On Syria

  UPDATE : 9/1/13:  Excellent info I'm calling Syria 101.  This piece was helpful to me; maybe it will be for you.  There's a map,  good followup links and even a Syrian music video.  But mostly it's a quick and easy Q & A about the situation there.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/08/29/9-questions-about-syria-you-were-too-embarrassed-to-ask/

 

Images of the children and others who succumbed to the chemical attacks in Syria have stayed in my mind.  I agreed with the President that we can't ignore proof that the Syrian government visited this horror on its own people.  I hope "we" includes many other countries, and maybe even a reconsideration by the UK, by the time action is taken.

 

I have listened endlessly to commentary by former State Department and military officials, as well as some members of Congress and "political analysts."   Still, no easy answers.   I can say only one thing about the U.S. taking "limited and precise" military action:  I was extremely relieved when President Obama spoke today in the Rose Garden, announcing he will ask Congress to debate his decision and take a vote.  Republicans in Congress (and some Democrats) had continued to say the President needed to "consult"with them "more" as they continued their three-week recess.

 

Certain members of Congress would have liked nothing more than to keep the "consultations" private.  That way, they wouldn't need to go on record with a vote and could complain endlessly, berating the President for taking action without a vote.  Well, Mr. Obama has called their bluff.  I believe it was a wise decision, apart from the political reasons.  I'm very, very glad Congress will be held accountable, along with the President, for whatever action goes down in Syria.   (Already certain members of Congress are putting out statements criticizing the President for doing what only days ago they've been criticizing him for NOT doing.  He cannot win over schizophrenic bias like this!) 

"Rising Star" - Really?

http://nikkihaleyfacts.com/

Okay, so much for cable news talking heads touting Nikki Haley as a "rising star."  She's popular with the Tea Partyites, for sure.  Not so much with South Carolinians who have been poorly served by her sad excuse for leadership.  

 

Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, Texas governor Rick Perry, and Wisconsin governor Scott Walker visited Greenville, South Carolina earlier this week.  They came to stand by Governor Haley as she announced her intention to seek a second term—and likely to get camera time for their own purposes here in S.C.  The crowd estimate was in the high sixties.  I imagine that count included all the protesters in attendance.  A sad showing of Haley fans and no State officials there to stand with her.  Haley-appointed Senator Tim Scott was the only S. C. dignitary I spotted in the photos.

 

Anyway, the S. C. Democratic Party will highlight facts about Governor Haley and her first term at the site linked above.   The "rising star" label might be traded in for something more accurate if the national media consults that site periodically. 

Sweet Charity?

http://www.upworthy.com/words-like-good-and-will-dont-belong-together-if-this-is-the-kind-of-thing-they-do-5

Here's an eye-opener on the subject of third-world sweatshop wages right here in the USA—and hefty salaries at the top.  The latter is becoming an American tradition.   It's also about civil rights for persons living with disabilities.   This was a shocker for me. 

A Speck of Light

Images from Syria can't be cloroxed from my consciousness .  I've obsessed over pros and cons of USA military action against this horrific use of chemicals to kill innocent humans.  Children.  Women, Men. Babies.  And I still have no answers.  I have gotten strong in my hopeful opinion that President Obama needs to call Congress back to debate this no-win situation.  Let them share the responsibility. Congressional Republicans are hoping he will take action after briefing them, without their returning to Washington for a vote, so they can blame him for all eternity, starting now.  For whatever happens.  It won't be good; there's no way it can be. 

 

In the midst of my hand-wringing yesterday  I came across this post on Facebook.  Thanks to Jeanne Porter Ashley for sharing it (creative credit is on the image).  It puts everything in perspective.  I'm not CEO of the world, after all.  To keep striving for all the answers is folly, at best.  Or madness.

 

I'm simply a speck of light.   A tiny part of the Universe.  And I will try to remember both—speck.  And light.  Especially the light.  All I can do is let that light shine in every situation and circumstance as best I can.

250,000 to 5

 

(From bewareofimages.com via Being Liberal/Facebook)

Walking in Memphis and the 50th Anniversary

A Southwest road trip with friends was loaded with memorable sights and events:  
Dazzling Zuni dancers at Chaco Canyon, and sounds of a flute lifting us as we climbed to the canyon rim to wait for solstice sunrise.  The sacredness of Medicine Mountain where even warring tribes would come in peace, the three of us holding hands in silence there.  The magical Black Hills of South Dakota, and at the Taos Pueblo, two little girls splashing in a clear stream.    Big Sky, 12,000 feet above sea level with snowcaps touching the clouds.  The amazing Black Canyon.  The eerie, beautiful Badlands .  Breathtaking vistas everywhere.   Waterfalls.  Mesas.  Clean mountain air.  Bison.  Elk.  Moose.  Devil’s Tower Monument—you saw it in “Close Encounters. . . .”  Staying at the Occidental Hotel in Buffalo, Wyoming, where Butch Cassidy, Calamity Jane, and Teddy Roosevelt were regulars.   At Mt. Rushmore I bought a bound copy of the United States Constitution.  We were sad there were no monuments at Wounded Knee .

 

Of all the memories, the one I internalized and carry in my being to this day, happened in Memphis on a sizzling day in June, 2008.  We were off to explore the Civil Rights Museum.  As we approached I stopped, breathing suspended along with my sense of ordinary reality.  Right in front of me was the Lorraine Motel.  I hadn’t expected to see it.  My stomach clutched as I caught up with my friends.  It was powerful, the museum and the meaning of all the exhibits inside.  There was Rosa Parks’ bus and a lifesize figure of Ms. Parks riding it.   There was the cell where MLK wrote  his “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” and so many other significant reminders of the arduous and life-threatening struggle for freedom. For justice. For equality in this democracy we call America.  My friend Patsy relived a March—not from 1963, but a later one.  We visited the room where Dr. King had stayed, arranged exactly as it had been before— and outside, the balcony where he lost his life. 

 

One member of a church group—kids around ten wearing brightly matching t-shirts—wondered out loud, “Why those white ladies crying?”   Decades of grief and so many other emotions visited us at the museum.   I will go back one day, hopefully with my granddaughter’s hand in mine.

 

There's no rest in the struggle for justice and equality.  Now that the Supreme Court has gutted the Voting Rights Act, Republican-majority state legislatures are busy disenfranchising minority voters in every way they can.  They’re saying it’s because of (nonexistant) voter “fraud.”   Thankfully the Justice Department has vowed to fight these laws that are stripping the hard-won right to vote.  Mostly affected are college students, poor people, the elderly and those in urban areas who use public transportation and don’t have photo ID cards.  Mostly voters who usually vote for Democrats. But, more burdensome on those voters, and many minority voters of all ages, are the restrictions the new laws imposed on early voting, Sunday voting and same-day voter registration—among other creative voter suppression efforts.

