The intent of this blog is to promote human equality, human progress, human peace and justice, and optimism. To accomplish this, to encourage the discussion of ideas after identifying and discovering problems, and then creating positive solutions for "we the people," in order to provide for the "general welfare" and "domestic tranquility" of America now and its "posterity" into the future. To encourage an emphasis on separation of religion and state for all, no matter if this is for those "of faith" in a Maker / Creator (Deists, God-loving people, Christians, various people of spirituality) and atheists or agnostics.

Archive for the ‘Commentary’ Category

Independent & Strong? NOT! Following Foreign Influence of Putin

Dear Editors:

With all due respect for Mr. Murphy and your newspaper never checking the accuracy from your “My Turn” writers, I have some contentions with what Mr. Murphy wrote this past Sunday. The attached file explains what I am saying.

Since the American Revolution, history tells us several times that infrastructure projects made America strong AND great. The NY Governor Clinton’s Erie Canal in upstate New York. He was scoffed at as it was called “Clinton’s Ditch.” Flagler’s railway along the east coast of Florida. Carnegie’s railway across America. The interstate highway system put forth by President Eisenhower. Mr. Murphy scoffs at Biden and the Democrats with their infrastructure plan. Meanwhile Republicans Scott and DeSantis helped put a stop to guidelines for a Surfside City condo near Miami. How many people died from the lack of infrastructure development? How many people (like me) lost out on our personal finances as we invested in a home along the VOTER-APPROVED fast speed rail system in Florida, stopped by REPUBLICAN Scott (and likely agreed upon stopping it by Trump and DeSantis).  Even the Louisiana Purchase (Jefferson) and the purchase of Alaska (scoffed at and called “Seward’s Folly) have yielded to America’s strength. Today, such things would be opposed by the Republicans today and the money they get in a corrupt, immoral, and unethical way would help stop such projects.  Mr. Murphy does not even understand what makes America great, strong, and independent.

I have already pointed out how the lack of peace WITH justice, as done by Trump only serves to give more power to Putin and the Russians, and the Saudi sheiks with ISIS and the Taliban gaining power. It was not Joe Biden who did this. In fact, during the Obama – Biden administration, we brought down a member of the Saudi sheik’s family. No commendation was given strongly in the media to Obama and Biden, as well as the military and perhaps state department which accomplished this take-down. No. Americans are more interested in take-downs in wrestling and the violence which prevails on television, including supposed “family” entertainment from Disney. 

Mr. Murphy and others need to grow up and mature. Such people need to try to understand more fully what is happening.

For the Press & Sun-Bulletin, it needs to consider the lack of accuracy in a message like the one that Mr. Murphy provided. If nothing else, nothing should stop GOOD journalists from notating the message with EVIDENCE, FACTS, STATISTICS, INFORMATION which is contrary to what a Murphy says. That is NOT censorship, since it is business which is processing the data. It is journalists processing the data, not a government.

If government is at fault, it was a white supremacists CONTROLLING the government and with power and money DICTATING THEIR WHITE SUPREMACIST BIGOTRY.  For example, a senator (Helms of North Carolina) who manipulated the CENSORSHIP, by a GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVE, of the original Star Trek series on NBC TV in the mid- to late 1960s. The reason? So as to dictate to America that inter-racial kisses should not be shown on television. William Shatner ended up homeless and on the street living in a pickup truck, as a result.  Not until the Democrats took control in 1976 did the popularity of the DEMAND SIDE of the market take off and the Wrath of Khan became a hit. Add to that new Star Trek series and the Star Wars series.

Stupid people like Mr. Murphy and others who spout out the “greatness” of an America who get their play book from Putin and other dictators, Trump, Scott, McConnell, DeSantis, the roles are now reversed. These Trump-like (no Putin-like) cronies, for quite a long time now, have been pushing a strategy, with the help of dolts like Australian immigrant Rupert Murdock (owns Fox and Wall Street Journal), to create a centralized control of business and media by wresting control from local news media, curtailing and destroying local business. Murdock has even been quoted about the ruination of local broadcast media. Just because local Fox 40 is part of the Fox network does NOT indicate that Murdock id not doing this. That is ridiculous. How many times do people have hidden agendas for destruction while smiling just as nice as some politicians do. These people are evil money-loving business people. Stupid people do not even consider this going on.  It has been going on historically. It is about time to stop living backwards and move forward by LEARNING from the bad and evil things from history.

For instance, the SCOTUS before the American Civil War made their decision inn Dred Scott case based on too damn many YANKEE SCOTUS justices who “felt sorry for the white south of Dixie,” so did not base their decision on justice, but how to “appease the south.”  Freaking lousy YANKEE justices of that day.  Yes. We can gain peace by throwing the towel in and nixing justice being done for humanity. As a result of the Dred Scott Decision, those damn SCOTUS justices were a bunch of traitors by not following the words of the preamble to our U.S. Constitution. They refused to ensure “domestic tranquility” for those people then and for their “posterity” or future generations. Along came Reconstruction, then vengeful white people suppressed voters and lynched black people who did not go along (Jim Crow).

This systemic racism is still around today, while the KKK, John Birch Society, and even those who CLAIM to follow Christ, are ruining domestic tranquility. And if someone speaks out against this, then WE get blamed for being contentious and not going on with white racist dictators and thus ruining “domestic tranquility.” America is not STRONG (as the headline read with Murphy’s turn writing) under the guise of this situation, while Murphy credits Trump with peace in the world and America being “strong.” Bullshit.  In the world, Trump and the Republican leadership is supporting Putin and other oligarchs who try to put out propaganda as to how to achieve peace, but never, ever, ever, ever, ever, do they pronounce how there can be “…justice for all.” NEVER.  The only justice they want is for the justice which comes from dictatorial control by bigots who have hatred for groups of people of color and different sexual identities. They have hatred ro those of us who speak out with criticism and bring about vengeance against me and others, rather than taking us seriously as our remarks are important to a society which is SUPPOSED to be made up of Christians, words of the preamble of the Constitution, and not being hypocritical when repeating words like “…liberty and justice for all” or “… life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.” 

