(#4775) putin is the worst of what it is to be human, he is inhumane!

      What has angered me more than anything in this moment is that putin is leaving his dead soldiers on the ground in Ukraine without collecting them and sending them home. Instead putin is ignoring their corpses while not having to report their deaths to their families. It is obvious that he doesn't want to confirm that his soldiers are being killed. Well we as the free world in a technological age must not let the murderer putin get away with his callous and inhumane strategy. First of all putin must not be allowed to exist as a leader. Period. Job number one is to take putin out of power at minimum.
     So to do that we need to show the Russian populace the level of his depravity. I cannot imagine that the Russian people will tolerate a leader who disrespects their fallen soldiers and leave them on the ground to be picked at by the buzzards and other decaying flesh feeders. This is the worst of what a human can be like. To let the fallen lay where they are as they push on toward their murderous march to kill innocent civilians. It is like blood thirsty savages who have no care for the civilized and respectful nature of life and then death. These soldiers who are following orders, regardless of their culpability in following the wrongness of those orders, are being treated as garbage, by their own leaders.
     I don't hate the Russian people for what is going on. I hate the putins who make it happen. I hope now that the Russian people see their own fallen soldiers being treated by putin as expendable. So that they know just what kind of cruel, brutish, ruthless punk asshole is representing them to the world. I expect that the Russian people will not tolerate putin any longer and start the next uprising to remove and punish him for being a disgusting figure who is demented and a shame. The world needs the Russian people to hold putin accountable even if it means they are put in jeopardy much like the brave Ukrainians who are standing up to putin now!

(#4774) putin is being given every chance to stop his murder of Ukrainians

      The patience of the civilized world to refrain from moving hard against putin, not the Russian people, is admirable. Yet it is deadly for Ukrainians. There is no simple answer here that a single solution will stop putin. Sanctions are hard against putin and the Russian people but they are not enough to make putin reconsider his ego driven murder spree. President Biden has been clear that American troops will not fight in Ukraine but certainly putin could change that if he does worse than his known intent. What is happening through unconfirmed but logical reports is that non Ukrainians are coming into Ukraine and joining in the fight against the putin madness.
     As well there are weapons being shipped to Ukrainian fighters for their defense against the Russian advance from other European countries. Condemnation from every quarter including allies of Russia is the rule and not the exception. It also seems that the Russian army is not well supplied as surely putin thought he could easily move into Ukraine and take over the country. That is not the case and the Russian army is finding resistance where they had not expected it. Which has exacerbated their supply issues and slowed them down to a crawl. Each day we are learning of some new destruction of the Russian military by the resistance fighters and or sacrifices by Ukrainians that go above and beyond the normal within Ukraine. Which gives real hope to Ukrainians while demoralizing the Russian people and the Russian troops.
     The death march of putin will not bring about what he hopes is a smooth transition to a puppet government in Ukraine. Instead it will be a hostile takeover of a people who are not going to quit in their fight to keep their freedom. That putin has been overwhelmed by the opposition to his unnecessary murder of an innocent population and his induced hardships on his own people will hopefully be enough of a catalyst to force putin to invent some victory and then turn tail and run home. The alternative is that he does conquer the nation of Ukraine and leave a quagmire, then returns home to a country that is in a large vacuum of isolation. He has done irreparable harm to his countrymen/women and how they respond to his actions is now dicey for him and his nervous enablers.

(#4773) Ukrainians show the world how to stand up in the face of impossible odds!

      The Ukrainian people are a pure example of what it is to be an honorable people. Not only do they show their own mettle of principles for good but they are doing it in the face of an egomaniac who is right now invading their country. There is a pride within the Ukrainian community that is beyond fear and cowardice. Sure they are afraid but they don't let that stop them in their fight to keep their identity and right to exist. They move beyond the odds that say they have no chance and fight with all they have. This is right up their with the stories of old where the underdogs fought to win despite knowing they likely won't win.
     Like what the 13 Ukrainian military personnel on the island did when they were told by the Russian warship commander to surrender. Instead of surrendering to the vile putin regime they told the Russian warship commander to go fuck themselves. So of course the Russian warship commander bombed the 13 Ukrainian military personnel doing their duty protecting their sovereign land into oblivion. History will not be kind at all to that Russian warship commander who will now go down in history as a murderer who attacked another nation in an aggressive manner. All Russians who participate in the death march of putin will pay with grave consequences much like the nazis in Nuremberg trials.
     I am so proud of the Ukrainian people and at the same time feel so helpless to help them stop the murderer putin. I can advocate from here in California but I cannot pick up a weapon and help them defend their lives. I am not one to suffer fools and with putin he, and while I am at it trump, needs to be gone from our planet. They murder and harm as entertainment to satisfy their cowardly egos. My heart and soul is with the Ukrainian people and if they are all sent off the planet by the putin madness then it will be my mission going forward to end the planet dwelling privileges of both trump and especially putin. No War is the rallying cry from Russians citizens and I hope they are able to rise up and end putin now somehow before he murders anymore Ukrainians.

