To Quote Vince Lombardi – “What The Hell Is Going On Out There?”

I am going to be honest. Sometimes I want to write something and do my research and get totally frustrated. Not because there isn’t anything important to write about, but because there is so much bullshit coming from the right that I get frustrated and just don’t bother.

I know, I have to get out of this malaise and get back to doing something to do my part in protecting our great nation. But, the problem we are seeing on the right is getting to a point where chaos is just too meek of a word to use anymore.

Let me try to fill you in on all of the complexities about this process. We constantly hear from the right that President Biden is “mentally incapable” of being President. Yet, it is the other guy who continues to make stupid and confusing comments both during his speeches and his social media posts.

He has said it is great to be in Iowa City when he was talking somewhere else. He has confused Nikki Haley with Nancy Pelosi and accused Haley of failing to protect the capital against his insurrection. This weekend he wailed about Army Forts that had been named after Confederate figures having their names changed to real American heroes. He said: “We won world wars from these forts. Forts like Benning and fort this and fort that”.

Now as a 73 year old man, I would argue that if you can’t name the forts you are complaining about, don’t mention them at all. Would it have been too hard for his speech writers to include the names they want to cry about instead of letting him use fort this and fort that. 

And, all of this is coming from a guy who wants to remove us from NATO so his buddy Putin can wage a war there without fear of us intervening. He wants Putin to “rule” Europe I guess. One dictator helping another without doing anything.

These ramblings and rants are getting worse. Every time he gives a speech, he blunders and makes goof ups after goof ups. Yet, the morons in his rallies cheer all of his blunders and try to make them sound sane. In my opinion, the only candidate proving that he is “mentally incapable” of being President is this former guy. He can’t even conclude one sentence without either cutting it off to go somewhere else of goof up what he is trying to say.

As a result, where are the critics on the right crying about his mental incapacity? They are silent because they don’t care about any of that, they only care about getting this clown elected to form his fascist government. 

There is a bipartisan immigration reform bill being looked at to help ease the problems at the southern border. You know the number thing the right says needs to be fixed immediately or we will be “overrun” by all of these nasty people looking for a better life. But, those same people who claim all of the bad things at the border are not in support of the bill.

The crazy woman from Colorado who is switching districts to try to stay in Congress says “amnesty is a non-starter for me”. Okay, but we don’t know if “amnesty” is in the bill because it hasn’t been released yet. It is the simple fact that a bill to help ease the problem is under consideration that is the problem. Republicans, especially the chaos crowd don’t want any solutions. They will lose their crying towels.

And, just how can someone like her say that “amnesty is a non starter” when she fully supports “pardoning” the former guy if he is convicted of the 91 felony charges against him, including insurrection. That argument pales in comparison, yet there she is saying it.

Remember, it is a misdemeanor for crossing the border illegally into our country. There is a punishment that includes deportation or possibly six month imprisonment and/or a fine. The penalties for the Felonies trump is accused of could result on a very long prison sentence. 

According to these Republicans, it is okay to cause and support an insurrection to overthrow our government, but is a far greater crime to walk across the border without proper papers. How this equates to a reasonable discussion is beyond me.

Then we have the book banning craze on the right. Of course, that does not include banning books from a “conservative” author. Bill O’Rielly recently had two of his books banned in Florida public schools. He went totally ballistic over this but was all in favor of banning books he didn’t like. Hell, in their zeal to ban anything “inappropriate” one Florida school district even banned the DICTIONARY. 

You know I can almost understand why Florida would want to ban the dictionary. It includes the definitions for things like slavery and sex. My god how can we allow any book in schools that define words like those. Worse, it even defines “homosexuality”. The indoctrination is just too much to bear.

There is more talk about getting rid of Johnson, the current Speaker of the House. Why? Because he had the temerity to actually work with the Democrat leader of the Senate to pass a continuing resolution bill to keep the government from shutting down. I mean, how could any politician actually want to keep the government open when his caucus wants it shut down and totally dismantled in favor of fascism?

Besides, these crazies actually believe that shutting down the government will cause the economy to collapse. Of course, they will then try to shift the blame to Biden and Democrats who are trying to get a real budget passed and avoid this potential harm to a growing economy. YOUR job is at stake, but they just don’t give a shit about you or your family.

These are just some of the problems with the right wing in our country that make it hard to decide what to write about. I try to write about topics in order to inform my readers so they can make up their own minds about what to think. But with all of the chaos and outright lies coming from the other side it is hard to decide on what to talk about. 

It seems that the right wing want to flood us with stupidity so they don’t have to defend their inability to get anything done. The last several Republican controlled House of Representatives top the list of least productive. This current House has broken all of the records for NOT getting anything done. Hell, even their own members are crying about not having anything to “hang their hats on” during this upcoming election. That to quote the former guy is “very sad”.

Of course, they will still get votes because their followers don’t expect them to actually do anything. All their followers want is to see them on Fox News and other right wing media crying in their beer about nothing. It is one thing to cry in front of cameras and point fingers. It is quite another thing to actually come up with remedies for that which they are crying.

Their front runner to become their nomination to run for President is showing signs of mental instability every time he opens his mouth. But, they don’t care. They are willing to pardon that same person if he is convicted of felonies including insurrection against our country, but want undocumented aliens rounded up and deported and in cases like DeSantis and Abbott, shot.

In states they control, they have taken away civil rights of people and are proud of it. They ban anything they don’t like just because they don’t like it. They complain about everything but do nothing except ban things like abortion, medical treatment, books and religious beliefs they don’t like.

That is today’s Republican Party. It is no longer a party who is willing to defend the Constitution, democracy or our way of life. What they want is to tell, us how to live, who we can love, who we must hate and rule over us like we are all little children who don’t know better.

In a word folks, that is fascism not democracy. Remember, they cheered when the former guy said “I will be a dictator on day one”. Any more questions?

A New Year – Same Chaos Courtesy Of Right Wing Extremists

As you have all probably guessed, I took a sabbatical for a while. I decided to clear my head and just observe for a while as to what is going on in our country. But, with 2024 in full swing, and this being an election year, I decided it is time to dust off the keyboard again. We need to keep abreast of what is happening and speak out against the lies and total bullshit coming from the other side of the aisle.

In the last few months, we have heard the GOP’s plan for our country. According to them, we are to “do as you are told by us”. It has become obvious that the GOP is terrified of a democracy and want us to be terrified by it also. There are lots of examples of this terror and we should at least take a look at what it is.