Maybe if I keep repeating the truth over and over again it will become the truth?

P.S. To the stupidity of people who call themselves Christians, let me add this. They worship an evil god, not the true CREATOR, MAKER, DEISTS from whom we are made in the image of a LOVING AND CARING GOD.  They make freaking lousy claims by twisting th words of Christ. For instance, Christ said there would be divisions in families due to the name of Christ. He did not ENCOURAGE such actions, but predicted and prophesied such things would happen.  There are stupid Christians who embrace the words of Christ here and CLAIM we are supposed to be acting this way and thus shun those of us who are not the same as they are, not allowing us to  partake in communion or to attend weddings . It happened to me, due to a lousy bunch of Christians. I heard this happening to a friend of mine who has a gay son.  The married partner of the son was not allowed by a controlling bitch who calls herself “born again” and sets herself up like a GODDAMN god of some kind.  Who the hell are such bitches in dictating that a gay married man NOT be allowed at a wedding? The only words I have is this. Trump and his cronies do NOT make America strong and great and independent, by endorsing this. Companies like Chick-Fil-A and others which push for anti-gay candidates (who hide their true intent) and measurements, in the name of some evil ideas about who Christ is. They need to be strung up by their balls and/or tits. That is how angered I am about these people. I have to ask, what have I ever done, in achieving my happiness, to bring about lousy people identifying as “born again” Christians who want to bring Maxwell’s silver hammer upon my head, unless I go to conversion therapy or give in by refusing to come to grips with who I am, as the TRUE God made me. These people are acting as if THEY are gods and dictate to us. Puritanical shitheads are those who are upset because someone somewhere is having fun and achieving a happiness. They must not be able to achieve confidence, self-control and happiness, that is all I can view in this situation.    If you are good thinking on this measure, then don’t focus on bad words I use, but join me in what I say. If you don’t like the bad worrds, don’t use them. I don’t DICTATE to others, as some people who claim to be Christians just love to do.

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Commentary, democracy, human-rights

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I Wonder

Dear Editors:

You had a huge photo of Trump on your editorial page. You included a letter from a Mr. Murphy as “My Turn.”  This was in your Sunday newspaper on the opinion page.

People like Mr. Murphy are all clamoring to write and speak about things they CLAIM Trump accomplished. In actuality, he did not and there is plenty of proof and evidence otherwise.  People like Murphy don’t provide the evidence.

I accomplished my Competent Toastmasters status. As part of that accomplishment, I earned 1st place from a peer vote in the meetings for “Best Evaluator.” So. Why, since Cox Newspapers sold their newspaper in West Palm Beach, FL, and now Gannett owns that newspaper there, am I being censored by the newspapers? I don’t get a turn and I have to ask why, since the respected newspaper journalists at the Post, have I been denied the rights to publish and get printed, after doing so for many years? 

I cannot say my first amendment rights are being curtailed. From what some are saying, first amendment rights are ONLY curtailed if it is a government trying to squelch the voice. Apparently, it matters not, too, if words are squelched due to inaccuracy or expressions of hatred or violent acts.  Yes, we all censor the f**k word, but not words of hatred and violence against one another.  We squelch vulgar language, but not words which are inaccurate. We cannot squelch Tucker Carlson for his words, described by Russians and Putin as being “propaganda.”  Propaganda IS inaccurate words.  Goebbels, the propaganda minister under Hitler said, “if a lie is repeatedly told, it becomes the truth.”  People in the Wisconsin Republican-controlled leadership are still dwelling on the 2020 election by telling the lie about Trump winning and the election being fraudulent, over and over and over again, so as to make it the truth – propaganda to the people of Wisconsin that even some Republicans are challenging as, enough is enough and let’s move forward.

I would wager that the purpose of coming up with these lies and inaccuracies is to bury the true issue here. Pro-bigotry folks who wish to keep fires burning with lies so as to get Republicans elected who tell the lies and then wham groups like the gay folks because these people are bigoted moles coming out of hibernation. For instance, a Republican in Florida gave a speech before college faculty in Florida. He was wealthy and one time sat on the board of trustees at a college, appointed by one of the governors (Jeb Bush or Rick Scott, don’t recall).  This man claimed that individuals do not know what it means to be happy, so they need to have it defined for them. The faculty was polite, but many of us shared, after the speech, how they wanted to boo him off the stage and walk out. We were pleasant and polite, taking it on the chin as we were being insulted for lack of intelligence with a claim that “we don’t know what makes us happy.” More like, for people who lack confidence in life, they don’t know what makes them happy.  And in the entire world, America ranks down about 26th on the list for happiness. Denmark usually ranks as number one with its people’s measure of their happiness.  Bottom line. If you are not as happy as the wealthy define happiness, then you don’t know what makes you happy. If you maintain the happiness of someone like Mother Teresa or Martin Luther King, Jr., or several others who knew the love of Christ, then you don’t know how to define happiness.  This man pretty much said that we need to have an evil love of money and materialism in order to be happy. We need to have money, but we don’t need to worship it and have a love for money to predominate our lives. 

At the end of the day, these people like this Republican speaker in Florida, don’t think anyone who is gay and has a same-sex partner, married or in some other monogamous means, then such people are not happy.  We are happy. As I stood before the Board of Trustees at the college where I was a professor, I spoke out rather eloquently about the need for domestic partner benefits. The Board of Trustees granted it.  That was before same-sex marriage.