 

So, on this 50th Anniversary of the March on Washington and Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream Speech,” there is more to overcome.  Much more.  There’s no doubt that having a black President in the White House has been a catalyst for the resurfacing, and intensification, of racism.  It hadn’t gone away, but it had become more subtle than it once was.   Most of the subtleties have gone by the wayside now.  At least we know what we’re dealing with.

 

I learned the other day that while Dr. King was speaking singer Mahalia Jackson called out to him:  “Tell them about your dream, Martin.”  He nodded, and began to speak without notes.  We all know what he said or some of it.  And we can be reminded, if we’ve forgotten, at 4 and 8 pm today on MSNBC.  The President will speak, along with Presidents Carter and Clinton; there will be other activist speakers, and some celebrities— like Oprah Winfrey.  It will be good.  So, I need to wind this up and get myself ready to watch every minute of coverage.

 

 May those who have come into positions of leadership continue to follow the footsteps of Dr. King, ever marching toward The Dream, in peace against all odds.  There’s great strength and power in peace and harmony, especially when you’re living that particular dream in the face of hate.  Of resentment.  I believe there are good torch-bearers in positions to carry on the peaceful fight that continues.  They have my confidence and respect.

 

I don’t know how it all will unfold, but I do believe deep in my heart, “We shall overcome someday.”

Fox "Celebrates" the 50th

(From Media Matters via Facebook)

It's very sad that while so many have suffered during the struggle to secure the right to vote for all Americans, conservative media is trying to walk back those efforts in favor of a more discriminatory process.

Fox marks the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington by smearing the voting rights struggle: http://mm4a.org/1dqltLL

Lucy's Take on a Serenade

The divas were seen singing outside the SC Governor's Mansion the other night.   I have a hunch it was an early dress rehearsal for 2014 when they'll return to celebrate the beginning of positive change in the Palmetto State.  No doubt a gracious Governor Sheheen and his family will welcome them!

Admission:  I poached this image from Facebook just now from Columbia artist Bill Davis, creator of the divas.   Visit these whimsical gals (Divas by Bill Davis ) on Facebook.  You'll want to invite them into your home!

Disclaimer:  Lucy's hunch about the divas' plans is her own and without benefit of consultation with the divas or the artist.

Health Care Links

NEW STUDY 


http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2009/09/new-study-finds-45000-deaths-annually-linked-to-lack-of-health-coverage/

That's linkage to some good data for debating the need for affordable health care.  Urge the uninsured or those who have high premiums to check out the exchanges this fall.  Details on that can be found at https://www.healthcare.gov/  

DeMINT and HERITAGE FOUNDATION 

Check out the linked video and article. 


http://www.addictinginfo.org/2013/08/26/medicare-lies-by-heritage-foundation-on-cnn-video/


 

Calendar Girl

I wrote this as "therapy" several years ago, disheartened and obsessing about how homeless humans make it on the streets.  

 

                              Calendar Girl

            

                Coming out of sleep’s silky peace   
                as first light floods the sky,
                her heart races into wakefulness.
                She moves quickly
                through morning rituals,
                making a check-mark
                on the wall calendar
                in the square for April 7.

                Someone is coming today
                to hear her story.
                She will tell them
                it wasn’t something she had
                thought of, not for a minute,
                giving up the scholarship
                to care for her mother;
                she never meant to give up
                everything, just school for a while.

                This is the best place
                she has slept lately,
                this concrete loading dock
                where so far she has been
                undisturbed by the police.
                We criminalize poverty
                in America.
                Where had she heard that?

                Most days she walks
                to the main library downtown,
                searches for work on the internet,
                hopes whatever she is reading
                hasn’t been checked out.
                Once she squirreled a book
                in the wrong section--Jane Austen.
                Book-hiding is her only crime.

                Strangers hurry by, looking
                away.  Frightened.
                How can they be afraid of her?
                Some seem embarrassed.
                But why?  They paid for the shiny cars
                at the meters they rush to feed.
               
                              
                It’s okay.     Elegant women
                step out of Main Street condos,
                women who need long mirrors 

                to convince them 

                they're worthy of being seen.                                
                They look fine.
                She doesn’t resent them.
                She only minds that they’re afraid.

                Later, down at the creek she’s
                interviewed under the bridge:
                “What do you want; what do you hope for?”

               To  get a job. . . go back to school— 

                To understand.

                Mostly, to understand.
       
                Posted on a girder,
                the calendar is on her side,
                turning the vastness of time
                into neat squares she can manage.

 

Women's Equality Day

(Thanks to Planned Parenthood Action on Facebook for this and for all they do in fighting for women's health and reproductive freedom.)

 

"On this day 93 years ago, women in the US were granted the right to vote with the certification of the 19th Amendment. Today we’re celebrating the amazing activists who fought for equal suffrage—and all who are still fighting to ensure voting rights and equality for all. " 

 

 Yes!  A day to recommit to advocating for women's rights, voting rights, and social justice and equality that's all-inclusive.  We have no choice; otherwise, we'll have no choice—or many other freedoms that are being rolled back on a regular basis by Republican legislatures and a Republican Congress.

Two Tea Parties

There's a mind-boggling thing about the Tea Party —besides the mean-spirited, obstructionist agenda:  It's the myth—manufactured, financed, and perpetuated by mega-money Republicans like the Koch brothers— that this is an organic "grassroots movement."  It's also hard to imagine TP loyalists haven't looked more carefully into the organization's birth, given interest they've shown in President Obama's.  Maybe it can be chalked up to denial; they want to believe theirs is a noble effort of "the people"— rather than acknowledging that they're pawns of  the mega-wealthy people standing between them and what they might call "freedom."

 

(Image from Teanderthal Party via Living Blue in South Carolina/Facebook)

 

The Civil Rights Movement, the March on Washington—in 1963 and on Saturday, 50 years later—and Occupy Wall Street are examples of "grassroots" movements.  Successful Tea Party candidates now find themselves in Congress and in various state and local government positions.  They've been responsible for a hefty share of the Washington "gridlock" and some shamefully regressive legislation.  They seem excited about the prospect of "shutting down the government" this fall.  Irresponsible.  Crazy.