In Ohio, the state voters passed two measures. The first was the legalization of abortion and the other was the legalization of marijuana. The State Legislature, who is controlled by Republicans have rejected those election results. They are actually looking at ways to keep them from becoming the law of the land in Ohio simply because they oppose them. 

Their first target was the abortion measure. They argue that it does not “allow abortion” outside of the law they passed basically banning it. In fact IT DOES. There are Republicans in the State Legislature who are actually looking at trying to pass laws that would remove this measure from the State Constitution. Despite the fact that over 60 percent of the electorate voted for the measure. The voters be damned.

The abortion fight is raging in Texas. There the law makes it almost impossible for a woman to get an abortion even if her life is in danger. We are all aware of the recent case where even the Texas Supreme Court ruled against a woman who could have died without an abortion. In Texas, the life of a woman means absolutely nothing to Republicans. If a pregnancy is going to kill the woman, they believe it is her problem and she should just accept her fate and die. Their conservative Supreme Court agrees with that concept. 

We have heard the front runner for the Republican nomination to become president state very clearly that he would be a “dictator”. He openly said that if reelected “I would be a dictator on day one”. He tried to claim it would be for “only one day” but we all know that isn’t how it works. Once he throws out the Constitution for “one day” it is gone forever.

The number four leader of Republicans in the House of Representatives is already claiming the 2024 election is “being stolen”. She claims that she will not state specifically if she would vote to certify the election. She claims it depends on the “Constitutionality” of the election. In other words, she is saying that if her candidate wins, it is constitutional but if he loses it isn’t. Hell, the election is still 10 months away and she is already, along with several other members of the Republican Party claiming that it is being stolen.

In just a week or so, we face a partial shutdown of our government. In less than a month, we face as total shutdown of our government. The Speaker of the House and the leader of the Senate have agreed on terms for a new budget. But, the right wing of the Republicans in the House are already preparing to sabotage that agreement because they don’t get “everything we want”. I believe that if this agreement is passed and a real budget is signed into law in terms of this agreement, we will see another attempt by Republican wackos to remove Johnson from being Speaker.

Ever since Barak Obama was elected as President back in 2008, we have heard Republicans cry about “they are coming for our rights”. But, in reality, is they who are “coming for our rights”. They have banned abortion everywhere they could because they believe it will solidify the Evangelical vote for themselves. They have banned treatment for transgender minors. They claim that minors are “being mutilated” with surgery. That is total bullshit. No one conducts gender altering surgery on minors. The fact is they just hate the LGBTQ community and they want them to die out.

We keep hearing them cry about the border crisis. But, the only thing they want is a Berlin Wall built on the border. They offer no solutions to the real problems that have caused this problem in the first place. They refuse to acknowledge they were the ones who refused to pass a bipartisan Immigration Reform bill under the Obama administration that would have put in place measures to fight against this problem. All they do is cry in their beer and offer no solutions.

The current crop of Republicans trying to unseat the last moron from gaining the nomination have all said that they would “pardon” the last moron if they were elected. They have also pledged to “support him” even if he is convicted of any of the 91 charges pending against him. How is that for “supporting the Constitution”?

Their leader, in an attempt to intimidate Democrats and anyone else he doesn’t like from voting said his supporters should ensure “those bags of crap” don’t get to vote. He is suggesting his supporters go to places they don’t live in order to intimidate voters who just may vote against him. The party gives its approval with their silence over this intimidation attempt.

One hundred years ago, there was an attempted coup in Bavaria by a group called the National Socialist Workers Party, also known as the Nazi party. That party was led by one Adolph Hitler who later became the leader of Germany and unleashed the worst world war in mankind’s history. When he took power, one of the first things he did was build a memorial to those who supported him and were killed in the attempted violent overthrow of the Bavarian government.

Today, we have the leader of one party and all of his supporters claiming those who have been convicted of their crimes during the Jan. 6 insurrection as being “J6 hostages”.  That same leader is using Hitler terminology to define his political opponents and immigrants. He call immigrants “slime” and “vermin” just like Hitler did. 

He wants to “round up illegals” and “punish his opponents” just like Hitler did. He wants to shut down our free press and jail anyone who writes anything he doesn’t like about him. Just like Hitler did. And, just like the supporters of Hitler, his supporters are claiming he has “been sent by god” to save us from decency apparently.

This is what today’s Republican Party has become. Hell, in Michigan, the head of the Republican party there was supposedly voted out of her position by her own party, but refuses to leave or accept the vote as “legitimate”. I think that says all we need to know about how Republicans look at what democracy is supposed to be.

In my opinion we are in very dangerous times for our nation. We have one party hellbent on eliminating rights of the citizenry. But, only the “rights” that the Republicans don’t like. There is a serious attack on our rights over voting, abortion, health care, LGBTQ rights, education and freedom of speech. 

This party has waged a war against these rights in order to dictate how we are to live. What we can believe. Even who has the “right” to live. They are trying to establish a new “order” in our country. Their plan is to take over the government and then never relinquish power regardless of the vote by the people. Hell, I doubt if there would even be another vote if this clown is reelected.

I believe this year we have a very serious choice. We can vote to keep our nation and our way of life with guaranteed rights, or we can vote to march down the path to total dictatorship. History has shown us what happens to nation’s who follow the path of dictatorship. 

The real issue to consider when you head to the polls is to remember, if a dictatorship does happen here, even YOU will not be immune from the dangers it will possess. In a total dictatorship no one is safe from the dangers of being “removed” from society. Even Hitler destroyed the SA who were the ones who put him in power. He was terrified they might turn on him. So, even if you declare to be MAGA, it won’t protect you from retribution if your leader considers you a threat to his power. He has already shown his willingness to turn on his own supporters if helps him stay out of jail.

We have ten months to make up our minds what we are to be. Use that time wisely or we will fail just like democracy in Germany failed 100 years ago.

Dear America – At One Point Your Ancestors “Poisoned The Blood” Of Our Nation According To Today’s Republican Party

A

Throughout my life, the Christmas season has been a time of happiness and good cheer. However, this year we are seeing the MAGA crowd and the
Republican Party engage in fear and hate. This is really getting out of hand because too many people are actually swallowing this bullshit being spewed out of the mouths of fascists.

Yes, this is the start of an election year and there is always controversial comments made during elections. But, the comments coming out of the mouth of trump and his avid supporters go way beyond the pale. And, it is actually getting worse and worse each passing day.