Wait just one minute, though. When the domestic partner benefits were implemented, I was told by HR that the ones who came to apply for the domestic partner benefits were all heterosexual couples. Males and females living together and not married.  I never kept up to see if that small portion of people we call gay people (estimated under 10% of a population; a slight bit higher now that people feel liberated and not having to remain in the closet, so they let others know about it and get counted). 

Is it not ironic that those who are hateful of gay people do not even consider that there are church leaders who object to a man and a woman living together outside of marriage? But when gay people wish to establish a solid foundation of a monogamous relationship, then these people grab at Bible, televangelist, and fundagelical leaders to smear the idea of gay people establishing a monogamous relationship in the form of marriage. 

America never had a referendum to decide same-sex marriage, as what has happened in nations such as Australia. The polls in America reflected the same numbers supporting gay marriage as the results of the vote in Australia. Two-thirds of the population.  Every time there is some number like that, then hateful Republicans call foul in one way or another. Either the vote was not done properly or the polls were not accurate. Then they throw people like Tucker Carlson out into the public eye with his lies of propaganda. And who is the guy at the top in that organization? An immigrant who needs a wall built around HIM> Why? He did not like the vote in his homeland of Australia. 

So, he uses propaganda and the idea that people do not know what makes them happy, so they need the sensationalist fake news of Fox. I am speaking about Murdock. He has been on record as saying he would help destroy local news broadcasts. The FCC and big corporations have picked up his gauntlet in nationalizing the news media and destroying the local media, whether broadcast or newspapers.  They have paved the road for all the ridiculous stuff in social media by expanding individual use of cell phones.

Therefore, there is a need for more bandwidth for cell phones. The local radio and television broadcast power are reduced so as to make room for cell phones. The signals from local broadcast outlets are reduced so badly that we are FORCED to purchase “cable” television with streaming, like renting the “airwaves,” not getting it free or by purchasing to own on CD and/or DVD. Thus as I head south on a New York State Road, the same path I took in the 1970s when working one summer at IBM or Phil’s Chicken House, the radio signals are blocked out when i get in the shadow of hills. In the 1970s, the local radio stations were so powerful that it never happened that way. 

Gannett tries to not only block me from speaking through newsprint, but it is also creating a “rental” system for dispersing of the news by way of digital copies which are often too hard to read, especially for someone who is visually impaired, due to the negligence of retina doctors in Florida with laser surgery.  Negligence played a role in Julie Andrews voice. So we don’t say her “voice is impaired?” Vocal impairment? She can still speak, but has more difficulty in singing.  I know. I have evidence from the “horse’s mouth.” Explained by Ms. Andrews when she explained this to a large audience of librarians at a professional librarians conference.  She also shared her experiences in her work with children’s theatre, too, which is absolutely fabulous. 

So, big corporations have purportedly been putting support behind anti-gay politicians. My bet is shis. Most of such anti-gay politicians are Republicans. In fact, it might be safe to say that ALL of them are Republicans. But I cannot say that with a certainty because I have not researched the information about the topic. I base it only on conjecture regarding what appears in our lives.  And to support such corporations, people hide the anti-gay side of it and say, “oh, I don’t know why you think that food place is so bad because the food is good there.” Buddy. The bad or good of the food being served is not the question. The question is about how much happiness they wish to take from gay folks like me, by supporting anti-gay candidates when humanity and human justice are NOT political issues. Only by those with the love of money and materialism does such things happen.  There should be no money involved in campaigns and politics. Period. At one time we had public financing of campaigns so as to avoid the lovers of money with PACs and lobbyists. 

In the end, I really don’t get it about this. During my life, I have been subjected to those who tried to push me into a closet by means of bullying and insults.  Me and many others simply went along. We never did anything bad to such bullies and others forcing us to follow their means of being a macho, macho man in order to be happy.  We finally get a chance to come out of the closet, meet people in places other than just bars and baths, and suddenly we are confronted with hateful people who want to dictate to us what such people believe SHOULD make us happy. 

I know I have done NOTHING nor tried to push my judgments on heterosexual OR gay people for living promiscuous and/or non-monogamous lives. I have also never attempted to advocate for laws (by getting money lovers in corporate settings) against some really rotten heterosexuals who don’t know how to raise kids. Why do hateful bigots wish to harm and block gay people from adopting children?

I never sit in judgment of others at all. So, why do we have to face the prospect of being lynched, figuratively or literally, because we are gay folks in the pursuit of happiness in life?  Happiness does not always mean drugs, alcohol, and sex, too, because many of us have learned to have self-control.

I believe in living forever and believe in a Creator, Maker, Deist, etc. To those who don’t believe as I do, I have respect for them because they do not maintain a hateful attitude.  Perhaps such people reject religion entirely. I understand.  I do agree with them with the words, Bon Jovi says in a song, “I just want to live while I’m alive.”  In a way, I see the words Bon Jovi uses prior to “live while I’m alive” as perhaps tongue-in-cheek humorous way of explaining that puritanical folks just cannot accept that someone somewhere is having a good time in life. 

Category:

Commentary

Stupidity without the Truth

Dear Editors:

People like Murphy, who wrote “My Turn” on Sunday, March 13, 2022, and a nearby photo of bloviating Trump, get their ideas for support of “strong and independent” America because they are mesmerized by too much false crap out there which hides the truth.

In reality, Trump, McConnell, DeSantis, Santorum, Rick Scott, Scott Walker, among others, are allied with Putin and other dictators in the world. They hide their affiliation. But they say the same things, particularly about bigotry towards the LGBTQ+, all the time. 

