Hakeem Jeffries, take a bow. You win the award for the best and briefest description of Republicans in Congress: “they major in demagoguery and minor in disinformation.” And he signaled an aggressive approach to calm them out.
Indeed. And his general eloquence is amazing. Looks like we will be in good hands. I also love the fact that the three new leaders (if elected) are a "team". Jeffries makes me proud.
IMO, the House Democrats are an "embarrassment of riches". So many fine people to chose from. I am a dyed in the wool Democrat, but trying to look at it apolitically, there is a gulf between the quality of our Democratic leaders and the Republican leaders. McCarthy versus Pelosi is exhibit "A". Comer, Jordan, the list goes on.
Update from Allen Hingston who is in Germany -- on his way back to Canada:
“We have been crate training Lucky so he can fly Cargo. For three days we tried patience, toys and treats. He would go about 3/4 in then grab whatever and back out. Today we used what has always worked on Lucky. Make him do it once or twice. So he went part way in. I pushed him the rest of the way and shut the door, gave him a treat. No fuss at all. And let him out shortly after.
About half an hour ago, he stole a pillow from the bed. Tanya gave him a scolding, opened the door to the crate and in he went on his own. She shut the door and he is still in there. Quiet if not content.
He likes the crate and goes in on his own. It is his safe place.
We left him alone for a couple hours and he was content but very happy to see us.”
Please don’t use the crate as a punishment place. It will confuse him. We have a German Shepherd and a Standard Poodle. They love their crates. The poodle gets in hers if there’s a thunderstorm, the shepherd happily naps in his with the door open.
If you give Lucky any treats during the day, consider tossing them in the crate and leaving the door open. Dogs were cave dwellers, so the crate seems like a safe spot to most of them.
Tom Our 12-year-old dachshund recently had an emergency back operation. Though he is recovering well, his activities must be extremely restricted until his back heals. Bruno enjoys his crate and the blanket inside. We all are awaiting friskier days.
My comment about a crate for Boebert relates to a wild animal, not a much-beloved pet.
So sorry. I was actually responding to someone else who was new to using a crate and mentioned that his dog was currently in his crate as punishment for stealing a pillow. I didn't mean to chide so much as add my own experience/perspective. Sometimes Substack makes the statement -- response thing a bit unclear.
Does Allen have a big enough crate for Boebert’s return trip to Washington? It would require a large holster for her gun collection and a self-feeding/watering gizmo, since airline attendants are not vaccinated against such rabid animals.
Three cheers for Lucky. Allen must be so relieved. Traveling is tough enough without worrying about the canine member of the family. And they are "family" aren't they? Our Sophie won't go to her bed at night until she sees us both tucked in...
Both of ours dogs insist on sleeping in our room, one on his bed (sometimes he puts himself to bed at dark) and the other, an aging Aussie, on the floor next to,her daddy’s side, With her head under the bed. ?
Thank you, Rowshan, for this welcome update. I'm so happy that Allen, his wife, and Lucky are safe and on their way to a "safe place." Lucky isn't alone in needing one. If only all of Ukraine had one, so that they could begin the herculean task of rebuilding their country.
My neighbors' labs always have several stuffed teddy bears they love. They take them into their crates at night or nap with them on their large pillows in daytime. One likes to, eventually, tear them apart while the other keeps them intact. I gave a different friend's old blind and deaf dog a teddy puppy and she takes it everywhere. It really helped her with her anxiety and separation issues.
My daughter’s dog, Harley, has many toys, but there is one squeaky stuffed ball that is her favorite. She too finds it when she’s stressed. Just like small children, who have a blanket or favorite stuffed toy.
Democrats should consider the continuing presence of Republicans like Boebert and Greene in the House as ever-present reminders of what Jeffries points out, the Republican agenda of demagoguery and disinformation, in the absense of anything even barely constructive.
I think it's a good thing that if the GOP has a majority, it's a majority filled with egotistical maniacs who will be doing everything but governing. This will allow the Democrats to remind voters to compare what the GOP House isn't doing for their constituents, they're doing it to get top billing on the next Fox News show.
Democrats need to spend as much time as they can in their districts talking to constituents about all the missed opportunities to improve their lives and how Republicans who ran. on inflation, crime and immigration are doing nothing about any of them other than just talk. "Show me the legislation" could be a good buzz phrase for Democrats.
They are in some places, Fetterman in PA, just about all the Democrats in Michigan, and Perez in SW Washington. They are bringing the normal back and meeting people at the kitchen table.
I voted for Fetterman, not for his communicative capabilities, but rather because he is a no BS kind of guy and I expect him to really call out Rs in the Senate every time Mitch’s team prods the Ds efforts without coming forth with alternative solutions. Obstructionism for the sake of obstructionism won’t fly on his watch.
I love Katherine Clark. The first time I met her was when I went up to New Hampshire to canvass for Hillary. The had on a plain sweater and jeans, and no makeup. She’s the real deal.