We have heard all about his invoking Hitlerism with his “poisoning the blood” or our nation. And, there are all sorts of people, almost exclusively white, who are cheering these horrible and divisive words. But, maybe it is time for them to remember history and our immigration polices of the past.

Any0ne who is of, as an example, Irish, Polish, German or Italian descent must take a step back and remember their ancestors and what they faced as immigrants in our country. The term “poisoning our blood” was used to define these immigrants as well as many others.

Long before the influx of these white immigrants, we must remember the “Chinese exclusion act” which barred Chinese from immigrating to our nation. They were used almost exclusively by the railroad companies to build the nation’s railroad system, especially when explosives were used. But, so many were brought here to do that dangerous job, there was actually a bill passed that barred anymore Chinese from entering the country.

When the potato famine struck Ireland and thousands of Irish began pouring into our country, there was huge backlash against them. The main reason for this backlash was because they were mostly Catholic. The white protestants didn’t want a huge influx of Catholics into the country. These Irish immigrants faced major discrimination when they first arrived.

As a matter of fact, many Irish were met at the piers as they got off the boats and were promised citizenship if they joined the Army. Many did just that in hopes of becoming U.S. citizens. However, it was an empty promise and most were never granted that citizenship. Plus, because they were Catholic, they were denied promotions and especially Officer status because of their “religion” and no other reason. They were told they were “poisoning the blood” of our nation.

Italians faced the same discrimination as well. This discrimination was also because of the Mafia. It was considered that all Italians were part of the crime syndicate and therefore should not be allowed into the country. Couple that with the fact they were also Catholic, that was just more reason for them to be kept out because they would “poison the blood” of the nation.

Poles faced the same discrimination for their religion as well. Growing up Polish jokes were common and always made them out to be totally stupid and incapable of anything. They were “poisoning the blood” of our nation.

The list of those discriminated against and told they were “poisoning the blood” of our nation goes on and on. Most of this discrimination came from either being non-white or being Catholic. 

Today, the victims of this hate have changed. Instead of Irish the Latinos are being targeted. Instead of Catholics being the scourge of the world, Muslims are now considered the scourge of the world and must be kept out. 

I have written many times that hate never sleeps. Hate moves from one target to another until it finally comes to y0u. Hate needs someone to blame for their own failures. Instead of doing something to help improve their own lot, they blame immigrants who are “different” from themselves and make them the scapegoat for their own miserableness.

We have seen this hate towards all sorts of people. We have seen it against Italians, Irish, Poles, Hungarians and many, many others. Hate is hate and it must be able to flourish by blaming others. If you are a Republican, remember your family immigrated here from somewhere else. And, in those days, the immigration to our nation was far easier than it is today. During most of the immigration influx, visa’s weren’t even needed to gain entry. All you needed to do was afford passage and show up. According to today’s standards all of those immigrants could be classified as “illegal”.

We need to understand that the words being used by trump and his Republican faithful are not mere words. They have meaning and they are hateful and divisive. They are intended to drive a wedge between our people. They point to those “others” and blame them for everything. They want you to hate others because they themselves offer nothing else.

The signs of authoritarianism in the Republican party are all around us. We even know who will be “next” on trump’s list of those to get rid of after immigrants. He keeps talking about mental institutions and how people should be locked up in them. He even mentions his enemies as those who should be locked up in mental institutions like Jack Smith who is prosecuting him.

That is exactly what authoritarians from fascists to marxist did and still do. They consider anyone who voices any opposition to their rule as “mentally unstable” and lock them up in institutions in order to silence them. That is exactly what trump and his Republican cronies are suggesting for our nation should he become president again.

So, during this time of Christmas, a time for peace and love, the Republican Party led by their crooked leader is instead spreading fear and hate. The so-called “Christian Nationalists” are ignoring the celebration of Christmas and spreading vile hate and inhumanity. Two things that their “savior” preached against.

If you really look at the disgusting language coming out of the Republican Party of today is saying, how can anyone believe they are “Christian”. How can anyone really believe they believe in our Constitution. 

During this previously “happy time of the year” they are too busy spreading hate and divisiveness. That proves to anyone who wants to see, they are not Christians, they are only fascists interested in ruling and destroying our nation.

Instead of saying “merry Christmas” or “happy Holidays” they are talking about locking up people and how immigrants are “poisoning our blood”. Please take note of that. That is exactly what white protestants said about your ancestors when they first arrived. You are actually the product of those who “poisoned our blood” as a nation. How can you now cheer those words?

The Former Guy Finally Tells America The Truth

We have heard all the lies, attacks on innocent civilians and hatred towards our country from the former guy for several years now. We have watched him attack a court clerk, anyone who opposes him and every Democrat over that time. He hates anyone who is not considered a true MAGA member and hates anyone who is not white.

But, during one of his speeches in Iowa last week, we finally heard the actual truth come spewing out of his mouth. The problem is that no one is really paying attention to this truth. In his speech he said and this is a direct quote:

“We’ve been waging an all-out war on American democracy”.

That is the exact thing that his followers and the Republican Party have been doing since he joined their ranks and ran for President back in 2016. They have constantly railed against the Constitution and have enshrined white-supremacy as the official platform of the GOP.

Many people, including myself, have been warning the public that you need to listen to what he says. The man is totally incapable of continuing his lies from one sentence to another and if you pay attention, his true feelings and plans will be revealed by his own mouth.

Now some say that he “misread” his teleprompter. Well, I don’t believe that view. I believe that he said exactly what he meant. He is totally against American democracy and will do everything in his power to destroy our nation if he is elected next year.

Plus, if Biden made such a “misread” the Republicans would be screaming that it proves he is “too old” and “too far gone mentally” to be president. Joe Biden is only three years older than the former guy, and he makes fewer blunders and mistakes when speaking than the other guy.

Liz Cheney has been outspoken about this moron and her party. In an interview the other day she said that she hopes that Democrats take control of the House of Representatives because the GOP has turned its back on the Constitution in favor of the former guy. She said “you cannot support the Constitution and trump at the same time. You need to make a choice”. She also warned that “America is sleepwalking into a dictatorship”.

The so-called “blunder” from the former guy shows us just how true her statements are. If Republicans keep control of the House and the moron wins the election, you can count on the end of American democracy. You don’t have to take my word for it, for once you can take his own words as undeniable fact that he wants to destroy our democracy in favor of him becoming dictator.