They also are all in support of control and power, with the Koch brothers, of oil as a fuel. They don’t want alternative fuels to be developed. They want to drill off-shore in the USA and build projects like the Keystone pipeline (and others). What better way for Putin and these dictators to divide and conquer, but to have Putin start a war in Ukraine and force gasoline prices sky-high? After all, they have worked to sabotage the development of alternative fuels and green technologies. They accomplished this with four years of Trump in power, after LOOSING the popular vote to Hillary in 2016. 

Being upset at losing in 2020, what better way but to lie about fraud in elections which, even many Republicans are saying, does not exist, especially to the extent claimed.

It’s about time Murphy and others learn the truth, rather than dwelling on the lies and fake news.

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Commentary, democracy, human-rights

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Trump, According to a “My Turn” Writer in the P&S-B

Dear Editors:

Your “My Turn” columnist (3/13/2022) gave credit to Trump for achieving peace in the world, for America to become “strong and independent.” The examples given were about peace in the Middle East. One cannot argue with some of those points made. What was not said by the “My Turn” writer was that, in each case, there may have been peace, but in order to achieve the peace, there was no justice. For much of the peace was in support of the Saudi Arabian sheiks. During the Trump years, we also witnessed the sheiks ordering beheadings of their own people by using swords. They are awful pictures of injustice towards human beings. Then we saw the ISIS, supported by Putin and the Arab sheiks, who did the same thing.  In other words, justice, to Putin, the Arabian sheiks, and Trump, is how they define justice. If one does not agree, like Hitler and Stalin, then they are executed. By silencing the opposition, they achieve peace. We cannot achieve peace without justice for all.

In the same way, Trump achieved a “peace” in Afghanistan and put our pullout on a timetable. Biden chose to work with the opposition and stuck to the timetable established by Trump. Trump is applauded for achieving the peace while Biden gets slammed for removing troops from Afghanistan.  It appears Biden and the Democrats are “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.”

As far as the issue of inflation is concerned, there is evidence that the tariffs imposed by Trump on one nation (China) have had an impact on increased inflation. Biden is dragging his feet about getting rid of the tariffs and then Biden gets slammed for inflation.  Again, Biden and the Democrats are “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.”

Trump never achieved domestic peace within this nation. He emboldened many people in opposition to Democrats and the war on the COVID-19 pandemic. He could have provided supplies by invoking the Defense Protection Act. He could have done this at the time Gov. Cuomo and other governors (both Republican and Democrat) needed them. Cuomo ends up getting blamed and Trump does not. Again. Democrats are “damned if they do and damned if they don’t.” Republicans are simply above the law because of the fundagelical crap in American religion with their god of hatred. 

In the midst of all this, Trump, DeSantis, Santorum, McConnell, Rick Scott, Scott Walker (Wisconsin) all get to spend their time on suppression of voting, power in gerrymandering, bigotry towards gay folks and people with colored skin, while ignoring the domestic issues about human justice, human equality, and humanity in general.  In fact, some of them are spending more time in coming up with anti-gay and anti-colored-people rules for denying the ability for human equality. In effect, they are working against the very preamble of the U.S. Constitution which talks about maintaining domestic peace (“domestic tranquility”) and are hypocrites each time they repeat the Pledge Allegiance to the Flag and say, “…liberty and justice for all.” There is no “domestic tranquility,” due to Trump and the Republican cronies who dwell on anti-humanity legislation and legitimizing the wealthy and elitist plutocrats who don’t want a democracy because a democracy is dependent on a middle class. In this sense, Trump and his cronies, not following the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, are traitors to America and its democracy.

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Commentary, human-rights

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Trump, the Traitor to American Democracy

Dear Editors:

Wow! I cannot believe the words that I was reading in Sunday’s Opinion page (“Trump made America strong and independent”).

I am impressed. After all, it makes me happy when people are doing better in this world. Such wonderful individuals who think the whole world revolves around such an individual. How nice!  Wow!

Was the world was at peace? Hallelujah!  Yes, impressive about the world being at peace, especially when there was no justice. The world cannot be at peace without justice. Justice also means treating domestic citizens of all kinds like they are human beings, whether it’s the color of their skin, their religious beliefs, or if they are LGBTQ+ who are pleased that there has been progress which surpasses the shit they had to put up with in schools. Talking about being gay was out of the mouths of bullies who called us sissies because we did not always act like men. Yet, how did we hurt such people, while they hurt us?

I must admit. I could probably identify some improvements in the world, from 2017 to 2021, while Trump and the Republicans were in charge. Let me think a bit. Just wait. They will come to me.  Well, there was one improvement. I suffered a near-tragedy in 2018 but survived!  That was an improvement, for sure.

When Trump attempted to work out a one-nation tariff, I anticipated something good coming out of it. After all, I have always followed the conservative proposal for a Value-added Tax. A VAT is a domestic version of a tariff.  When I mentioned to a friend that I hoped that maybe something good would come of the tariff proposal, my friend helped me to understand that the reactions from China were nothing but laughter. As it turned out, Trump’s track record in business by ignoring the debt he or others owe was influential in the failure of his proposal for a tariff. I tried to find something plausible. 

A February 2022 analysis reported: 

In addition to fanning inflation, tariffs on Chinese goods have provoked retaliatory tariffs that have sharply reduced American exports to China, allowing other nations to move in on markets once dominated by the U.S. To offset the losses to farmers and other exporters, the U.S. government has paid out subsidies, adding to the U.S. budget deficit. At the same time, the tariffs have weakened the private sector in China and led to more state control over China’s supply chains, making the U.S. less secure.

