Voting Is Imperative, And Not Enough.

Posted on by Tim

What I am having the hardest time grasping isn’t why the Republican leadership is supporting Kavanaugh.

That is, sadly, entirely within character for the party leadership and not at all surprising. They need this man on the bench, more than any other, because they know he’ll protect them at the highest levels of our court system from repercussions for their actions in support of this administration even if the balance of power in Congress shifts.

It isn’t why the die hard Trump supporters are either, they’ve already demonstrated that they’re willing to screw over themselves with their votes and campaign donations as long as they think they people they hate are getting screwed over more.

What I don’t get are all the parents out there of teen and pre-teen children. The ones with those kids just starting to become aware of political discourse as their school social studies classes turn to current events. The ones with kids in the early years of high school that will be voting in the fall of 2020.

I don’t get how they can watch these discussions of what it ultimately means to be male or female in our society with their kids, and remain idle, apathetic, or worse supportive of those that strive to keep it this way.

Discussions of why young men shouldn’t be held accountable for their actions, especially if those actions are a result of reckless underage drinking.

Discussions of why young women need to have a stricter dress code than men so they don’t tempt boys to treat them poorly. Why young women have to be more careful at parties and never leave their drinks unattended in case someone might drug them. Why women should always travel together, even to the bathroom in public spaces, so they have strength in numbers. Why young women shouldn’t make accusations of assault against their attackers because we don’t want to ruin a young man’s promising future. Why women shouldn’t make accusations against their assaulter because we don’t want to ruin a man’s career or reputation. Why women should expect if they come forward about an attack to have every aspect of their life — attire, attitude, past history, other sexual experiences, sexual identity, sexuality, friendships, social circles, drinking habits, recreational drug use/experimentation, and more — ripped to shreds in order to find an excuse for the way her assaulter treated her so we don’t have to actually blame him. Why women shouldn’t be allowed the choice to have an abortion even if their pregnancy is the result of a non-consensual sexual assault. Why women who have kids before they’re ready, even as a result of such attacks shouldn’t be provided aid and assistance as single parents.

Discussions of why no man should have to bear the hardship of being accused unless the woman can provide physical DNA evidence, at least 2 eye-witnesses, and preferably a video recording of the incident (which the court and jury will be shown to further traumatize her) and even with all of that, why she’ll still have to endure all of the crap mentioned above being done to her just to give her accuser a couple months jail time and possible registration on the sexual offenders list if he can’t plead his way out of it.

How do they look at their daughters, and say “This is what you’ll have to endure the rest of your life, and I’m not going to try to do anything to fix it.”

How do they look at their sons and say “No matter what we’ve tried to teach you about manners, etiquette, moral and ethical conduct, this is what society will accept and expect of you, and I’m not going to do anything to try to fix it.”

Yes, voting is essential.  It is a moral imperative.  Please vote.

But voting is not enough.

We must change our culture. We must break free of the #Culturalinertia that has us mired in the acceptance of this. In the use of the terminology and mindset that allows it to continue even as we talk about how unfair and not right it is.

These people that condone this and profit off it and remain in power through it need to be removed. Those people that stand idly by and allow it to continue need to be corrected and/or removed.

We need to get off our asses and force the change that needs to happen. Because it isn’t going to happen without us.

Ask yourself “Who has to be victimized before I have had enough?”

Then ask yourself, “Am I really willing to wait for that to happen?”

Because honestly, statistically the odds are, no matter who you named in that first question, it’s likely begun to happen already.

If not us, then who?

If not now, then when?

Resist, Protest, Persist.

Posted on by Tim

Step 1:  Bust up the unions to eliminate collective bargaining ability.

Step 2:  Implement ironically named “Right to Work” laws that allow employers to fire any employee at any time for any reason without having to prove cause.

Step 3:  Eliminate requirements for vacation/sick leave benefits after allowing businesses to fire people for needing a day off.

Step 4:  Put as many people as possible into non-standard work schedules so they can’t predict from one week to the next when their shifts will be.

Step 5:  Tie health care to employment so people are afraid that if they lose they’re current job they’ll lose their family health care.

The order of the steps is irrelevant, once completed, not only have you made it difficult for many people to be able to get to an open voting center, but you’ve eliminated their ability to be able to coordinate protest and resist injustice without fear of completely losing their ability to provide care for their families.