 

A more intelligent worldview (call me elitist now; I'll write you a thank-you note) coupled with an agenda that serves the best interests of all Americans would go a long way toward legitimizing them.  But they have a long way to go, and I'm just ready for them to go away.

Poor Americans Have It Too Good?

This is relevant, at its core, to the earlier posts about homelessness. The hardening of hearts appears to be a flowering "industry." 

 

I have felt elation and experienced deep reflection around the March on Washington Saturday.  I also have come too close to despairing about the horrors that poverty has inflicted—and continues to inflict—on too many Americans.   It's horrifying that those who bear the burdens of poverty must also endure the contempt of the well-to-do.  Here's a link to Bill Moyers and a piece that talks about that contempt.  Let's correct the myths, misrepresentations and downright lies that fuel that contempt wherever we can.  http://billmoyers.com/2013/08/21/cato-institute-report-says-poor-americans-have-it-too-good/

Fifty Years

Half a century later—a March commemorating the historic one of 1963 and energizing the crowd to continue the fight for civil rights.  Human rights.  Among the marchers— about 200,000 strong—were women from my neck of the woods whom I admire and tried hard not to envy yesterday.  From my armchair view, the event seemed to go well, starting with a perfectly clear day, much cooler than the typical August day of the first march when over 1,000 people were treated for heat exhaustion.   I was there in spirit, anticipating the next photo from my pals, glued to TV coverage, and riveted by the words of Congressman John Lewis, Rev. Al Sharpton, Myrlie Evers,  Martin Luther King III, and so many other impassioned "walkers of the talk."  The spirit of the Rev. Dr. King was strong and very present yesterday. 

There was plenty to be marching for, including the Voting Rights Act which was gutted recently by the Supreme Court.  That ruling accelerated the passage of laws intended to suppress minority voting.   So, if you missed the first marches and other opportunities to advocate for equality, you're getting a second chance.  There's work to be done.

 

Elizabeth Montgomery is a tireless activist working for civil rights,  justice, gun sense, and other things that matter.   Usually she's behind the camera.  Thank you, Elizabeth, Goffinet, and all the gang from the S.C. Lowcountry who marched yesterday.  Our hearts were with you.

 

View from the World War II Memorial.

 

At the MLK Monument.  (Photos by Elizabeth Montgomery)

Ann Richards Said . . .

 (Image from Texas Women's Coalition via Political Loudmouth/Facebook)

Don't we miss Ann Richards?  Let's make some waves and rock some boats in her honor this week!

The Homeless in Columbia: Update

A City Council (Columbia, SC) member (present at the meeting where Councilman Runyan's plan was reported to have passed) says the Runyan plan was not passed.   According to a piece in Free Times, "The city has heard from both the South Carolina branch of the ACLU and the South Carolina Appleseed Legal Justice Center, both asking Council to slow down and let them make some recommendations on the issue . . . . " Another Council member says, "We never passed a resolutaiton that we're going to force people or arrest people to go to the shelter."  Here's the Free Times link:

http://www.free-times.com/news/emergency-homeless-proposal-raises-new-issues?utm_source=FT+Weekend&utm_campaign=d6c1ea5c72-FT_Weekend_Inaugural&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_e0584309e7-d6c1ea5c72-324798777

I shared a link to an article on the subject at FreakOutNation on Facebook, and it generated some back and forth with a lifelong friend.  She had this to say:  . . . "No one's talking about drowning homeless in the river. Feeding, shelter, counseling, medical treatment, job assistance ... these things are not inhumane treatment. To characterize Council, or any other group who recognizes and tries to address the encompassing scope of the problem, as unconscionable or blind to human plight is objectification in itself. . . ."  I'd said I objected to the objectification of homeless people.   And she had talked earlier about cleaning human excrement from the steps of her husband's office building and picking up trash littering the ground on a regular basis.  Not pleasant tasks, I'm sure.

Of course the services my friend lists are not "inhumane."  They're the opposite.  Still, this is a complex issue.   A sad situation.   I have a visceral reaction to the idea of arbitrarily sending our fellow human beings away or putting them in jail.   Hopefully Council will listen to the voices who understand the harsh blow the Runyan Plan would deal to their fellow humans--to have what must be very fragile human dignity violated by those two sad options—punishment meted out simply for being alive in the world without benefit of a home.   The words of Max Ehrmann's "Desiderata" apply equally, including to those beings who are homeless:

. . . You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here. . . .

 

Here's what I posted on Facebook in the exchange with my friend:

. . .  I'm advocating for "commerce" or whomever to see homeless people as fellow human beings, first and foremost. Tragedies occur (and have in the history of this world) when one group of humans fails to see another group of humans AS humans —rather than simply as a problem, a statistic, a nuisance that should be removed. I understand that commerce is affected when people stay away from downtown because they're "afraid" of homeless people. I think sometimes it's less that we feel unsafe as that we feel uncomfortable. And the discomfort is within ourselves, I believe. Makes us go deeper; makes us think, makes us feel.   I don't know how we begin to motivate people to engage in introspection, self-examination.    I would like to be a part of  any project that would help us imperfect humans to recognize and and then remember our "sameness."  And I'd be a hypocrite if I didn't say sometimes I forget that myself.  Mostly when confronted by racism or people who are contemptuous of the poor.    I suppose it would take a charismatic teacher to help bring about a transformation of the magnitude I'm thinking about—a Ghandi, Dalai Lama, Jesus, Mother Teresa?  That's what I was thinking in" the darkest hours before dawn" when I wanted to be sleeping.

 

Update 8/25/13, 9:30 pm:  http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/us/south-carolina-city-takes-steps-to-evict-homeless-from-downtown.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0 

Columbia and its approach to the homeless has made the New York Times.   The link above will take you there. 

 

According to Free Times, Columbia City Council will take up the discussion about homelessness again on September 3.  So there's a little more than a week to make our voices heard.  I'm not sure how to ask them for what I'd like to see:  Open hearts, recognition of the humanity of the beings who are homeless.  Councilman Runyan's plan is called "Columbia Cares."  My question is What does Columbia care about?  The answer might be a good place to start.  Again.

 

From the City of Columbia's site:

"You may write to any member of City Council at P.O. Box 147 , Columbia , S.C. 29217 . You can e-mail the mayor at skbenjamin@columbiasc.net[or click on the link at left for contact information for all Council members" [at the City of Columbia site].  

Also, you may also offer your thoughts in letters to the editor or comments on any articles on this subject at the Free Times (link above) or  The State newspaper http://www.thestate.com/.

