so tired

Yesterday, Dianne said something like the one good thing about a Trump Presidency is that it makes each day seem like a month, each week more like a year, he is prolonging our lives.  It is true but I am very tired. 

I am tired of having to explain facts are not up for debate.  There are things that just are.  There aren't two sides to facts. (Despite what lawyers might say)  Be it a crowd size at an inauguration or referencing events that didn't happen, some things are not debatable.  I am tired of people trying to explain away reality in favor of a President who has a passing relationship with it.  When a spokesperson for the President of the United States says that there are alternative facts (which we know means lies) she is creating a Lingua Tertii Imperii.  A Trumpian world view full of propaganda and nonsense.  Intoxicating to his core supporters.

I am tired of having to argue against people that Roy Moore is a bad guy.  Seriously how low is the Republican party willing to go to support this guy.  Twice removed from the bench for violating the Constitution, he continues to promote ideas so far outside the main stream they might be illegal in other countries.  He has said that the country was better when slavery was legal.  He, in violation of the Constitution, wants to ban Muslims from serving in public office.  He believes homosexuality should be outlawed.  Oh and he is credibly accused of child molestation and wanting to date high school girls when he was in his thirties.  The later he didn't really deny.  There is evidence that he was watched for his bad behavior around teen girls and maybe even banned from a mall.  He may become a Senator in the US Congress.  How is it possible that he is being supported by so many and why would a sitting President strongly endorse him? 

I am tired of explaining why America wasn't great when black people where considered second-class citizens.  Seriously, there is a rising voice, like Moore's, who long for the good old days when blacks were either slaves, under Jim Crow or getting beaten for demanding their rights as Americans.  The President's support for White supremacists and his bringing into the inner circle of power people who have these beliefs is disgusting and it is exhausting to have to stand against it.

I am tired of watching smart people try to explain away nonsense from elected officials. This can be infuriating.  People I respected have done the kind of mental stretching that would make Plastic man proud.  I truly wonder at times how they sleep at night.

I am tired of having to fight the battles that I thought were settled before. While hate-groups and their allies have been around forever, they were kept in check in the last 2 decades.   President Trump's rise has given a sense of power to anti-woman, anti-Islam, anti-Jewish, anti-Gay, and so many other hate-based organizations as sense of support.  We watched in horror as Nazis marched in American cities and killing a counter-protester in Charlottesville and the President thought there were good people on the side of the Nazis. 

I am tired of having to call my representatives so often because they are trying to do something horrible.  It seems weekly there is another attack on the very foundation that makes our country great, the idea that together we create a social network with the help of government so we can all live and many more thrive.  I am all for free market economies but the rules have allowed some to take extreme advantage of the weakest in our society.  Over the Obama administration laws enacted were to help stand in the way of that and now they are being dismantled.  In fact recently a fine to Wells Fargo for, and let me be clear, creating false accounts in their client's names, to pad numbers and collect bonuses, only to charge the new costs back to the clients who, the stole their identity is being rolled back by this administration.  To me, this is the highest level of evil. 


I am tired that every morning I feel like I have to check the following:

• Is reality up for debate?
• Did another racist, homophobe, misogynist, etc get access to the President or appointed to a position of power? 
• Are there Americans being disenfranchised by actions of party who doesn't seem to care?
• Are we at war with someone new?
• Did the President say something on his Twitter feed that will make the world unsafe for some or all of us. 

So many other things could be added to this list. Exhaustion washes over us and there is a worry that we will run out of steam.  November of 2018 is coming.  We have to save our strength and we can change the political landscape.  Let's lean on each other when we need the support.  

Are We Entering a New Era?

The recent rash of high profile men who are accused or have admitted to sexual harassment and assault are being shamed, fired and in jeopardy of losing their political offices.  This  has caused a bit of anxiety among some men who fear that all men are being painted with the same large brush as  sexual predators. The "NOT ALL MEN" voices are loud and getting angry.   The thing is that I have had dozens of conversations with dozens of women I personally know and all have a story of a time a man has violated their personal space, made them uncomfortable in a sexualized context or assaulted them.  Women in the 20s through their 70s.  Women of wealth and education and women or neither.  Conservative, liberal and apolitical women.  Something is seriously wrong with the way men and women interact in many areas of life and it is mostly being seen in the work place where men with power and control of women's careers or economics take advantage of that.  But it appears that there are plenty of less cut and dried situations where women have felt they were made vulnerable.

