I wrote today’s repost on January 12, 2018. I am reposting it because today’s fresh content is about the same topic. I’m mostly leaving the post as/is, which means it was current as of 2018, not 2023.
So… over the past few days, I’ve gotten hooked on an A&E show called 60 Days In. This show, which premiered in 2016, is about Sheriff Jamey Noels in Clark County, Indiana who recruits innocent people to voluntarily enter his jail for sixty days. Eight volunteers were used for the first season. They flew to Indiana, submitted to being “arrested” and treated just like any other detainee, changed into hideous jumpsuits, and mingled with the legitimate inmates.
Two people were not able to finish their “sentences”. The first person to leave was a wimpy guy named Jeff who has aspirations of being a corrections officer. He decided to take part in the program to gain valuable experience. However, he opted to leave early because he felt his life was in danger. More than once, Jeff spoke about what it was like being bullied when he was growing up. However, instead of fighting back and/or standing his ground to the bullies he encountered in jail, Jeff opted to give away his commissary for a lower bunk and allow another inmate to order commissary food using his account. Another inmate, who was mentally ill and off his meds, punched Jeff in the face, which prompted him to drop out of the program.
I see on Wikipedia that Jeff and his wife, Emily, were also contestants on another reality show called Reality Race, which aired on BYUtv. Apparently, he’s related to serial killer Ted Bundy. I’m wondering if he’s LDS, but then I read his Twitter and he’s apparently quite the trash talker (ETA: in 2023, the Twitter account no longer exists). I’m not sure what he was doing on BYUtv, but it looks like he’s not a churchgoer. It’s weird, because on the show he came off as kind of meek and afraid, but on Twitter, I see he comes across in a very different way. I guess being behind a keyboard inspires “bravery”.
The other guy who washed out was Robert, a teacher and artist. He talks about how he raises money and travels the world to help orphans in poor countries. He says he does it to make his life matter. Early in the season, he covers a camera with a towel and gets sent to “the hole” for thirty days. He apparently enjoys being locked up by himself and doesn’t want to go back into the general population. Just before they were going to make him go back to the regular cellblock, Robert gets sick and lands in the hospital… where nothing is found wrong with him.
I must say, Robert comes off as more than a bit narcissistic when he speaks. However, they did show some of his artwork. I thought it was pretty amazing stuff. And they also showed him teaching kids art and he’s clearly good with them. So maybe his calling isn’t to be on reality TV? I don’t know. I liked his art, though. It’s weird and quirky. He does also make a point that “reality TV” is really just well-edited entertainment. He’s probably not as weird as he seems.
Muhammed Ali’s daughter, Maryam, is also on the show. She totally looks like her dad in the face. She’s a social worker and has sort of a motherly attitude toward others. She clashes with Tami, a lesbian police officer from Boston who grew up in foster care and evidently has anger issues. I actually kind of liked Tami. She seems really intelligent and has an interesting perspective. There’s also Barbra, who’s a young stay at home housewife. Her husband is in the military.
Finally, we have Zac, a Marine who wants to go into law enforcement, and Isaiah, a young black man whose mother had him when she was 13. He seems like a nice person. Apparently, he’s signed up for this show because his half brother is incarcerated. His mother wants him to finish the program because she doesn’t want her son to end up in jail.
Okay… so when I first started watching this show, I wondered what in the world would compel an innocent person to willingly give up their freedom for two months. I especially wondered about Barbra and Zac, both of whom had young children at home. Zac’s son was only six weeks old when Zac entered the Clark County jail. Barbra’s sons were older, but still pretty little. Later, I found out that there was money involved. I’ll tell you what. It would have to be a whole lot of money before I would ever agree to voluntarily go to jail.
The goal of the program was for the participants to observe and later tell Sheriff Noels and his colleague, Captain Scottie Maples (who is very cute), about what they see. They want to know what goes on in the jail and what they can do to make it safer and more secure. I was surprised to see that most of the participants were, in fact, able to offer some valuable intel. A couple of them were even able to parlay the experience into new careers. Zac found himself a job after languishing in unemployment for a long time. And Tami, who ultimately decided to quit being a police officer, turned into a jail consultant.