 

 

Things That Keep Me Up Nights

High on my list of "things that keep me up at night" is corporate America.  I understand that not all corporations are the same, but the ones I'm talking about are transforming this country in the worst kind of ways.  

 

 (from Faithless Daughter page on Facebook.  Appreciate your sharing it on FB!)

 

 This reminder from a "real American" is my kick in the pants to corporate greed—and every other manifestation of  greed in the form of overuse—overindulgence without regard to our Earth Mother.   Yep, the trashing of our environment also keeps me up at night.  Did you hear the latest report from the consortium (my word, not sure what the group's designation  is) of scientists the other day?  Global warming is happening even more rapidly than they thought and it definitely is caused, for the most part, by carbon emissions—us.  Humans.  We can't reverse the damages, but we can't afford to waste time slowing this process down.  Inertia will NOT do at this point (and many points before now).  When will our President announce some major initiatives to slow down this catastrophic happening!?

 

Once this tendonitis is gone (I know.  I'm pretty tired of it myself!) and I can write at length without paying the price, I'll share more thoughts on corporations.  For now, this piece by Bill Moyers has to be good.  Because it's Moyers.   I'm going to do something I rarely do—share it before reading it myself. 

http://billmoyers.com/content/demand-an-end-to-corporate-tax-dodging/

                                                                     * * * * * * * 

 

Here's another one that's keeping me awake and sickening me beyond words:   Columbia, SC was my home for nearly 30 years, and I love that "famously hot city."  I still spend a good bit of time there.   It's about to become famous for something far worse than the summer heat.  And it has to do with how the City is treating its homeless citizens.  Check out this article at Think Progress and let me know what you think.  I have one word at this point: horrifying.

 

www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fthinkprogress.org%2Fjustice%2F2013%2F08%2F20%2F2496741%2Fcolumbia-criminalize-homeless%2F&h=wAQHgqxoF&s=1 

 

 A friend who has devoted most of her adult life to easing the plight of the poor and homeless tells me the homeless have taken to wearing burlap "lapel pins" with the letter "H" written on them.   It doesn't take much imagination to recognize what the "H" stands for— you can almost hear the rattle of boxcars.  I get queasy thinking about it,  the inhumanity that's all over this "humanitarian" decision.  Geeeez, people,  Geeez ,City Council, how can YOU sleep?

 

So, if homeless human beings are "transported" to a site away from places where people can SEE them, then the shameful problem of homelessness no longer exists?  Taking them away from the city will keep the sight of them from annoying downtown inhabitants as they come and go from their cushy condos?  Of course if the name of the "place out of town" is pretty enough, we can all imagine it's a Club Med of some kind.  Good God!

Another friend points out that the homeless will be isolated because mass transit in Columbia is non-existent.  She says, "Why not call it what it is?  A leper colony."   

 

Security a factor?   Are you kidding?  Most homeless people are just trying to survive the day, the hour, the minute—to keep from dying of heat stroke or freezing to death, depending on the season.   They tend to travel light, unarmed.  Which is more than can be said for too big a segment of the gun-happy citizenry. 

So, let's ask ourselves "What would Jesus do?"  For starters, I'm pretty sure he'd be kicking some City Council ass.

 

                          

Who's a Feminist?

(Image from Rock The Slut Vote; you can "like" their page on Facebook.)

Exercise your feminism today by visiting ProjectXXSC and learn how you can be a  part of equalizing South Carolina's governing boards.  The boards are badly in need of women's participation. You might be interested in serving or know a dynamic woman who'd be perfect for one of the boards or commissions.  Get in touch, get involved!

https://www.facebook.com/ProjectXXSouthCarolina

Beyond Belief

Asked whether I "believed" in climate change, I told my one-time-only dinner date that it's not a matter of belief but science—which is proven.  He was appalled.  Then came a string of questions beginning with whether I go to church.  It was a long evening.

Thanks to Donna Boggs for posting this on FB. 

The Snowden Situation—By Request

A friend said she'd been catching up on reading at Lucy and hadn't seen any posts about the Snowden/NSA situation.  She's right—I haven't written about Edward Snowden.  For one thing, I haven't known enough to offer an informed opinion on this complex issue.

 

On one hand, I keep hearing about the lack of transparency in our intelligence gathering; yet, isn't secrecy the core of what the "intelligence" agencies do and have always done?   Sources and methods need to be protected, as do agents (remember Valerie Plame).  And yet, we Americans like to believe our personal information is "private" and protected.  We like to believe it, even knowing that we're one google away from learning a whole lot about another person.  We can learn with one google or on Facebook as much as it appears the intelligence agencies have gathered on American citizens.  

 

Here are some thoughts:  I believe we're in trouble when high-clearance individuals are brought in as contract workers with no feeling of ownership in the work or connection to the agency.  High-security jobs like the one Edward Snowden was doing should not be outsourced or contracted.   I also believe there need to be changes in the FISA Court (which came about as a result of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act); apparently the court doesn't have the tools it needs to adequately monitor the NSA and overall intelligence gathering.   The other thing that has become clear is that Congressional oversight has been lacking; that also needs to change.   I understand it's impossible for the American people to know everything that's going on in the murky world of surveillance.  Checks and balances are sorely needed—that we know.  And we know these things because of Edward Snowden.

 

As for Snowden, I don't see him as a hero—nor as a traitor.  I can't know his motivation, but suspect he could have felt morally obliged to steal and reveal the secrets he has.   It doesn't appear he planned to profit from his actions.  I can't say for certain that what he did was foolish, although that thought has crossed my mind.  I wonder whether he expected the aftermath of his actions to go the way they have.   It's a complex thing to sort out, don't you think?

 

My friend was saying that she finds the situation complicated, too; however, she was feeling sad for this young man.  She said, "I think Snowden may be the loneliest person on earth, and it makes me sad for him because I continue to feel he was motivated by his own sense of what is right or wrong."

 

What are your thoughts, Lefties?  Share them in a comment if you will.

Well Said!

 

Ahhhh thank you, Jon Perr, for saying what I've been saying—only better!  And thanks to Living Blue in South Carolina for posting this from Quotable Liberals.  You can"like" their page on Facebook.

34 States Funneling Money To Right-Wing ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’

Over at Think Progress today:

34 States Are Directly Funneling Money To Right-Wing ‘Crisis Pregnancy Centers’ That Lie To Women: Over half of the states in the country have laws that financially benefit front groups for the anti-abortion agenda.  Is yours one of them?  Check out the map and the post.

If you're half as incensed about this as I am—or even if you're not—it would be great to know what you think.  Leave a comment, if you will.