(#4772) China has blood on it's hands with Putin

      The Chinese dictator xi jinping is complicit in the Ukrainian massacre along with putin. That putin is directing the criminal invasion of another sovereign nation is indisputable. But what is also indisputable is that xi is giving putin the green light to do so in hopes that the precedent set by putin will allow the Chinese dictator xi to invade Taiwan and do as putin is doing to Ukraine. The Chinese/Russian border is over 2,600 miles long so with all the troops putin has on the Ukrainian border the Russian border is vulnerable to Chinese hostilities. But that isn't the case now because China approves of the Ukrainian invasion by Russia.
     So China is willing to let lie the disputes it has had for generations with Russia over border boundaries to give Russia free reign to move it's troops in increasing numbers away to the Ukrainian border. There are two major dictators on this planet who are now it seems aligning in some kind of mutual agreement pact. They do not subscribe to democratic principles and if they had their way there would be no democratic nations on our planet. So our purpose as the leading democratic nation on the planet is to bring about a coalition of democratic nations to a resolve that will not allow any further aggression and appeasement of authoritarian rule.
     Which means we are now in the reality of a struggle between freedom of human rights and the enslavement of human rights. There is no middle ground here so each and every person on this planet right now must decide which side to take. Be free as humans to define our own destinies or be enslaved to a cabal of strongmen who would deny human rights and the freedom to define our own destinies. The authoritarians would throw out our constitution and replace it with demands that must be adhered to with the penalty of death as a motivator. Either way each of us decides there will be a cost so choose wisely how you weigh your own cowardice and courage.

(#4771) As putin murders republicans smile

      As you may know I have been calling out the republican party for its undemocratic behaviors and speech. It is now time again for not only me but for all of us to do so with no doubt as to our purpose. It takes courage to stand up in uncomfortable times and call out the wrong when the wrong is a powerful wrong. Many of us are afraid of what might happen to us just for being honest. Well I can tell you right now that the harm that will come to you for not displaying the courage to be honest is much worse. Maybe not in immediate actions but in your head where you live 24-7. Being a coward just to stay alive and then be willing to accept whatever fate some bully has for you is not living, it is a slow death filled with shame.
     So that is our dilemma on the left, to be afraid of consequences. That is natural to be afraid but we, all of us have got to push past the fear and do what all of us secretly, or not secretly, want to do and that is be a hero. Life as someone trying to be heroic is far better and much more satisfying than being like and Ostrich and hiding your head in the sand all the while being exposed to all kinds of harm. On the other hand we have the far right in the US actually giddy that putin is being a grave aggressor. They obviously don't want to be in putin's path of destruction because they would also be dead for nothing more than just existing. But they don't think like that. They just like the fact that putin is fighting against democracy.
     Which brings me to the point of this post. The republican party has foregone democracy as a ruling principle and are now embracing authoritarianism as a way forward. Where brutal and cruel nazis and crusading christians can rule the land with no allegiance to one person one vote. They don't ever want to let power go and would not let a democratic form of government ever come back into existence. This is what is facing our United States of America today. There is time to stop it but that time is running out very quickly. So all of those who have been silent and nonchalant about what is happening politically in our nation have got to find their spines and either stand up for what our nation ascribes to as a democratic republic, or stay silent and become like nazi Germany and let the mass killing begin.

(#4770) The republican party siding with the dictator putin

      We didn't need anymore evidence of the failure of the republican party to defend democracy but we do have more. With a major split in the republican party, more so toward the dictator putin who is about to invade a sovereign nation because his ego leads him to murder for the sake of it. There is no provocation from Ukraine to instigate an attack from putin. Just the fact that Ukraine exists and is not part of Russia is enough for putin and his backers to usurp the will of the Ukrainian people. Much like we have here in america where about 23% of die hard republicans won't stop until they control the US.
     So why are republicans so hell bent to control the US when they are a vast minority of the population here? Because they believe in white power and with that a sense of entitlement. How do they get there in thinking that? Easy, they know the US history of oppressing minorities and they don't want that history told or enshrined into our educational system. They wrongly fear that reprisals will come their way for the faults of their foreparents. As well they like their privilege and advantages above persons of color and poverty, so they don't want that paradigm to change. For them equality and fairness are just slogans to use when trying to get power. They all go away once they get the power and then it is condescension toward anyone not them.
     If you listen to trump and his gushing over putin and his strongarm tactics you would think that trump is an ally of putin not the former appointed president of the US. As the flawed trump goes so do his flawed followers. The republican party is now a cesspool of psycho/sociopaths who have no empathy for democracy nor for those of us who do. The only rational option for all voting non hard core republican voters is to never vote for a republican again. A purge is needed in the republican party and until the purge is accomplished the cancer of republicanism will endure to cause the body politic here in the US more anguish, despair, and death.

(#4769) The republican party backing putin

      So, if this doesn't make Americans stop voting for republicans then fuck it, we are doomed! I used to think the baby boom generation had improved upon the greatest generation but it seems that all we have done is turn into a bunch of greedy selfish assholes. How embarrassing for us that from the protests of the sixties and seventies all we attained was less than nothing! I know I have been at times a delinquent to the push for a more intelligent society but I was at least in favor of a more intelligent society. Instead we have a lack of intelligence, a lack of empathy, and a lack of patriotism to call our destiny.
     There are many of us who are not like that but there are enough of them to make the distinction more fact than not. The "them" of us are the ones who took from our generation the best we had and then muddied it up by adding in the worst of who we were over many generations. We find these types who take our best and produce our worst in the republican party. They are not symbolic of those of us who are trying like all get out to make the world a better place for having us in it. Instead they are the true takers in society. They see themselves as above the rest of us and are quick to condescend when it is convenient to do so. They are the dregs of our baby boom generation and for me they are a scourge that I cannot accept nor will I ever!
     I will call them out every chance I get and negate them from anything to do with me. Regardless of affiliation to me or not. There is no soul on this planet that is better than another soul. So it seems that if you are a republican you have no place in my existence. I think all should do as I do on this subject. If we shun and ignore the fools who would make our lives incredibly hard then we are only doing ourselves a favor. We should never vote for a republican to hold office in our democracy because republicans have shown through voter suppression and denial of any help for our working middle poor class that they are only in power to help themselves, not those of us who won't kneel to their whims.