Still… I think it would be extremely difficult to tolerate jail, especially if you aren’t actually guilty of anything. Two months is a long time to be locked up if you’re innocent. I know most of the time, you don’t exactly have a choice whether or not you go to jail. But the constant stress of being locked up… the noise, the smells, the stale air, the ugly jumpsuits and bullies, the horrible narrow cots they sleep on and the awful food, and the fact that everyone looks at you like you’re a violent animal… I don’t think I could do it. There’s not enough money that would make me want to do it, even if I came out of it with lots of stories to write and a broadened perspective. I think I’m just too old and set in my ways.
I finished the first season last night and started watching the second season. If I know me, I’ll watch it all, even if I think the participants are crazy to do it. Incidentally, I found out about this show by reading on RfM. Apparently, there’s a Mormon guy and his son participating in the most recent season.
A shocking scene from an early season of 60 Days In.
After the landlords come over to inspect the furnace (this is a yearly thing), we’re going to go to Rothenburg for the weekend. I’ve been wanting to go for a long time, so hopefully it’ll live up to the hype. I hear it’s a beautiful medieval city.
For several years, I’ve followed renowned Canadian OB-GYN Dr. Jen Gunter on Facebook and Twitter. She’s written a couple of books, made some very informative videos, and is genuinely a very engaging influencer and personality. This morning, as I was perusing Twitter, I noticed Dr. Jen had posted this:
WHAT?!
I had never heard of Christiane Northrup before, but I noticed a lot of Jen Gunter’s followers were agreeing with her that this so-called “doctor” is a trash person. So I checked out her Twitter page, and I saw some pretty appalling stuff there. As you can see below, she appears to be healthy, happy, and a promoter of women’s health…
Looks okay so far…
But then I took a closer look and discovered some questionable posts… I mean, some of them maybe I could see, but some were just offensive.
Anti vaccine, anti trans…Transphobic…Pseudoscience…Conservative crap…Maybe… but sometimes comfort is healing.
Apparently, these posts are the norm for this doctor in Maine. I see she is posting a lot of new age stuff, comments about worshiping the sun, and dietary advice. She doesn’t like Fauci, and is against mask and vaccine mandates. Personally, I’m with her on face masks (in most situations), but I am a believer in vaccines. I guess what gives me the most pause is that Christiane Northrup appears to be a hateful bigot who isn’t so much a promoter of women’s health as she is a promoter of hatred toward people who lean to the left and embrace the idea that there could be more than two genders.
Northrup’s meme about Kyle Rittenhouse is just really appalling and tasteless. Even if you believe it was right for him to be acquitted, people still died because he was somewhere he didn’t need to be, and was carrying a weapon he wasn’t legally allowed to own. And if he had simply stayed home and did some online studying to become a medic, instead of posing as a medic during a rally, he would not have been in the situation he was in, requiring him to use a gun to defend himself and killing two people.
I see Dr. Jen also posted this about her not so esteemed colleague, Christiane Northrup:
Hmm…
I noticed that Christiane Northrup bears a passing resemblance to another quack of the religious variety…
She looks like maybe she’s had a little work done.
But at least Paula’s Twitter sticks to religion and uplifting memes. I don’t see her spreading hate or healthcare related quackery. Paula’s quackery is of the religious sort, as she slips into speaking in tongues and dances around whatever stage she’s on, telling the same stories of her troubled childhood. Seriously– Paula and Christiane look like sisters.
Well, I hadn’t heard of Christiane Northrup until this morning, but thanks to Dr. Jen Gunter, I know to steer clear of her. She appears to be bad news. I have enough issues with doctors without following one who spews a lot of bullshit. However… as I’m writing this post, I ran across another doctor’s Twitter that looks more promising. She’s a politician from South Carolina, too.
Now this lady is making sense. I’ll follow HER.
She’s also posted about how she’d like to protect her kindergartner daughter from shootings in schools. This, even though in neighboring North Carolina, there’s a county where officials have outfitted each school with an AR-15 weapon to use against shooters. Why can’t we fix this problem instead of focusing so much on banning abortions? I see Indiana has now mostly banned abortions now… it’s insane. Shame on them!