 

There's also a refreshing post  at the same Think Progress link.  Seems Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL)  was fact-checked by his constituents on the issue of consumer protections under "Obamacare."  Nice change from other town hall stories I've heard recently. 

Let's Not Call Them Conservatives

(From The Rachel Maddow Fan Page/Facebook)

Sometimes synchronicity's gifts are stunning, and sometimes they're more subtle.  The synchronistic statement above was a gift, delivered to my Facebook feed at just the right time.  That's because I've been obsessing about the terms "conservative" and "Republican"—and the fact that these words are no longer synonymous.  And it makes me a little crazy that other people haven't seemed to recognize this.

 

The annoying editor who lives rent-free in my head automatically replaces "conservative" with "radical," a far better fit.   It gets to me when "conservative" is so misused.  Even hearing the word can send my blood pressure to new heights.

"Regressive" absolutely fits the Republican mindset and agenda.   Example:  A House Speaker who says in a televised interview, ". . .we [Republican majority Congress] should not be judged on how many new laws we create. We ought to be judged on how many laws we repeal." 

 

How about Republican state legislatures rolling back women's reproductive rights—decades back?   How about forty separate votes to repeal "Obamacare"—a law ruled Constitutional by the Supreme Court and already proving beneficial to many Americans, even at this early stage of its incremental implementation.  Republicans are terrified the Affordable Care program will be successful and popular.  Never mind how many of their fellow Americans, their constituents, will have better lives.  Won't lose everything to catastrophic illnesses.   Never mind that health care costs will go down, as will the deficit.    Republicans don't want anything about the Obama presidency to succeed.  They definitely don't want the health care program to be embraced by Americans the way Social Security and Medicare now are.   Maybe they think "Obama failure" is their only hope of winning the White House—ever again.   

How about the so-called "Voter ID laws" (voter suppression laws, they are) spreading like kudzu far beyond the deep south, taking voters likely to vote for Democrats back to pre-civil- rights days.  To days before the Freedom Rides, the marches, the beatings and murders that happened on the way to black Americans becoming able to exercise the right that's fundamental to any Democracy.  Yes, Republicans are regressives all right.  Maybe it's time to call the two major parties what they are:  The Progressive and Regressive Parties. 

I've been seeing the current GOP as an ever-shrinking wing of "rational" Republicans (think David Brooks, George Will) and the majority/base "radical" Republicans.  But I'm well satisfied with the "Regressive" label.  It pretty much fits them all.   Let's agree to stop referring to  Republicans as "conservatives"—in conversations and in anything we write.  I hope the media will join in.  Let's remind them that the GOP is no longer conservative.   Not even close!

5,000 Freeloaders? Think again.

(Posted on Facebook by The Christian Left)

Note:  The tendonitis just doesn't loosen its grip, even though it had me fooled for a day or so. I haven't been as patient with the healing process as I need to be; that is, abstaining from keyboard use.  This, and driving, hurt most.  So, I'm extra-grateful when meaningful messages come to my attention as this one did today. 

Keep this number in mind for anybody grousing about "freeloaders" receiving survival assistance through food stamps.

Affordable Health Care

Here's a followup to recent comments on last-ditch efforts to see that "Obamacare" fails.  It's happening through a campaign to discourage the uninsured from enrolling in the program.  Die-hard opponents are using misinformation about the Affordable Care Act; in fact, there's big money behind the plan to derail health care that will benefit so many Americans, extend the life of Medicare and reduce the deficit Republicans have been so obsessed about.  Why would they want to spend a small fortune see it fail?  Because they know that, once in place with all the wrinkles ironed out, it will be popular with Americans, just like Social Security and Medicare are  now.   Hard to believe that these two programs, so significant to seniors and their families, were "suspect" and maligned in much the same way Affordable Health Care is today.   

 

[This came through my Facebook feed and sorry I can't read the upper left corner to give attribution.]    I always tell "Obamacare" naysayers that I'd rather have the government "standing between my doctor and me" than an insurance company.  The government isn't motivated by greed.    And of course they're not going to "stand between" doctor and patient.

 

Let's encourage anyone who has doubts or questions to visit healthcare.gov to get the facts—and to enroll in a plan for health insurance coverage.  We can also remind naysayers of the "7 facts" below. 

(Image from Living Blue in Texas/Facebook)

Indeed

(from Ready for Hillary/Facebook)

California: A Model for Change

Lucy Left is happy to salute Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (Images and info from their Facebook page-like them; get involved!).  Moms know how to get things done!    And here's a shoutout to the Mayors and Gabby Giffords, the Brady Campaign, and all who are working to strengthen gun regulations all across America.

 

  Have a look at what's happened in California:

WHAT AMERICA CAN LEARN FROM CALIFORNIA'S STRICT GUN LAWS: A new study shows that California, which has the strictest gun laws in the country, has seen a 56% drop in its gun death rate in the past 20 years. The impetus for California's laws was a mass shooting at a Stockton elementary school in 1989. Then, as now, change did not come from Congress. Instead, California’s legislature responded to a demand for action, adopting the first assault weapons ban in the country that same year.

Data like this should influence Congress more than lobbyists and campaign cash—that is, if the system were different.  So,  maybe we need to get campaign finance laws passed first? 

Sunday Media Notes

* News to me:   Just heard on CNN's "Reliable Sources" that Alec Baldwin soon could be hosting a prime-time talk show on MSNBC.   My first thought is "Great!"  The second is "Who will be cut?"  Maybe the 7 pm repeat of "Hardball."  Guess we'll find out soon.

 

* Of course there's abundant speculation about how Amazon founder Jeff Bezos might change his recent acquisition, The Washington Post.  One observation has been that Bezos is extremely consumer oriented.  And that he's not shy about innovation.  He's smart, bold and creative.  New approaches, coupled with some of the Post's fine veteran reporters and columnists—hmmm.   The safe bet today is that the post-transition period will be interesting.

 

* The embassies and consulates that were closed this past week have reopened—except for the one in Yemen.   It was yet another "damned if he did, damned if he didn't" situation for the President.  I join the security experts who were glad he acted out of an abundance of caution.  Can you imagine if he hadn't and there had been an attack during this time?

 

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I thought I couldn't endure listening to Louis Gomert (R-Congressman from TX) on "This Week"—until I realized one person was obviously more tortured than I was:  George Will.   Sharing the "round table" with this fellow Republican must have seemed surreal.  He doesn't suffer idiots gladly.  Turns out I got a chuckle from watching the unflappable Will, determined to remain "unflapped" as he reasoned as if with a well-balanced, thinking person.

