer Simpson), how can we expect him to appreciate how dangerous and anti-life is is? Ya gotta give the guy credit! He is learned a few lessons from all his failed business ventures: ya gotta butter your bread on both sides. Here the president of a pro-atomic energy group comments (boot-licking lackey) about Bush’s pro-atomic energy policies.

Bush is also very comfortable with throwing business to his friends at General Electric so they can sell nuclear reactors to developing nations. What the fuck! We haven’t worked out a way to deal with all the toxic waste from our own nuclear reactors, how are we expecting developing nations to deal with this? Ship it back to us so we can bury in some huge-ass cavern 90 miles from Las Vegas? How’d you like to have that train passing through your neighborhood? Don’t worry, the government will have them transport the nuclear mess at night while you’re sleeping.

Bush on Education

“We need to encourage children to take more math and science, and make sure those courses are rigorous enough to compete with other nations. We have made a good start in the early grades with the No Child Left Behind Act, which is raising standards and lifting test scores across our country.”

There has been a great deal of coverage about the bullshit Bush spouts on education, especially his lack of support in funding NCLB. His disingenuous nature is clearly understood when considering how he asked for recent cuts to education programs, specifically asking Congress to completely dismantle the Enhancing Education Through Technology funding, but what we got was a 45-percent reduction in the programs funding. In essence, almost 3 billion dollars have been cut for education funding with the budget Bush is proposing.

Bush on Katrina and New Orleans

“the Federal government has committed 85 billion dollars to the people of the Gulf Coast and New Orleans. We are removing debris, repairing highways, and building stronger levees.”

By “we,” Bush doesn’t mean he’s rolling up his sleeves and lending a hand, no, he means his good friends at Halliburton and Bechtel who are doing the work on contract to the government. Bush wouldn’t want to see people of color getting ahead, having a say and being empowered in their communities, he’s too much of a bigot to let that happen. No, Bush can’t see having these repair and cleanup contracts going to minority-owned businesses who have a vested interest in their communities. A nice, fat dividend from the Halliburton and Bechtel profits line his and Uncle Dick Cheney’s pockets. Apparently, the profits they are making off of the contracts Halliburton has in the Iraq Regime Change aren’t sufficient for Dubya and Uncle Dick.

Bush on Gays and Gay Marriage

“They (the pepul) are concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine marriage.”

If the Bushites and Neocons aren’t actively fighting against gays having the right to marry (call it what you will, but it still is about commitment) or wasting tax-payer’s money introducing Defense of Marriage legislation at the ferderal and state levels, then they’re mouthing off about how evil gays are, how promiscuous gays are. If straight folk weren’t allowed to marry, wouldn’t they all be considered promiscuous and unable to commit? This is the same old story of demonizing the gay community, making them all out to be pedophiles and sexual deviants. Well, yes, if you aren’t practicing male-female, missionary-position sex, then you are a deviant and guilty of breaking the sodomy laws that were still on the books in 22 states until the US Supreme Court ruled that sodomy laws in all states are unconstitutional based on the Lawrence v. Texas ruling passed down on June 26, 2003.

Bush on HIV/AIDS

“A hopeful society acts boldly to fight diseases like HIV/AIDS, which can be prevented, and treated, and defeated.”

How this idjet hopes to accomplish this with abstinence-only education in schools, no promotion of safe-sex practices and condom use, I’ll never understand. George, of all people, should understand about prevention: he was an alcohol and cocaine abuser for years, a ripe combination for impaired judgment if there ever was one. He should understand that people aren’t perfect, that people slip away from their vows of abstinence — sex is a primary human urge, for christ’s sake. Was Laura Bush a co-abuser with George? What other explanation can there be for getting hooked with this immoral weakling who continues to ride on Daddie’s coattails.

I fear for our country. This pipsqueak of a man is using his office to further his own twisted, immoral agenda and make sure he leaves our country they way he left all of his failed business ventures: bankrupt! Let’s help him to the door of the White House while we can — he still has 1 3/4 years left in office: think of all the damage he can inflict on the American people and the world in that time! God help us! Give us the strength to do the right thing and begin impeachment proceedings on this man-ape as soon as possible.

Hell, Clinton only stuck a foreign object up a White House aide. Bush is taking this to the extreme: he’s doing the whole country and we’re taking it up the ass with a smile! Don’t you feel that?

The Nader Zombie has Arisen

[Here’s an older article that is once again pertinent during this current (2016) election cycle: This time around with Green Party candidate, Dr. Jill Stein, and the Libertarian Party candidate, Gary Johnson. I think, as much of the country does, that the stakes for our future as a nation are incredibly high: an America under the leadership of a buffoon like Donald Trunmp, or America under the solid, intelligent, strong leadership of Hillary Clinton?]

naderRalph Nader zombie to appear yet again and reek havoc in the electoral process. The 2000 election was pretty close, but Vice-President Al Gore was clearly the winner and would have had a much greater lead over Bush if Nader hadn’t sucked the number of important votes from Gore, especially in Florida. One of the darling slogans surrounding Nader at the time was, “A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush.” Republicans are jumping for joy again–votes will be drained off Obama (or Clinton if she goes any further after Texas and Ohio), giving McCain a chance.

It’s pretty incredible just how awful Nader looks these days. He’s 73 years old and looks every day of it–haggard, ghoulish, walking dead come to mind. This is me being bitchy, but really, think how much the office of president ages each person: can you imagine how much worse Nader would look after fours years in office? I don’t think he’s someone we would want to be the head of state–he might scare the bejeezus out of foreign heads of state and their children! Seriously, Ralph isn’t looking too terribly joyful in the above image from his campaign site. I’m thinking he’s on some serious anti-depressants, mood levelers, stoned? (Smoking some of the “commercial” hemp is so gung-ho to have legalized?)

I just can’t understand how Nader can really think that Barack Obama wouldn’t be great leader and wouldn’t be a real change from the political “business as usual” mentality. Obama has already shown that he has great leadership skills and genuinely fresh ideas and wants to affect a change in America.

Nader has been a courageous individual, speaking out against injustice, against corporate greed, speaking up for environmental protections and consumer safety. Nader is a great American, no doubt about it. But presidential material? The leader of our nation? A leader during this important time of national and international recovery?

Nader is simply too much of an individual and too divisive–he couldn’t get things done with either party. The 2008 election era is so different from the 2000 election period; There are so many more important issues and things at stake now: the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts, the economy is in the dumps with the huge deficit that Bush is leaving his successor (unlike the 2000 campaign when there was still a huge surplus from the Clinton presidency), Al Gore was right about his environmental stance back in the 2000 election, our foreign policy is a shambles, on and on.

So, please Ralph, think about what is best for America at this critical time: please withdraw your decision to run during the 2008 presidential race.