Republicans are usurping our democracy from Texas to No. Carolina

 

This is one of those 'I can't believe I'm reading this.' From the obtuse state of Texas...

"Governor Greg Abbott has signed into law a bill requiring all Texans to submit to counselling before being allowed to vote."

 You might wonder what this is all about until you realize that Abbott, himself, is

desperately in need of counseling to determine what happened to his brain. To even consider a bill of this nature reveals the uncertainty Republicans feel in their chances to win an election fairly in Texas. This lunatic is just added to the growing number of GOP in the U.S. who have realized they can't win in a fair and equal competition. They have to cheat.

Donald Trump cheated at everything as the worst president this country has ever known. He lost but left behind idiots like Abbott and countless others in offices of power throughout the country. Salon says, "North Carolina has become a laboratory to subvert democracy." With Republicans controlling both houses of the legislature, under a Democrat governor, they have come on strong suppressing the minority vote among other outlandish moves.

They control the legislature by gerrymandering the voting districts to favor the GOP, something that takes place with a new census and partisan control like No. Carolina's legislature. Salon says you can thank David Lewis for the state's "diseased" nature. He was successful in his "partisan design," but recently pled guilty for siphoning funds for personal use. That's another Republican failing, they can't keep their hands off the money.

The Supreme Court recently showed its rightest colors by refusing to act on Texas's new abortion law, allowing the state to proceed with its recognition. Not for abortion, but the U.S. House just introduced the John R. Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, also known as H.R. 4. Slate explains...

"H.R. 4 essentially overturns the Supreme Court’s recent attacks on voting rights: Its central provisions give both the Justice Department and federal courts sweeping authority to block voter suppression laws. But one crucial section takes a more creative approach: The House bill actually repeals the court’s own rules for deciding election-related cases—which strongly favor states’ ability to suppress votes—replacing them with voter-friendly directives that would force the justices to safeguard equal suffrage."

There is, of course, some doubt in its passage through the Senate unless the Dems

can also somehow get rid of the filibuster. The New York Times said, "In the Dead of Night, the Supreme Court Proved It Has Too Much Power," reconfirming a recent notion from the Democrats that now is the time for Biden to pack the court to the left by the addition of justices. Just as Moscow Mitch prevented the appointment of Merrick Garland, Biden must move ahead to right this wrong.

But getting back to the warped reasoning of Greg Abbott, take a look at this ludicrous but laughable retort from Absent Abbott...

“Sometimes, a person is upset with their situation and thinks that voting is the only answer,” the Governor said. “A counsellor can sit with them, pray with them, and help them make the right choice.”

Yeah, "help them" as in guaranteeing a vote for Republicans. What has this country come to??? 

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott's destruction of the state of Texas

 

To say the least, Texas is an undemocratic state with a ruthless authoritarian ruling over a coronavirus pandemic that has killed 57,921 Texans. Today there were 18,573 new cases and 297 deaths. Yet lamebrain Greg Abbott keeps telling his constituents he has everything under control. And apparently they believe him since there is no robust recall in progress. More from Change.org...

"Governor Greg Abbott is getting Texans killed daily in record numbers because he has failed to listen to the scientists in regards to the Covid-19 Pandemic."

It's a sign of the new "Republican Times" that you stick your head in the sand and ignore science from every angle possible, just to appease some moronic supporters. Here's the Washington Post's take on how Abbott's Texas is showing us what post-democracy America would look like...

"Thanks to a series of actions by the Texas legislature and governor, we now see exactly what the Trumpified Republican Party wants: to take us to an America where women cannot get abortions, even in cases of rape and incest; an America where almost everybody can openly carry a gun in public, without license, without permit, without safety training and without fingerprinting; and an America where law-abiding Black and Latino citizens are disproportionately denied the right to vote."

Neither I nor most all of my liberal friends want an America as described above. If

you are a balanced, intelligent, fair-minded individual, you consider these dictatorial attributes right out of the dark ages. But not Greg Abbott who seems to have returned to that period in the way he is running the state of Texas. The new abortion law will certainly be challenged since it is, in effect, illegal according to Roe. v Wade. Pres. Biden has stepped in and said as much.

