I Cannot

I keep trying to write about other things, but I cannot. It's not so much what Trump and his buddies in Congress are trying to do to this country; I expected that. It's the people defending the same things they (and Trump) relentlessly criticized Obama and Clinton for doing. 

I fucking hate hypocrisy. 

During the election, a multitude of Trump fans told me that they were mad that Clinton had accepted money from Saudi Arabia (for her foundation), facilitated a weapons deal with Saudi Arabia and sold uranium to Russia.

Trump actually gets paid directly by Saudi Arabia, in addition to registering 8 companies in that nation during the campaign.

Trump has just negotiated the largest arms deal with Saudi Arabia EVER. Now, we've been selling weapons to Saudi Arabia since the 80's, because. . .reasons.  I totally get why one might be against this, but you know, you should be against this NO MATTER WHO WHO IS BROKERING THE DEAL.

Trump gave Russia classified information and has had various aides and associates who have been paid by Russia because we're such great friends with Russia. Except, you know, when the Obama administration sells them things.

During the election, I heard Trump and his fans criticize Obama and Clinton for not saying, "radical Islamic terrorism", as if calling it that would someone protect the US from terrorists. But it's okay for Trump to refrain from using it.  And while I think it was wise of Trump not to use it, I also think it was wise for Obama  to avoid it as well. See how that works? It's called consistency.

And how do you justify praising Melania and Ivanka for not covering their hair in Saudi Arabia but criticize Michelle Obama for the same thing? What's the difference? Do explain in the comments.

While I do post political articles on Facebook pretty regularly, I try to avoid arguing with people over what they post. But it eats at me, especially if what they post is hypocritical or filled with lies.

I see people complaining that methadone is free (which isn't always true), so why isn't chemo free? Gee, I don't know, maybe it's because we have a for profit healthcare system in this country? Which is part of the reason we need so many goddamn methadone clinics in the first place.

I see people whine about liberal snowflakes while they applaud a man who honestly thinks he's more persecuted than JFK Jr. and Nelson Mandela.

I see people whose children require special education services at school - that my taxes pay for, even though my kids don't require those services - bitch and bitch and bitch about having to pay for poor people's health care. Why is your dyslexic kid's right to read more important than a poor kid's right to live? Is it because you "pay taxes" ? Are you really so ignorant that you think poor people don't pay any taxes? 

Trump defenders,  I want you to seriously consider what you would do if Barack Obama had fired James Comey while he was investigating Clinton. I want you to consider how you would feel if  they were investigating the Clinton or Sanders or (2020) Booker campaigns for colluding with Russia. Would you just see the media as out to get someone? Or would you think the Washington Post and the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal might be onto something?

I've had many dear friends over the years with whom I've disagreed politically. I can agree to disagree on many issues, or happily debate without getting offended. But I will not, I cannot, handle someone who screamed about Obama's golf games now defending Trump's many more golf games. "Well, Trump takes calls during games, you know." As if Obama didn't. "Well, Trump's got to check on his businesses, you know." No, he's not supposed to be involved with his businesses at all and he's basically violating the emoluments clause regularly. I cannot get along with someone whose casual racism/misogyny/xenophobia/personality/Fox News addiction/ allows them to believe that whatever Trump does is okay, even if they spent the last 8 years complaining about Obama doing the same things.

I Can't Help It

I don't want to be judgmental. I want to treat myself and others with kindness. I want to have empathy. I want to be able to accept other people's points of view. I was making a lot of progress in this department until the political primaries last year.

For example, I get it if you're anti-choice. If you really believe that life begins at conception, then of course abortion is a tragedy. Hell, even if you don't believe that, abortion is pretty tragic. But so many of the people who see stopping abortion as their number one issue don't see access to birth control and sex education and good public education and food stamps and affordable day care and affordable health care as their next most important issues. That's what I don't get. 

Also, I get that we should all do what we can for ourselves. But when I want to drive a long distance? I would like a nicely maintained interstate. And if a disaster strikes my home? I might need a FEMA trailer or other aid from the Federal government. When I start my small business? I'd love a grant or a loan - like many Republicans have gotten. When my kids go to college? They're going to need some Pell grants. When there's an outbreak of a scary virus? I want the CDC all over that shit. When there's a war, I would like an army, with officers trained at a famous service academy. I like National Parks. I like to know that new foods and medicines are tested before I give them to my kids. When I look at my utility and grocery bills?  I like that the government gives subsidies to utility companies and farmers so that my utilities and my food are cheaper.  None of us have been successful completely on our own, folks. Unless you grew up off the grid and never left the compound or bought anything from a store (shipping on the national highways, you know). . .shut up about the government's entitlement programs and how you did everything yourself. 

I think the bootstraps mentality is really just a way to bitch about so-called entitlement programs. Over 90% of "entitlement" funds go to the disabled, the old or the already working. If your belief is that they should all die or starve or be supported by their families, then fine. Hate the programs. Just be honest about it, okay? Don't bitch about 'welfare queens' who comprise less than 1 percent of this group, bitch about your Aunt Doris who gets disability because she's paralyzed. I have heard - more than once - people on disability complain about entitlement programs.  I have also heard this from people living in FEMA trailers because their homes flooded and they didn't have enough insurance to rebuild. And I've certainly heard it from people receiving social security benefits. It's like they don't see that they're receiving benefits. . . and the government will have to slash their benefits too if it wants to save money. I can't accept that their point of view is as valid as mine. 