 

I couldn't sit still for much of the Donald Trump interview.   It wasn't surprising that Trump blew off the fact that presidential wannabe Ted Cruz (R-TX) was born in Canada.  No mention of a birth certificate.

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On the Facebook feed this morning Rachel Tabachnick, a diligent researcher whose work I respect, posted this :  One of Rick Perry's largest donors, James Leininger, is now funding Ted Cruz.   You know who else Leininger has funded - Cory Booker - and that was in his first campaign. . . . 

 

 This post took me back to the Newark, NJ mayor's appearance on "Meet the Press" during the last presidential campaign.   That morning Booker sounded like the PR guy for Bain Capital—which, at that time, the Obama campaign was demonizing at every opportunity.  It was a jaw-dropping moment when Booker went into that praise monologue.  I believe Mayor Booker gave some explanation/apology? on Youtube shortly thereafter.   Now he's a Democratic candidate for the U.S. Senate from Jersey—special election.   Apparently that race, with Booker leading the Democrats, is heating up.   I wish I were feeling better about Booker.  We don't need a Democrat whose progressive/liberal philosophy is wobbly.  Or whose campaign funding comes in larger-than-usual proportion from big Republican funding sources.   I want to learn something about the other candidates in the Democratic field, too.   Let's hope,  if Booker wins this fall, that he was the best candidate.  If not, there will be another Senate race before too long, for a full term, after the winner of this one finishes out Sen. Frank Lautenberg's term.

 

Now, something else about Rachel Tabachnick:   She has done extensive research on the New Apostolic Reformation and unearthed significant information on that movement over time.   Those who cherish church and state separation and who like living in a Democracy (as opposed to a Theocracy) will find her posts about the NAR fascinating.  And troubling.  Find her at http://www.talk2action.org/story/2011/7/13/03334/8216

"Scandal"

After several days nursing the tendonitis—and two days away from news outlets—the political news fix is in progress.  Here's something I’ve been mulling over:

 

The IRS Thing:  Do you remember how heavily that “major scandal” was covered by the media—including more progressive outlets, like The NY Times and MSNBC?  There were press conferences where you could almost see Boehner and buddies salivating at the microphones. There were investigations and hearings where career IRS employees testified under oath.   Right wing bloviators were righteously raging on the airwaves and—nothing new here—getting creative with their own “facts” day to day.   The funeral parlor tone from the Left made it clear that Progressive talkers were wearing deeply furrowed brows. 


 

I “knew” this was a non-scandal.  Don’t ask me how.  It’s one of those knowings that I have sometimes; I’ve learned to trust them—along with my common sense.   In a June 7 post here at Lucy I said that I believed the Cleveland bureaucrats were simply feeling their way through the new Supreme Court ruling and figuring what might be the best way to handle the filings.  I said that I might have sorted the Tea Party filings, and those of other organizations associated with political activities, in a separate category if it had seemed an efficient way to process it.

 

Claims from the beginning were that the IRS actions were purposely and exclusively targeting “conservative”  (translated in my mind to “radical”) entities.  AND speculation was strong that the “scandal” would reveal White House involvement.  Turned out neither claim was true.  Period.

 

After all the investigating and hearings— run by Republicans who wanted desperately to confirm that the “scandal” touched the Oval Office— it was clear that the White House had nothing to do with the way the bureaucrats in Cleveland singled out certain groups.  There was no political motive.   And it was determined early on that the government workers in Cleveland did not single out exclusively “conservative”  (to me, “radical”) groups.  They included a number of progressive organizations that appeared to engage in political activities, as well.


 

With all the heavy coverage of the “emerging scandal” and the “ongoing scandal” in the late spring and early summer— and the continuing reference to the IRS “scandal” in right wing media to this day—isn’t it shameful that the non-existence of an  “IRS Scandal” hasn’t been publicized more? 


 

I suppose saying “We were wrong in our speculations”  is not a “sexy” thing to broadcast or headline in daily papers and blogs.  The truth rarely is as scintillating as a heavily hyped “scandal.”  And no news organization likes to say they got something wrong.


 

Accusations in the IRS situation absolutely warranted investigation.  It would have been a terrible thing for the government to target certain groups or individuals based on their political leanings (as has happened during other administrations--remember Nixon?).   But since the suspicions around the IRS “scandal” proved to be unfounded, the responsible thing would have been/still would be to give equally robust coverage to the “no scandal” findings— as was given to the “emerging scandal” in the spring, when the media’s daily exercise was jumping to conclusions.

Three Posts

Just after Congress left town for the August recess,  Congressmen Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor flew to New Mexico.  They were invited by the Koch brothers who rented the entire posh resort hotel where the two Congressmen met with them.  No media allowed within a mile of the hotel.  The ultimate in privacy. 
 

 

Around the time Ryan met with the Kochs, a resolution was being passed in his Wisconsin district in an effort to repeal the Supreme Court’s Citizens United ruling.  The people of Kenosha, WI are in sync with other Americans who understand that corporations aren't people.  And like most of America, they want to get the big corporate money out of politics.  I heard John Nichols of The Nation say he “wonders” whether Ryan will be listening to his constituents or the Kochs.   What do you think? 

 

I believe the Kochs and a handful of other mega-wealthy Republicans are pumped up about running this country.  They’ve been buying whatever their cold, cold hearts desire, including total privacy‚ to talk about things they wouldn’t want “the average person” to know.  They’ve invested in defeating “Obamacare” at the zero hour by encouraging uninsured people not to sign up for a plan.  Unconscionable?  Yes! 

 

Dear God, don’t let me wake up one morning and learn the Kochs have bought a major media outlet. 

                                                                  
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I’m reading This Town, Mark Leibovich’s insider book about Washington, DC.  For a political geek like me,  it’s a romp of a read.  A person who still sees our nation’s capitol and what happens there through the last pair of rose colored glasses on earth might not agree with me:  Some of the content might come across as cynical or come as a surprise.   No shocks for me so far.   Sure, the reality of the way DC works—or doesn’t— isn’t something that makes me happy; however, mostly it's not news.

 

 It seems a reasonable take on the town Leibovich calls home.  There's some substance and interesting insights—sometimes served in bite-size tidbits as quotes from inhabitants of the “swamp.”  Some of the characters can be seen regularly on cable news TV or C-Span.  If you’re a fan of the annual National Correspondents Dinner, you’ll enjoy some-behind-the scenes access.  You might even want popcorn for that part.   It has something of the Academy Awards red carpet “feel”—actually there is a red carpet at the Dinner for politicians,  news people and some Hollywood celebrities.