Change.org is on the attack to remove Greg Abbott with a petition you can sign here...

"By signing this petition, you are urging the Texas Senate to investigate and remove Governor Abbott based on the Chapter 665 of the Texas Government Code."

You can add to the above a new gun law that is perhaps one of the most positive in the U.S. allowing literally anyone to buy a gun with virtually no restrictions on the purchase. Finally, the state passed a bill restricting the voting rights of people of color and others in general when it comes to voting by mail. I like to view the latter with the observation that the only way Republicans can win an election is to control it with ridiculous laws like this.

Right now Joe Biden doesn't have the horsepower with a close Senate and House to do damage on the Republicans. Add to that "supposed Democrats" like Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema, misguided mavericks in the Senate who have their own agenda, one that isn't compatible with the Democrats' mission. But, if--and I say this "if" optimistically-- 2022 yields the results that will solidify the left, it could be the time to change the GOP to the FOP, Former Old Party. Peace 

Here's an example of Texas's idiot governor in a statement late Thursday: "'things are looking good' in the Lone Star State when it comes to battling COVID-19." This is freaking unbelievable! Abbott is certifiably insane.

Read more here: "The Case for the Second Amendment"

Covid-19 and climate change both destroying the U.S

 

The coronavirus snuck up on us and established its unchallenging position that required the immediate actions of the healthcare community. There has been considerable success, even though Republicans, especially, governors like Florida's Ron DeSantis and Texas' Greg Abbott who oppose any precaution recommended by the CDC. These heads of states are responsible for horrific numbers of death and suffering in their states, yet they refuse to back down.

Climate change has also been creeping along at a slow yet enduring pace that has produced calamities of excessive rainfall and heat hardships like we are experiencing this summer. And then there are the dry areas that have spawned wildfires like those recently in California, particularly the one in Lake Tahoe currently threatening thousands of people and homes and the resort areas hotels. Republicans swear that climate change is a myth, refusing to address the problem.

Just recently there was the New York times headline: "Governors DeSantis and Abbott, ‘Undermining Public Health’" Now this is a mandate that should unravel the residents of Texas and Florida, but so far, very little from the ranks. School districts are defying DeSantis regularly on his ban of mask mandates, and Abbott has taken a few hits on his regulations from the courts. But new Covid-19 cases and deaths just keep piling up. Texas, as an example, had 257 deaths today.

This country has other problems like gun violence and immigration reform, both with figures like immigrant encounters are at a 21 year high, and 29,759 deaths using guns since the first of the year. There are more and with all the dilemma facing us, one might think we are approaching apocalypse. Study after study proves that masks prevent the spread of the virus, and environmental groups have shown the value of clean energy to stave of atmospheric nightmares. Go figure.

And then the NYT opinion page asks, "What if the Coronavirus Crisis Is Just a Trial Run?" After all, this country is wallowing in a good life that has recently lost sight of the future and what could happen to our children if we don't put the brakes on excesses of all kinds. But the children themselves are being taught they can have whatever they want with no consequences for their destiny. There is a certain amount of innocence here but there is also willful participation. 

In summation, if we are in as bad a shape as the media reports in fighting future viruses as well as stopping changing weather patterns that kill, as an example the recent Ida hurricane that hit Louisiana, are we, in fact, heading for an apocalypse?

The new Atheist

 

I grew up thinking atheists were the scourge of the earth. How could you possibly not believe in the God? Then I thought I was called to the ministry and quickly learned that beliefs were relevant to whose side you were on. I was a Methodist then, just one bloc of what would turn out to be a worldwide mixture of, again, beliefs. But there was a discipline attached to these convictions that, in those days, you didn't dare deviate from without a reprisal from the church.

It happened to me early on and it was at that point I discovered just how much I disliked disciplinarians. In high school you took it with a grain of salt if you wanted an education; so why did I then upon graduation join the Navy? Don't know where this is all going except to say that today the religious business has become more open-minded, yet there are still many who will tell you their God is the only God. And then...Atheists will tell you there is no God.

