Tag Archives: politics

Love and Compassion

Posted on March 15, 2013 | 3 comments

I didn’t dig deep into the Portman story. Yes, he was presented with a dilemma for a Conservative Republican in that his son is gay, and two years after the fact, when states are trying to make gay marriage legal, he finally jumped on the bandwagon. Of course, a candidate has to rally votes for the next election.

But I’m not here to give him press attention. Gays have been in the closet for so many years and that is sad. In the past hundreds of years they would have just gotten married and had kids, and slept in the single beds the TV Ricky and Lucy or Laura and Rob Petrie didn’t share. Nothing about those folks, sorry.

With the rights epidemic (yes, I worked on it for jobs and apartments in NYC decades ago) going on, I thought everything was going well. Then came AIDS, and more stigma. Or stigmata.

For every person struck down by AIDS, I send my love to their families and friends. For the Federal government to fail to give research funds for this issue is a crime against the American people.

Yesterday, marriage meant a commitment. Now it means access to a hospital room where only family is admitted, health insurance, and the right to make life decisions, be executors of a will and keep the house without inheritance taxes.

The gay couples I know and love deserve to be treated as human beings with all of the c**p that we all deal with but not more because of their sexual orientation.

I love my brothers and sisters who have taken another path. I see bonds there that are as strong or stronger than what my husband and I have in our heterosexual marriage.

To talk of the Bible and love and compassion, I think few of us have either for any human beings, including our families and friends. If we did, we wouldn’t be at war.

People here purposely close the elevator door on us so they don’t have to ever meet us. What kind of neighborhood is that? Dee

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Abdication

Posted on March 2, 2013 | 3 comments

No, I’m not really talking about the Pope. That is a delicate situation and while I am not perturbed at his pension (La Stampa, yesterday) I do believe the new Pope should send him outside Vatican City for his retirement, especially as no Pope has “retired” for over 600 years. From what I read, the new Pope will be conservative as he was probably appointed by John Paul II or Benedict XVI. I also believe that many of these Cardinals have covered up for corrupt priests over the years. Or perhaps that’s a cover for an even larger scandal to come.

Life lessons have taught me that persons who commit grievous crimes are oft sent to lofty positions where they will not pose a danger or scandal. They get to the highest positions, while those of us who obey laws and do our work are rewarded by layoffs and no raises, no cost of living increases.

That brings me (the Vulcan taught me logic) to Congress, who gave over a good portion of their job to the Executive Branch yesterday. I believe this is not in the interest of getting things done, but getting things undone.

What bothers me is that we have a representative democracy and our representatives are relinquishing it in order to jockey for position for President in 2016, What are they letting go of? US!!! Yes, the people who may have voted for them and the whole of the districts or states they represent.

We have rights as citizens and few people register or vote. Let me tell you this. The sequestration that requires immediate budget cuts affects everyone, including every staff member in Congress, except the Senators and Representatives that represent us in Washington. These so-called “representatives” also have executive health insurance for life and a pension plan we all wish for. Should they not suffer as well?

Where my husband and I grew up, the cream rose to the top, not the scum. We have three branches of government, if you look up your history books. Sometimes one borrows from the other for good purposes.

I fear this is for bad purposes and that the needs of all Americans are being thwarted by a non-existent fight (for us, the people) for President in 2016. Your representative isn’t listening to you, is not representing your views, just ceding to the executive branch to play the blame game later on.

Get in touch with your Senators and Representative. Ask about how a new law will affect you. What will happen to your retirement funds? Health care. A dead squirrel down the road from your house. Gay marriage. Equality in the workplace. Whatever rings your bell. Just do it. Ask if they’re working for you or just abdicating responsibility to another branch of government.

What goes around, comes around, and the Supremes (Court, that is) will end up deciding it and we don’t want that to happen. So VOTE! Register to vote. Keep up on the politics of Washington, your state and town. Get involved, whether it’s the PTA or local library. OK, you can think about it over the weekend. Dee

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The Big Picture

Posted on January 22, 2013 | Leave a comment

I always love this film directed by Christopher Guest starring Kevin Bacon and a lot of upcoming stars. btw, Director Guest, I loved you as the six-fingered swordsman, and all your films.

It tells you how to be true to your self and see the big picture, not dwell on popularity, self-involvement, details or money.

Forget about television, the more channels there are the less there is to see. What I read is all about crazy things like “reality” shows and “news.” They dish dirt.

Most who write (for those few that still read) do so about small things because we tweet and have very short attention spans. While I must do small things like paying bills and cooking, I like to see the big picture.

It’s a comprehensive picture where people have food and jobs and we have equality between people. There are serious issues that our elected representatives need to address. To do so, they must first talk to one another.

Let us all hope that today’s reconciliation Inauguration is not in vain. These senators and members of congress attend as a public duty. It is the people in this representative democracy that will make things happen.