(#4768) Do not give in to the bully!

      President Joe Biden is doing great so far with the punk bully putin and that is good. Since the punk bully has not tried to invade Ukraine yet. However do not let the punk bully putin have his way in any further negotiations. Keep him stuck at the border with his own decision making strategy without giving him an inch of any more influence over Ukraine. The Ukrainian people are aware of what putin is trying to do and they will not let him have his way without a fight to the death. What we in the west must do is not allow putin an advantage for being the aggressor.
     What we in the west must do is continue to tell putin he will be in such dire straits if he attacks Ukraine that his whole world will shrink and become a metaphorical Claymore mine aimed at him and his backers. Nothing of any battlefield tactic must be taken of the table. If the bullies in the world are not made to feel the graveness they are putting others in then they will not stop. So making putin understand that his aggression toward Ukraine will begin a whole new paradigm in which there is only one villain and it is him and his cabal of buddies. Nothing of normal will ever be the same for those who are behind an invasion.
     Tell putin that it is up to him how this plays out and if he chooses to remain a bully toward Ukraine then his world and the world of his backers will find that constant looking over their shoulder technique will become their common companion. For there is only dishonor and anger aimed at those who do bad things to people when it is a choice to do so. No amount of explaining on his part will alleviate the pressure that will surely come toward his choice. He can choose to negotiate for a withdrawal and end to hostilities or he can chose to keep advancing until he is in Ukraine and there is no turning back. It is up to him how his life will become going forward!

(#4767) The pariah putin

      No doubt putin will be looking over his shoulder for the rest of his life if attacks Ukraine. Never again will he be allowed into civilized society without the risk of grave harm. He has done this to himself and must now be restricted to his own borders where even there he will have some risk. Such is the fate of bullies who kill for their own ambitions. Same with trump as he is bunkered down in his hotel with his own fears for letting Covid kill hundreds of thousands with little care to warn or stop it. He knows he did that and he knows there are many who know he knew that was his political calculus. 
     President Biden has shown how a real president took on Covid with care for all citizens, not just his own ambitions. Not the same with putin. He has amassed too may troops on another country's border for no other purpose than to invade. For now putin has been caused to pause by Biden and his relentless international campaign to confront putin in every avenue of society which has putin doubting himself as he clearly is delayed in his murderous agenda. Regardless of whether putin invades the sovereign nation of Ukraine, he has shown himself for who he is and there is no turning the clock back on that. That putin may decide in the long run not to invade Ukraine is irrelevant to how he will be viewed going forward in time.
     Pariahs like putin, and trump, need to be shunned in whatever form is necessary to nullify them. They cannot be allowed to present themselves into the world as anything other than despicable horrendous figures. They also cannot be allowed to defecate from their mouths the diseases of their minds and souls. Our world is hard enough to exist in without those who would make it harder for any human being to be free and have basic human rights. We here in America espouse the ideal of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and when there are those who would deny and destroy that principle then our duty to humanity is to stop those who would hinder or destroy our fundamental ideal.

(#4766) Like a rabid dog, putin needs to be dealt with

      There is no stopping putin if the rest of the world just ignores him and says that it is not my problem. He is like trump, a bully, but unlike trump in that he is much more psychotic. Both he and trump exhibit the same traits of not caring about anyone but themselves, yet putin is a much more cold and calculating killer than trump will ever be. So to not pay attention and then give putin free reign to threaten and demand as he will is tantamount to suicide. Because putin won't stop. He wants it all and he wants it now. If it is war putin wants above all else then we all have to prepare to make the sacrifices necessary to defeat him and put him away.
     There is no place left for murdering psychopaths to have free reign over our societies. They must be dealt with harshly so as to promote an outcome none would dare try again. Swift, powerful, and deliberate action is always the cure to those who would bully and kill to enhance themselves. I am a civilized man who cares about the rights of all people. But to defend that which who I am now takes courage and the nerve to stand up to anyone even if it means harm to myself or those like me. There is a better way to live in society that has no mentally unstable ruthlessly cruel leaders at the helm. Our democracy shows us that when it is protected and participated in it is by far the greatest form of government ever devised.
     So as the lying and threatening putin continues to try to muscle his way into the sovereign territory of others those of us who stand by and say it is not my problem will eventually face the same problem. Like with Germany when too many stood silent as each right was stripped away from them by the nazis, when we fail to defend the obvious violation of laws and the logical loss of innocent life we are in our omission complicit in the dastardly deed. We must do all we can to stop putin now before he gains a momentum to do even greater harm where our own values will again be tested. Putting an end to putin and his unstable world view is our top priority and must be dealt with now or the stakes become even greater!