I don’t really feel like going all hot and heavy on a blog post today. The weather is similarly beautiful today as it was yesterday. It’s not super hot outside, and I’m not feeling sick. So maybe it would be good to log off the computer and get out of the house again today. Hope you all have a glorious Sunday and steer clear of all the quacks on social media.
Special thanks to my friend “Naphtalia” (not her real name) for today’s featured photo!
It’s another very warm morning in Germany. I kind of hate this time of year in Germany, because while it rarely gets as hot here as it does in my native Virginia or God forsaken Texas, air conditioning is a rarity. That makes for some uncomfortable days when it’s high summer, even with all the shades pulled down and a couple of portable air conditioners. I never run both ACs at the same time, either, because I don’t want to run up a big electric bill. They do electric bills differently here, though. Instead of charging different amounts based on monthly use, they do a yearly average and adjust at the end of the year. But still, I don’t want to be an energy hog, if I can help it.
Bill just bought oil for our house, to get us through the winter. This year, it cost about $1000 more than it did last year, thanks to Putin’s war against Ukraine. Fortunately, we’re able to afford it pretty easily. We stay in Germany largely because Bill makes really good money over here, but also because the lifestyle is much nicer, people are saner and less violent, and it’s cool to be able to drive to so many countries. That doesn’t mean I don’t think of home often, though. Missing my uncle’s funeral the other day was another reminder that I’ve been gone a long time, and I’ve seen a lot of beloved relatives for the last time. The United States is my home, but it doesn’t feel much like home anymore. People seem to be absolutely batshit nuts.
Still, I was delighted to read about Kansas yesterday, and voters’ decisions to vote for allowing abortion access. I think that was a rude wake up call for the more sensible Republicans out there. They overplayed their hand, and they will probably pay for it with some really tough elections. I have read about some scary elections results in Arizona, though, and apparently the Trump loyalists, drunk on the stolen election Kool-Aid rhetoric, are leading the way to Gilead inspired insanity. Not surprisingly, reasonable Republican, Rusty Bowers, who heroically testified in the January 6th sessions, was defeated by his Trump supporting opponent. I watched Bowers speak about January 6th again, the other day, and noticed that he was almost moved to tears. I was almost moved to tears listening to him, even though I don’t like his politics or religious beliefs. Bowers is a man of integrity, and those types are rapidly leaving the Republican Party.
I don’t think people realize that the power mad conservatives want to enslave them… keep them disenfranchised and begging for jobs that don’t pay enough. Keeping people pregnant, especially if they aren’t financially or health wise prepared for pregnancy, is certainly a big part of keeping them poor. The abortion bans are already proving dangerous for people who legitimately need to terminate pregnancies for health reasons, that they should be allowed to keep private. Personally, I am less concerned about no access to abortion than I am that politicians will soon push an agenda that makes healthcare privacy a thing of the past.
Health information is a very powerful asset, and getting people comfortable with the idea of giving up their confidentiality when it comes to health matters is a big step toward keeping them down. I don’t believe these folks will stop with denying abortion and contraception access. They would like to tear apart legal privacy protections for the citizenry, so they promote bullshit about the “sanctity of life” as a reason to deny abortions to people who want or need them, while idiots like Colorado legislator Lauren Boebert crow about their ridiculous gun control theories. Yesterday, I watched a video about how she claims people in Venezuela are eating dogs because they can’t have guns. Seriously!
Well worth watching, if only because the guy who made this video is awesome. Lauren’s personal assets don’t include having a functioning brain.
I read last night that extremely pro-life Indiana Representative Jackie Walorski, just two weeks shy of her 59th birthday, died in a car crash. Two of her staffers died with her. I didn’t know anything about Walorski until last night, when I saw the article from Reuters. I went to her Facebook page, where she had just recently posted about visiting a “crisis pregnancy center” in Indiana. Crisis pregnancy centers are places where a pro-life agenda is pushed. The goal is to get the person considering abortion to change their minds, sometimes by the unethical use of misinformation or religious dogma.