 

Yep, I put away my outraged activist hat—still within reach—long enough to enjoy my geeky read.   And I’m loving it.


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Got back home just in time to watch the President’s press conference Friday afternoon.    And I felt something I had felt when he spoke from the heart about the Zimmerman verdict a few weeks ago:  I was immensely proud of him.  Proud to call him my president.

 

I watched him thinking, striving to give honest, accurate responses.  He managed to “be” presidential and also very much “with” members of the media.  Without Bush bashing,—and I have no desire to do that—it’s hard to imagine even hard-core Republicans not feeling good about having a thoughtful President whose affect is unfailingly appropriate for whatever occasion.  Just to know he can process complex thoughts on the spot and respond to multiple, sometimes sensitive and hard hitting, questions without floundering.  I remember cringing more than once for our Chief Executive when President Bush would literally shrug off a serious question, or give a flippant answer—as if he’d been asked for his Super Bowl pick.  His affect, and response, rarely reflected the magnitude of the issue or event in question.  Embarrassing. 

 

Complicated as our world is, it’s a wonderful thing to know we have a leader  capable of complex critical thinking.  And a man who, at his core, has managed to remain a kind and decent human being.  Despite the unprecedented disrespect, ill will, and even hatred that have come his way from the minute he took his hand off the Bible at the first swearing in.  There’s a lot to be grateful about with President Obama.  I say that as someone who likes and respects him immensely, even though I don’t agree with all of his policies.   I imagine most "rational Republicans" feel the same.

Cartoon Video

http://thebigslice.org/a-creationist-visits-the-doctor-video/


"A Creationist Visits the Doctor" awaits you at The Big Slice.  :-)

Commitment

(from First Ask Why/Facebook)


Another quick post.  Tendonitis is almost gone!  I'll be back in a couple of days with thoughts and opinions.  Grateful for your patience—a rare commodity!

Yep.

(This good thought from Kentuckians Against the War on Women - Facebook.)

They'll be turning out in Kentucky to vote for Alison Lundergan Grimes.    No matter what state we're in, this is an auspicious time for women to run for office and for women to vote for other women.  It's the time to  make our voices heard, and live our politics out loud.

 

We'll  need to be waking up, getting involved, showing up, getting others involved, asking hard questions, voting, giving time and money, and whatever else it takes to get women elected.  Women will make a big difference in this country, at every level.  Just notice this:  As a rule, wherever women are involved, things get better.  They just do.

 

(Disclaimer:  This little post wasn't labor intensive.  I'm hunched over "Happy" for only few minutes.)

Forty-eight Years and Absence Explained

Before calling it a night, I want to honor the anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson signing the Voting Rights Act.  Forty-eight years ago today.  Too bad the Supreme Court's recent ruling (eliminating a key provision of the Act) is, in essence, taking us back 49 years.  

 

 I will rest better tonight knowing that Attorney General Holder has promised Justice Department vigilance; they'll be investigating all attempts to suppress the hard-won right to vote.  Looks like Gen. Holder will stay pretty busy making good on that promise.  The first state the Department of Justice is looking into is TEXAS, home of LBJ.   Something sad and ironic about this—President Johnson's beloved Lone Star State so determined to make it harder for minorities to vote.   

 

Republican-dominated state legislatures around the country are equally determined to take us back in time.  But "we shall overcome"—again.   It's just a shame it has to be that way.

 

                                                                           * * *

Note:  I'll be taking a blogging break for a few days, hoping you won't forget about visiting Lucy Left.   Dealing with tendonitis in my arm — from a stubborn unwillingness to interact less with Happy, my laptop.    But pain is an insistent teacher, and I will  learn to stop and stretch and change positions at the keyboard.  And maybe even write while standing sometimes.   You'll notice I haven't learned the lesson yet, but I wanted you to know why I'll be MIA.

 

Now for some ice, then heat.  And herbal anti-inflammatory capsules.  I imagine it will be something like having laryngitis—not being able to communicate with you.  I'll miss you.   Sleep well, dear Lefties.   See you very soon.

 

                                                                           

Infinite Possibilities

Well, I'm exited.  Potential always excites me.  And the potential I'm talking about today is in  an announcement made by Mississippi's former Democratic Governor, Ronnie Musgrove.  

 

There was plenty of "good sense" coming through Musgrove's seriously Southern drawl on Sunday.  He was talking about a new multi-state pac called the Southern Progress Fund.  Move over Carl, Crossroads, and the brothers Koch:  You can no longer count on the South as a sure thing.

 

 (Image from Americans Against the Tea Party, posted by my friend Cherie on Facebook.)

 

Soft-spoken Governor Musgrove was convincingly strong in his determination that this new pac would start with down-ticket races, impacting local and state elections.  Including governor's races.  Seems like a sensible way to go.  You've seen what's been happening in North Carolina  and in other state legislatures lately—not a minute too soon to work on down-ticket races.  Anyway, he said that all too often Southern Dems get good candidates for governor.  Then, they lose 48-52%, and we never see that candidate again.  So, the Southern Progress Fund will address that by working with candidates at all levels—"from Arkansas over to Georgia, Kentucky to Louisiana. . . ."

 

Thankfully, the disappearing gubernatorial candidate syndrome is not currently active here in South Carolina.  State Senator Vincent Sheheen, defeated by a narrow margin when he ran against current Governor Nikki Haley, is up for another go at it.  And he'll be a fine governor.

 

Musgrove said a separate entity, a 501(c)(4), will work on voter registration and voter protection.  The voter and the vote need protecting in the face of SCOTUS repealing the key provision in the Voting Rights Act.  (Marc Morial, Urban League CEO,  said about the hhigh Court's action: "They took the smoke alarm out of the house.")

 

This new Pac—combined with the energized grassroots activism like we're seeing in North Carolina (10,000 estimated at Moral Monday in Asheville yesterday)—is signaling infinite possibilities here in the Southland.    We're about to give birth to "the blue," I tell you.

Of Primary Concern

 

 Senator Mike Enzi (R-WY) isn't the only one with an opponent (Liz Cheney) to deal with next year.   Senators Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Senate minority leader,  also will be facing opposition.  In fact, they're already facing it.  The free ride South Carolina Republicans have given Graham came to a jerky halt as two opponents declared their intentions to run.  And there's a third waiting in the wings. 