(#4765) The History of Western Philosophy-Bertrand Russell

      For all the attributes I apply to my life most all of them come from the pages within this book. Not that I knew that when I was building myself before reading it. Over the years I have built myself from the principles of better and best. I don't always succeed because I have a temper and do not suffer fools lightly at all. Yet despite my own ever continuing failings as a perfect human being, lol., I do try to emulate the best of what the human experience has to offer. In this book compiled by Bertrand, you can't "find" yourself in a more catalogued way. Although some of the insights in the book are debatable as useful in today's modern world the majority of the insights are meaningful and should be incorporated into who we are when we read them.
     Now I have known of John Stuart Mill from earlier in life studies, but his one short insightful phrase has been the bedrock of my existence. "Do no harm". From that all other nuggets of wisdom fall into place for me. Socrates, Plato, even Pericles have, through nuance or outright declaration, inspired me to reach deep within myself to mold my core to it's most significant form. I am me and that is not much but with help from the genius of those who came before me my not much is a lot to me. Bertrand does humanity a favor by following the timeline of the great philosophers of the western philosophical stream and giving us the opportunity to understand their thinking behind their conclusions of either fact or promoted theory.
     It is up to us each to draw our own conclusions from the past great philosophers but to do so we have to use the logic they ascribed to reach their conclusions. Their logic is the same as ours and with time and knowledge our logic has become even more acute in its application. So some in the book will seem outdated and ancient, yet the foundation of their early considerations help to provide a foundation from which the more earnest and fundamental truisms that relate to our modern era were birthed. It is good to know who we are and how we are. I am of the mind that our human species is rooted in compassion and curiosity and how I got there was from learning about the early fore bearers of philosophical understanding.

(#4764) The republican party is dying and the corporate media is not being honest about it!

      What does the republican party have to offer the working middle poor class? I am waiting to hear anything so someone tell me what we get by voting for republicans? Do we get to stigmatize those of color? Yes, we get that. Do we get our tax dollars put toward denying our right to vote? Yes, we get that. Do we get to help billionaires keep from having to pay any taxes? Yes, we get that. Do we get to keep too many people in poverty? Yes, we get that. Do we get to keep the aged and infirmed in such dire straits that they have little hope left of some decency in their lives? Yes, we get that. Do our women get denied the choices over their own bodies? Yes, we get that.
     I suppose the republican party does offer our working middle poor class something, but that something is not anything we want. Why would we want to have opportunities taken from us? Why would we want to be condescended to like we are some unwanted child? Why would we want a life that does not include the hope of happiness when we can be made to feel frustration and despair? Why would we not want the republican party to treat us as if our very existence is a burden to them? Why wouldn't we want that since that is what they are offering and we must know that what republicans want for us is better than anything we would want for ourselves?
     So while the corporate media continues to write and talk about how republicans are no different than democrats and need to be back in leadership, those like me are frustrated that what is offered by republicans for us, the working middle poor class, is worthless to our right to live in our democracy. I don't know about anyone else but when a political party has nothing positive to offer why would anyone vote for them? I often take it for granted that those who vote for republicans will see them for what worthless scum they are and vote for democrats but I have yet to see that in any significant way. It is like we like the nothing, along with the pain that causes, as reason to vote for republicans.
     

(#4763) Federal lawsuits against Texas and Georgia over restrictive voting rights are proceeding

      Although manchin and sinema have failed to protect voting rights, under assault from the republican party, the federal courts are still in play. the likelihood of both of the federal lawsuits against these states succeeding is still unknown yet the premise by which these laws were enacted are false premises. So maybe the courts will be able to reverse these laws and declare them unconstitutional. It is my hope that they are reversed and then the collateral damage done in other states will be mitigated. I have no doubt that the cases will end up in an expedited hearing before the not supreme court and who knows then just how craven, or not, the court will act.
     The fact that it still smarts from the manchin, sinema rebuke of democratic efforts to pass voting rights protections nationally when all of this mess could have been avoided had manchin and sinema not been disloyal to our democracy. But they were and are not soon to change anything about their disloyalty the courts are our only available recourse at the moment. It is hard to know just how the not supreme court will fall on this but you can bet that the republican extremists on the court will be hard pressed to vote objectively. They have shown that their allegiance to the republican party is greater than their allegiance to our national constitution.
     We should know shortly on the outcome of these lawsuits as the primary races are already in play. The longer it takes for decisions to come down the less likely any changes will be made. Which would be bad for democracy and for the ideal of one person one vote. I shouldn't have to be writing about this since it is a fundamental aspect of our democracy. The right to vote should never be hindered, it should always be enhanced. I used to think we lived in a democracy but after watching what the republican party has been doing to our democracy and the voters not punishing the republican party for doing it, unfortunately, I have come to know that we have moved further away from the ideals of our founders.

(#4762) We democrats have won on the policies

      The policies are on the side of democrats as our solutions are intelligent and efficient. The republican party has not only been wrong on the policies but they have made most all common sense policies more difficult to implement. The republican party is even making voting more difficult for many. The idea that the republican party is an alternative to the democrats is laughable. They are not the same side of the coin, they are not even the other side of the coin. They are completely different than anything of an American patriotic value. In fact, they would take our American coin and turn it into a Russian ruble.
     With the last remnants of the republican party swirling the drain in Congress and the last holdouts in the democratic party having exposed themselves as obstructionists to our policies, we know what we must do. In the coming midterm elections, despite all the republican led states that are denying voting rights, we must endure and make sure that we get our vote out no matter the cost of the effort. All democratic allied shoulders to the wheel and let us move forward with democratic policies that highlight progress and modernity in an ever changing American social society.
     Now that we democrats are the party of solutions that make logical sense, we must get our word out to those who are not getting the correct analysis of our efforts. The lying, cheating, stealing, republican party is making sure that their propaganda is being narrated not the actual truth and facts of things. So we must keep letting our voices be heard in every corner of our lives. This is no time to shrink from truth telling. We must not let the lying cowardly bullies go unopposed. With the might of our convictions buttressed by facts, facts, and more facts, we must keep voicing our minds. We democrats are on the correct side of logic and truth so we must prove it with our individual and collective power!