The comments were pretty bananas, as people squabbled over their respective political views. One guy was especially disgusting toward the pro-choice women who were commenting. Only a few realized, at that point, that Ms. Walorski is no longer among the living and won’t be pushing her pro-life agenda anymore. I only hope that whoever replaces her is more moderate in their views. Like a lot of people, I am tired of being held hostage by politicians who think their religious beliefs have any place in making laws that affect everyone. On the other hand, I see some really ugly comments about her sudden death, including the one below…
No matter what I might think about Jackie Walorski’s politics, I’m sure she had many loved ones. This is not any better than the awful things conservatives say to liberals.
Ouch.
I don’t cheer for Jackie Walorski’s sudden death, but I really hope with all my heart that whomever takes her place will have more heart and sense for moderation. The country is being torn apart by extremism, and it will lead to even more very ugly things in the future, if something isn’t done soon.
Last night, I finished reading Black Beauty to Bill, and once again, I was shocked by how relevant that book is, even today. It was written in 1877, but it addresses animal rights, politics, and religion, and how politics and religion can turn people into insufferable assholes. Here are just a couple of quotes from the book, one of which I recently shared a few days ago.
“Your master never taught you a truer thing,” said John; “there is no religion without love, and people may talk as much as they like about their religion, but if it does not teach them to be good and kind to man and beast it is all a sham—all a sham, James, and it won’t stand when things come to be turned inside out.”
“Well, a man who gets rich by that trade may be all very well in some ways, but he is blind as to what workingmen want; I could not in my conscience send him up to make the laws. I dare say they’ll be angry, but every man must do what he thinks to be the best for his country.”
“My boy, I hope you will always defend your sister, and give anybody who insults her a good thrashing—that is as it should be; but mind, I won’t have any election blackguarding on my premises. There are as many ‘blue’ blackguards as there are ‘orange’, and as many white as there are purple, or any other color, and I won’t have any of my family mixed up with it. Even women and children are ready to quarrel for the sake of a color, and not one in ten of them knows what it is about.”
“Why, father, I thought blue was for Liberty.” “My boy, Liberty does not come from colors, they only show party, and all the liberty you can get out of them is, liberty to get drunk at other people’s expense, liberty to ride to the poll in a dirty old cab, liberty to abuse anyone that does not wear your color, and to shout yourself hoarse at what you only half-understand—that’s your liberty!”
“Oh, father, you are laughing.”
“No, Harry, I am serious, and I am ashamed to see how men go on who ought to know better. An election is a very serious thing; at least it ought to be, and every man ought to vote according to his conscience, and let his neighbor do the same.”
I announced to some Facebook friends that I was reading Black Beauty to Bill, and one of them, a British lady who used to teach school in Britain, said it would have him in tears. Sure enough, it did. Black Beauty has a happy ending, but it really is a very good book that tugs at the heartstrings, and it’s surprisingly relevant today, on many levels. I’m glad I read it again as an adult (it was never meant to be children’s literature), and I’m so glad I shared it with Bill. He loved it, and never would have read it on his own. It’s a great book for animal lovers– especially horse lovers– but I think everyone should read it. Anna Sewell was very wise. Her book promotes common sense and compassion, not just toward animals, but also toward human beings. And it’s a reminder that things were bananas in the 19th century, too.
Anyway… it’s going to be another steamy day in Germany, and I’m in the middle of changing the sheets, and will soon be vacuuming, which is not my favorite thing to do. So I guess I’ll end this post and get on with it. Let’s hope for better news in the coming days.
Mornin’ folks. I’m sad to report that I’m sick again. I have a sore throat, slight hoarseness, cough, and congestion, and I’ve had several near misses with the urge to hurl. Some may recall that I was sick a month ago, too. That time, it appeared to be a garden variety cold. I did two COVID tests and both were very negative. Like, there wasn’t even a hint that I might have the virus. This time, I think my luck might have finally run out, since I read this morning that COVID is now initially presenting with a sore throat, and not with a fever and loss of smell and taste.
I actually feel significantly better now than I did a couple of hours ago. Once I ate breakfast, did some coughing and clearing of my throat, and drank some fluids, the pain in my throat lessened. I still feel kind of icky, but it’s not too bad. I haven’t tested for COVID, because I don’t have any tests at home. Hopefully, this won’t linger. What sucks the most is that right now, there’s a heat wave in Europe. There’s nothing worse than being sick when it’s hot as Hell outside.