Do you need a crosswalk in your neighborhood? You have a computer. Look it up and if the municipality will not help, find out who to call and do it. Your child’s life may be at stake.

Most of all, VOTE! I don’t care what party you vote for, just register, do your public duty and privilege, and vote. If you saw the inauguration today, you must know that living in a democracy is a privilege. Yes, we also have rights that are guaranteed and protected by a Constitution.

We’re embroiled in unnecessary wars and no matter what people say, we’re still in a recession. We need jobs and that is not a government function unless you work for the government. Companies need to re-train employees and plan for the future.

What happens in an economic crisis? We taxpayers bail out companies who then hold that money and pay themselves bonuses while we lose our jobs and homes.

Think about the big picture, where we all get involved in whatever matters to us and make a difference. Cheers to the future, Dee

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TO:

Posted on December 7, 2012 | 1 comment

Governor Walker, Madison WI

You may as well have my name and address. It’s there. I voted. I tried to write your office and was told you needed all personal details about my life and everything was to be sent to the press or otherwise subject to disclosure. But thank you for contacting me, says your web page.

You said recently that you wish to overturn a 36 year-old law that allows legal American citizens and  legitimate Wisconsin voters to register on election day.

Two of your cohorts will introduce legislation to do just that. I ask you one thing. When you vote for them, remember that their families are on the line because we pay their salaries, also yours. What you have done is say “Elect us, now prevent other citizens from voting so we can win next time around.”

For politicians of all stripes, who carry that flag and kiss babies, suppressing voters is not the way to win an election. Even if it is, it’s anti-American and the least patriotic stance one who represents voters (who have bought your house and put food on your table) can have.

I just read that 19% of Wisconsin voters registered on election day. Remember that policies are important, not exclusions, and that these 20% are registered for life and are looking at you next time around. You may survive a recall but beware of what you’re doing to honest and caring citizens in your state who have earned the right to vote. Not so cheery on this one, Dee

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Freedom

Posted on December 3, 2012 | 5 comments

We don’t actually have freedom in the great US of A. We natives give it up at birth, and heaven forbid the illegal aliens and their freedoms. My mother got a Green Card from Canada over fifty years ago to live here and experience our freedoms.

We earn a license to live here, one to drive and to work and to pay the government a good portion of our wages. Part of that is to Social Security, which we’ll never see because our government chooses to spend our “lock box” money elsewhere.

Our government also says we are subject to God. I don’t mind that, but don’t want my government telling me that. Worship is one thing I can do without government interference, especially as it was contraindicated by our founding fathers. Who is anyone to print on our money “In God We Trust.”

Why did we have no founding mothers? Did these founding fathers spring from the gods as did Zeus?

Back to freedom. We have no freedom to take care of our health or well-being. Our lives may be insured by employers but not to make things right for a spouse when one is hit by a bus.

Perhaps employer-based health and other plans are bound for obscurity but until there are alternatives, I’m ok with that. Right now it’s a scary world out there and the next person who says “I can’t talk to you, you’re ONLY the wife,” I’d like to at least throw a glass of water in their face.

If we don’t have choices, we don’t have freedom. Can I leave the country and become a citizen elsewhere? Probably. Do I want to? No. I want our country to be all that it can be for all of us. Make it work.

A few weeks ago we hired a lot of politicians to speak for us. Let’s make sure they do. Then freedom is a word we may be able to use again. Dee

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Women

Posted on November 7, 2012 | 3 comments

We’re the elephant in the room, but all the armchair political quarterbacks are talking about is how the Republican party has to connect with Latino and young voters.

Mourdock and Akin lost their Senate seats, perhaps having something to do with their views on pregnancy, abortion and “legitimate” rape. I can only surmise that Romney’s repeated televised threats of overturning Roe v. Wade has something to do with losing the women’s vote by 11%. After all, if it’s illegal, abortion only goes back into the alleys, and given the Republican party’s unwillingness toward “sex education” things would be much worse for women under a Republican president trying to turn back the clock forty years. Heck, why not go back fifty years and undo civil rights! Or 150 years so those slaves can’t vote?

I’d love to be a fly on the wall to see seventeen people in attendance at Martin Luther King’s “I Don’t Have a Dream” speech. I’m an Independent, but Republicans, especially Tea Party radicals, need to know that we’re not going to dress like we’re on the Mad Men set, vacuum the carpets in heels, get our hair done and teased every week at the salon and make meals out of Campbell’s soup.

Those days are gone. Republicans, what irks me the most is that the party cannot be one of rich white men who think voter registration and turnout are bad things and that women, hispanics, blacks and gays should just go away. They did go away from the Republican party, and you lost, big time.

It’s ironic that Romney was a moderate, turned tea partier to get the nomination and never got back to the center in a trustworthy fashion. To me, that shows the Christian right, moral majority or whatever tea party-ism is called these days has to be supressed. It’ll always be there, as is the ultra-liberal wing of the Democratic party, but heed this lesson, rich white men.

