Easter Reflection

Jesus fed the hungry. What’s your position on assistance to the poor?

Jesus healed the sick. What’s your position on healthcare for all?

Jesus condemned institutionalized greed. What’s your position on tax cuts for the wealthy?

Jesus sought refuge in a strange land as a child, when staying in his homeland was too dangerous. What’s your position on asylum seekers and immigrant children?

Jesus saved a woman from a vengeful mob. What’s your position on women’s rights?

Jesus never condemned a person for being gay. What’s your position on LGBTQ rights?

Jesus’s best friend was a prostitute. How do you treat the most marginalized members of society?

4/4/23

4/4/23

- Finland is joining NATO today.

- This is the 55th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

- The politically significant state of Wisconsin is holding an important election.

- For the first time in history, a former US president will be arraigned on criminal charges.

- The date 4/4/23 means the same day internationally, where they use the D/M/Y date format, as it does in the US, where dates are expressed as M/D/Y.

Laws Discriminating Against The Transgender Community

Transgender children struggle for acceptance in ways that most people cannot imagine. Laws that target transgender children reinforce their pain by offering concrete evidence that they are officially unwelcome due to what makes them different.

What if legislators in some state introduced a bill to ban handicapped children from restaurants? Sponsors of the bill claim that restaurant owners feel that the presence of handicapped people is bad for business: the cost of access ramps and special bathroom facilities is too high, and some customers feel uncomfortable around them. The proposed “solution” is to pass a law that would exclude handicapped minors from all restaurants across the state. Do you see how such a law would be hurtful and discriminatory toward handicapped people and their families?

What if a law prevented autistic children from going to public parks? Proponents of the law argue that autistic kids might wander off, so this measure is simply for their own safety. Can you see how such a law would be hurtful and marginalizing?

What if a law banned children with intellectual disabilities from going into retail stores and shopping malls? Do you see how that would stigmatize them and place undue burdens on their families? At a minimum, parents would need to hire a caregiver every time they need to go to the grocery store.

Transgender children have become an easy target for hate groups, misguided citizens, and opportunistic politicians. According to NPR, at least 150 laws that would negatively impact the transgender community have been filed by state legislators. Interesting fact: every legislator who has introduced one of these laws is a Republican. The transgender community has become a political bogeyman for the Right.

Does this sound familiar, a political party trying to gain power by openly targeting a vulnerable minority? It should. And it should worry all of us, not just because it’s blatantly unfair to the rights of the citizens who have been so targeted, but because it signals the overreach of a rising authoritarian movement in the US and abroad.

Cost and Rewards of Mistakes

A mistake is an action that yields a reward but incurs a cost. If we learn from the cost, the reward is multiplied.

Parents’ Bill Of Rights

Politicians in several states and at the federal level have been enacting “Parents’ Bill Of Rights” legislation. In most cases, these laws restrict the books and courses that are available to students, restrict what can be taught and even discussed in classrooms - in some cases, even menstruation cannot be mentioned even to high school students - and they make it easier to fire teachers and administrators.

This is unfortunate in too many ways to discuss, but it is also a missed opportunity. Here is an ideal for a Parents’ Bill Of Rights that could actually have a positive impact, and I would like to see if enacted at the national level.

“Every measure will be taken to keep students safe from gun violence in and around schools. To that end, universal background checks and waiting periods will be required for all firearm purchases. Red flag laws will facilitate identification of people with a history of violent or threatening behavior, including domestic abuse and violent social media posts. No person on a red flag list can purchase a firearm for a period of not less than seven years from the latest incident.

Insecure gun storage will be charged as a felony. Assault weapons will be reclassified and will require special permitting and insurance for purchase, including a minimum age requirement of 25 years.

Keeping students safe from violence is a solemn responsibility, and we commit to doing everything possible to achieve and maintain safe environments for learning.”

Natural Disaster Response

When tornados devastated Mississippi, President Biden immediately called the state’s Republican Governor and two Republican Senators and offered any and all help that the federal government could provide. Biden made a “major disaster” declaration and ordered Federal aid to the area.

When wildfires ripped through drought-stricken California, President Trump blamed it on untidy forests. “I see again the forest fires are starting. They’re starting again in California. I said, you gotta clean your floors, you gotta clean your forests - there are many, many years of leaves and broken trees and they’re like, so flammable, you touch them and it goes up. Maybe we’re just going to have to make them pay for it because they don’t listen to us.”

More Jokes - March 2023

I once dated a yoga instructor with anger issues. She introduced me to tantrum sex.

A boat full of pigs was taking on water. It was all hams on deck.

I used to believe in the merit system, i.e. if you work hard and do a good job, you’ll be rewarded accordingly. Now, I believe in the ferret system. The people who get to the top are weasels.

Welfare State

East Palestine, Ohio - Who’s going to pay for the cleanup?

Jackson, Mississippi - Who’s going to pay to fix the water system?

Flint, Michigan - Who’s going to pay to replace the lead pipes?

Child Tax Credit - Too expensive. Don’t just give away free money.

SNAP Benefits - Too expensive. If they want food, they’ll have to work for it.

Silicon Valley Bank - Bail them out! We can’t let the financial system crash!

Jokes - March 2023

A man sought treatment for his neurotic obsession with Bucharest. He was diagnosed with Romania mania.

A lady divorced her impotent husband amicably. There were no hard feelings between them.

A guy spilled a tangy, red condiment on the daily paper. He was trying to ketchup on the news.

International Women’s Day 2023

I would like to wish everyone a Happy International Women’s Day, but the ugly truth is that women’s rights are being taken away around the world and here in the US as well.

Oppression benefits no one, not even the misguided oppressors. It puts all of humanity in a weaker and more dismal position.

Strong, free women build strong communities, strong families, prosperous businesses, and a better world for everyone.

Support women’s rights. Oppose their oppressors. Speak out against inequality. Do everything in your power to stand up for women and girls.