Debate Abuse

The United States of America has PTSD this morning. Watching last evening’s broadcast - let’s agree to call it neither a debate nor presidential - was like being stuck in an elevator with a belligerent drunk for an hour and a half.

Donald Trump turned the event into a clinic on abusive behavior. Moderator Chris Wallace was quickly reduced to bargaining tactics in an attempt to manage his irascibility. “It’s okay, sir. You’ll like this next question.”

The ensuing chaos was a new low in national politics. But don’t worry. It was destined to go even lower.

My heart goes out to Joe Biden for enduring Trump’s rampage in person. But despite this difficult situation, I found Biden’s performance to be soundly disappointing. He struggled to make points clearly and was easily knocked off of his game by the president’s uninterrupted badgering.

Biden missed one easy layup after another. He could have mentioned Trump’s refusal to invoke the defense production act for testing and PPP. He didn’t. He could have thrown the Ukraine shakedown back on Trump’s face. He didn’t.

He could have countered Trump’s disproven allegations against Biden’s son by mentioning the millions in business deals that Trump’s own children have been granted by foreign actors. Opportunity missed.

Biden might have mentioned the recently-reported revelation that Trump personally, not his businesses, is in debt for $421 million to God knows whom with payments coming due imminently.

There were plenty of missed opportunities, but in the end, they probably don’t matter. Very little of last night’s carnival of chaos will matter, because one moment near the end of the debate is what most observers will remember. 

“Stand back and stand by!”

When asked by Wallace if he would denounce violent white supremacist groups on live television, President Donald John Trump instead chose to shout out a battle cry for race war. If you were waiting for the bottom of the Trump presidency to arrive, wait no longer.

It was an ugly, chaotic evening, but most of the details will fade from memory. Most of it, but not Trump’s dog whistle to domestic terrorists. That one brazen utterance will live on in infamy as one of the most chilling and despicable moments in the history of electoral politics.

Trust Funds

Blessed are those who have Trust Funds, for they have Exploited the Labours of others. - Fascists 13 : 1099

ACB

Amy Coney Barrett and her seven children are covered by government healthcare insurance. No one is trying to take away their coverage.

Amy Coney Barrett has indicated that if she is placed on the Supreme Court, she will overturn the ACA and take healthcare away from TENS OF MILLIONS of Americans.

If the ACA is overturned, protections for pre-existing conditions will be struck down as well. This will make it difficult for MILLIONS MORE Americans to get healthcare coverage even from PRIVATE insurance companies.

We are in the midst of a deadly pandemic. Anyone who has been exposed to COVID-19 has a pre-existing condition. Anyone with diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, asthma, COPD, lung disease, kidney disease, osteoporosis, obesity, and hundreds of other conditions will have difficulty finding healthcare coverage. If they can find someone to cover them at all, they will be charged extremely high rates by the insurance companies.

The protections will be gone. Period.

If  you go bankrupt, don’t come crying to Amy Coney Barrett. She doesn’t care. You don’t pay for the re-election campaigns of the Republican politicians who put her on the bench, the insurance companies do. That is where her allegiance lies.

Amy Coney Barrett is a mother - a lot has been made of that fact during her introduction to the American public - but her family’s insurance coverage is not under threat. Yours is. From her.

If Amy Coney Barrett takes away healthcare coverage from MILLIONS of Americans, she’s not only a mother. She is also a monster.

If we have learned anything from history, remember these two key principles: Greed has no limits, and fascists come in blonde.

Religion and Power

Religion has a long history of influence in politics and rarely for good. European monarchs were so often persuaded by the cardinals and bishops who advised them, that the US Constitution expressly forbade such interaction between Church and State.

Religion was used to justify conquest, colonization, even slavery. The Church had no sympathy for the plight of the “Godless savages” whom European settlers displaced and forced into lives of bondage.

The Old Testament lists Ten Commandments. Jesus added an eleventh commandment when he urged his disciples to “love thy neighbor as thyself.”

Notice that Jesus didn’t qualify which neighbors to love and which to exclude. He didn’t say, “Love your successful neighbors, love your agreeable neighbors, love your neighbors who come from a similar ethnic background.” He didn’t say, “Love your Christian neighbors.” He didn’t say, “Love the neighbors who share your political views.” He didn’t say, “Love the neighbor who occasionally gets extra tickets to the big game.”

Love thy neighbor as thyself. That means all of them. Love the neighbors with whom you disagree. Love the neighbors who come from different places and cultures. Love the neighbors that have nothing to do with you. Love the neighbors who frighten you.

And when you are loving this wide array of neighbors, love them “as thyself.” Care about them. Express concern for their well-being. Help them to achieve their goals. Stand up for them when their rights and their safety are threatened.

Notice some other very important points that Jesus did not suggest.

He didn’t say, “Love thy neighbor, but if they seem suspicious, call the police.”

He didn’t say, “Love thy neighbor, but protect the neighborhood from strangers moving in by enforcing discriminatory housing and lending policies.”

And as sure as the sun comes up in the East, Jesus did not advise anyone to use the power of the government to control the behavior of others in their neighborhood.

Leveraging governmental authority to control one’s neighbors is not Christian. In fact, it’s anti-Christian. This is what the priests and the officers of the temple did to Jesus, himself. They were so fearful of this strange, mystic man with a growing and dedicated following, that they pleaded with the Roman authorities to have him punished.