Did you know there are Atheists who believe in God? They are called Agnostics

and I am one of them. I tried being an Atheist because of the hypocrisy in Christianity, the organized church, and something that happened in my life. But I just cannot visualize the existence of the earth as we know it without there being some supreme being that started it all. Just think, if the amoeba did walk out of the sea, who created the amoeba and who created the sea? 

Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, and other faiths should read Charles Darwin's "The Origin of Species." I read it years ago and am reading it again now to determine if the years in between have added anything to the mystique of Darwin's theory. Greg Epstein is the author of Good Without God. He is the new chief chaplain of Harvard and apparently "His personal beliefs or disbelief don't seem to be an issue." So go figure, Christians.

And here is a headline from Salon, "Staunch atheists show higher morals than the proudly pious, from the pandemic to climate change," that launches an article exploring religion in many aspects of the calamities we are dealing with today. It would seem here and in other articles I have read recently that a position that has been around for several years is valid. A person does not need a church, or a specific God to be religious. And that is the new strength of religion.

Abolish Puppy Mills NOW!!!

 

Don't believe that puppy mills are designed strictly for the purpose of the fulfilling of a little girl's or boy's dream of having their very own pet. Not on your life or the animals that are abused on their way to the pet store. Yes, Petpedia says...

"The majority, if not all, puppies in pet stores come from puppy mills that can make even the most atrocious jails look like a haven."

Prisoners in a jail had a choice. These pups do not and the approximately 10,000 puppy mills in the United States are doing what they do for one reason. To make money. Petpedia states less than 3,000 are regulated and puppy mill death statistics are not reported. What we have here is an example of abhorrent treatment of innocent animals that cannot protect themselves, with the birther female used over and over, then discarded or worse when no longer able to produce.

Did you know that some puppy mills produce animals that are used in labs for animal testing? There are also groups that oppose using animals for testing like those who are against puppy mills. It's cruelty, plain and simple, and a clear illustration of how some lowlifes place money over a living thing. Would this country allow baby mills to operate in this manner? I think not and neither should the government permit puppy mills.

Here's a statement from the U.S. Humane Society that pretty much explains what the animal groups are up against...

"A puppy mill is an inhumane high-volume dog breeding facility that churns out puppies for profit, ignoring the needs of the pups and their mothers. Dogs from puppy mills are often sick and unsocialized. Puppy mills commonly sell through internet sales, online classified ads, flea markets and pet stores."

The key word in this statement is the word, inhumane; do you agree that there

should be stronger laws preventing any inhumanity against animals? In Germany you can go to jail for 3 years for cruelty against animals. And Ukraine, Russia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Canada, Brazil, Japan, the US and Australia are all phasing out animal testing of cosmetics. However...

"Despite progress in humane product testing and bans on animal testing for cosmetics in other countries, the United States has no national law prohibiting the use of animals for cosmetics testing."

We are pathetic in our prevention of cruelty to animals, which clearly shows a lack of integrity in the American people. Were it not for animal lovers, you might wonder how bad this situation could become. How many times have you heard, "It's just an animal?" Here's another quote from the Humane Society...

"Mother dogs spend their entire lives in cramped cages with little to no personal attention. When the mother and father dogs can no longer breed, they are abandoned or killed. Due to poor sanitation, overbreeding and a lack of preventive veterinary care, the puppies from puppy mills frequently suffer from a variety of health issues, creating heartbreaking challenges for families who should be enjoying the delights of adopting a new family member."

Animal rights people are fighting a war that needs your help. As an example, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed legislation in 2016 to kill the ability of cities to keep pet stores from selling commercially bred animals. We are talking about animals from puppy mills and although Dufus Ducey is a dull-witted Republican, I suspect there are Democrats that would do the same. Here are the disheartening figures about puppy farms...