When it comes to my thoughts about the future of Kyle Rittenhouse, I have to say "If my thought dreams could be seen/They'd probably put my head in a guillotine."
Kyle Rittenhouse! that news item has sunk me into a deep hole again. These people are all frighteningly alike. It's as if invisible spores had been planted inside the Capitol on 6 January.
Frighteningly alike, at least when it comes to talking points, is what you expect from a cult. Cults demand conformity. Free and open societies thrive on solidarity. The Heaven's Gate cult committed mass suicide reportedly to join the putative "spaceship" hidden in the tail of the comet Hale-Bopp. Clearly cult mental malware was in command. A cult does not have to be violent, but it is very likely to be delusional. When delusions motivate violence toward others, it is the most dangerous form of humanity on earth.
Can someone differentiate for me why Christianity (or Islam or Judaism) is not a cult? Is it because millions of delusional ppl believe it instead of hundreds make it legit? Why is it a "religion," whereas the ancient Greeks who believed the same a "mythology?"
To me, if you believe in a sky wizard who meddles in the affairs of mortals and even impregnates mortal women to make demi-sky wizards, that is at least a gateway cult.
There are many who follow these faith traditions that do not believe in the literal stories but use them as reminders of the higher values that Jesus, Mohammed and Moses taught. They then, often in community, can live these values more fully.
For those who have difficulty doing this, the Unitarian Universalists have provided a fine option.
Unfortunately, concrete thinkers miss the point entirely.
To me spirituality is what should be important no matter what form that takes. For some it might be a formal religion; for others, something else. I prefer the thought of a universal energy. All members of formal religions are not the same either and as in all human endeavors, they can be used for good or ill. The most grounded person socially aware person I know is a devout Christian. Just being around her is calming. I am a reiki practitioner and I find that helps me feel better literally. I also admire the Dalai Lama and I have a hard time seeing him negatively. I had a go around with an atheist on Facebook recently where he insisted in calling all religious people stupid and to make matter worse, negatively addressed someone who had had a near death experience which was very meaningful to him. To me this is not being a thoughtful compassionate person no matter what he believes or does not. In my book, there are good people and bad people and often their belief system (and that includes atheism) tilts them one way or the other.
Most of the hateful “Christians” who spout scripture, rarely quote from Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. They always quote from Paul’s writings proselytizing to his flock not to sway from his interpretation. So they are actually Paulists (Like the Puritans) and not actually Christians. I had an uncle in MS, who was deacon in his Southern Baptist church and was also in the KKK. What would Jesus say?
Religion is a socially sanctioned delusion. The only difference I can see between a cult and a religion is the size and longevity of the group. Everyone who believes in the present day sky parents are also atheists, since they too don't believe in previous gods. The very sad thing is that when a person accepts a religion they give up their right to think. Another sad fact is that the same characteristics that make people susceptible to todays' MAGA nutty ideas, are the same ones that make them susceptible to religious beliefs. Most people who are religious are absolutist thinkers, which is usually the way children think. It's a sign of maturity when a person can appreciate all the grays between.
Been saying this for years, Never understood why seemingly smart valuable members of society buy into this stuff. Have wondered if it is the tradition? I have friends that follow traditions they don't enjoy following bc it is a family 'tradition'.
I’ve thought it odd that folks can’t comprehend not “being here” any longer, when they didn’t consider that they weren’t here “before” (reincarnation beliefs notwithstanding). As I have long said, the only reason I’d want to live forever is to see how it all turns out. I think, ultimately, I believe in what Joni wrote & CSN&Y sang: “we are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon”. Yeah, we just get recycled & to me that’s “the Force”…however it might work. OK by me!
Celebrating KR in the wake of the UVA murders, where my granddaughter and the entire college community remain traumatized over witnessing the deaths of their friends. There lies the dark heart of America's gun epidemic. Did you know Congress has a Task on Gun Violence Prevention, sizable group with no Republican members that I can see. https://www.billtrack50.com/committee/8844 I have written to them and continue to contact all in a position to enact laws, training, procedures that protect America's students from being murdered in school.
Foreigner speaking: this is a very evenly balanced Congress - you are all represented. So, are Americans writing to their representatives - not as Republicans or Democrats, but as their lawmakers? As you say, that's what they're there for.
Ignore it (kyle). Landfill material. Apply the "Silence Treatment".., Silence, being the watchword regarding their words or announcements. But keep an eye on things in that camp.
Mine would be right there. I still have a pic of his parents in my head. Armed to the teeth and being good parents by indoctrinating their son into their insanity. He has made them proud by being as vile and horrible.
My thoughts mirror yours TC. As a Wisconsinite I cringe at the mere thought of that little shit and his fake crying who got away with murder. Dear god the thought of him in congress makes me laugh or vomit depending on my mood!