(#4761) Corporate media doesn't report the news, they try to influence it!

      The word objectivity (lack of favoritism toward one side or another), is no longer an accepted way of reporting news. Instead the word subjectivity, (the state of being based on or influenced by personal feelings, biases, or opinions). has replaced it. Reporting news should be about the facts of the news, not the personal narrative the corporate media is pushing. It is okay to write an opinion piece on a subject from a perspective of personal choice, but that must be labeled "opinion piece". What we get now from the media is a dishonest appraisal of their view on any particular subject. That has to stop and whatever legislation that is needed to make it stop must be written and voted into law.
     It is not easy for me to say this about all corporate media as some media outlets are trying to dispute fake news but in doing so they also become labeled as subjective because they don't spend enough time identifying themselves as correctors of fake news. The problem is that the fake news reporters get to report fake news without consequences that should make them stop on their own. Prison and fines would work but we don't have those laws which could explicitly apply to them. There are ways to go to court for libel and such but those rules for filing lawsuits are a high hurdle when it comes to many fake news reporting.
     The only way the many of us can become aware of who is telling the truth is for us to engage in political debates taking place daily. When we as a individuals can see the purpose that our social contract to have a society is based upon, like shared interests and goals, is when we can start knowing the good of what is reported in the news while also filtering out the corrupt and dishonest that is being reported in the news. Our social contract is an implied consent we all give to live under rules and regulations that keep us from harming or advantaging ourselves over others. A fair social contract protects all of us and when we see those who would only protect some of us, like through restrictive voting laws, we know that they are the ones who are keeping the fake news, democracy destroying, corporate media alive.

(#4760) Potpourri, or a jumble of things

      First let me say that this morning I am not having any thoughts about anything other than cursory thoughts. Like checking to see if putin is still a bully like pussy. Or if manchin and sinema have done anything worthy of our democratic majority. Or even if the national polling for congressional races show that the insurrectionist republican party is paying for its treachery, which they are not yet. I know it is Sunday and that being super bowl Sunday I could care less who is going to win. I expect it will be the Rams but the Bengals have been defying conventional wisdom.
     In my own life I got my hair cut real short yesterday but left my beard to keep growing... I also picked up ingredients at the store to make home made tacos and look forward to bending some white corn shells in the frying pan. All things considered life is going along okay and for that I am well satisfied. I won't be watching the football game and instead will find myself some good mystery who done it on netflix or prime. I might even get some work done today although I am pretty much caught up on my daily and weekly chores. The way this post is going I get the feeling that I haven't written like this in a long time. Reminds me of when I was on the road and would need to pull over to write a post.
     It is a quiet day this morning so far so hopefully it will be one of those days where nothing important or disastrous happens so that we can all catch a breath and find a little bit of time to recharge our batteries for the coming conglomeration of the bad republicans throw at us and the good we need to trumpet from democrats. All of us need a respite who are in the battle for maintaining a good and equality based democracy. Today may be that day and here is to it being so. I will finish with this, everything we do to make our world and the people, places, things, and all of life in it better, the better our lives will have been lived.

(#4759) I am not perfect but I endeavor to be as perfect as possible

      I had not been that way for some parts of my life and if you want to talk about regrets. there you go. But for the majority of my life I have been trying to be as perfect as possible in every way. I rarely am perfect and I can accept that because it isn't from a lack of trying. More to do with being incapable in many areas of my life yet that is not an end all to it. Much like being in denial but not quite, I do try to do better than before regardless if it only reaches a near state of perfection. In other words I keep trying with a slightly different approach than the last failed attempt.
     What I have gained in my failures to be perfect is a consistency in being the better and best to my capabilities and that is some comfort. I am not like many who just see this existence as a means to profit or control. I want to know stuff that I don't know. I want to help where I can help. I want to feel the feeling of accomplishment even if it isn't done in a perfect way. Best way to describe me is as one of the good guys. I have a conscience and a set of principles that allow me the privilege of not lying, not cheating, and not stealing in all situations. Again, I am not perfect but I keep trying to be as an intent, not as a default.
     I wish all the rest of the souls on this planet were as vigilant and committed to being the best human being possible. Where our natures of compassion and curiosity are highlighted and not denigrated as weak and irrelevant. If we all were set in our ways to be heroes instead of often times bystanders and villains. If we cared about our understanding of the skin we live within and the amazing fact of our existence in an environment that is not only full of possibilities but is full of other species that amaze and enlighten us. A universe that beckons us with a pathway of intellect to navigate it. The unimaginable has yet to be known and all we have to do as human beings is to let the better and best of our natures drive us toward being as perfect as we strive to be.