People all over the world are asking why Americans are not in the street every day right now protesting what is happening in our Congressional Halls, White House, and Federal and Supreme Courts.

This is the answer.

In addition is the fact that far too many of us are allowing ourselves to have what protest efforts we can manage divided. Some people fight for Black Rights, others fight for Women’s Rights, others are fighting Immigration injustices, some fighting the attacks on the press, others fighting environmentally destructive policies, yet others are fighting against voter suppression efforts, and on and on…. that we’re not coming together to deal with the underlying causation of all of them.

No matter what issue is raised about this president it all boils down simply.

We need to remember that we are fighting against a small group of kleptocrats put in power by an adversarial government with the purposes of dismantling America’s democracy and its international influence, and they are using willful ignorance, racism, misogyny, religious bigotry, and divisive partisan politics to accomplish it.

When viewed in that light, every single thing he has done, and everything others are doing to defend him, makes perfect sense.

And THAT is what all of us need to be protesting.

As many of us as possible, every moment of every day.

We need to protest at the ballots.

We need to protest in the streets.

We need to protest online.

And we need to never give up.

It isn’t just your rights, freedoms, safety, and future you are fighting for. It’s everyone’s. It’s your kid’s. It’s your kid’s kid’s. Whether they understand it or not it is even that of those that voted for and still defend him after all that he’s already done.

Does Your Chosen Party Leadership Represent You?

Posted on by Tim

For just a minute, we’ll throw out concepts like “left, right, and center,” and “liberal or conservative.” For just a minute, lets forget the long history of what people think it means to be Republican or Democrat and evaluate what the leadership of the modern political parties really appear to stand for at this point.

 

Understand that for the purposes of this discussion I am speaking of the party leadership’s actions, voting records, introduced legislation, and not the simple rhetoric of their public platforms.

 

Modern Progressives are fighting for equality of opportunity, equality of law enforcement and application of penalties by the Judicial system, affordable access to quality health care and quality education by all. And they recognize that taxation, primarily on businesses and the wealthiest are required to pay for it. They just can’t seem to break free of their dependence upon or association with the Democratic party in order to create their own viable party and campaigns.

 

Modern Republicans claim they are fighting for America, but they are only fighting for a selective group of Americans and then only to control that group’s behavior along with everyone else through a theocracy enforcing Christian Fundamentalism and more recently open support of legislating White Nationalist oppression and persecution of people of color. But the reality is that they are paying lip service to those Christians as well as they destroy all federal government services and organizations and eliminate the revenue to provide them by eliminating taxes on the rich and increasing taxes and expenses on the poor.

 

Modern Democrats straddle the middle paying lip-service to the Progressives while not doing anything to actually further the progressive agenda, and claiming to fight the Republicans on social issues that government has little control over but constantly giving in — one little piece at a time — to the Republican’s demands to strip the rights of people in favor of the rights of corporations, and the rights of the masses in favor of the rights of the wealthy.

 

Modern Libertarians want a nation of “every man for himself,” where the rich have power and access to fundamental necessities regardless of price and everyone else deserves what ever befalls them.

 

The modern Green Party wants to save the planet’s ecology and also pays lip-service to the Progressives, but they have no coherent social reform plans and a demonstrated lack of foreign policy knowledge or initiatives at the leadership level.

 

The newly formed UCOBA — United Citizens Of Black America — working to end racial injustice and create social reform is another Progressive group working towards solving similar issues of systemic oppression and societally enforced inequality from a focus on issues directly affecting People of Color.   And the correct belief that any issue that affects any American is a problem for all Americans to solve.   We can not claim to be a free nation until none of us are oppressed.

 

There are other parties such as the Constitution Party that have not gained enough national recognition or viability to earn a place in the discussion yet.

Meanwhile, Independent voters have no national representation because they don’t have an actual viable Independent party with consolidated resources for campaign funding or strategy. So they have to decide which of the above choices most closely aligns with them on the issues of import every time they step up to the ballot box.

 

Note: I have not included the Tea Party as a separate party or even an identifiable faction of the Republican party because as of 2016, the Tea Party gained enough control in the Republican party that as far as leadership is concerned they are one and the same now.