At first, Romans were confused. “This man hasn’t broken our laws,” they noted. “Why do you want us to punish him? Take him over to the local king. Maybe he will have some issue with the man.”

The priests took Jesus to Herod, but Herod wasn’t interested in prosecuting him, either. So, the priests dragged him back to the Romans.

“You again? We told you, we’re not interested.”

“Please! You have to do something. He’s bad. He’s wicked. He’s really, really bad!”

“Okay, what do you want us to do with him?”

“We want you to KILL him! But first, make him feel a lot of pain. Would that be okay?”

“Sure, fine! Consider it done. Now, get out of my office!”

People who claim to be Christians but who advocate for the government to punish and control others, others with whom they do not agree, others whom they fear, these people are not following the teachings of Jesus Christ. They are following the petty, self-serving, manipulative behavior of the priests who sentenced Jesus to execution on the cross.

Random Thoughts - 20200924

Random Thoughts - 20200924

I put myself in the category of people who don’t put themselves into categories.

Studying a second language helped me to understand the first one.

The opposite of wise is not foolish, but stubborn. A foolish person can become wise with experience. A stubborn person refuses to learn from their mistakes.

Sometimes it doesn’t pay to get up in the morning. Other times it pays, but you still don’t want to do it.

There are a lot of ways to spend your time, but most of them aren’t worth it.

I received your message, the one that you sent by not sending one.

Let’s Call A Spade A Spade

Donald Trump is a dictator. Some of us realized that four years ago. The rest of you will figure it out in about forty days.

The Stakes Of This Election

If  Trump  wins,  his  political  enemies  will  be jailed,  voting  right  will  be  restricted  ushering  in  a  new  era  of  Jim  Crow,  housing  discrimination  will  be  the  law  ushering  in  a  new  era  of  segregation, unions  will  be  abolished  as  will  workman’s  compensation  or  any regulations  that  keep  workers  safe, all  pollution  restrictions will   be abolished  ushering  in  a  new  age  of  of dirty  air  and  polluted  water,  Social  Security  will  be  discontinued,  and  women’s  rights  will  be  pushed  back  to  the  Dark  Ages.

If  Biden  wins,  we’ll  all  have  clean  air  and  healthcare  coverage.

Disgraceful Ballots

Today, the President of the United States said, “the ballots are a disgrace.” How are ballots a disgrace? Ballots are how we vote, how we have always voted.

The ballot has a list of names on it. You choose the name of the person that you think would do the best job if elected to that office. How is that a disgrace? How is that any different from any other ballot in any other election year?

Perhaps the current president would find ballots less disgraceful if they had only one name on them: his name.

One Man Band

You do what you can

When you’re a one-man band

A Little Better

The best that we can do is to make things a little bit better. The best that we can strive for is to do that every day.

Sculptor

I considered commissioning an artist to sculpt a bust, but I don’t want to get a head of myself.

The Dark Side of Law and Order

Authoritarian leaders use the Law to silence critics and punish political adversaries, while simultaneously rewarding supporters and political cronies with pardons and insulation from prosecution.

Any perceived disturbance in the social Order, such as demonstrations demanding an equitable application of the Law, are used to justify the expansion of the Authoritarian’s legal power. Absolutism and “absolute corruption” are rooted in the abuse of the Law for an Order that serves primarily those who hold political power.

History is filled with examples of Authoritarians corrupting Law and Order to maintain a grip on power. New examples reveal themselves with each passing year.

Remembering Richard Rosenthal

Another year has passed, nineteen in all. On this day, I am thinking of my colleague Richard Rosenthal. I knew Rich as a kind, soft-spoken gentleman and a dedicated, reliable professional, but he was also a husband and father who worked tirelessly every day to take care of his beloved family.

I’m sorry, Rich. Life is not fair, not in the least. You should have had decades more to spend with your family. I get choked up every time I think about how much they must be missing you.

Turning The Corner

It’s hard to turn the corner when you’re running around in circles.

Plan vs Instinct

Follow a plan and you’ll get what you planned for. Follow your instincts and you’ll discover what you were meant to do.

Age And Wisdom

You can be old and wise or old and foolish. The calendar doesn’t care. 

Never Delay The Pursuit Of A Dream

Never delay the pursuit of a dream. Life is short and the clock is ticking. Do something today to move yourself in the direction that you want to follow. Take one small step; the momentum generated by this modest action will inspire you to continue.

Religion and Politics

If you believe that God wanted Donald Trump to be president, and if you believe that God is Almighty, then you have to believe that God the Almighty wanted Barack Obama to be president TWICE (because that’s what “almighty” means), and you’re going to have to support whomever Almighty God decides elect this November, whether you like them or not.

Alternatively, you can accept that God is neither Red nor Blue and does not care about the outcome of worldly events like political contests, in which case you should stop using His good name in association with any party or candidate. (There’s a Commandment about that.)

Espresso Machine

Today, I learned that my espresso machine will operate without espresso. It rewarded me with a nice warm watery mess.

Dragon

Run, Dragon! Run!

The angry knights are closing in 

With vengeance in their hearts 

Their swords are sharp 

Their horses fast 

You’re alone and tired now 

And running low on fuel