Last week’s post about fake assassination attempts ran longer than I initially intended, so I omitted some other news events I wanted to cover. I’ll address them today.
One Flu Over the
Sniper’s Nest
SecDef Whiskey Pete removed the requirement that all
troops receive flu shots, making them optional. I’m wondering if this is a new
war strategy. Given his lack of safety precautions for the various bases in the
Middle East, which have been left exposed and have taken heavy damage, he
may be counting on some of his guys getting captured. His hope could be that
rather than intel, they’ll give the enemy the flu. Or at least get gross bodily
fluids all over enemy camps.
He says it’s about the principle that one can’t force a
man to do things to his body against his will. And the “a man” part is a
telling factor because these MAGA goons certainly don’t recognize the bodily
autonomy of a woman. This is just more evidence that the new Conservatives consider women to be second-class citizens/property. Only men’s rights are
worth fighting for. More on this in a bit.
Yes, Virginia,
There is a Double Standard
The state of Virginia voted to approve a new Democratic-skewed
congressional map, which was immediately nullified by a Republican judge.
Shortly after, the Supreme Court voted to allow racial and any other kind
of gerrymandering, as long as the developers of the map don’t explicitly state
that they want to screw the minorities. As with most Republican legal
positions, they want it to be legal when they do it but illegal when anyone
else does.
Now, I’m in favor of eliminating gerrymandering of all
kinds. I think there should be a bipartisan commission in each state that draws
fair and representative districts. BUT, as long as the Republicans are cooking
the books in Texas, Florida, Indiana, Missouri, and the other Red States, I
think the Democrats need to do the same. Standing on principle is pointless if
you’re the only ones doing it. I refuse to take the noble stand while the
opposition flouts the rules of decency and amasses enough power to retain it
for generations. We can already see that their goal is to create a rich, white,
male utopia at the expense of everyone else. They’re not even hiding it any
longer. We need to avail ourselves of every tactic there is to seek a more
even playing field. Otherwise, our vaunted Democratic Republic will disappear
in a swirl of grift, racism, and religious fervor.
Texas Tea-ching
The state of Texas has been cleared to require the
posting of the Ten Commandments in every classroom, breaking many decades' worth
of precedent separating church and state. “Congress
shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion…” That sounds
pretty clear to me, and requiring the posting of religious tenets of one
religion is obviously in violation.
If I were a teacher in Texas, I’d find a way to add the
tenets of Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, and Pastafarianism to my classroom wall décor.
To me, the best take on the Ten Commandments came from
legendary comedian George Carlin, who, using logic and common sense, whittled the Ten Commandments down to two:
·
Thou shalt be honest and faithful…
·
Thou shalt try real hard not to kill anybody.
I was going to embed the video, but it no longer seems to be on YouTube in its entirety.
SNAP Crappola and
Pop
The GOP is trying to work up more requirements on what one’s meager SNAP benefits can be used to purchase. The latest attempts would eliminate, among other things, soda and rotisserie chicken. Republicans won’t be happy until all that poor people can get from the government is a thin gruel, preferably after waiting in a blocks-long line. To them, if you’re poor, it’s your fault, and this is all you deserve.
I’m looking for the next proposal, where someone creates
a poor-folks’ MRE, like the military’s “Meals Ready to Eat.” Then the
government could pass out boxes of these pre-approved rations and be sure they
couldn’t possibly be enjoyed.
Obviously, they will be produced by whichever giant agri-business greases the
right politicians. Mark my words, it’s coming.
United States Male
Service
A federal court has upheld Louisiana’s ban on receiving the abortion pill by mail, which will somehow affect the rest of the country. It is a major piece in the GOP agenda to keep women pregnant and under male control. See, much like mail-in voting, by eliminating the mailing of the abortion pill, women have to go to places that provide such services. That’s where the Republican suppression techniques kick in. They can harass people coming and going, legislate against such places via zoning restrictions or other capricious legal maneuvers, or continue the effort to ban specific drugs and procedures. It’s another way for a small portion of Americans to impose their religious inclinations on the rest of the country, regardless of anyone else’s moral or ethical code. It’s the Republican mantra: agree with me, or you’re not a “real” American.
Passport Trolling
When I read that the president is pasting his scowling
puss onto American passports this summer, I was overjoyed that I already applied. In fact, my new
passport came last Friday, sans the mug of the Orange Troll. That’s the last
thing I’d want to flash around in various international ports. Talk about
making yourself a more obvious target. There should be an option where on the
first page it says, “Please don’t blame
me, I didn’t vote for him.”
Despite all the warnings that this would take a good bit
of time, I received my passport roughly three weeks after I applied. Now I’m
just waiting for them to return my old junior high school passport.
Funny thing though… Sunday morning, I received a status update email from the government, saying they just mailed my passport and I’d receive it on Tuesday, the passport I’d already received two days earlier. Just goes to show, this Administration can’t even succeed without looking like a screw-up.
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