The off-the-rails sorts may be a minority, but virtually the whole contemporary Republican Party colludes with them. For example:
"Whereas, Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger are participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse, and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes, therefore, be it resolved, That the Republican National Committee hereby formally censures Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and shall immediately cease any and all support of them as members of the Republican Party for their behavior which has been destructive to the institution of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican Party and our republic, and is inconsistent with the position of the Conference," - The RNC., NOT the Onion
The only true part of the RNC's statement here is that Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger's "behavior...is inconsistent with the position of the Conference." And the rest of us are immensely thankful that it has been.
Beautiful, "off the rails". So nicely regurgitated. They, the RNC, need to be not taken issue with. Relegated, to the Silence treatment. Treat them like the proverbial fart in a windstorm, a windstorm of their own making. Don't enter.., It'll drive them nuts. Their own kids questions are driving them nuts. But, every damn one of them needs to be taken to task. Like Jordan, like Walker, like Gaetz, like Cruz, like 'the donald'!!! Etc. We need to look at these clowns quietly. Wasn't a leader in the RNC identified as an "agent" of the Russian Gov't? Obviously, there's a fungus amongst us.
And really depress us, we know because we have cult family and friends, pray for the youth to look to the future. Us oldsters have taken our eyes off the prize if seems. Well, some of us.
Patricia, they are “public servants” emphasis on both words. We pay their salaries. We should know where our money is being spent for such incredible stupidity and harm.
They are our employees. We are "private citizens". That all gets complicated, but like hiring a lawyer, or a doctor, or someone to build our house, we need to keep an eye on what they plan for us. If it is really to be government of the people, by the people, for the people.
Yes, but what happens if we don’t remember the real ratios of crazy to sane, we can fall into despair. That is why we must keep the ratio in mind when they spout such drivel. Rite house is simply another spoiled, privileged kid enabled by his so-called parents.
Evelyn: Until we have a legal system to do that, it is much more important for us to keep in our heads what the real numbers are in relation to our numbers. It’s one way of keeping our balance under circumstances such a Boebert et alia.
You could begin with looking at the statistics of this last election. Total votes; demographics of voters; voter affiliation. That is the positive side. Then there is the Republican held House. The R House speaker was challenged by only 35 Crazy Caucus members out of 218 Republicans (I think — it’s late feel free to connect my numbers. Also, look at the votes that protected states from having election deniers as Sec. Of State. They make a lot of noise, they can still do stupid things, but they are not as powerful as they would have you believe. This battle was never going to win the war, that will take a generation at least. We have to focus on incremental changes and keep doing what got us these last mid-term results. That is what I mean by knowing “real” numbers. 70% of U of Arizona students voted for Democrats — Not as Democrats necessarily, but as believers in Democracy. That is another real, and promising number.
Yes, I’m onboard and am as happy as one can be with the results of the midterms. Yet, we have much to do. I hope people will stick with the fight. It can make one weary. I don’t think I’ll see the “win” before I am ashes though and that makes it sad for me. I couldn’t vote until after 1971 but I marched and protested for the causes I believed in. Once we got through the mid 60s/early 70s it seemed we were headed in a better direction. Headed, but not there.
I did not ever expect to witness such a backsliding of our Democracy. That it could happen in the US was not in my thoughts. Maybe I took it for granted that any movement would always be in a forward direction.
Ha, regarding your question Evelyn. I'd offer this as part of the reason.., Talk radio, and the repeaters. Meaning the ones who believe the (phoney facts), the garbage. They repeat the garbage to their 'buds' etc who, given the friendly source, believe it or some embellished version of it. They then, proceed to repeated the embellished garbage to their friends. And so it goes...friend to friend... adding of course some demeaning comment about our President. The twisted narrative is impossible for the crazies to dispute due to the way they are wired. The only way I see to beat these "evil people" is to take a higher road which employs a carefully engineered psychological approach. From what I am reading, the Democratic Party, and our current administration is catching on.
It never worked as well as during the 2016 election, when Cambridge Analytica held Facebook’s data secret sauce. It was new to social media users, and it made connections to social media that have never been repeated.
It is time that discerning thinkers look more critically at sources of misinformation and disinformation. It is also time for MSM to cover sources with the background research readers deserve.
His statement is arrogant although I am sure he will find a very red district. I am tired of people using the Second Amendment to defend murder. Oregon passed a strict gun measure and of course, gun sales are way up. Plus we have several sheriffs announcing that they will not enforce it. The Marion County sheriff gave some ambiguous statement. They are all for law and order until it has to do with guns. I have decided that LE really likes to go up against well armed citizens. It will also go to court and i am sure when it reaches the Supremes, they will negate it. And with every shooting, people wail about what can be done. Bottom line: owning guns meant for the battlefield and large capacity ammo holders is more important than anyone's life. And owning any gun even if the person should not is also more important than anyone's life.
Just a niche comment here about the “2019 fire that shut down a refinery in Pennsylvania.”
I live about 3 miles from the now shuttered Sunoco/Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery. It was actually an explosion that released hydrofluoric acid, and if I recall the correct number, had the potential to kill hundreds of thousands of people, and harm up to a million.