Yet, Biden and the Democrats are to blame, totally, for inflation? The only thing which Biden MIGHT be blamed for, in this case, is dragging his feet in ending the Trump tariffs.  Wow! Was it not Trump’s timeline for ending the war in Afghanistan, never achieving justice there, in which Biden is blamed for? I see. So Trump is able to make peace and make “America strong and independent,” but … oh, well. I guess Republicans are above the law, so when they cheat and lie, they are a-ok guys, right?  Republicans also won state elections in states in which they claimed fraud during the elections. Must be that Republicans cannot possibly win by using fraud, ain’t that right? 

As for the “peace” achieved in the Middle East by Donald Trump, perhaps someone needs to “take a look at the world around him.  Trump’s friends in Saudi Arabia were using swords to chop off the heads of its citizens.  Same procedures used by ISIS, too. 

The border being secure? There were interviews with people in Arizona who were happy that the towns on the border were secure. But they also identified the true methods to end the influx is to work out many of the details to be more proactive in identifying the true problems which cause immigrants to seek a better nation.  The wall is treating the symptom but putting it in place never does an in-depth diagnosis of the problem.

Energy independent? Sure. So we can pollute the atmosphere and spit out of smokestacks the type of stuff which gave acid rain to upstate New York and the northeastern USA. Wonderful. That made America great, right? Acid rain dumping.  Back when George Bush was president, he proposed developing an energy product which was based on switchgrass, a vegetation with a fast fermentation to enable faster production of fuels. It is a less-polluting ingredient. Where is it? Pipelines and drilling squashed the efforts, as we did not try to produce new products while considering a “savings account” in oil which could be tapped during times of need. Like now. 

Speaking of Chinese. The Chinese were smart enough while American investors were dumb asses when it came to long-term investments for our future. We gave up new biomass and green technology productions of energy sources, as Chinese communist investors bought up the long-term businesses because they knew, as well as most others, that the world will possibly run out of oil from the ground. A good Boy Scout would realize that we need to be prepared. Keystone and other oil pipelines obstruct us from being prepared for the future.

Wow! Energy independent? 

Middle class did better pre-Biden and the Democrats? We did? My family paid more taxes in the form of income taxes than we did in the pre-Trump years, even when Bush was president. Are you saying that I was cheated by my tax preparer?  Really? There were various reasons. But my charitable contributions were given less credence than before. Perhaps it was a good thing when churches who relied on such tax breaks were part of the mainstream religions and the ultra-right wing churches which worship a god of hate don’t rely on tax deductible donations, due to tithing?

On top of this, Trump wanted to destroy healthcare for all, especially for those who were not employed and/or were retired.  Heck, the Republicans had already put in place measures to curtail coverage from Medicare. So, we faced the dilemma of staying healthy in retirement or break our bank. Sorry, but we failed to see how much the middle class made out during the Trump years. 

As for “reversing course” on the issue of Ukraine, this letter to the editor (“:guest columnist”) addressed this Democrat who felt we needed to call the bluff of Putin. But this Democrat also realizes that Trump, DeSantis, and Scott (and many of the other bigots within the Republican Party) all fall in line with Putin’s bigoted attitude towards people he does not like. This situation makes it look good that Trump maintained peace? Again. The word justice should be added to this equation. Putin and Trump held the same ideas about justice based on bigotry. So such bullying buddies get along quite well, do they not? 

The attitude here, based on individualistic success and happiness during the years Trump occupied the office, is just like saying, as with the Gannett publications, that “no one reads print copies of newspapers anymore.” Fads based on a reality created and manipulated by those who are happy with the money they make while lining their pockets, not earning it the old-fashioned way.

These are perspectives based on stereotypes.  It is just like the insurrectionists on Jan. 6 who only believe in individual rights and happiness.  Yet, the media, during the election of 2020, often interviewed common folk who said things like, “I have succeeded better during the years of Trump.” No wonder there are those who think there was fraud in the election because they just could not believe it when the picture painted by the media contained so much information about people who were happy during the Trump years. At the same time, no one gave the microphone to people like me who may not have been as happy.

Point being? Talk about the facts and statistics, and stop emphasizing how this one or that one was happier than the ones being given a microphone.  Same thing with Biden, as the spin is put on. The microphone being given only to common folk who are negative about Biden. Evidence, facts, statistics, please. 

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Commentary, human-rights

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When it Comes to Humanity, Human Justice, Human Equality, Human Rights, It’s Not Politics, Stupid

When it come to humanity, human justice, human equality, human rights, it’s not politics. stupid.

Recall the 1992 election and “it’s the economy, stupid”? Does it not make any sense that it’s not politics, stupid, but it’s human justice, human equality, human rights. Or should I reverse this and say, “it’s humanity, human justice, human equality, human rights, but not about politics”? Or does anybody care, except to be only in favor of where each one is in the box they create and hardened to their own opinion, not willing to consider any means of learning or being open-minded enough to consider all ideas? In that case, does it matter whether I put the negative first or the positive side first?

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Commentary, human-rights

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The Supply-siders With too much Power and Control, Lacking Care for Needs of the Demand Side: We are Talking Capitalism

I have spent several hours this morning trying to use Microsoft Office Excel. I purchased Office for each of the three computers I own, when I purchased the computers at Best Buy. Best Buy has a record of this. Microsoft won’t accept the records and insists I have to convert to a monthly subscription to Microsoft365. That is unethical. That is immoral. That is corrupt.

What if my dad, as a small business person selling appliances, including Maytag washers and other brand names, sold appliances some 20 to 30 years ago and those appliances are still working? Is it moral for him to go back to the owners of such appliances which are still working and insist they purchase a subscription or else they cannot use the appliance which was used for 20 to 30 years? Likely people would laugh at him. Immoral. Corrupt. Unethical.