The following is a thread from my Twitter feed in response to a man who said only a tiny minority of men act inappropriately toward women and not all men should be blamed:

Jim, as a man who thinks he has never been someone like that (referring to sexually inappropriate behavior in an earlier tweet)  I can't honestly say that I know for sure because we socialize women to not tell us and we socialize men to act this way.  I know I have never attacked a woman.  I know that I have never held a woman in a space against her will, I know I have never shown my genitals to a woman that was not my lover, but I can't say that some woman in my past did not feel threatened by my actions.  My intent is not fully relevant if the person in question is both feeling threatened and at the same time socialized not to respond.  This new era of woman standing up may change the way that women and men deal with it.  Bottom line is that we are looking at power not flirtation.  We are looking at control not seduction.  That is the problem of how we socialize women and men sexually.  And women are over it (thank God).  

Sex is a weapon in many of the incidence that are being discussed on daily news programs.  It is not about desire or even lust, it is often about control and power.  Many of the men listed in various accusation could have found women who would willingly be with them.  For some, money, power, access and fame are aphrodisiacs.  But they didn't want partners or equals, they wanted to dominate, shame or somehow own a piece of these women. 

But the less than clear situations do need to be addressed, but the rising voices that men can't flirt or a ridiculous article in the Los Angles Times today that asks if men could still hug women.  (the answer is no if she doesn't want you to).  I believe there are many layers to the issues of sexuality and the use of sex ans sexual language as a way to inflict power.  But it starts with how we raise our children to understand how to interact with others. 

Currently men seemed to be socialized from an early age that when it comes to sex to act as if they are on a campaign to conquer defended land.  "Did you get very far" is one of the many quotes we use to discuss men's sexual activity with women.  For women they are socialized to defend the line that men want to cross.  In fact if women don't put up a fight and express their own sexual desire they are often shamed.  Also much of our culture eschews teaching about sexuality and pretends that if we tell teens not to have sex then they won't.  It is a troubling cycle but I think the recent news and the openness for women to talk about their experiences we may make a breakthrough. 

We must teach young people that they are in control of their own bodies.  They should never be forced to kiss and hug anyone at and earlier age.  As young people grow they should be given not only information on how their bodies work but how their minds work in relationship to the desires of their bodies and that they have the right to control their own body.  This could include many things including not shaming for how they look, talk, act or express themselves. 

We may be in a new era.  Every day more and more stories come out.  In less public situations more and more women are confronting men around them who make them feel uncomfortable and more and more men are rethinking how they see the world.  But the process will be slow and it is up to us to help teach the next generation.  Maybe we needed this recent explosion and we may find that it tarnishes people we love.  I think it is worth it. 

Few Will Mourn Charles Manson, But We Should Be Happy He Had a Long Life

Since I was really young Charles Manson has been America's greatest embodiment of evil.  I remember reading Helter Skelter, about Manson's orchestrated Tate and LaBianca murders.  I was probably too young, but the idea of Manson's cult was fascinating and also scary.  Now Manson has died and we are getting a rehash of the horrors of his murdering followers and his long term ability to stay in the public eye.  

Manson has been the country's boogie man for 5 decades and many were truly upset when the government reversed his death sentence because of court changes. After which there were even more angry that he was getting taken care of in prison, in conditions that led to a long life span.  While I understand that desire for revenge, I have felt that on a very personal level, the fact that he was kept alive and fairly healthy late into life is good for all of us. 