And then we've got the people who are against Obamacare. Since Mitt actually instituted a similar program when he was governor of Massachusetts, I'm especially confused. Maybe people think it's a states' rights issue? Except that the state governments rely on Federal money to pay for Medicare, Medicaid and uninsured people anyway so. . .shouldn't the Feds get a say? Some people claim that giving everyone health care is socialist. I hope those people are also against social security, unemployment and disability payments - those were all called "socialist" once too. I also hope those people can explain what socialism is and realize that it has nothing to do with the government owning doctors, medications, hospitals or any other parts of the health care system. I have also heard that Obamacare will cost the virtuous American tax payer more because of all those lazy people who don't have jobs that provide health insurance. First of all, that's not true. Uninsured people use emergency rooms, which cost more and also hold up the people with real emergencies. Uninsured people are more likely to have healthcare issues become serious, which means they can't work. (But maybe they can go on disability - that's okay, right?) Uninsured people are usually working, because they can't qualify for Medicaid.

I'm okay if you disagree with me. Just make sure your viewpoint is consistent. And not hypocritical. 

Step Slowly Off of That High Horse

From Thursday's New York Times:

"Since the Olympic Village press center opened Friday, reporters have been unable to access scores of Web pages — among them those that discuss Tibetan issues, Taiwanese independence, the violent crackdown on the protests in Tiananmen Square and the Web sites of Amnesty International, the BBC’s Chinese-language news, Radio Free Asia and several Hong Kong newspapers known for their freewheeling political discourse. . . . .

Chinese officials initially suggested that any troubles journalists were having with Internet access probably stemmed from the sites themselves, not any steps that China had taken to filter Web content. But Sun Weide, the chief spokesman for the Beijing Olympic organizing committee, acknowledged Wednesday that journalists would not have uncensored Internet use. “It has been our policy to provide the media with convenient and sufficient access to the Internet,” Mr. Sun said. “I believe our policy will not affect reporters’ coverage of the Olympic Games.”

Mr. Sun said foreigners  using  the Internet in China would be subject to the same laws under which censors blocked access to a wide range of Web sites thought to be detrimental to stability. China has long maintained that its laws governing Internet access do not amount to censorship and are similar to restrictions on pornography or gambling sites in many countries. . . .

The White House also urged China to lift its restrictions on the Internet. “We want to see more access for reporters, we want to see more access for everybody in China to be able to have access to the Internet,” the White House press secretary, Dana Perino, said Wednesday."

I really think the White House should just stay out of this one. Yes, as far as I know, we all still have free reign on the internet in this country. Good for us. But we all have this policy in place:

(courtesy of Friday's Washington Post)

Federal agents may take a traveler's laptop computer or other electronic device to an off-site location for an unspecified period of time without any suspicion of wrongdoing, as part of border search policies the Department of Homeland Security recently disclosed.

Also, officials may share copies of the laptop's contents with other agencies and private entities for language translation, data decryption or other reasons, according to the policies, dated July 16 and issued by two DHS agencies, U.S. Customs and Border Protection and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

So now Homeland Security can tap your phone, trace where you've been online and read your email, they can also seize your laptop. WITHOUT ANY SUSPICION OF WRONGDOING.

So, yay for freedom and democracy here in America. Sure, we can visit any websites we want - but who knows what will happen after we do? Hell, with the laptop seizure policy, we don't even have to visit any "dangerous" websites to have our property seized and our private thoughts sent to various government agencies.

I know that, theoretically, this is meant to deter terrorists and/or find their plots ahead of time. It's for our own good, right?  But the Chinese government believes that blocking certain websites is for THEIR citizens' own good. And let's face it, the potential for abuse - in both cases - is vast. But you don't see the Chinese government - or any other government - putting us down for our draconian policy. Shouldn't we let them have theirs?

Or, at least, could we pick on their serious human rights abuses? The jailing of dissidents? Tibet? Religious freedom? Darfur? Torture? (Oh wait, maybe we shouldn't bring that up either) Stuff that's a bigger deal than reporters not getting to access some websites.

Oh, Smite Me!

Jerry Falwell has died.

My introduction to Jerry, such as it was, occurred in the ninth grade when a friend was sleeping over. We were up late watching "dirty stuff" on HBO (this was before Real Sex and Taxicab Confessions, a soft core version of Lady Chatterly's Lover was as good as it got) when we decided to flip around the channels using that new-fangled invention, the remote control.

When we came across the Christian church services with the sweating and yelling Evangelicals, we were fascinated. It was more bizarre than anything on TV, including Headbanger's Ball. We started watching every time we had a sleep over.

We would argue about whether the audience members were real or actors, whether you had to have southern upbringing to fall for that crap, etc. It was like porn for our east coast, media savvy, church/temple ignorant hearts. We admired the faith, but couldn't believe that people would put their faith in a showboat-ing, yelling, judgmental man like him.

Since then, my contempt for Jerry and his ilk has grown. Though Jerry will always have a special place in my heart as the man who found a gay conspiracy in the Teletubbies. Anyway, he's dead. And it's all over CNN and the flock is expressing their sadness and yadda, yadda.

WHY? Don't they believe he's in a better place? Shouldn't they be happy for him?

I am.