It is time that Democrats start using this clown’s own words against him. It is time for the American people to wake up to the true danger our nation faces. We have been that “shining city on a hill” that the rest of the free world wants to be like. If this fascist wins the election and Republicans control the House and/or Senate, that shining city on a hill will become just another slum run by self-enriching fascists.

Those “rights” that the right-wing claim are so important will simply vanish into thin air. Once the fascists take power, you can bet your precious “right to bear arms” will be abolished because fascists fear an armed citizenry and even more so an educated citizenry.

The truth has been spoken. The one thing that the former moron has been doing is “waging an all-0ut war on American democracy”. It is time for you to listen to his hate and realize what he is. An un-American, hate-filled clown who doesn’t give a rat’s ass about you or our nation. He is only interested in power.

Is there anything else that needs to be said?

Where Have All The Flowers Gone? Onto The Graves Of The Innocent

Here we go again. Just when the hell is this madness going to stop? Well, as long as a person’s right to carry a military style weapon is more important than the lives of the innocent, including children, it won’t stop. It will continue to get worse and worse.

In the latest attack, an Army Reservist shot and killed at least 18 people in two different locations in Lewiston, ME. This incident is a perfect example of just how disjointed Republican arguments against gun control really are. This incident proves beyond a reasonable doubt that these Republican talking points are bogus and outright lies.

The shooter, and I won’t give him credit by naming him, proves just how useless Republican controlled states are at protecting their own citizens from these kinds of people.

Here is what we know so far. The shooter was assigned to support training with the Army Reserve’s 3rd Battalion, 304th Infantry Regiment in West Point, New York, when commanders became concerned about him. He was taken to the Keller Army Community Hospital at West Point for evaluation.

It has been reported that the shooter complained about “hearing voices” and reportedly wanted to “shoot up” the Army facility he was assigned. He was apparently appraised and later released.

Here is where the lies come into place. In Maine there is no Red Flag law. They have instead a Yellow Flag law. This laws says that police must seek medical evaluation of anyone believed to be a danger before trying to take their guns away. Well, this person did have a medical evaluation yet he still had his guns and no one tried to take them away.

That is not all that surprising. Remember in 2017, the very first law passed by Republicans when they took over the government was to make it legal for anyone who is not capable of taking care of themselves or their personal business to own a gun.

There is also a case before the Supreme Court that says a person who threatened several women and was under a protection order from the court, cannot have his weapons removed from him. Several ultra-conservative organizations are supporting this person even though he was arrested for his threats against women.

Republicans love to say that these mass shootings are the result of “mental problems” and not guns. Yet, time after time they pass laws that allow these people with “mental problems” to keep or even purchase guns.

This was the 36th mass shooting in our country this year. Over 200 people have been killed and thousands have been wounded in these shootings. We have seen shootings at movie theaters, concerts, bars, churches and worse schools. Yet nothing is being done to prevent these killings.

As always, Republicans say “this is not the time to talk about legislation” concerning guns because we need to grieve the dead. Then they simply refuse to talk about it later because they apparently want more and more of us to be killed going about our daily lives.

The new Speaker said that it isn’t guns “it is the human heart”. NO!!! It is guns you clown! If we continue to make gun ownership the only “absolute” right in our nation, we will continue to see our neighbors and our children become victims of mass shootings. And, it is this lazy argument that is making this all possible.

Then we have the political violent speech from several Republican officials. Like “looters should be shot and killed on sight”, trump. Or, “anyone crossing the border carrying a backpack should be shot and killed”, DeSantis. Or, “we will place barbed wire below the surface of the Rio Grande river to stop immigrants trying to cross into our country”, Abbott. Of course this barbed wire is really a death trap intended to kill immigrants and it has already.

There is more and more violent rhetoric coming out of the mouths of Republican politicians. Is it any wonder that we are seeing more and more deaths because of this speech? Take that together with super lax gun laws, and the recipe for death increases. In Maine, you do not need a license to own or carry a gun so anyone can get one whenever they want.

Our nation faces an epidemic of gun violence. Allowing everyone to have a weapon is not the answer. We need reasonable gun laws to keep us safer and allow our children to grow up without fear of being shot by someone. The Speaker says that it is “the human heart” that is the cause. Well, there are “human hearts” in the rest of the developed world yet we are the number one leader is mass shootings. No one else even comes close.

Other developed nations allow people to own guns, but they have strict laws concerning the ownership of those guns. As a result, they don’t have the huge numbers of innocent people being killed by a mass shooter. So, it IS THE GUNS that is the real problem.

Did you know that there are more guns on the streets of America than there are people? How is that even possible considering many Americans don’t own a gun? When assault weapons were banned in the 1990s, mass shootings decreased for the ten years the law was in tact. Since Republicans repealed it, the number of mass killings have soared.

As you can see, there is a direct correlation between guns and mass killings. These numbers are confirmed by FBI statistics. We must ban assault weapons mainly because it is the right thing to do but also because they have no purpose but to kill people.

There is an old anti-war song called “Where Have All The Flowers Gone”. In today’s America it is clear where they have gone. They are being placed on the graves of the hundreds upon hundreds of dead innocents who were killed by mass shooters.

NOW is the time to act and do something about these guns. Remember, no one is saying the second amendment should be repealed. All we are asking for is reasonable laws to keep weapons out of the hands of people who shouldn’t have them in the first place. The vast majority, about 75 percent, want reasonable gun safety laws, including gun owners.

Republicans claim to be “pro-life” because of their opposition to abortion. You cannot be “pro-life” if you continue to allow mass killing and not doing something to stop it. Once again their lies are exposed for what they are. Mere political talking points without any meaning. All in the name of donations from gun manufacturers for their campaigns. Pathetic!

Opinion: Political Violence Will End When Republicans Love Their Children More Than They Hate American Democracy

There is one simple fact about our nation. Violence, and especially political violence is rising and rising. Yet, we have one party, the Republican party that not only does not care about the violence, but in many cases are actually encouraging it.

I have come to the conclusion that we will continue with this mayhem until Republicans learn to love their children more than they hate our nation and our democracy. At every turn, Republicans are stripping away personal freedoms from citizens in a “power move” they believe will give them control of the nation.

The rights they are stripping are not just about minorities. They are stripping away personal medical freedoms. They are stripping away personal choices. They are stripping away education freedoms. They are stripping away voting rights. And, this list continues to grow with each Republican controlled legislature session.