Yesterday, I mentioned a satire story that’s been rattling in my head. I told Bill about it, and he was enthusiastic and was adding ideas. Last night, when Bill came home, we brainstormed some more. It was surprisingly fun. Maybe I’ll actually get down to writing it… especially if it turns out I need to be housebound. I think it could be a good story.
Now to get on with today’s topic. I hate to write about abortion again, but I just have to… I happened to see a video yesterday that blew my mind. A few days ago, MSNBC posted the below video to YouTube.
They sure are denying reality, aren’t they? The featured photo is a picture of Eric Swalwell’s visible reaction to Catherine Glenn Foster’s lunacy.
By now, many people have heard about the ten year old Ohio girl who was raped, resulting in a pregnancy. By the time her pregnancy was revealed, she was six weeks and three days beyond conception. Since Ohio currently bans almost all abortions beyond six weeks, the girl could not get the healthcare she needed in her home state. Her doctor called Dr. Caitlin Bernard, an OB-GYN in Indiana, where abortions are currently permitted until the 22nd week of gestation. Dr. Bernard agreed to help the girl. This poor ten year old CHILD had to travel from Ohio to Indiana to get her abortion.
Meanwhile, Republicans were quick to discount and try to debunk the story about the pregnant ten year old rape victim. They dismissed the story as “liberal talking points”. Many people were saying that it couldn’t be true, that a ten year old baby girl got pregnant. Some were even “slut shaming” the girl, saying she needed to keep her legs closed. 😮 Indiana Attorney General, Todd Rokita, went on the offensive, claiming that Dr. Bernard didn’t properly report the abortion, when actually, she did. Dr. Bernard’s lawyer has since sent Mr. Rokita a “cease and desist” letter, threatening litigation to defend against his malicious and defamatory statements regarding the doctor’s work. Rokita may also face disciplinary action for the false and unverified statements he’s made regarding this case.
Ohio’s attorney general, Dave Yost, likewise scoffed at the story and cast doubt on its veracity. Yost said that he had not heard anything about a ten year old rape victim. I guess it doesn’t occur to him that not only do Americans have healthcare privacy, but minors’ and sexual assault victims’ privacy is especially protected, and for good reason. Yost, nevertheless, went on Fox News and said:
“We have regular contact with prosecutors and local police and sheriffs — not a whisper anywhere,”
He continued:
“I know the cops and prosecutors in this state… There’s not one of them that wouldn’t be turning over every rock, looking for this guy and they would have charged him. They wouldn’t leave him loose on the streets … I’m not saying it could not have happened. What I’m saying to you is there is not a damn scintilla of evidence.”
It is true that this ten year old girl was raped at least twice. One of those assaults led to her conceiving with her rapist, a 27 year old man who has since been arrested. It’s absolutely terrible that this crime happened to the girl. We mustn’t forget that this happens to other girls around the world. She’s not the first ten year old to get pregnant. Any ten year old who has sex is a victim of rape. Ten year olds CANNOT consent to having sex. When that news came out, Dave Yost’s only comment was “We rejoice anytime a child rapist is taken off the streets.” He later added, he’s “absolutely delighted that this monster has been taken off the street. If convicted, he should spend the rest of his life in prison.” No apology for casting doubt on the girl’s story, which turns out to be true. No reconsideration of the dumb comments he made regarding this case.
I think a lot of Republicans were jubilant about the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and it never occurred to them that the horrifying repercussions of that disastrous decision would so quickly become apparent. The rape case was reported just three days after Roe v. Wade was overturned, and Ohio’s abortion trigger ban went into effect. I guess I can understand why Republicans thought this was political game playing, since elections are coming up soon, and there’s about to be a desperate fight for power. But, the fact remains that this child was raped, and did get pregnant. Some people, amazingly, think this kid should have been forced to birth, even though pregnancy and childbirth are stressful, painful and traumatic, even for grown women.
Attorney Jim Bopp, who authored model legislation in Indiana in advance of the Supreme Court’s decision, said of the ten year old under his law, “She would have had the baby, and as many women who have had babies as a result of rape, we would hope that she would understand the reason and ultimately the benefit of having the child.” Figures this is an old white guy saying this. Bopp was born in 1948, and is clearly out of touch with reality. Shame on him! Doesn’t he remember what it was like to be a ten year old child?