Thanks to economic headwinds, this debacle, and hard work by environmental justice grass roots groups - this awful sh*thole is being redeveloped into something less harmful. Of course it’s situated in a minority/poor neighborhood. I would pay $50 a gallon if it meant we could keep this place closed, and keep transitioning away from cheap oil.
This was my Google review 4 years ago of the refinery:
“A terrible company, polluting the city, contributing over 70% of toxic air emissions, and increasing cancer, asthma, and heart disease rates. Sucking tax payer dollars to stay open while poisoning a city. Needs to be shut down.
From State Impact PA:
"In an EPA screening-level model, which analyzes factors that contribute to human health risk including the amount of chemicals released, the degree of toxicity, and the size of the exposed population — the PES refinery has a score almost 10,000 times higher than the petrochemical industry median."
Anyway, great article as usual. I couldn’t help myself with this tangent. Just maybe correct the “fire” to “the potentially catastrophic explosion which almost released a cloud of hydroflouric acid that would have harmed or killed hundreds of thousands, on top of the thousands of deaths the refinery’s pollution has contributed to over the years, and most importantly - could have increased national gas prices by 5 cents.”
Many thanks for this post. I had no idea this plant even existed much less its environmental impact.
I just read the article at the link. WOW.
I guess many, many people had some good luck the evening of the explosion.
And, yes, South Philly, the heart of the Black community. So, honestly, nobody would care except immediate relatives, the local hospitals and the people burned.
Your post is why I read these comments. Very informative and thank you.
and yes, we need to push gas prices into the stratosphere. We are killing our planet, we all know it, and, we are just not "looking up".
Awesome comment back, thank you for your interest in local Philly stuff, and going so far as to follow that link! All politics are local, and local environmental problems can affect global. Your comment is another reason I comment and read these comments, too! How meta, sorry...
I joined some demonstrations and really tried to help the neighborhood groups standing up to this epic polluter, so it was a thrill to see it close in a David vs Goliath moment. The explosion might have been an errant stone, but it hit the mark and helped topple this monster.
Unfortunately, we will soon have House leaders dedicated to thwarting any initiatives coming from the current administration or House and Senate Democrats. This, tragically, includes anything related to the environment/climate change.
I agree with Representative Jeffries when he said:
“the opposing party appears to have no plan to accomplish anything meaningful. If the Republican Conference continues to major in demagoguery and minor in disinformation, their bankruptcy of ideas must be aggressively exposed on an ongoing basis.”
Obstruction is not governing. Real problems will not be addressed. This needs to be exposed ad nauseum. Thanks for your post!
IIRC, four refineries were shut down in the US in 2020. Don't recall it being a point of argument for why this happened in Trump's last year in office, or its impact on gas price inflation. Seemed pertinent.
I grew up in Texas City amongst Monsanto, where my dad worked, Amoco, Union Carbide and others. The odors emanating were most unpleasant to say the least. Reading Ryan McCormick's linked article gives me the willies.
Hakeem Jeffries, take a bow. You win the award for the best and briefest description of Republicans in Congress: “they major in demagoguery and minor in disinformation.” And he signaled an aggressive approach to calm them out.
*call them out. In other words, show that they lie endlessly.
Indeed. And his general eloquence is amazing. Looks like we will be in good hands. I also love the fact that the three new leaders (if elected) are a "team". Jeffries makes me proud.
IMO, the House Democrats are an "embarrassment of riches". So many fine people to chose from. I am a dyed in the wool Democrat, but trying to look at it apolitically, there is a gulf between the quality of our Democratic leaders and the Republican leaders. McCarthy versus Pelosi is exhibit "A". Comer, Jordan, the list goes on.
To paraphrase an old Ann Coulter book title, If Republicans were any good, they'd be Democrats.
Agreed, 100%! They major in crude agitation/manipulation and minor in 🤥! Perfection!
Update from Allen Hingston who is in Germany -- on his way back to Canada:
“We have been crate training Lucky so he can fly Cargo. For three days we tried patience, toys and treats. He would go about 3/4 in then grab whatever and back out. Today we used what has always worked on Lucky. Make him do it once or twice. So he went part way in. I pushed him the rest of the way and shut the door, gave him a treat. No fuss at all. And let him out shortly after.
About half an hour ago, he stole a pillow from the bed. Tanya gave him a scolding, opened the door to the crate and in he went on his own. She shut the door and he is still in there. Quiet if not content.
He likes the crate and goes in on his own. It is his safe place.
We left him alone for a couple hours and he was content but very happy to see us.”
Poor baby needs a safe place, as do we all.
Please don’t use the crate as a punishment place. It will confuse him. We have a German Shepherd and a Standard Poodle. They love their crates. The poodle gets in hers if there’s a thunderstorm, the shepherd happily naps in his with the door open.
If you give Lucky any treats during the day, consider tossing them in the crate and leaving the door open. Dogs were cave dwellers, so the crate seems like a safe spot to most of them.
Been training dogs for 20+ years.