• There are 10,000 active puppy mills operating in the U.S.
• There are 50,000 dogs kept solely for breeding purposes in these puppy mills
• There are 2.6 million puppies sold each year from these puppy mills

Those are the facts. Now it is up to the American public, and I don't mean just animal livers, to help in any way possible to abolish these puppy mills with your generous donations, volunteering and contact your representatives in Congress. Together we can do it.

Read more here and here.

Hit the anti-vaxxers where it hurts...their pocketbook

 

Let's be reasonable. I have done everything I can to prevent catching Covid-19, including getting the vaccine, wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and staying in my home except for necessities like shopping, going to the doctor, etc. Some, but very little entertainment. The same applies to my wife. I am 89, my wife 77, in reasonably good health for our ages. On the other hand, we know people

 

even family members, who take none of the above precautions.

Some acquaintances have caught the virus, no doubt needing medical care, and my wife's family of eight all recently came down with coronavirus after openly flaunting it for months. This included two young children under 5, and a mother suffering from cancer and on chemotherapy. My wife agrees with me that they should pay any and all medical bills out of their pockets. It can't get any closer to home than this, compounded by the fact my wife tried to help repeatedly.

Anti-vaxxers are constantly in the news with a staggering amount of arrogance, but a complete lack of science. The latest is their use of Ivermectin to fight the virus, using this in lieu of getting vaccinated. Ivermectin, as you may know, is a drug for treating parasites in animals and has been used in treating tropical diseases on humans. But, the CDC is adamant: Ivermectin should definitely not be taken to treat Covid-19. Just more unnecessary medical bills from stupidity.

It remains to be seen just how much effect the FDA's full approval of Pfizer's vaccine will have on these skeptics. As far as I am concerned that kind of reasoning is for the double-digits and doesn't hold water when it comes to the whole reality of this situation. Especially as the Delta variant rages across the country and we have dimwit Republican governors siding with this radical group. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and Florida's Ron DeSantis come to mind.

I did a blog on this August 2nd, "Private health insurers/Medicare should deny anti-vaxxers coverage," with a picture that should chill the hearts of even the most dedicated anti-vaxxers. It shows a young boy looking through a window from

outside his mother's hospital room, unable to get close to her because she has coronavirus. It is heart-wrenching, but a clear picture of how bad things have gotten. In my blog I said...

"It is getting worse because 1 in 4 Americans are refusing to get the vaccine. In addition to vaccine denial, "Relaxing precautions, such as no longer wearing masks or engaging in social distancing," a major contributor according to leading epidemiologists."

Here's more from my August 2 blog...

"It was actually Piers Morgan that came up with this concept of denying health coverage to those who will deny the vaccination. His headline: "Piers Morgan: If you refuse COVID-19 vaccine and catch the virus, you should be denied state-funded health care and pay for it yourself." I added the idea of including the private insurance carriers. The U.S. currently stands at 49.9% fully vaccinated, with most of the summer still ahead of us."

There's a new trend. Corporations, educational institutions, the health care industry demanding that their people get their vaccinations. More, businesses refuse service to anyone who isn't vaccinated, also requiring a vaccination before hiring. The public is finally coming around to the fact that we are being taken advantage of. If you want to be obstinate about getting vaccinated, then you're on your own. If you think you can handle all this, then just continue to be an idiot.

Read more... 

West's megadrought could kill animals quicker than humans

 

We're in a 20-plus-year drought here in the West and now the US government declared a water shortage on the Colorado River for the first time in history. And who get the brunt of all this? The animals! We live in the suburbs of Phoenix, AZ  and regularly see coyotes, bob cats and javelinas come out in the open looking for water. There will also be mandatory cuts to water for Zonis who cherish their swimming pools.

Here's a fact...

"Some 40 million people rely on the river for water, contributing to its decline — to say nothing of the nearly 5.5 million acres of farmland that it irrigates."

Although most of the yards are covered with granite here, some do have grass yards, mostly migrated mid-westerners. This requires enormous amounts of water, particularly when the temperature peaks over 100 degrees, as it has regularly this summer. "Wild animals can die of dehydration, but many of the major impacts of drought are far less obvious." Please take the time here to find just how all the animals are being affected, keeping in mind they are helpless in some situations.