We keep hearing Republicans telling us that they “won’t get between you and your doctor”. Yet they have passed laws that do exactly that. Only they say they have the power to tell each American if an abortion is okay or not. Only they have the power to tell parents what medical treatment is okay for their children. Only they have the power to put doctors in prison for refusing to follow their draconian views.

When it comes to education, only they can tell a teacher what he or she can talk about in class. They have the power to rewrite history to make themselves “feel better” about their racism. Or, as one of the advocates said: “Are we indoctrinating children? Yes, we are putting doctrines favorable to us in front of them so they become more like us”.

Violence has increased dramatically. In the last 4 years, deaths of children by guns has increased by 40%. You read that correctly. In the last 4 years, deaths by guns of children has nearly doubled. Yet, Republicans say nothing and do nothing to protect children from this epidemic of gun violence.

When their leading candidate attacks judges, lawyers and even jurors with crude and violent rhetoric, they sit back and say nothing. When mass shootings take place, and there have been 400 between January and July, they only say “our thoughts and prayers”. When people are killed over political issues, they remain silent.

A store owner in California was murdered the other day. As it was reported, she owned a shop and proudly flew a rainbow flag at her shop. A man decided he didn’t like that so he tore it down. When she confronted him about it, he pulled out a gun and shot her to death.

This is not as uncommon as you think. And the reason it is not so uncommon is because of the vitriol hurled from Republicans against the LGBTQ community. Republicans are attempting to make LGBTQ something that is a second class “condition” and therefore members of the LGBTQ community should be held in contempt as second class citizens.

This violence just doesn’t stop. Armed thugs show up at libraries where there are “drag story reading” sessions. They show up at pride events. They show up anywhere LGBTQ people assemble to celebrate their lives and their love. Republicans applaud this outlandish behavior and tell us “well they brought it upon their perverted selves”.

What they truly refuse to acknowledge is the real fact that LGBTQ people, women, Asians, African-Americans, and immigrants are NOT all Democrats. They refuse to acknowledge that their constituents and their children are also part of these groups.

All transgender adults and children are not all Democrats. All gays and lesbians are not all Democrats. The children of these hating Republicans are part of these groups just as much as children of Democrats. Yet, they are willing to deny their own children the personal freedoms they claim for themselves.

Their children have been victims in schools shootings. Yet, they won’t do anything to protect their own children from gun violence. Thier children are being targeted by restrictive voter suppression laws in states, yet, they continue to pass more and more legislation to make it harder for their own children to vote.

For most of my 70 plus years of life, I have been told that Democrats are “trying to take away our freedoms”. But in all of that time, I have seen no laws passed by Democrats that actually take away any rights or tries to get between me and my doctor. That is the purview of the Republican Party of today.

It is actually sickening to anyone who actually looks at what is going on and realize that Republicans are actually attacking their own children with these fascist laws being passed in Republican states.

We can draw no other conclusions that Republicans hate America and American democracy more than they love their children. The American political arena is not longer a battle for real policies or ideas. It has been turned by Republicans into a battle for our very souls. Not just our nation’s soul, but our souls as well.

They claim to be “Christian” then pass laws that are extremely anti-Chrisian. They claim to love America then pass laws taking away the personal freedoms of its citizens. They cry about our “open borders” but won’t come to the table and work on reasonable immigration reform to stop what they are complaining about.

They always offer “thoughts and prayers” after every mass shooting, but won’t pass any laws to protect their own children from becoming a victim of the next mass shooting or school shooting.

Republicans are always looking for something or someone to blame for everything. They have offered us nothing to battle the real threat to our nation from within. They only praise the crazies who are committing political crimes like the J6 traitors.

When their leading candidate says “if you come for me we will come for you” there is dead silence from their party leaders. When he attacks judges. lawyers and private citizens who served on juries, you hear dead silence from their party leaders.

All of this proves that Republicans have one shiny object in their vision. That shiny object is a dictatorship where they rule over us and not govern for our betterment. If that means their own children must be punished along with those nasty Democrats, so be it.

I will say it again. This political landscape will only change when Republicans love their children more than they hate America and American Democracy. That alone is reason enough for them to be trounced in the next election all the way down the ballot.

I hate to keep saying it but The Shirts Keep Marching Along!

Did The State Of Florida Just Formally Endorse Slavery?

The State of Florida has become the state where civil rights go to die. This has been true for a number of years now. Florida has the biggest population of neo-Nazi and white supremacists in the nation. They have attacked public education and has tried to make the idea of slavery as something that was mostly good for the slaves.

Now, they have formally said so. The Florida Board of non-Education has approved a new set of academic standards for K-12 schools on African American studies. And, to say the least it is jaw dropping.

In their firm desire to whitewash American history, especially when it comes to slavery in our nation, they have gone way too far and in my opinion have openly endorsed the concept of slavery.

According to these new standards, the children of Florida are supposed to be taught that “slaves developed skills which, in some instances, could be applied for their personal benefit.” Personal benefit?

So, according to these new studies, it was okay to kidnap people from their homelands, ship them thousands of miles across the sea, sell them into slavery to do the work for their masters, and it was all okay because it turned out to be good for them because they “learned skills for their personal benefit”.

The standards guide says instruction will also include mention of “violence perpetrated against and by African Americans.” It adds that students will be taught to “identify” famous Black people, but it fails to make it necessary for students to learn about each of their contributions, challenges and stories overall.

In other words, students will be taught to identify people, but not what they encountered or did to gain the “famous” status. They just don’t matter in the big scheme of things, so why bother to teach anything about them.

Andrew Spar, president of the Florida Education Association said: “How can our students ever be equipped for the future if they don’t have a full, honest picture of where we’ve come from. Gov. DeSantis is pursuing a political agenda guaranteed to set good people against one another, and in the process he’s cheating our kids. They deserve the full truth of American history, the good and the bad.”

What is happening in Florida is a travesty and something I never thought I would see in our country. The Ayatollah and his politburo are actively trying to erase our history in favor of their white supremacy agenda. They are trying to make it sound as if “slavery wasn’t all that bad” so why teach about it?

You can believe what you want about all of this. But, no matter how you try to whitewash the language, these new standards, at least to me, is a full throated endorsement of slavery. It wasn’t all that bad according to these clowns. They learned something that benefited them. That is all bullshit. They only learned things to serve their masters better.

This situation proves that if you try to use the correct words, you can make everything look good and not evil. It isn’t just about slavery either. We have seen it in courtrooms around the country when a woman says she was raped and then is accused of “causing” her own rape because she was drinking alcohol or dressed “provocatively”.