Tom Our 12-year-old dachshund recently had an emergency back operation. Though he is recovering well, his activities must be extremely restricted until his back heals. Bruno enjoys his crate and the blanket inside. We all are awaiting friskier days.
My comment about a crate for Boebert relates to a wild animal, not a much-beloved pet.
HA! Let me provide the lock and key for lil’ Miss BoPeep!
So sorry. I was actually responding to someone else who was new to using a crate and mentioned that his dog was currently in his crate as punishment for stealing a pillow. I didn't mean to chide so much as add my own experience/perspective. Sometimes Substack makes the statement -- response thing a bit unclear.
Does Allen have a big enough crate for Boebert’s return trip to Washington? It would require a large holster for her gun collection and a self-feeding/watering gizmo, since airline attendants are not vaccinated against such rabid animals.
Love the visual, Keith!
😁😁😁
Three cheers for Lucky. Allen must be so relieved. Traveling is tough enough without worrying about the canine member of the family. And they are "family" aren't they? Our Sophie won't go to her bed at night until she sees us both tucked in...
Both of ours dogs insist on sleeping in our room, one on his bed (sometimes he puts himself to bed at dark) and the other, an aging Aussie, on the floor next to,her daddy’s side, With her head under the bed. ?
Thank you, Rowshan, for this welcome update. I'm so happy that Allen, his wife, and Lucky are safe and on their way to a "safe place." Lucky isn't alone in needing one. If only all of Ukraine had one, so that they could begin the herculean task of rebuilding their country.
Thanks again Rowshan--so good hearing their progress ☮️💟
We had luck with clothing we had worn several days in a row, and then put inside the crate. It’s all about the scent and of course, treats!
My neighbors' labs always have several stuffed teddy bears they love. They take them into their crates at night or nap with them on their large pillows in daytime. One likes to, eventually, tear them apart while the other keeps them intact. I gave a different friend's old blind and deaf dog a teddy puppy and she takes it everywhere. It really helped her with her anxiety and separation issues.
My daughter’s dog, Harley, has many toys, but there is one squeaky stuffed ball that is her favorite. She too finds it when she’s stressed. Just like small children, who have a blanket or favorite stuffed toy.
Thanks for the update. So glad Lucky is acclimating. ❤️👏
Thanks Rowshan and congratulations to Lucky and family.
It’s quite the process but so worth it! Hope the trip is successful for everyone
Love that, Rowshan!
Democrats should consider the continuing presence of Republicans like Boebert and Greene in the House as ever-present reminders of what Jeffries points out, the Republican agenda of demagoguery and disinformation, in the absense of anything even barely constructive.
I think it's a good thing that if the GOP has a majority, it's a majority filled with egotistical maniacs who will be doing everything but governing. This will allow the Democrats to remind voters to compare what the GOP House isn't doing for their constituents, they're doing it to get top billing on the next Fox News show.
Democrats need to spend as much time as they can in their districts talking to constituents about all the missed opportunities to improve their lives and how Republicans who ran. on inflation, crime and immigration are doing nothing about any of them other than just talk. "Show me the legislation" could be a good buzz phrase for Democrats.
Democrats must get much better at messaging. That’s #1!
They are in some places, Fetterman in PA, just about all the Democrats in Michigan, and Perez in SW Washington. They are bringing the normal back and meeting people at the kitchen table.
I voted for Fetterman, not for his communicative capabilities, but rather because he is a no BS kind of guy and I expect him to really call out Rs in the Senate every time Mitch’s team prods the Ds efforts without coming forth with alternative solutions. Obstructionism for the sake of obstructionism won’t fly on his watch.
If only buzz words could kill. It's a good descriptor, let's hope the media picks it up and runs with it also.
I love Katherine Clark. The first time I met her was when I went up to New Hampshire to canvass for Hillary. The had on a plain sweater and jeans, and no makeup. She’s the real deal.
Thanks. I knew nothing about her. Need to know more, but this is a good start.😊👍
T-5 years!!! Justice matters…right. WTH?? How can there be so many Americans supporting this lot of evil people? Crazy and downright scary.
When it comes to my thoughts about the future of Kyle Rittenhouse, I have to say "If my thought dreams could be seen/They'd probably put my head in a guillotine."
Kyle Rittenhouse! that news item has sunk me into a deep hole again. These people are all frighteningly alike. It's as if invisible spores had been planted inside the Capitol on 6 January.
Frighteningly alike, at least when it comes to talking points, is what you expect from a cult. Cults demand conformity. Free and open societies thrive on solidarity. The Heaven's Gate cult committed mass suicide reportedly to join the putative "spaceship" hidden in the tail of the comet Hale-Bopp. Clearly cult mental malware was in command. A cult does not have to be violent, but it is very likely to be delusional. When delusions motivate violence toward others, it is the most dangerous form of humanity on earth.
Can someone differentiate for me why Christianity (or Islam or Judaism) is not a cult? Is it because millions of delusional ppl believe it instead of hundreds make it legit? Why is it a "religion," whereas the ancient Greeks who believed the same a "mythology?"