Yet, as I speak out on Facebook about this happening with software companies, people would never back me up and speak out against it. Instead, they would say, “oh, too bad, too bad.”

Don’t use the shit about “new technology” because certainly there is no technology for the new Maytag washers. They are so different today. We purchased one in 2019. It is very different. The dryer the same. Should I have a subscription to Maytag365 now? Sure. I could purchase American Home Shield to cover ALL my appliances. We did so in Florida.

With the computers, Best Buy provides an annual fee to take care of our computers. EXCEPT when it comes to Microsoft or Google. Then they refuse to be held accountable for them. Does this make any sense?

Then we hear the stupidity of those with microphones complaining about inflation, getting mad at Joe Biden and the Democrats. Screw such people. Gas, energy, food, clothing, and other items in our lives are our needs and necessities. We have made the Internet, technology, mobile phones, and streaming television our necessities. Yet, the price of Spectrum is about 96% higher than the days when cable television cost only about $10.00 per month and we received more local broadcasts from more cities than we do now. Instead, we think we NEED 300 or 400 channels and pay 96% more today than we did about 1973.

In contrast, gasoline prices, since the 1973 oil embargo and high prices, have gone down and mesmerized the crowd into believing gasoline is better than many alternative fuels such as biomass and other green technologies, solar, wind, and hydro. Electric cars, too. We don’t preserve our oil fields for future long-term savings such to be used at times like this. I don’t have exact figures. But I do recall the oil embargo put in place by the major oil producers from the Arabs and even a good chance the Soviet Union and seeing prices fairly even with some of what we are seeing now.

So, now, Joe Biden would like to regulate the software and technology companies like Microsoft, but people yell and scream about doing that.

Meanwhile, what these people in this industry provide really sucks. It is unreliable and lacks the quality for which American business once wanted to strive to do so as to recognize both SUPPLY and DEMAND. I read about the “supply chains” which cause a problem for inflation. Hello!!!!

WE…. WE… WE… (get my drift…. it is not just ME, ME, ME) don’t need to spend so much on Microsoft365, but we DO NEED to feed ourselves, keep a roof over our heads, and use transportation, whether it be an automobile or public transit.

When Florida voters decided to put in fast speed rail from Orlando to Miami, Governor Rick the Prick Scott (now in the U.S. Senate) blocked it from happening, going against the desires of the electorate. Rick the Prick, instead, supported the expansion of I-95 by four or five lanes and instituting a toll on I-95 in Miami. The claim is that public transit is more expensive? That’s bullshit. One thing to mention, accidents on I-95 increase and lawyers make tons more money and taxpayers pay more for tying up the courts with the lawsuits. Yet, this is not counted as increases in costs. Besides the demand for more gasoline and the gas-guzzling emissions which help increase global warming. Oh, that’s right. Rick the Prick, DeSantis, Trump and others don’t want to acknowledge that, do they, because then people will figure out how much more society pays for gas emissions. Those guys are nothing but cowards who would rather bully those who criticize than to consider what we are saying.

With regard to the rail system which voters approved in Florida, those of us who saw an opportunity to get out of a neighborhood where we witnessed too damn many drive-by shootings, built new homes with Centex about 60 miles north. WE expected a rail system voters had approved. Beautiful homes, but Centex lost its shirt and today no longer exists. We had a wonderful multi-racial neighborhood there. I often went jogging with a black guy from upstate NY who moved there because he had a job in Fort Lauderdale and could work from home, rather than living in bad neighborhoods. Rick the Prick fucked us all over, the bastard SOB and he needs to pay for it. Apologies for the “f” word, but I don’t take it back until people come together and begin to take what I say more seriously.

I blame Rick the Prick Scott for going against the will of the Florida voters and the head of the Republican Party Florida Senate majority leader. Senator Alexander, our senator from Fort Pierce area, had to leave the Florida Senate due to term limits.

The Republican Party today, due to the corrupt, immoral, and unethical leadership, sucks big time. It sucks due to people like Rick the Prick, Ron DeSantis, Donald Trump, and even Jeb Bush who won’t stand up to the unethical ones in the party.

(NOTE: George Bush spoke about making new fuels from something called switchgrass because it fermented at a quicker rate and could speed production of the fuel. Bush said this in a State of the Union address. Tell me what we have done with switchgrass? Do you see it at all? So here we are in a panic and acting like reactionary jerks in trying to find something NOW, rather than being PREPARED (as they teach in the Boy Scouts)?

At the end of the day, we pay far more increased costs for software and streaming video than we need to spend. I know people who have dropped the freaking stuff called cable television and Internet. Rural areas also do not have a choice. Empire Access fiber is in urban Broome, but those of us in Tioga? We can go screw. George Bush also tried to promote broadband for all. With his switchgrass and such broadband proposals, they have all been relegated to the trash heap while we are, once again dealing with lovers of oil in Russia and Saudi Arabia. Bush even sent troops to Iraq so as to defend the needs and desires of the Arabs. Now here we are and no one wishes to send troops to defend freedom, democracy and the oil and energy supplies in a little nation like Ukraine, as the big bully Putin tries to take the oil in Ukraine to add to his arsenal of energy sources.

What I say about Putin and Ukraine is not just about PEACE, but about PEACE AND JUSTICE. There cannot be peace with no justice. Stop the bullshit of SCOTUS and other sources in tying justice to politics. They are two separate issues.

Not only is there a lack of justice in the regulation of worldwide energy sources, but the supply side pigs of technology, Internet service, mobile phones, and cable television have caused this nation to lose the semiconductor industry to another CAPITALIST DEMOCRATIC NATION while a communist regime is salivating at the ideas of cutting America off at the knees and taking over that CAPITALIST DEMOCRACY> And the only concern Microsoft and Spectrum have is to put people like Claudia Tenney into Congress so as to do their will, not the will of the DEMAND SIDE OF THE MARKET, typically done by REGULATING capitalism and not allowing the supply side to make its own greed, selfishness, love of money rules which override the needs of the DEMAND SIDE.