We have seen it with those stupid “stand your ground” laws where someone can shoot an unarmed person and claim “I was standing my ground” and get away with murder.

It matters what people say. And, we must not look at the words but at the meaning of those words. In this case, the words obviously say that slavery was okay and “beneficial” to the slaves.

Is it any wonder that systemic racism has never died in our country? Just more reasons why these Republican clowns need to be voted out of office next year up and down the ballot.

We keep hearing about the fascist tendencies of trump and the Ayatollah. But, they are not the real danger. The real danger in becoming a fascist nation is if their politburos continue to hold power in Congress, State and local office. They are the ones who will allow a fascist to take power. That is why they all must go.

This new “standard” for African American studies in Florida proves just how far the Republicans will go to change our history and divide us even more in the cause of power for themselves.

The Culture Wars Are A Myth – It Is Really About Hate And Fear For Power

We just celebrated the July 4th holiday. On that weekend, there were several mass shootings all across America. We have also witnessed the indictment of a former president for mishandling and illegal possession of classified information. We are witnessing the banning of books because the far right doesn’t like the content. We are witnessing the attacks, both literally and politically, on the LGBTQ community.

I was born in 1950. I witnessed the civil rights movement and the passage of the Civil Rights Bill and the Voting Rights Bill. I saw Roe v. Wade make abortion legal in the nation. I actually took part in anti-Vietnam war protests. I saw the oil embargo of the 1970s and watched and stood in line at gas stations just to fill up my tank.

I saw changes that made our country better. We made changes that started us down the path of equal justice and equal rights for everyone. Things eventually started getting better. People actually began to start to look at others as people not some other form of life. It wasn’t perfect and it was just the beginning, but things were getting better. We were actually moving to a place where we could begin to think about being “a more perfect union”.

But, as will all things in life, this began to change. Instead of working together and making even more progress, some began to blame others for their own deficiencies. Instead of “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps” as the right tells us to, they were the one saying that those “others” were stealing everything from us.

This change began in the 1980s when the Republicans began to make statements like “welfare queen” part of their political lexicon. That moved from just going against blacks, to hating immigrants, hating LGBTQ community, hating Muslims and hating everyone who was not a “white Christian nationalist”.

That movement did not stop. It began to move forward in earnest. The hatred and bigotry that we were trying to push back into the sewers were being not only allowed to show their ugly heads, but they were encouraged to help Republicans win elections. Since then we have watched as so-called “religious” zealots began trying to force everyone to live according to their standards. And they made an unholy alliance with the hating supremacists in order to gain more power.

The gains in civil rights that were very slow to come started to be taken back at a fast clip. Voter rights were the first battle again. Photo ID was introduced to make it harder for people of color and the elderly and young people to vote. It actually became the new “poll tax” that was prevalent during the Jim Crow days.

The tide had temporarily, I hope, turned back to the times when supremacy of one particular race or religion ruled. The targets have multiplied over the years. We still have racism prevalent in our society. We also have prejudice and hatred towards homosexuals, transgenders, non-Christian religions and immigrants.

The right wing has taken up what they call the “culture wars”. They attack everything they call “woke” but cannot tell us just exactly what “woke” means. That is because these culture wars have nothing to do with “culture”. These culture wars are based on fear, hate and a desire to “rule” over everyone who is not in alignment with particular views.

The Republicans believe this is the winning formula for them to take control of our government. They believe that hating each other is their ticket to power and control. They rail against everything that will help the average American. They rail against “indoctrination” all the while they are the ones trying to indoctrinate us through their whitewashing of history and banning medical treatments for LGBTQ people and banning free speech just because they don’t like the content.

They are continuously telling us that places like Chicago or New York are brutal crime areas. But, eight of the top ten murder states in the country are all Republican controlled states. They tell us that the “lazy non-whites” are making us pay for their living styles or “subsidizing” them. But, seven out of the top ten “subsidized” states are all Republican controlled states. The fact is their policies about guns and taxes and Medicare and other economic polices have all failed and the citizens of their states are suffering more than other parts of the country.

It is red states that lead in infant mortality mostly because they refuse to expand Medicaid and prenatal care. They also make it more difficult to get food stamps and other social safety net programs. Yet they claim to be the “pro life” part of America. If you are really pro life, how can you allow all of these children to die simply because you think they cost too much to help? Give me a break.

Except, the Republicans don’t want us to focus on these failures of their policies. Instead they want us to focus on hating others. They want us to focus on fear of others. They want you to believe that the LGBTQ community are “indoctrinating” you children to become homosexuals. That is total bullshit and everyone with a working brain knows it. Homosexuality is NOT A CHOICE. It is what you are. No one wakes up one morning and says “you know today I will become homosexual”.

These religious freaks tell me that homosexuality is a “choice” and that “god doesn’t make mistakes”. Then explain to me a platypus. That is either a mistake or something intended to be as it is. If it is intended, then what makes you believe that your god didn’t intend for people to be homosexual? Or, are you telling me that you are now “god” and know his mind?

Religion, supremacy and greed are the three main ingredients to cause this much hate and fear. Instead of trying to push a certain religious belief or supremacy belief or “everything for me” belief, we just might be much better off if we started acting more in a humane way towards each other.

These hypocrites who shout form the rafters about their “religious beliefs” don’t have any religious beliefs unless you consider bigotry and hate a religious belief. Growing up we were taught the so-called Golden Rule to “treat everyone as you want them to treat you”. What happened to that? When did that become “treat everyone the way you want even if it means hating them for no good reason and the hell with them”?

We face a lot of problems and issues in our country. But, the number one cause of our issues and problems is simply that too many have taken up the call of hate and fear as their political agenda. Instead of working to the betterment of all, they are only interested in what is in it for them and what will bring them power.

Sixty years ago we started making strides to become that “more perfect union”. In the last few decades, we have started moving backwards to the days of hate, fear and greed. We have seen the renewal of all of the hate and fear that held us back as a nation for generations. And, unfortunately, we have seen a major political party take hold of that fear and hate and make it their only platform to get elected.

If we allow our nation to become one filled with hate and fear, we will lose our democracy and our way of life. We will lose those freedoms enshrined in our Constitution and will simply become another tin-horn dictatorship where only the few have rights and freedoms.

Hate and fear are not political policies. And, when they are used as political policies they become the “poster child” of true evil. Regardless of your religious beliefs, there is evil in the world. That evil comes from hate and fear. When hate and fear seeps into our lives, we become tools of that evil.