To me, if you believe in a sky wizard who meddles in the affairs of mortals and even impregnates mortal women to make demi-sky wizards, that is at least a gateway cult.
There are many who follow these faith traditions that do not believe in the literal stories but use them as reminders of the higher values that Jesus, Mohammed and Moses taught. They then, often in community, can live these values more fully.
For those who have difficulty doing this, the Unitarian Universalists have provided a fine option.
Unfortunately, concrete thinkers miss the point entirely.
To me spirituality is what should be important no matter what form that takes. For some it might be a formal religion; for others, something else. I prefer the thought of a universal energy. All members of formal religions are not the same either and as in all human endeavors, they can be used for good or ill. The most grounded person socially aware person I know is a devout Christian. Just being around her is calming. I am a reiki practitioner and I find that helps me feel better literally. I also admire the Dalai Lama and I have a hard time seeing him negatively. I had a go around with an atheist on Facebook recently where he insisted in calling all religious people stupid and to make matter worse, negatively addressed someone who had had a near death experience which was very meaningful to him. To me this is not being a thoughtful compassionate person no matter what he believes or does not. In my book, there are good people and bad people and often their belief system (and that includes atheism) tilts them one way or the other.
Most of the hateful “Christians” who spout scripture, rarely quote from Matthew, Mark, Luke or John. They always quote from Paul’s writings proselytizing to his flock not to sway from his interpretation. So they are actually Paulists (Like the Puritans) and not actually Christians. I had an uncle in MS, who was deacon in his Southern Baptist church and was also in the KKK. What would Jesus say?
Attempted like. Signed, UU refugee from the Presbyterians
Religion is a socially sanctioned delusion. The only difference I can see between a cult and a religion is the size and longevity of the group. Everyone who believes in the present day sky parents are also atheists, since they too don't believe in previous gods. The very sad thing is that when a person accepts a religion they give up their right to think. Another sad fact is that the same characteristics that make people susceptible to todays' MAGA nutty ideas, are the same ones that make them susceptible to religious beliefs. Most people who are religious are absolutist thinkers, which is usually the way children think. It's a sign of maturity when a person can appreciate all the grays between.
Been saying this for years, Never understood why seemingly smart valuable members of society buy into this stuff. Have wondered if it is the tradition? I have friends that follow traditions they don't enjoy following bc it is a family 'tradition'.
Religion is how people deal with their terror of physical death.
I’ve thought it odd that folks can’t comprehend not “being here” any longer, when they didn’t consider that they weren’t here “before” (reincarnation beliefs notwithstanding). As I have long said, the only reason I’d want to live forever is to see how it all turns out. I think, ultimately, I believe in what Joni wrote & CSN&Y sang: “we are stardust, we are golden, we are billion year old carbon”. Yeah, we just get recycled & to me that’s “the Force”…however it might work. OK by me!
And uncertainty.
Closest I can come to an ultimate deity is “may the Force be with you”. In this vast expanding Universe, we know/comprehend so little…..
Agreed. Have you read Penfist?
https://www.penfist.ink/
I was going to post the same. Magical unicorns indeed.
Thanks for this…just signed up! [Oh no….one more thing in my ‘inbox’…]
If you have HBO, watch Bill Maher’s movie Religulous--funny and scary.
Celebrating KR in the wake of the UVA murders, where my granddaughter and the entire college community remain traumatized over witnessing the deaths of their friends. There lies the dark heart of America's gun epidemic. Did you know Congress has a Task on Gun Violence Prevention, sizable group with no Republican members that I can see. https://www.billtrack50.com/committee/8844 I have written to them and continue to contact all in a position to enact laws, training, procedures that protect America's students from being murdered in school.
Foreigner speaking: this is a very evenly balanced Congress - you are all represented. So, are Americans writing to their representatives - not as Republicans or Democrats, but as their lawmakers? As you say, that's what they're there for.
Ignore it (kyle). Landfill material. Apply the "Silence Treatment".., Silence, being the watchword regarding their words or announcements. But keep an eye on things in that camp.
Hey - the heart's back!
Mine would be right there. I still have a pic of his parents in my head. Armed to the teeth and being good parents by indoctrinating their son into their insanity. He has made them proud by being as vile and horrible.
Somewhere in their family history, someone misspelled Rottenhouse.
Good one. First smile of the am.
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼
My thoughts mirror yours TC. As a Wisconsinite I cringe at the mere thought of that little shit and his fake crying who got away with murder. Dear god the thought of him in congress makes me laugh or vomit depending on my mood!
At this point TC, it's the thught that counts.
Thanks.i
TC, you never fail to make me laugh with your dark humor/truth!
The line about "put my head in a guillotine" is very good for nowadays.
"But, it's all right Ma, it's life & life only".
"Lot of water under the bridge, lotta other stuff too." Back to Bob's original theme: "Times Have Changed".
perhaps we need to keep public records of just “how many” supporters the crazy caucus actually has. It might improve our perspectives.