We are a country of laws and built on the concept of justice.  We have courts, lawyers and prisons that deal with those that violate the laws of the country.  But prisons were originally less about simple punishment and more about attempts are rehabilitate.  The idea was that we can set people on the right path after being in the penal system.  While that ideal might still exist in theory, we know that prison is the cost of violating the law. In some jurisdictions one can lose their life.  But while in custody of the government,  that is what prison is, we must make sure that the government treats those in prison as humans and within the values and laws of the United States.  Manson, while despicable, is a perfect canary in a coal mine for our legal system.  How we treat the worst of those in our prison systems is a good barometer for how all prisoners will be treated.  Making sure that Manson's rights are not violated makes it more likely that others, both criminals or those simply suspected of criminal behavior are treated better.  Manson's long life is a good indicator that while prison might be a hell hole in some ways, the system is not taking into its own hands that which the law wouldn't allow.  While I know that sounds naive, I am sure that there some times that guards are involved in the prison yard justice, we know that for the most part there is some protections.  

Revenge is sweet at first but grows bitter with time.  I am happy that there are signs that at least someone like Charles Manson is not simply at the mercy of a emotions of those who have power over him, but that our values stand in the breach.  It may not feel good for us, but thinking beyond this single example we should be happy.  The world will not really miss Charles Manson, we will always have his infamy as our history.  Today, let's not get angry that he lives so long, be happy that if we ever are accused of a crime, that our judicial system is still based on the ideals that our founders created.  

It Was Never About Sex

I have sat down to write this blog post so many times, and so many times what has happened is that someone else comes forward with accusations of sexual harassment or assault aimed at a famous person.  One of the things that comes out is that we now have come to the point where the accused's politics play a role.  A Washington Post story that broke yesterday found four women who said that as teens Roy Moore engaged in an inappropriate relationship with them and at one point a women who was 14 years old was molested by Moore.  For those who don't know, Moore is the former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice who twice was removed from the court for violating Supreme Court decisions and he is the current Republican Senate candidate in the special election in Alabama.  This is a difficult and disgusting story and we need to make sure that this isn't just some made up nonsense, however the story is well sourced and the push back is interesting.  Alabama state Auditor Jim Ziegler in trying to defend  Moore's apparent sexual activity with teens as young as 14 :
"Take Joseph and Mary. Mary was a teenager and Joseph was an adult carpenter. They became parents of Jesus.”  Seriously, this is where we are.  (Let's remember Moore attacks Islam by calling Mohammad a pedophile).  Some Republican leaders have taken to say "if the accusations are true..." While innocent until proven guilty is a value we hold true in this country, the story seems to have a great deal of support suggesting that Moore has a history that has been kept quiet in Alabama for years.  The women in the story were reluctant to go on the record and like so many others the floodgates have opened and more women are coming forward.  This is true of the various others as well, Harvey Weinstein, the movie mogul and large Democratic supporter was also accused of horrible acts of assault and intimidation and it seems every day more women come forward.  I would hate to try to list the names of people accused in just the last week, I am sure I would miss someone. 

But in all these stories, the one thing that is missing is that none of these stories is about sex.  It is about people, mostly men, using sex as a weapon to assault others, mostly women.  It is a power and control.  Rape has always been a way to claim superiority over someone.  It is used in war and in fact the have been cultures were the winning armies would rape the survivors of the battle as a way to humiliate them, and then rape the women of the conquered village.  While the perpetrator may get a sexual release from that activity described in these accusations and allegations sex requires consent.  Even when consent appears to exist, when someone is at the age of majority for example.  The power dynamic of the relationship is a factor.  That is why trying to explain away the attacks on children using an ancient relationship is just ridiculous.  It is why the Monica Lewinsky relationship with President Clinton was completely wrong.  We have to stop thinking about these things in the context of sex and start thinking about them in the context of violence.  Too often because of the fact that there is a sexual component to these stories people attempt to write it off.  The #metoo has shown that these kinds of attacks are no rare and too often people try to justify it.  Imagine if these women who have been touched, harassed, and raped were saying they were stabbed or even robbed.  Would we be so nonchalant?  Should a movie director, a politician, a priest, a rabbi, a teacher or anyone be allowed to violate the body of another person under their charge or in their constituency?  Right now there are some trying to make excuses for people who have.  That too is not a new thing.  It happens all the time and we are at a place in society where we must draw a line in the sand and stop it.  We elected a President who bragged about sexual assault, saying that he could do it because he was famous.  Alabama may elect a man who may well have assaulted a 14 year old and used the Bible to explain it away.  We are seeing the first bricks in the wall that have blocked women especially from coming forward coming down.  The entertainment industry has exploded with accusations that were open secrets and people are paying the price.  Louis CK, Kevin Spacey and of course Weinstein have lost jobs, income and may lose their place in the industry.  But we need to do more, we need to hold people accountable when rumors are bouncing around and shine a light on them.  We must not laugh it off and take it seriously.  We must give up our politics and grab onto our humanity when it comes to this kind of behavior.  This is not a women's issue, it doesn't matter if you have a wife or daughter, it is about making sure that all of us are safe in body, and that powerful people can be held accountable for their actions. 