I suppose all of this crap shouldn’t have surprised me at all, but then I saw the video I posted above. In that video, at about the three minute mark, Representative Eric Swalwell (D-CA) questioned a pro-life activist named Catherine Glenn Foster, asking her if she thought a ten year old would “choose to carry”. The activist stammered, hemmed, and hawed, clearly trying to evade making an exception in this case, and not answering “yes or no” to a simple question. Swalwell doubled down, demanding that she simply answer “yes or no”, which she obviously wasn’t willing to do. I was truly flabbergasted when she said:
“I believe it would probably impact her life, and so, therefore, it would fall under any exception and would not be an abortion.”
Swalwell reacted with shock and confusion, saying “Wait. It would not be an abortion if a 10-year-old with her parents made the decision not to have a baby that was the result of a rape?”
Amazingly, Catherine Glenn Foster continued with her bizarre rationale, apparently changing the definition of an abortion, saying “If a 10-year-old became pregnant as a result of rape and it was threatening her life, then that’s not an abortion.”
Say what?! Of course it’s an abortion, you twit!
Um… excuse me? YOU believe it would PROBABLY impact her life? Wouldn’t that be true of anyone who wanted or needed an abortion? And because YOU believe it would PROBABLY impact her life, it’s NOT an abortion? That is truly mind boggling! I wonder at which point Catherine Glenn Foster would determine that an unintended pregnancy would not impact the “host’s” life in some way? When is it permissible to force someone to stay pregnant? Would she want to force a 14 or 15 year old to give birth? I have actually known some very mature teenagers, some of whom did give birth. I’ve also known some 25 year olds who probably still shouldn’t be allowed to cross the street by themselves!
Obviously, yes, the girl had an abortion. An abortion is a medical procedure, and there really should not be any shame attached to it, especially in a case like this one. But one of the main reasons why I am so staunchly pro-choice is because I think if you’re going to assign personhood to a developing fetus, abortion has to be wrong in all circumstances, to include cases like this one. Obviously, I don’t think ten year olds should be forced to stay pregnant. If I feel that way about a ten year old, how can I not feel that way about everyone? I don’t like situational ethics applied in selective circumstances. Abortion is either always wrong, like murder is, or there are times when it’s acceptable. And how can we determine for another person whether or not their situation merits being allowed to have an abortion? Especially when we make it so very difficult and expensive to raise children? Why is it anyone else’s business?
I guess Catherine Glenn Foster was trying to say that abortion is a dirty thing that only irresponsible and immoral sluts do. Obviously, a ten year old child isn’t an irresponsible slut… at least not yet. So in her mind, yes, it’s permissible to terminate the pregnancy. We just won’t call that an abortion. Except that’s exactly what it was! And why does she think that she, or any other uninvolved party, should have any say whatsoever in a case like this? In his opinion piece about this event, journalist Steve Benen wrote:
In other words, the head of Americans United for Life believes a 10-year-old impregnated by a rapist should be allowed to get an abortion — because under her preferred definition, that abortion wouldn’t really count as an abortion.
If terminating a girl’s unwanted pregnancy isn’t an abortion, what is it? Is there a preferred word that conservatives would like us to use?
Let’s not miss the forest for the trees. Republicans and their allies have created a situation in which raped children will — in at least one instance, has — cross state lines in order to receive medical care. Unable to defend the legal conditions they’re responsible for, many on the right deny the legitimacy of real stories, while others on the right decide to redefine words for the sake of political convenience.
No one should be fooled. Abortions don’t become non-abortions when the impregnated Americans are sympathetic figures.
Right on, Steve Benen.
As long as I’m complaining about this, let me also add that I read an article in the Washington Post about the slim prospects of an increase of adoptable babies if abortion becomes totally outlawed in the United States. In that article, which I have linked and unlocked for the interested, journalist Sydney Trent included some of Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr.’s opinion regarding overturning Roe v. Wade. It made my blood run cold.