The off-the-rails sorts may be a minority, but virtually the whole contemporary Republican Party colludes with them. For example:
"Whereas, Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger are participating in a Democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse, and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask Democrat abuse of prosecutorial power for partisan purposes, therefore, be it resolved, That the Republican National Committee hereby formally censures Representatives Liz Cheney of Wyoming and Adam Kinzinger of Illinois and shall immediately cease any and all support of them as members of the Republican Party for their behavior which has been destructive to the institution of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Republican Party and our republic, and is inconsistent with the position of the Conference," - The RNC., NOT the Onion
The only true part of the RNC's statement here is that Reps. Cheney and Kinzinger's "behavior...is inconsistent with the position of the Conference." And the rest of us are immensely thankful that it has been.
So much of what I’ve read sure feels like the Onion. Hard to tell sometimes!
New York Post non-front page Write up of Trump announcement priceless. Florida retiree…from his classified documents library..
Good one! Not hard to imagine that it was real too.
Repubs say it out loud now.
Beautiful, "off the rails". So nicely regurgitated. They, the RNC, need to be not taken issue with. Relegated, to the Silence treatment. Treat them like the proverbial fart in a windstorm, a windstorm of their own making. Don't enter.., It'll drive them nuts. Their own kids questions are driving them nuts. But, every damn one of them needs to be taken to task. Like Jordan, like Walker, like Gaetz, like Cruz, like 'the donald'!!! Etc. We need to look at these clowns quietly. Wasn't a leader in the RNC identified as an "agent" of the Russian Gov't? Obviously, there's a fungus amongst us.
Not sure about the “off the rails sort” being a minority. The GOP is a monolith of immorality. They know not “the golden rule”.
Their rule is get as much power and money as possible and to hell with anything else. Morally bereft.
And really depress us, we know because we have cult family and friends, pray for the youth to look to the future. Us oldsters have taken our eyes off the prize if seems. Well, some of us.
How would we do that? How accurate would it be? Is it legal or a violation of privacy rights? I’d love it though.
Patricia, they are “public servants” emphasis on both words. We pay their salaries. We should know where our money is being spent for such incredible stupidity and harm.
They are our employees. We are "private citizens". That all gets complicated, but like hiring a lawyer, or a doctor, or someone to build our house, we need to keep an eye on what they plan for us. If it is really to be government of the people, by the people, for the people.
A Full WHAMMMO, Elizabeth. Slam dunk!
Let’s hope Biden hears us and really reins in these idiots, MadRussian!
Yes, but what happens if we don’t remember the real ratios of crazy to sane, we can fall into despair. That is why we must keep the ratio in mind when they spout such drivel. Rite house is simply another spoiled, privileged kid enabled by his so-called parents.
Evelyn: Until we have a legal system to do that, it is much more important for us to keep in our heads what the real numbers are in relation to our numbers. It’s one way of keeping our balance under circumstances such a Boebert et alia.
I’m still not convinced we know the real numbers.
You could begin with looking at the statistics of this last election. Total votes; demographics of voters; voter affiliation. That is the positive side. Then there is the Republican held House. The R House speaker was challenged by only 35 Crazy Caucus members out of 218 Republicans (I think — it’s late feel free to connect my numbers. Also, look at the votes that protected states from having election deniers as Sec. Of State. They make a lot of noise, they can still do stupid things, but they are not as powerful as they would have you believe. This battle was never going to win the war, that will take a generation at least. We have to focus on incremental changes and keep doing what got us these last mid-term results. That is what I mean by knowing “real” numbers. 70% of U of Arizona students voted for Democrats — Not as Democrats necessarily, but as believers in Democracy. That is another real, and promising number.
Yes, I’m onboard and am as happy as one can be with the results of the midterms. Yet, we have much to do. I hope people will stick with the fight. It can make one weary. I don’t think I’ll see the “win” before I am ashes though and that makes it sad for me. I couldn’t vote until after 1971 but I marched and protested for the causes I believed in. Once we got through the mid 60s/early 70s it seemed we were headed in a better direction. Headed, but not there.
I did not ever expect to witness such a backsliding of our Democracy. That it could happen in the US was not in my thoughts. Maybe I took it for granted that any movement would always be in a forward direction.
Ha, regarding your question Evelyn. I'd offer this as part of the reason.., Talk radio, and the repeaters. Meaning the ones who believe the (phoney facts), the garbage. They repeat the garbage to their 'buds' etc who, given the friendly source, believe it or some embellished version of it. They then, proceed to repeated the embellished garbage to their friends. And so it goes...friend to friend... adding of course some demeaning comment about our President. The twisted narrative is impossible for the crazies to dispute due to the way they are wired. The only way I see to beat these "evil people" is to take a higher road which employs a carefully engineered psychological approach. From what I am reading, the Democratic Party, and our current administration is catching on.
It never worked as well as during the 2016 election, when Cambridge Analytica held Facebook’s data secret sauce. It was new to social media users, and it made connections to social media that have never been repeated.