Claudia Tenney won by only a few votes in the 22nd district, defeating a man who had served in Congress and worked to work out military contracts and so forth for selling products made in upstate NY, rather than purchasing products from China instead. What a joke.

And now we read about how there is such a huge trade unbalance. Of course. When Trump and his cronies like Tenney concentrate on lies, lies, lies, cheating, cheating, cheating, and get their money from companies like Spectrum (perhaps Microsoft, too?), we on the demand side get trashed as we try to speak out against this types of actions by iliars, liars, liars, pants on fire.

After experiencing the bullshit this morning of a company tracking a customer who had purchased the software on CD. Hear me? The thing people call antiquated? As antiquated as an old Maytag washer purchased years ago and still working. Actually, the washer is MORE antiquated. If the CD was not purchasese, then Best Buy installed it on the computers. I paid quite a bit for the software, but with a subscription to Microsoft365 taken into considerations over molnths and months and months, I would probably be paing five times as much. That is an over-priced product. For a person on the DEMAND SIDE of a capitliatt market, I find that this over-pricing is corrupt, immoral, and unethical.

The fat pigs don’t find it to be this way, do they? So if someone is more wealthy, they tell me, “I don’t want to hear you speak about politics.” That is cowards and bullies saying, “I am happy because I can afford all this, so just shut up and listen to the media I have power and money over as they attack inflation in a nonsense way.”

Sad to say, there are too GODDAMN many Americans who are saying this, while the rest who are like me just remain silent and silentce like a cancer grows. Fuck those who are wealthy and say such things to me.

The example I address is one about the NEEDS OF THE DEMAND SIDE of a CAPITALLIST MARKET. It’s economics stupid, not politics. It’s human justice, stupid, not politics. Unless all of us who are criticized for saying this are executed, there will never be peace. That was what Hitler did. That was what Stalin did. That was what Castro did. That IS what Putin does. That IS what the sheiks of Saudi Arabisa are doing. Thati IS what the Taliban, Al=Quada, and ISIS are doing. That IS what the head of North Korea and others are doing. Thre will be no peace until we strive for human justice.

😎🤓🤓🤓🧐🧐🧐👍👍👍🙏🙏🙏

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Commentary, Economics, Regulated Capitalism, Commerce

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Car Shield Jerks, the Path, & Human Equality

Too bad Car Shield is advertising on Valerie Bertinelli’s show today (3/10/2022). I like Bertinelli. Too bad.

If seven of 10 people are supposedly thinking the country is on the wrong path, are these people getting the wrong information from our nationalized news system which has eliminated, destroyed, and curtailed local news newspapers and broadcasting? This “new norm” of news is just like the way news is covered in fascist autocracies and communist regimes. I wonder.

I think the country has been on the wrong path. But it is not recently in which it got on the wrong path. The nationalized news sources have mesmerized masses of people to believe it is just the more recent.

I believe the wrong path started with Sleepy Ronnie in the Cabinet said, “government is the problem” and so many people in the generations younger than the World War II and the older Baby Boom generation have taken this to heart by trashing the Democrats when Democrats do some good things when they run the government? Or is it due to the supply-side economics and deregulation put in place by Sleepy Ronnie in the Cabinet? Because we have ended up destroying small businesses, local news coverage which works to uncover local corruption, immorality and unethical behavior in business (such as a restaurant that hides the lack of a seafood by cusing another one but claiming it is the actual)., and handing local broadcasting airwaves over to weaker signals so the air waves can put more mobile phones online. The later? Verizon and others run the FCC so government is NOT the problem, but big corporate conglomerates pushing buttons in the government are the problem.

There are plenty of other examples of nationalized big corporations on the supply-side which take no notice of the demand-side and don’t give a damn, as with the small businesses of America, now being destroyed, did when they were really what America great as the backbone of this nation. The problem is that government does not regulate these nationalized corporations as much as it once did. It is just the opposite, many of these big corporations think they are above the law and regulate themselves and then control the government in a corrupt manner.

Now it becomes scary to discover that many of these big businesses have worked things out with foreign despots like Putin, control the Republican Party, and are pushing for changes in government which has recognized colored people, gay folks, and many others, in the name of human equality. Chick-Fil-A with a menu with carbs and breading which is not good for diabetics, as with the rest of fast food operations, are working to screw gay people over. They think that making money with carb-based fast food, they have more of a right to force their hatred of gay folks and push for conversion therapy, make those of us in same-sex marriages feel bad by pushing us back into the closet. They are not making money by means of the likes or dislikes of the food they prepare. They are making money by trying to attract puritanical hateful people who wish to force their puritanical religious beliefs, based only on traditionalism, on our society.

I have to ask. How has our sexual identity, same-sex marriages, and simply enjoying life without going backwards and restricted to gay bars, hurt these people? Please answer this question. Have I hurt any of these people? If so, what have these bastards fabricated? We live our lives in peace and seek justice with human equality. How the hell does that hurt the CEO of Chick-Fil-A, the company, and others who go there to help feed the hatred of the corporation so it can use the profits to FORCE their lousy ways of hatred upon society, destroy adoption practices of the LGBTQ+, destroy our peace, justice, and happiness, force us into segregation in a closet, and FORCE conversion therapy upon us? How the hell have we hurt these bastards so as to deserve their cherry-picking hands to grab what they wish to grab from a Bible and other sources so as to validate what they wish to do to a group of people?