“… A woman who puts her newborn up for adoption today has little reason to fear that the baby will not find a suitable home,” Alito said, writing for the majority and summarizing the views of many Americans who oppose abortion. In a footnote, he cited a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report juxtaposing the tiny “domestic supply of infants” in 2002 with the nearly 1 million Americans waiting to adopt.
So basically, Republicans are hoping that forcing women to birth will provide a bumper crop of domestically produced babies for people to adopt. Where is it written that people who get pregnant unintentionally must give up their babies to fertility challenged people, or people who choose not to carry their own babies, for whatever reason? This is disgusting. There are over 400,000 children languishing in foster care today. In 2019, only about 15 percent of the children in foster care were adopted, mostly by their relatives. We certainly don’t need more babies for people to adopt. People who wish to adopt a child should take one that has already been born and needs a home NOW! Foster care is no place for kids to come of age.
I’d also like to add that babies aren’t like puppies and kittens, looking to be rehomed. They grow up to be people who will experience the trauma of losing their birth families. Yes, I know that many adoptees have great experiences with the people who adopt them. But that’s not always true. Case in point, Bill’s ex wife. Moreover, even when the experience is good, the adopted child still wonders about their origins. There’s trauma for them, and most likely, for their birth parents– at least the mother. Do people really think that’s not absolutely horrifying for the birth mom, giving up a baby that she bonded with for nine months? Especially since a lot of people will look down on her for making that choice, and/or getting pregnant in the first place.
I think we’re going to see a lot more children being neglected and abused if this situation isn’t fixed soon. There will be a lot more poverty, and more incarcerations. A lot of women will die, as they are forced to be pregnant when it isn’t safe for them, medically or psychologically. That’s not how things should be in a civilized country, like the United States used to be, before this bizarre bastardization of the Republican Party got into power and fucked up everything.
Well… I think I’ve about had my say on this… at least for today. It’s time to close this post and practice guitar for a bit. Hopefully, I’ll feel better soon, and this won’t turn out to be a really bad sickness. Or I won’t hear more ludicrous nonsense from the likes of Catherine Glenn Foster, who is apparently hoping to change the definition of abortion when the person needing to have one is a sympathetic figure, like a ten year old BABY.
I’ve had an idea for a satire story rattling around in my head for the past few days. I shared it with Bill the other day, and he was enthusiastic about it. In fact, this morning, he offered an idea of his own– characters I could create and flesh out for the story. In the past, that would have been enough for me to sit down at my computer and start typing. I would compose the story as it came to me, and I would do it not for money or fame, but because it was a lot of fun.
Now, I’m finding it a bit harder to be motivated about creative writing. I’ve already written about this trouble I’ve been having recently, with having the desire to sit down and focus. But, at least the ideas are coming back to me. I do think I would enjoy writing something snarky, funny, and fictional. I don’t know who would read it, but I think I would delight in writing it… especially if Bill helped me. We can be pretty entertaining when we’re working together. I think I’ll take some more time to come up with more of a plot. If one ever develops, I may put up yet another one of my fictional stories in this blog. Maybe it will be a good way of escaping the horrors of the news cycle today.
I noticed, as I was waking up, that there was yet another shooting in the United States. This time, it was at Greenwood Park Mall in Indianapolis, Indiana. Four people died, including the shooter. At this point, I see that two people were injured during the attack, which was evidently stopped by a “good guy with a gun”. The “good Samaritan” was a 22 year old man who was lawfully carrying a weapon and managed to stop the shooter just as he was getting started.
I’m glad that there was finally a “good guy with a gun” who was available and willing to use his weapon to stop the latest gun toting freak from killing more innocent people than the three souls who were unlucky enough to be in his range. At the same time, I’m horrified that people feel like they need to carry guns wherever they go, because we have unhinged nut jobs who want to hurt and kill people. I don’t see how anyone can feel relaxed in the United States right now. There doesn’t seem to be much of a rhyme or reason to these incidents. They are completely unpredictable, and that is terrifying.
In other news, a friend of mine commented on a pretty cringeworthy video of Donald Trump dancing at a rally held in May of this year.
He’s a doddering old fool.