The idea of “Culture Wars” is a myth made up by the right wing and Republican party to sow the hate and fear they so much want us to follow. They don’t want us to “live free”. They want to control our lives. That is what hate and fear do.

Opinion – Supreme Court Is Taking Is Back To “Jim Crow” America

Tomorrow is July 4th. It is known as Independence Day and we celebrate our independence from Britain. It is also supposed to be the day we celebrate our liberties and our freedoms. Yet, somehow, we don’t seem to actually have liberties or freedoms.

Too many people in our country are in what is commonly known as “marginalized” groups. Those include African-Americans, women, Latinos, Native Americans, LGBTQ and many, many more. The Supreme Court just came down with rulings that in effect take us back to the days of Jim Crow laws before the passage of the Civil Rights bill.

The first was the ruling that race cannot be used to determine eligibility for admission to colleges. The court ruled that we are “a color blind nation”. I wish that were true, but anyone who lives in the universe of reality knows that is not true and will now be pushed backed even further with this ruling.

On the other hand, did you know there is something called “legacy admission”? That is a system where if your father or mother attended one of these universities you are almost guaranteed a spot if you choose to attend that university as well. Unlike affirmative action, the recipient of this “legacy admission” does not even need to meet all of the requirements to gain admission.

Under affirmative action, the student must meet all of the requirements to attend the university just like everyone else. So the idea that affirmative action “gave people access they didn’t earn” is total bullshit. However, in “legacy admission” the student does not need to meet all of the criteria to gain entrance. For example, if the school requires a 3.0 grade point average to get in, a legacy admission can get in with something like a 2.0 grade point average. So, who is really not qualified to be at the school?

The next was the ruling overturning the student loan forgiveness program President Biden implemented. Under this program, anyone making $125,000 or less per year is salary would have been able to get $10,000 student loans forgiven. If the student was also eligible for other low income programs, they could get up to $20,000 in loan forgiveness.

Republicans howled and screamed and pulled their hair out. They claimed that this was a “give a way to the wealthy”. They all screamed that “if you take out a loan, you are required to repay it all back no matter what”. But, of course, that doesn’t include them.

During the pandemic, in order to help struggling companies keep their workforce, they were given PPP loans. Under the provisions of this law, companies got money to help keep workers on the payroll and under certain circumstances, those loans could be forgiven. But, just because they could have been forgiven, there was nothing that said you couldn’t pay it back just like Republicans claim “everyone who takes out a loan is required to pay it back”.

Hmmmm! A few examples. Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) took out PPP loans. He was “forgiven” $1.4 million in debt. Meaning he didn’t have to pay back the loan he took out. It should also be noted he was totally against the student loan forgiveness program and represents 489,000 people who would have been given the same “loan forgiveness” he so eagerly took for himself.

In addition to him, we have Rep. Brett Guthrie (R-KY). He was granted $4.4 million in loan forgiveness under the PPP law. He too argued against the student forgiveness plan. He represents 90,000 people who could have benefitted from this program but now cannot.

Finally we have the infamous loud mouth and ignoramus Rep. Marjorie Taylor Grees (R-GA). She also screamed about how bad this program was and how “everyone is required to repay their loans”. She was granted loan forgiveness of over $180,000. She represents 91,800 people who would have benefitted from this program.

As you can see, the idea that “everyone must repay their loan debts” only applies to those who need help in that matter. The rich can get their loans forgiven even if they can afford to pay them back. And, if those loans are given to members of the Republican Party, they are absolutely right in taking that forgiveness and “not pay back the loan”.

Finally, those three members of Congress who fought against student forgiveness received more money and forgiveness than the total of all of those they represent who would have been eligible for their own forgiveness. How fair is that?

Then we have the case of the web designer. Now, remember, when nominees to the Supreme Court are questioned before the Senate Judiciary and are given questions about “hypothetical” cases, they all claim they cannot say how they would rule because the case is not real.

In this case, the court ruled that a web designer could deny service to same-sex couples in Colorado 0n the grounds of her First Amendment rights. Those first amendment rights are based on religion. She doesn’t like LGBTQ people, and uses her “religious rights” to deny service to the public based on those beliefs.

But, there is a twist in this story. It has come out that the case did NOT even exist. She never designed a web site for any marriages and the man she claims wanted her to design a same-sex marriage site did not even call her. And, to make matters worse, he has been married, happily according to him, to a woman for 15 years. The court actually heard and ruled on a hypothetical case. You know, what they cannot say they would do when questioned during their confirmation hearings.

The ramifications of this ruling is not just about same-sex marriages. By declaring that someone making money with a company can deny services simply because they don’t like the people asking for those services is bogus. If you open your business to the public, the law says you cannot discriminate against anyone just because. This ruling overturns those laws.

Additionally, since conservatives are always crying about being able to discriminate on “religious beliefs” this will not end with just same-sex couples. It will creep back into all aspects of life. With this ruling, the court has opened the door back to the bad ole days of Jim Crow laws and segregation. This time it won’t be just people of color, it will just about everyone else.

In a comeback against this ruling and showing just how ridiculous it is, Michael Imperioli in a tweet said this: “I’ve decided to forbid bigots and homophobes from watching ‘The Sopranos,’ ‘The White Lotus,’ ‘Goodfellas,’ or any movie or TV show I’ve been in. Thank you Supreme Court for allowing me to discriminate and exclude those who I don’t agree with and am opposed to,” he continued, wryly. “USA! USA!”

Tomorrow is Independence Day in America. However, with the rise of the new neo-fascist ideology, we are not really celebrating “liberty and justice for all”. We are heading backwards to when it was perfectly legal to discriminate against other citizens who are different. And, this Supreme Court with its radical conservative agenda is helping make that a sad reality once again.

As a 20 year veteran, I find this march backwards both troubling and disturbing. We wore the uniform to protect our liberties and freedoms, but we were protecting those liberties and freedoms for everyone. Not just the select few.

I have always been an optimist. I have not only believed the glass was half full, I believed the pitcher was over it ready to fill it back up. But, this fascist tendency that has been embraced by the Republican Party has put even my optimism in doubt. I fear there are dark clouds on the horizon and we need to stop them now before it is too late.

We need to vote Republicans who embrace this ideology out of office in droves from national level right down to the local level. If not, we are certainly going to “enjoy the bad ole days” when “good ole boys” could openly hate and attack anyone different.