(#4758) Logic and common sense

      The beginning of any conversation that is not something from a comedy sketch has got to be based in logic or common sense. Both are similar in many ways but in others they may be polar opposites. Examples: Logic dictates that a set of facts and truths are correct while common sense puts those facts and truths into action. Where common sense overrules logic is a much trickier proposition. Such as when it is better to withhold or deny a logical conclusion in order to maintain a sense of unnecessary harm. Like if a person was killed in a gruesome way and then not telling a loved one the explicit details. I don't find many examples of where common sense overrules logic but there are times when our emotions need a buffer from an exact stark logic.
     The point here is that logic is based upon facts and truths, otherwise illogic would be involved. For those who use illogical premise sequencing, a lacking of facts and truths makes it so. Trying to put common sense applications to illogical conclusions is all around us here in the United States of America. We have the anti vaccination crowd, the anti mask crowd, the boatload of conspiracies everywhere crowd, the election in 2020 was stolen crowd, the list is endless here. But what they all have in common, excuse the pun, is that they derive their false conclusions from a misrepresentation of premises'. Logic is like a math problem. When you do the equation the facts of the equation must jibe. If one part of the equation is not correct the whole equation becomes false.
     Common sense without logic is rarely advised and can only be explained out of a need to preserve someone from a unnecessarily harsh experience out of love and care, not some ulterior motive of bad intent. Otherwise common sense is the rational next step after reaching a logical conclusion. The logical understanding of anything must then be followed by the application of common sense. That order is practically universal and should be the template for all our lives every single day. What we have here in our America is a confusion as to how logic dictates our actions based upon the nonacceptance of logic and/or the wrongly applied common sense response to the logic at hand.
     

(#4757) The only thing the bigoted republicans want to do is destroy democracy

      By killing any hope of voting rights protections the republican party has shown that they don't want all eligible American citizens to vote. That is what is called destroying democracy. Democracy is all citizens who are eligible having the right to vote. When the republicans put up so many laws and obstacles to voting, especially for the folks of color, then the logical conclusion is that the republican party is against what makes a democracy a democracy. What do you call it when there is a class warfare against the poor being able to vote with also a racial component that targets minorities? I suppose that closest word I can think of to describe that type of republican person is bigot!
     So the bigoted republican party wants your vote this coming November. Do you think they deserve your vote? Especially if you are poor or a person of color? Is there a higher priority agenda on your part that would allow you to vote for a republican than their bigotry? If you are a white person maybe you think that the people of color are bad and you can't see yourself helping them to have the same opportunities as you? Maybe you are a white person who has some economic success and are not able to get past letting poorer people have the same right to vote as you have? Is that it? Someone needs to explain to me where the republican base voter draws their lines when it comes to protecting democracy?
     Let me give you the dictionary version of what a bigot is and let's see if you think I have given the best adjective to describe the republican party. Bigot: "a person who is obstinately or unreasonably attached to a belief, opinion, or faction, especially one who is prejudiced against or antagonistic toward a person or people on the basis of their membership of a particular group."-Google dictionary. I would say that since the republican party has gone out of it's way to make voting harder for folks of color and poor folks without any logical reason the term bigot is appropriate and correct. The republican party isn't making voting harder for the wealthy just the poor and disadvantaged along with persons of color. Shame on them and shame on you if you vote for them and help them destroy our democracy!

(#4756) We democrats keep working on behalf of the American working middle poor!

      The wealthy are doing great if you haven't noticed so them needing any help right now is absurd. So we democrats are totally focused on helping the working middle poor class no matter if they are urban or rural. Every part of our country is getting some relief if we can get the bills passed into law. There are no republicans practically at all who want to help the working middle poor class and there are 2 democratic senators who are just like republicans and don't want to help the working middle poor class either. They are manchin and sinema as you have heard many times from me. Yet we democrats persevere to continue to work hard despite the obstruction of selfish and disloyal politicians.
     So this coming November we will have another election that will be difficult to vote in but we must not give in to the difficulty. Whatever we have to do now before the election to make sure our vote is marked and counted must be figured out. There will be no vote that is not crucial to saving our democracy so each and every one of us must take the steps necessary to participate. The young have the most to lose if we democrats don't increase our numbers in the house and especially the senate. As to the senate we need at least 2 more senators but 3 or more would be better. That way we can finally get rid of the legislative filibuster and then get the work of our nation done without the obstructive republicans.
     So every day going forward we must make sure that all democrats, like minded independents and like minded republicans cast their ballots in the next election. We have to make sure that the restrictive voting laws that republicans have passed in many states do not deter our efforts to cast our marked ballots. We also must as democrats, like minded independents and like minded republicans vote for every democrat on the ballot in both the federal offices and the state offices. We have to purge ourselves of the republican party which is only interested in making life difficult and impossible for the working middle poor class. We have the future of our democracy at stake and nothing should stop us from protecting and enhancing it!

(#4755) The not supreme court

      All three of trumps ie mcconnell court picks, have shown to be several cuts below fair market value. All three of them plus the decrepit thomas and mentally flawed alito have just allowed racial gerrymandering in the extreme to happen in Alabama. Even conservative justice roberts couldn't abide being with his fellow right wing nuts in this decision yesterday. Allowing for maps to be extremely drawn as to highlight racial gerrymandering is a slap in the face to democracy and a continuation of slavery type allowances that keep our citizens of color angry and defiantly so.
     What it does to our democracy is kill it! The other racially motivated states in the near future who will also use this type of gerrymandering is coming since after the first one is allowed the floodgates open up. The not supreme court is lost in it's own partisanship and fealty to trumpian autocracy that there is no more benefit of the doubt left to understand them. The majority conservative not supreme court is a sham and I as one person refuse to recognize their decision. It is an outrage that the last bastion of defending our democracy has been taken over by the very ones who are intent on undermining our democracy!
     Again, this all falls back on manchin and sinema for not protecting voting rights. Every drip of undemocratic moves the republican party makes the more we are reminded that manchin and sinema sold our democracy out in order to preserve an attack on the fundamental right to vote. Their diseased collaboration with the republican party and now with the not supreme court is to be weighed and measured and when found lacking must be cut from the body politic. Otherwise we will find ourselves at the mercy of autocrats who will never again give us the right to vote that a healthy democracy would guarantee!