It is time that discerning thinkers look more critically at sources of misinformation and disinformation. It is also time for MSM to cover sources with the background research readers deserve.
His statement is arrogant although I am sure he will find a very red district. I am tired of people using the Second Amendment to defend murder. Oregon passed a strict gun measure and of course, gun sales are way up. Plus we have several sheriffs announcing that they will not enforce it. The Marion County sheriff gave some ambiguous statement. They are all for law and order until it has to do with guns. I have decided that LE really likes to go up against well armed citizens. It will also go to court and i am sure when it reaches the Supremes, they will negate it. And with every shooting, people wail about what can be done. Bottom line: owning guns meant for the battlefield and large capacity ammo holders is more important than anyone's life. And owning any gun even if the person should not is also more important than anyone's life.
"I am tired of people using the Second Amendment to defend murder." - YES.
Yes indeed. An update: Here in Oregon some gun entity has already filed a suit against the new law. I knew it wouldn't take long.
He does have to be elected first.
Yes, but with the cult he belongs to I don’t see that as impossible.
And "evil" is the term we should use.
They're raising the next generation of fascists.
A young murderer being encouraged to kill more. Disgusting!
Rupert Murdoch and his ilk, not to mention the MSM, following money rather than the truth of the cretins
Read this and wanted to throw up
Another narcissist thinking he/she should run the country.
Just a niche comment here about the “2019 fire that shut down a refinery in Pennsylvania.”
I live about 3 miles from the now shuttered Sunoco/Philadelphia Energy Solutions refinery. It was actually an explosion that released hydrofluoric acid, and if I recall the correct number, had the potential to kill hundreds of thousands of people, and harm up to a million.
https://whyy.org/articles/a-hydrogen-fluoride-release-during-pes-fire-could-have-been-disastrous-some-say-the-toxic-chemical-shouldnt-be-used/
Thanks to economic headwinds, this debacle, and hard work by environmental justice grass roots groups - this awful sh*thole is being redeveloped into something less harmful. Of course it’s situated in a minority/poor neighborhood. I would pay $50 a gallon if it meant we could keep this place closed, and keep transitioning away from cheap oil.
This was my Google review 4 years ago of the refinery:
“A terrible company, polluting the city, contributing over 70% of toxic air emissions, and increasing cancer, asthma, and heart disease rates. Sucking tax payer dollars to stay open while poisoning a city. Needs to be shut down.
From State Impact PA:
"In an EPA screening-level model, which analyzes factors that contribute to human health risk including the amount of chemicals released, the degree of toxicity, and the size of the exposed population — the PES refinery has a score almost 10,000 times higher than the petrochemical industry median."
Anyway, great article as usual. I couldn’t help myself with this tangent. Just maybe correct the “fire” to “the potentially catastrophic explosion which almost released a cloud of hydroflouric acid that would have harmed or killed hundreds of thousands, on top of the thousands of deaths the refinery’s pollution has contributed to over the years, and most importantly - could have increased national gas prices by 5 cents.”
😉
Many thanks for this post. I had no idea this plant even existed much less its environmental impact.
I just read the article at the link. WOW.
I guess many, many people had some good luck the evening of the explosion.
And, yes, South Philly, the heart of the Black community. So, honestly, nobody would care except immediate relatives, the local hospitals and the people burned.
Your post is why I read these comments. Very informative and thank you.
and yes, we need to push gas prices into the stratosphere. We are killing our planet, we all know it, and, we are just not "looking up".
Awesome comment back, thank you for your interest in local Philly stuff, and going so far as to follow that link! All politics are local, and local environmental problems can affect global. Your comment is another reason I comment and read these comments, too! How meta, sorry...
I joined some demonstrations and really tried to help the neighborhood groups standing up to this epic polluter, so it was a thrill to see it close in a David vs Goliath moment. The explosion might have been an errant stone, but it hit the mark and helped topple this monster.
Unfortunately, we will soon have House leaders dedicated to thwarting any initiatives coming from the current administration or House and Senate Democrats. This, tragically, includes anything related to the environment/climate change.
I agree with Representative Jeffries when he said:
“the opposing party appears to have no plan to accomplish anything meaningful. If the Republican Conference continues to major in demagoguery and minor in disinformation, their bankruptcy of ideas must be aggressively exposed on an ongoing basis.”
Obstruction is not governing. Real problems will not be addressed. This needs to be exposed ad nauseum. Thanks for your post!
IIRC, four refineries were shut down in the US in 2020. Don't recall it being a point of argument for why this happened in Trump's last year in office, or its impact on gas price inflation. Seemed pertinent.
Good lord, had no idea. Thought Texas was the only place to be so devoted to petrochemical
I grew up in Texas City amongst Monsanto, where my dad worked, Amoco, Union Carbide and others. The odors emanating were most unpleasant to say the least. Reading Ryan McCormick's linked article gives me the willies.
Thanks for calling this out, Ryan!