It appears that today’s Republicans and conservatives have embraced the scream of George Wallace the governor of Alabama when he stood on the steps of the capitol of Alabama in the 1960s and shouted “segregation today, segregation tomorrow, segregation forever”.

Sorry, that is not what I served to protect. I served to eliminate that ideology and make our country free for everyone with full and equal rights. Too bad Republicans no longer believe that to be the real America. They prefer the fascist style where they dictated who is a “real citizen” and who is a “second class citizen”. If that is what we are to become, then shame on us for letting it happen.

I would love to wish everyone a happy 4th of July holiday. But…..

Juneteenth – We Must Ask Ourselves – Are We Really A Nation Of The Free?

Yesterday we celebrated Juneteenth. This is the day, June 19, 1865 when the last of the slaves in the deep south heard about their freedom from slavery. On that day, Major General Gordon Granger announced the end of slavery in Galveston, TX. This announcement was the first time the slaves in deep Texas heard they had been freed.

Ever since, this day became known as Juneteenth and celebrated by African Americans as the day they truly became free. It took until this century before the nation began to celebrate it and it became a Federal Holiday.

There is still a problem though. The idea that slavery ended on that day did not stop the racism and hatred that led to the institution in our nation in the first place. Rather, it went more underground and found something new to make sure these freed slaves did not enjoy the freedoms they were supposed to receive under the Constitution.

In the years following the Civil War, the movement, almost exclusively in the south, was the concept of “separate but equal”. Laws that became known as Jim Crow were passed in southern states to ensure that African Americans did not have the right to vote or to equal protection under the law or enjoy the same freedoms that white people enjoyed.

This segregation policy lasted for decades and did not end until the Civil Rights bill was passed in Congress. We thought, mistakenly, that this would lead to end of discrimination and that finally we would be the nation promised to us in our Constitution. But, unfortunately we were wrong.

Racism and hatred has continued to attempt to rule over our people. The idea of racism being just about the color of one’s skin has morphed into more meanings over the years. Systemic racism is still something that is suffered by African Americans across the nation. Just last week, the DOJ after two years of investigations announced that the Minneapolis Police Department practiced racism in their enforcement practices. Not something we thought we would still be hearing today.

But in reality, we should know that this racism and hatred still exists and will continue to exist because we overlook the obvious culprit that drives racism and hatred. That culprit, at least in my mind, is religion. And, yesterday in one tweet, the right wing showed that to be true.

Josh Hawley, the ignorant and faux “man” Senator from Missouri put it all out there for all to see. He tried to claim he was celebrating Juneteenth with his tweet, but it was more a celebration of slavery than a condemnation. He tweeted this: “Today is a good day to remember: Christianity is the faith and America is the place slavery came to die”. That sounds innocuous. But it isn’t because it is a total lie and a whitewashing of our nation’s history.

First of all, America is not “where slavery” came to die. As a matter of fact, every western nation outlawed slavery decades before the U.S. did. And it took a Civil War which cost thousands of lives to end slavery in our nation. That is not opinion, that is pure fact told in our own history lessons, which is why the right wants to change our history.

Secondly, it was “Christianity” that was used by our nation and other European nations to justify slavery in the first place. It was “Christianity” that justified the Jim Crow laws that maintained a separate society, especially in the south. This so-called “praise” of Christianity as being the reason slavery was abolished is totally false.

The real thing to look at here is that this is just another attempt by a politician to help defend the past history of slavery and the continued racism and hatred that these so-called “Christians” have for everyone else on the planet. It is simply another attempt to justify the unjust laws being passed in states like Missouri where Hawley calls home.

As I mention before, discrimination has taken on many different labels. We also see this hatred and this justification from Christianity to “purge” other groups of people just because they are different.

Just last week there were protests because the LA Dodgers hosted the “Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence”. This is a group who dress up as nuns and they do lots and lots of charity work in the community. The protesters were claiming they were “insulting” the Catholic faith. But, the same people making this claim have “insulted” many groups they don’t like. They insulted Muslims, Hindu, Jews, Women, LGBTQ, Immigrants and loads of other people.

These are the same people who support voter suppression laws, anti-LGBTQ legislation, book banning, whitewashing history, and much more. We are supposed to allow them their hate without saying anything about it. The bullshit coming out of the right wing’s mouths is extreme. One city in Michigan banned the Rainbow Flag from being flown on any “government owned flag pole”. The excuse they gave was to “defend individual religious rights”.

What a bunch of shit! The idea of flying a flag to celebrate people and their lives and their achievements has nothing to do with “religious beliefs”. That flag has no “religious beliefs” attached to it. It celebrates the LGBTQ community as PEOPLE who live and love and contribute a great deal to our nation. It became a “religious” problem when the so-called Christians started complaining and calling the LGBTQ community “perverts” based solely on their religious beliefs. And, those are the same stupid and racist and hate-filled reasons they used to enforce slavery and Jim Crow laws. In other words, it is total bullshit, especially in a nation that is supposed to be secular with a separation between church and state.

I have written over and over that the number cause of racism and hatred towards others is religion. Every major religion is based on the principle that “my god can beat up y0ur god” and that makes “us” better than you. You can go to any of the so-called “holy texts” and pick out several passages that justifies your hate and your racism. That is because, like everything else, religion is based on a “pick and choose” system. You can believe anything as long as there is one sentence in your holy book that justifies it, and there are plenty to find if you are willing to ignore the rest of the book.

I am hoping that one day, our children and our grandchildren can live in a country that is really free. That they will live in a country where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Where equal justice really does exist and you are not punished for your race, religion, sexuality or sex.

I also know that as long as people continue to listen to these phony Christians and fake “freedom lovers” we will not see that equal nation for a long time. African Americans have suffered from racism since 1619 when the first slaves were sold in our country. 600 years later, they are still suffering from systemic racism based on religion and hatred fed by that religion.

But since hatred is forever busy, there are now new groups facing the same type of discrimination. Don’t you think maybe it is time to be “human” towards each other and show love instead of hate? After all, we are all part of the same race, the human race. And, if you truly are religious and believe we are all “children of God”, how can you hate your brothers and sisters so much?

In one of the Robin Hood movies, a little girl asks the Moor “why did god paint you black”? The Moor replied “because god loves wonderous variety”. If that is true, then why shouldn’t everyone love that wonderous variety? Don’t tell me you are “religious” and “love god” if you then use words from a religious book to justify your hate. It just proves you are a phony, just like Josh Hawley.