And don’t just pretend. Romney pretended to be a “regular” American. He is not, if he only pays capital gains tax rates, keeps his assets in the Caymans and wears holy underwear. Something to chew on with breakfast. I bought myself a present, lox and cream cheese. Now I have to wait for the bagel shop to open! Dee

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A Southern Gentlewoman

Posted on October 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

must know how to shoot. So my school gave me a BB gun and had me point it at a box filled with paper, with a small target up front.

I was the slowest person on the track team at the time, also a willing but not so able gymnast. I ended up as gymnastics captain junior and senior year at another school north of the Mason-Dixon line but was always a better leader than gymnast.

My teacher knew I was the girls’ JV basketball team’s  short “mascot” and helped them win every “killer” volleyball game by getting the balls back to them while they had my six.

With guns, I was pathetic. Because I was good or trying to be good in other athletic areas, the coach asked me to take out a plain gold earring and put a mark somewhere outside the target area so she could give me a D, not an F, for at least trying in Shootery. I shook as I held that gun and never even hit the box, much less the target. To this day I thank her for her kindness and hope I made it up in other after-school sports.

But a Southern Gentlewoman must know how to use a gun. We don’t have one in the house, even though my husband grew up on a farm/ranch and knows how to use one. I, on the other hand, would probably shoot my foot first then ruin my nice appliances if there was an intruder.

High school memories. Just thought of it as the laundry winds down. Aside from raising my husband, my father-in-law did two great things for me. Bought me roses at our first meeting (but that was Margie), told my Jim the next day it was ok to go ahead and make it official, and drove up and yelled to pick me up. He took me to see a 14-point stag. We missed him but did see a doe. He didn’t have a gun as he only shoots what he has to, in order to protect his cattle. He has such a sense of cattle and wildlife that he wanted me to see a little slice of his world. Even though we disagree on politics, I’ll always love him. Hear that O’Reilly?

Hey J, I think someone is going to be trounced in tonight’s debate. I know you don’t take wagers J, even a quarter, just asking. Cheers! Dee

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Voter ID

Posted on October 3, 2012 | Leave a comment

I had to show my passport, drivers license and utility bills to register to vote. They have my signature. I am a white, college graduate in a northern state. I’m just stating that as a fact before I go into this issue.

What gives, here? You can’t register without papers and signature. I’d offer to fly back South to help the disenfranchised but it’s even worse up here. They won’t even tell me my polling place or give me a letter saying I’m registered to vote.

And I’m in a swing state. I offered to volunteer but they don’t want me. Now you may ask what is going on in this country when my husband asked who is the VP and I told him of their efforts. He’s a genius, a true “absent-minded professor.” He won’t register. We’d cancel each other out.

My husband is too busy to take the time to go through what I did to register to vote. I’m used to going to the polling place, signing my name and all the ladies (they’re all ladies) say “Good morning, Dee! How are you today?” Just as Nanny does in Texas. That’s my Voter I Dee

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Political Ads

Posted on September 27, 2012 | Leave a comment

Complaining about something without providing a solution is a waste of everyone’s time.

Yes, I wrote that in the previous post but it fits the world of politics. I hate negative campaign ads and that’s what we’ve allowed ourselves to be reduced to because we don’t speak up and make our politicians (representatives) accountable.

Look at what the other guy did. Look at me. I’m telling you what the other guy did. Vote for me.

That doesn’t work for me. As I’ve said, I’m a policy person.

If you are going to complain about something, have a solution in mind, otherwise you’re just wasting my time and your advertising money. Swing-Stater

ps I’m prolific before 6 a.m. today. Hopefully the dog won’t take over the bed tonight as I need some sleep. Cheers, Dee

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Them

Posted on September 27, 2012 | 2 comments

In an effort to snag last-minute votes, Mr. Romney has a new ad out claiming that he does indeed “care” about the 47 percent of us who aren’t arrogant millionaires showing up in rolled up sleeved $500 shirts and denim. The downside is that we’re “them” to him. Another slam.

I’m in a swing state and am registered to vote but whistle-stop politics doesn’t work for me. I’m just awaiting my credentials and polling place.

I deal with mechanics, waiters working their way through college, supermarket checkers, dog walkers. They’re all working hard for low pay. I just don’t understand how a person who has always been wealthy can understand and care for half a nation who is retired, retired military or poor and in need of assistance.

Especially as he described half the nation as losers and victims. He can’t turn that around now. I’m an independent and keep an open mind. Open it, Mr. Romney. Show me your policies. I’m a policy wonk, sorry. It was my job once. Unless I see something concrete I’m in a bog and sinking fast. I look forward to seeing the ad and am sure it’ll be on the Today show because that’s when you always air to get the housewife vote. Cheers from Dee, the Feminist Homemaker

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