(#4754) manchin and sinema don't want democracy for all eligible Americans

      If you can read what manchin and sinema did to deny voting rights protections as something different than my headline then please do turn yourself into a pretzel by giving another reason. There is no other explanation possible or logical that can make them correct in their denial. Either you want to give every eligible American the right to vote or you don't. Well both manchin and sinema voted to keep the current senate rules which would not allow a carve out for voting rights from the prejudicial senate rule called a filibuster. I expected every republican senator to vote against voting rights protections because to be a republican is to be against voting rights for all. If you think that statement is wrong then please once again turn yourself into a pretzel and try to deny it with a straight face.
     But to have 2 democratic senators vote with republicans to deny voting rights protections for all eligible American citizens is not only ghastly but it is traitorous to our constitution. Our democracy demands that all of us who are eligible to vote be protected in being able to cast that vote. But 2 democratic senators, manchin and sinema, have decided that it is okay to let republicans continue to deny eligible voters the right to cast their ballot. The fundamental premise of a democracy is the vote of eligible citizens. To work as an ally to those who are denying the right to vote to eligible citizens is appalling and a traitorous violation of democratic norms.
     We democrats have 2 senators within our party who are devoid of the character and the courage it takes to be leaders. Instead they are followers of those who would curb and limit our democracy toward it becoming less democratic and more autocratic. The likes of manchin and sinema will not get away from the stench of their betrayal to those who will now not be able to vote due to republican legislation. The shame of manchin and sinema will not be forgotten not will it ever be erased. Both are now scourges of fair and free elections along with their pals in the republican party. both of these horrible people will find out just how rotten we see them as when they try to run another election for a public position!

(#4753) The insurrectionist republican party is imploding

      The truth hurts and it is showing with the lying republican party. Instead of purging itself of its worst elements the insurrectionist republican party has instead embraced its worst elements. Well that is a sad thing for democracy and democracy will take a hit over it but what will happen now is that the insurrectionist republican party is killing off what dwindling chance it had of retaking Congress in the midterm elections this fall. With a growing movement to back democrats now taking place our democracy will not be destroyed by the trump faction of the republican insurrectionist party. They instead will be winnowed down to irrelevancy and trump himself will pay a price.
     A few days ago the insurrectionist republican party censored republicans Cheney and Kinzinger for their patriotism in investigating the republican insurrection of January 6, 2021. As well the republican national committee has declared that the republican insurrection itself is political discourse. I guess by that thinking we could call world war 2 just a disagreement. The audacity of the insurrectionist republican party in trying to whitewash reality that most all Americans saw with their own eyes is as brazen as it can get. Calling it political discourse is a slap in the face of intelligence and actual patriotism to our form of government.
     While also a few days ago ex vice president pence called trump wrong for trying to overturn the election. He got a standing ovation from the republican backed federalist society. While one part of the insurrectionist republican party is calling the insurrection a discourse, Another part of the insurrectionist republican party is applauding the wrongness of trump to try to overthrow the government. An implosion of sorts is happening with republicans and as such are being exposed as unable to command their own party. Meanwhile Biden and we democrats are getting things done for the American people and that is a positive in our lives whereas the insurrectionist republicans are a mess!
     

(#4752) We must stop putin now or he will keep taking like with hitler

      There are folks out there who think that Ukraine is none of our business and we should not be standing up to putin for his aggression against Ukraine. That we should say to putin that we will not offer a NATO membership to Ukraine so that Russia can then do as they will with the Ukrainians. There are other none Russian countries that have Russian troops at their border and if we back down on Ukraine they will likely become targets for putin's expansive goal. If you don't stop a bully from bullying he will keep bullying. Such is the nature of putin. So I say stop him now and end his attempt to reconquer.
     We know that about 75 to 80 million people died during world war 2. When a bully isn't stopped they feel like they can keep taking so stopping the bully is our first priority and if it is over Ukrainian sovereignty then then so be it. I am all for a diplomatic solution to ending the threats to Ukraine yet the Ukrainian people have a say in their own decisions. We of the west respect that and expect that putin respect that as well. We will see how this plays out but by no means can we blink during this finding out period. We must stay resolute and force putin to remove the threat he created or otherwise he will feel the resolve we have to stop him.
     A bully will say anything to get what he wants so we must be prepared to counter the bully with our own responses that push back on the bully and his narrative. I see this as a choice between paying a price to stop the bully now or paying a much larger price later for letting the bully continue to bully. Either scenario will require death and destruction but one is much worse than the other. So hopefully diplomacy will prevail and the bully putin is shown that our resolve is greater than his bravado. I hope that diplomacy works but in this existence there is only the reality of survival and what is worth fighting to keep our civilized world intact.

(#4751) The economy will carry us democrats to victory in the 2022 midterm election.