 

 Nancy Mace— first female graduate of The Citadel, in 1999—operates her own public relations firm in Charleston these days.  She's married, with children, and used all the right buzz words in announcing her candidacy:  Ronald Reagan, freedom, national pride.  No previous public service—which could appeal to the Tea Party base in the Palmetto State.

 

Ms. Mace seems to have most of the oxygen in these early days.  I've heard little about  candidate Richard Cash, except that he's a businessman who ran unsuccessfully for the House at some point.  Then there's the possibility State Senator Lee Bright could get into the Primary mix, too. 

 

Senator Graham, the occasionally-reasonable senior senator from Easley, SC no doubt will be defending certain votes, accusations of "cooperating with the Obama administration," and who knows what else?  But he also has over six million dollars in his campaign account.  Not too shabby for startup cash.    This race could get interesting. 

 

"Down in Kentucky, the horseshoes are lucky. . . ." and one Kentucky senator will need luck in the year ahead.   Senator Mitch McConnell, whose funeral-director demeanor disguises a ruthless fighter, will meet fellow Republican Matt Bevin in a Primary.  Then, the Primary winner will get a run for his (considerable, I'm sure) money from Democrat Alison Lundergan Grimes.  

 

I watched clips from yesterday's 133rd Fancy Farm event in the Bluegrass State.   Washington Post columnist and author Dan Balz said the gathering made him think of the raucousness one can witness in the halls of Parliament.  And from the video clips, it looked like all three candidates brought their best game to Fancy Farm.  I walked in the room as McConnell said something on the telly about Alison Grimes' father.  Without even knowing exactly what he said, I'd bet it might swing some women's votes to Grimes.  Matt Bevin, McConnell's primary challenger, appears to be an attractive, high-energy candidate, saying he wouldn't run to the left or the right of McConnell but "run right over the top of Mitch McConnell" into the halls of the United States Senate.  Ms. Grimes addressed Sen. McConnell's beyond-belief obstructionism, saying:  "If a doctor told Senator McConnell he had a kidney stone, he'd refuse to pass it." 

 

From what I hear, this race promises to be down-and-dirty, like the track at Churchill Downs after a big rain—mud, mud, mud.   What with the grass already blue in Kentucky, it just might go all-blue.  And why not?   There's a new development on the horizon that adds to my bright hope for other Southern states to turn blue—in my lifetime.  I'll talk about the new multi-state pac in the next post.  Stay tuned, you "elitist,  latte drinking" Lefties.  I sure do love you.

Gotta Say . . .

Sunday talk shows were filled with commentary on anticipated attacks by Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.  Apparently an attack, or attacks, are being orchestrated out of Yemen. The "chatter" has been substantial and deemed reliable.  Reliable  enough to warrant closing—at last count—19 American embassies and consulates.  The closings will be effective until August 10, as of now.  Americans traveling anywhere in the world have been cautioned to exercise vigilance.

 

Republican Congressman Peter King, member of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on a Sunday talk show that the current chatter around a possible attack is the strongest and most credible since the days leading up to 9/11.   Other members of congressional committees tasked with security made similar observations.  Then there were those questioning the need for all the closings, saying the Administration has "overreacted" after Benghazi.   Excuse me?!!!  Yes, Benghazi was a tragedy, but the finger pointing and multiple Republican-engineered hearings were clearly efforts to smear the Administration.  Former Senator Rick Santorum said on "Meet the Press" that the embassy and consulate closings was just to deflect from the NSA; Jim DeMint blamed the President's weakness in foreign policy.  This President, this Administration, can do no right according to many on the right.  Mostly the criticism of the President, and obstruction of  any programs he proposes, originate in the unwritten but carefully followed "playbook" launched the day of President Obama's first inauguration: Slam Obama, stop Obama— no matter what the issue.  President Obama is damned if he does and damned if he doesn't, regardless of WHAT he does or does not do. 

 

I'm amazed that someone hasn't questioned why, with the same intense and credible "chatter" prior to the attacks on 9/11 (attacks even worse than Benghazi, as you recall) precautions weren't taken to protect Americans before that fateful day.    Of course there was  reorganization of  intelligence agencies after the fact, but I remember little criticism of President Bush and his administration just after 9/11.   Or significant outrage over the President ignoring the President's Daily Briefing warning Bin Laden was determined to attack the US using airplanes.  But we were unified in our shock and grief then.  United.  Not Democrats or Republicans, but Americans, in the days following those tragedies.  And Barack Obama was not president.  Do you wonder how it would have gone if he had been?

 

I understand it would be counterproductive to linger in this sad chapter in our history, foolish to waste time and energy with blaming.  I just wish more Republicans felt the same way about Benghazi—and about our current President.   We can only wait and see — and be grateful that this Administration is taking a serious threat seriously.

Conscience Deficiency

Sadly, many Republican members of Congress DO vote consistently to take food out of the mouths of children living in poverty.  They do that and, without blinking, vote to continue subsidies to corporations like big oil companies that are making windfall profits.   In the Farm Bill vote, they opted to eliminate food stamps while subsidizing behemoth factory farms that are far from needy.

 

Your Congressman is back in his or her home district for a five-week "recess" and likely at church on this August Sunday morning.   I wonder how those who cast votes that lead to hungry children can sit comfortably with their hypocrisy.  Don't you wonder about that?

 

Note:  Since about 32 members of the combined House and Senate are of the Jewish faith, they would not be in church this morning.  Nor would Representative Keith Ellison whose religion is the Islamic tradition.   In looking at a list of members of the Jewish faith earlier this morning, it was interesting to see that all of the Jewish members of the House are Democrats, with the exception of Eric Cantor, (R) Virginia.   The exception in the Senate is Vermont's Bernie Sanders, an Independent who caucuses with Democrats and a champion of the poor.  And thankfully so are many Democrats.

 

So, the bottom line:  It's unconscionable to shower corporations like the oil companies and behemoth factory farms with huge government subsidies while gutting programs for the poor.   There's madness in not only voting to give big tax breaks to the extremely wealthy, but fighting for those tax breaks.  How many Republicans do you see fighting to better the lives of the poor? There's no way I can understand how they live with themselves.  I wonder whether there's any trace of a conscience in them, whether they ever had an active conscience.  I wonder whether it was a matter of trading their conscience for a ticket in the lottery of self-perpetuation.   I mean the poor aren't financing Congressional campaigns, are they?

 

Wish Rachel had been on "Meet the Press" this morning.  Joy Reid did a great job,  but some help wouldn't have hurt.   She was on with Joe Scarborough, Rick Santorum, and Andrea Mitchell.