The comments on the above video were divided between the willfully ignorant Trump supporters, who can’t wait for him to be re-elected, to people like me and my friend, who are devastated at the idea that he might win again. Personally, I doubt Trump will ever be president again, although he won’t stop trying to be re-elected until he’s dead. Why do I think this? It’s because I think the most powerful people in the Republican Party don’t want him to be re-elected. They’ve already seen what he does when he’s in power, and they don’t like it.
Trump doesn’t take direction from more experienced or smarter people. He doesn’t follow orders. He acts on his own whims. He’s a loose cannon who thrills people who don’t really care about his shortcomings, but just find him entertaining and charismatic. Yes, that crowd can bring in the votes to get Republicans in power, but there’s a price to be paid for their loyalty. Quite a lot of those folks are willing to break the law to force their wills on everyone. I don’t think the likes of Mitch McConnell or Lindsey Graham necessarily want to consort with the Proud Boys. They want rich, compliant, religious people who will believe their lies about family values and less government overreach, as they hide the real motives for their policies behind noise that keeps everyone distracted.
Besides, Trump has proven that he’s not loyal to anyone but himself. If he gets back into office, there will be no controlling him. He would like to be a dictator who never leaves office. I don’t think that’s what the Republican Party really wants. They want someone who will do their bidding. I think they would rather have Ron DeSantis as president. I also think DeSantis would really suck as the POTUS… but at least at this point, I think he would be more willing to cooperate with other politicians. Trump just wants to be the most powerful man on Earth again. He doesn’t give a fuck about anyone but the man looking back at him in his gaudy, gilded mirror. Moreover, he would certainly not perform better than Biden has. He would just bluster more. People want to hold Joe Biden responsible for all of the bad things in the world right now. But the fact is, inflation, high gas prices, and violence are global problems.
Boy, do I wish Trump supporters would wake the fuck up…
It makes me sad to see how blind people are to who Trump really is. And if he was terrible in his first term, he will be absolutely insufferable in his second. What I hope happens is that he will run as an Independent. People will vote for him, and that will take votes away from DeSantis. I also hope that the Democrats have a different candidate, other than Joe Biden. I appreciate Biden’s work, and I don’t blame him for the problems we’re having right now, which are clearly global issues, but we need someone younger, more dynamic, and with more courage. Biden is simply too old to handle the job.
But mostly… I sit here thinking sometimes that the people who wind up getting murdered might be the lucky ones. They don’t have to sit by and watch this colossal shit show anymore. It’s depressing to see how messed up the USA is, and how it’s not getting any better. But… I try to maintain some hope, since I know there have been many very dark eras in history. They eventually passed. This will, too.
I think the whole abortion debate is keeping everyone distracted from the big picture. While we’re all outraged, arguing about women’s rights, which I agree are very important, there’s other stuff going on that we aren’t paying as much attention to right now. I fear that those things will become more apparent later, as people start to realize how the abortion bans are going to make huge problems that will affect everyone. The bans are going to lead to higher healthcare costs, more provider burnout and shortages, more incarcerations, and more mortality and morbidity. Moreover, people will not stop fighting or arguing over this issue, so it will keep a lot of folks distracted from the big picture– you know, things that will make life more equitable for everyone, not just rich, white people.
Ah well… at least I’m 50. Before long, I’ll be old enough to exit this nightmare. For now, I think I’ll enjoy beautiful music, Bill’s company, and whatever else brings me pleasure. And maybe I will get around to writing that satire piece that is stuck in my head. Usually, these things end up being so compelling that I just sit down and do it. At least there are still boys with beautiful voices around, to remind us all that the world is full of wonders. But it’s easy to forget that, when we have people like Donald Trump refusing to ride off into the sunset or to Hell, where he belongs.
Here’s a little “Deep Peace” for everyone. We could all use it.
I sure do miss the days when I was complacent about politics. I miss the days when I didn’t care about politicians, because they all seemed to be the same, regardless of the party. Donald Trump is a completely different beast. He’s done criminal things. He owes billions of dollars. He would never get a security clearance if he were a regular person, looking for a government job. Why so many so-called God fearing, red blooded Americans want this obvious morally deficient con man and criminal back in the White House, I will never know. I wish they would wake up. You want to vote Republican? Fine. But let us, please, get someone in office who has a moral compass, for the good of EVERYONE.
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