      With the latest jobs report far outdoing expectations and revisions for the last few months increased, the jobs outlook is not only healthy but it is expanding. With more people working there will be greater demand for goods and services which will keep job growth expanding. What it will also do is decrease inflation as when there are more goods and services hitting the marketplace the prices will decrease in order to get the best profits. Bringing manufacturing back to the US is essential to providing good paying jobs and much greater access to products.
     With the job market offering now higher wages despite republican efforts to keep the federal minimum wage ridiculously low, businesses and corporations are raising wages in order to keep workers from moving to other offers of higher pay. All of this is good because when the working middle poor class get money we spend it thus keeping the demand for goods and services healthy. With the unemployment rate hovering just at 4% many are not having a difficult time finding work. So with more people working at higher wages the economy will be robust and inclusive for the foreseeable future especially with inoculations available for Covid.
     What this means is that any argument against democrats on economic issues will be tempered with facts that prove otherwise. With no real argument against the current economic drive, fueled by democratic policies, the republican party hasn't a kitchen table substance to show that they should be running the show. As well with the ongoing insurrection investigations and trials the American electorate is constantly being reminded that the republican party is a ruthless and oppressive organization that offers nothing of importance to the working middle poor class and is actually a threat to our society and government.

(#4750) The blue wave is still coming...

      Historically the next election after a new president has been elected the losing party does better. Yet with this losing republican party in 2020, history may well not repeat itself. One does not need to be a political scientist to understand why this coming election may well go against the republican party that is out of power. For one main reason, they are not a good faith party. Not only did they try to overturn the results of the 2020 election but they are still trying to without trying to hide the fact. As well they are not engaging in rigorous truth telling concerning the ongoing viral infections.
     Trying to find a good reason for anyone who is on the fence as to which party to support is difficult when trying to understand the republican party. They are against a whole bunch of policies that democrats are rightly trying to implement but cannot, without sounding dumbfounded, state their own policies for our society. In 2020, for the first time in my memory, the republican party did not have a stated party platform. There was no agenda for the working middle poor class. So why would the working middle poor class vote for them? For one they spread disinformation so thick and wide that too many were fooled into becoming their base. Another reason is that they manufacture fear as a staple in attacks against democrats in order to change the narrative from them being inept and condescending.
     There is one thing I learned at a very young age and that is when you lie it is difficult to keep the lies straight as they keep mounting upon each other. Such is the same for republicans as their lies have become so intertwined with absurdity that even some republicans are backing away from their party. The rest of us the democrats and independents, now well aware of the manipulation republicans employ, are not impressed. With the continued absurdity of the republican party and more than enough time for them to hang themselves by their own words it is my estimation that by the time November voting rolls around there will be little doubt as to the mighty blue wave that will be coming down on the heads of republicans.

(#4749) So many excellent choices so age is now my top criteria for replacing Breyer

      Leondra Kruger, an associate justice for the last 7 years on the California Supreme Court is my choice to succeed retiring Supreme Court justice Stephen Breyer. According to Amy Howe at SCOTUSblog, she has a similar record to Breyer, https://www.scotusblog.com/2022/01/profile-of-a-potential-nominee-leondra-kruger/. So getting a much younger version of Breyer is an attractive choice. Leondra is 45 years young so would have at least 25 to 30 years ahead of her on the Supreme Court should she be nominated. With Ketanji Brown Jackson next as my choice and her being 51 years old makes her a good choice if Kruger is not the top pick. J Michelle childs is 55 and for me getting to the point where she is dicey because of her age. She would still be an excellent choice but again the age makes me a bit uncomfortable.
     These are the top 3 picks that have a consensus among many observers. Of course there are others who may well be chosen above these three by President Biden but the odds are that one of the initial 3 will be the choice. Which is why I am looking hard at their ages. I would hope the next supreme court justice will have a long tenure to establish her force of will on the court. As well a long court career as a supreme court justice will keep the solid foundation of equality and fairness as a staple on the court into the next generation. She has voted similarly to how Breyer voted and for that we are fortunate. The court is already packed with right wing less than equality and fairness protectors.
     There are some republicans who are trying to influence President Biden to choose their choice out of the list of 3 candidates and of course they are for the oldest member of that group. I hope President Biden does not put the concept of bipartisanship ahead of intelligent strategy. The republican party wants us democrats to be bipartisan while they do not want themselves held to that standard. So we need to select the best overall candidate who will project out for at least one generation and possibly 2. This is our time and we will not get another crack at it if the voting rights protection bill doesn't pass. So we as democrats need to get the most for our buck while the choices are ours.

(#4748) We're are screwed, manchin still thinking he is president

      I had hoped over the new year that manchin and sinema could be persuaded to follow the democratic agenda with a bit more loyalty to party but no, at least with manchin that is not the case. I won't go into sinema now until I hear more info but it seems that she hasn't changed either with her big cash haul from republican donors. But manchin has already taken the mantle of being president in his mind by working on the voting rights protection bill he wants to do with republicans that is more or less a pittance compared to real President Biden's voting protection bill.
     Instead manchin wants to do a slim to nothing bill with republicans all the while distancing himself from the Build Back Better bill. So manchin has become the fake president much like trump wants to be, and as an aside, trump must be furious with manchin for stealing his thunder. So not only do we democrats have to fend off the crazy from trump but we also must deal with the mental case manchin who has usurped the legislative agenda away from President Biden and Senate majority leader Schumer. The republicans must be beside themselves laughing at the antics of manchin, behind his back of course, all the while patting him on the back for his courage.
     Which to conclude puts we democrats in a straight jacket trying to make sense of the nonsensical. Our majority is being squandered by both manchin and sinema but manchin is the one who is the leader of the two delusional democratic senators. Regardless of their ranking they are putting a knife in the back of our agenda rightly earned with victories in the 2020 election. I cannot say just how much I despise anyone who would thwart not only helping our nation defeat income inequality but who also want to undermine our elections. If I had my way with both manchin and sinema you would either love me or hate me with what I would do with them, metaphorically for the most part.