What have we done to make 7 of 10 people think this nation is now on the wrong path? Please answer this and tell me. Otherwise, I think all of those who tarnish our images are nothing but SOBs. What else should I think? You damn cowards unwilling to speak and discuss these matters with us, out of fear you might find out you are wrong? And that is blame to put on us? If so, you cowards and bullies are nothing but bastards and SOBs. I don’t know what else to say when everyone just remains silent and lets silence grow like a cancer.

“If any demand of me why I speak, I plead as my apology the fact that abler and more eloquent men humans have failed to speak.”

Sad thing. Everyone seems to be letting silence like a cancer grow. Is this in order to hide the true feelings? A person feels scoffed at and pushed aside when this happens. So, why do I try to determine what is the truth? This after watching a program early this morning about seeking peace. But the main idea was to seek the truth, in order to reach peace. So, we have to wait until we are ruined by the dictatorial ones before we get the truth? That is what happens when silence like a cancer grows.

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad,

wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.” Add-on: Broad, wholesome, charitable views of humans and things cannot be acquired by remaining silent and not allowing the truth to be known and shared with others ,due to a nationalized news system which curtails the knowledge base at the local level. People then live in a “box” and refuse to look outside the box (of course, in case you don’t know, this is a figurative expression with the word, “box”). I could use a vulgar word because this makes me so angry. But then, it m atters not whether I can get my point across by using either vulgar language or not. Everyone just sits on their own opinions and make that their “box” from which, “how dare you remove me from my own box.” Good. Go and curl up like a dog in a box. And die. When I am shoved into a corner in this manner and wondering how much dictatorial people might push me and others into a corner; wonder how much such dictatorial folks will take my freedom, liberty, life, peace and justice from me and about 10% of this population away from us; wonder how much we will go backwards, be segregated and shoved into a closet. And don’t tell me “it’s not important” or “don’t worry.” As a gay man I have heard those words in the past and many times. We need to move forward with what we have which 10% of the population (LGBTQ+) have gained. We WON’T take for granted all that we have earned in the form of happiness and allow Putin lovers to do this.

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Commentary, democracy, human-rights

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Systemic Racism

Kudos to Jeffry Blau of Clarks Summit, PA, for his letter regarding one more systemic racist problem in America.  In reference to the lawsuit filed against the NFL by the former Miami Dolphins coach with regard to discrimination   What a shame to have to resort to lawsuits when this is an issue about human equality and justice.  Too many people are living in denial of such discriminatory practices and bigotry.  It takes people like Mr. Blau to continue to hit at these things through various forms of media such as this letter. Other modes of communicating human equality and human justice issues are blogs, online forums, and so forth.

It was informative to learn from Mr. Blau about how the brain injury issue in football has been treated in a distasteful and disdainful way against black folks. It is bizarre to think that black folks are not being as well treated as white folks when it comes to the treatment for brain injury due to the lower “cognitive nature” of black folks. How absurd to consider such a thing. I wa a professor and educator for some 40 years in colleges in very multi-racial environments.  We are all human beings. Some have better cognitive abilities than others. Some have various reasons for cognitive skills, good or bad, as well as visual, auditory, or physical handicaps. There is NOTHING which indicates white is better than black. In fact, there are times when a black student is better than a white; vice versa.  But as an educator, such qualities of color were never part of my consideration. The black student who came to me to show me the A+ he received on each Advanced Calculus test. That does not mean there were no white students who could achieve the same score. It is a human consideration, not a racial consideration. 

What a shame, too, that there are such stupid fools in America who work to block the passage of the John Lewis Voting Rights Act. What foolish SOBs who do this. Human equality in voting, too, damn it. Stop the crap from those with money who block such equality. Stop the crap in many states in Dixie who are doing gerrymandering and voter suppression so as to put white supremacists in office. Shameful, shameful America which allows this to happen without the people of America getting up in arms. To repeat. We need to appreciate what peopl like Mr. Blau say and the virtual “microphone” given to him to let this be known so we do it far and wide in America.

Mr. Blau mentions a comparison to Big Tobacco living in denial over the impact of smoking and likens those events in big corporations which lack and morality and ethics for human equality and justice.  In that case, too, much was solved to hold Big Tobacco accountable for the costs of healthcare for Americans who succumb to lung cancer. Who and what political group was responsible for that? Anybody realize? That too, came from Florida.  Before the Republican one-party dictatorship was established in Florida (about 1998 when Jebbie Bush became governor), it was DEMOCRATIC PARTY GOVERNOR LAWTON CHILES. Chiles played a major role in the lawsuit filed. Sad that he mysteriously died in 1998 and never got a chance to run for president.  There is too much complaining about Democrats by using false statements. This statement about Lawton Chiles is not in error. You don’t believe me, then do the research to find out.

Finally, Mr. Blau was right on point as he mentioned Pennsylvania Republican gubernatorial candidate, Dave White, as White “promises in campaign ads to block public school curriculums that expose students to America’s history of racism.”  Such candidates are in denial and do make “America’s largest plantation, also known as the NFL.” Together with other types of plantation owners, this nation is full of systemic racism and that needs to be stopped.  If not, then when the day comes and white folks are no longer the majority, they will not be very unhappy. That is, unless they wish to carry rifles, as plantation owners did to execute black folks; or like the Jim Crow, white  vigilante groups carrying ropes for lynching. The true reason for being against gun control and safety and the NRA has nothing to do with the U.S. Constitution, but about systemic racism and the fear that one day white folks will no longer be the majority population.  Thus, such white folks are scared and frightened right now so as to fake things about government or validating gerrymandering only if Republicans do it for their benefit, and all the other stuff perpetuated by such white folks.

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Commentary, democracy, human-rights

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