To Alabama I say, Roy Moore has twice been taken off the court for violating the Constitution, he has used language to dehumanize LGBT community members and Muslims, he has called for the death of Americans for who they love.  If you don't want to believe he is a child molester, that is fine, but with his track record do you want to take a chance he might be? 

Where Do We Go From Here

I have taken to checking my social media not long after I wake each morning. On Monday I saw a friend from Las Vegas check in that she was okay. I was confused, was there a weather incident, an earthquake, or something worse. It was something worse. A man decided that he wanted to kill as many people as possible for some unknown reason and bullets struck almost 600 people with 58 of them fatally. And so we continue to live in a world where killing people is easy and part of our normal life. There have been more mass shootings (4 or more deaths) than days of the year in 2017. This is where we are. I listened yesterday to my neighbor who is a prosecutor talk about visiting the scene of one of the record setting murders in Indianapolis, and having to tell a child her uncle, a young man, was dead. It was heart wrenching. Yet this happens every day across our great nation.

We are a country that was born by gun fire, settled by gun fire, committed atrocities in the name of growth by gun fire, defended freedom by gun fire, supported the innocent by gun fire and frankly saved the world by gun fire. We wrote into our founding documents the right to own guns because the founders thought it was an important tool, not for hunting but to fight off tyranny. While the words say "well-regulated militia" the idea was that all able bodied men would rise up to be that militia and in the recent Heller decision at the Supreme Court, this right in the 2nd amendment was considered an individual right. No militia necessary. For some that is meant to say it is a free for all, but if you read Heller there is a strong caveat in it that was written by the late Justice Antonin Scalia. “like most rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.” It is “not a right to keep and carry any weapon whatsoever in any manner whatsoever and for whatever purpose.” Scalia, know as the uber-orginalist often voted on cases as if the ink on the Constitution was not yet dry. He focused on, much to my dismay at times, on an 18th century world view and not where we are. He didn't want to interpret the Constitution as much as he wanted to use it as a caliper against the cases in front of him. Yet he saw in the 2nd room for limitations and that is where we need to be having a conversation. Where to we set limits to fire power while maintaining our 2nd amendment rights?

This discussion is not about memes and talk radio. This isn't going to be settled on late night TV or in ads from the NRA (I have a lot to say about those guys at another time). We have to settle it politically and to think that in the wake of the deadliest civilian shooting ever is not the right time you are saying you don't want to talk about, but are happy with the nonsense vomited out by both pundits and so-called experts and ignore the reality of the situation. That is criminal level malpractice. I know several members of Congress owe their seats to particularly the NRA, which advocates not for gun owners but gun makers, but even those that aren't seem to want to avoid the issue for fear of being attacked by the mouthpieces of those who make and sell weapons. There are also those who are opposed to unrestricted access to weapons and accessories who seem to not want to have a serious conversation but use ignorant language and positions. This is not how we get things done.

So let me suggest some things:

1. The number of guns owned is not relevant. I know it sounds horrible that there were almost 50 guns that this man owned but there are plenty of people who own tons of weapons. Saying no one needs these weapons is a terrible argument because that is not anyone's call. If you have a number of weapons you think someone should be allowed to own, let us know. Then argue why that is a legal position. This is a distraction from the real issues.

2. As Scalia said we can place limits on the 2nd and one that comes up immediately after this attack is the so-called bump-stock. Making a semi-automatic weapon fire much like an automatic. Outlaw those. Simple. Some may argue the enjoy using them for target practice. I can argue many things here, including the unreliability of automatic fire when it comes to hitting a particular target, but what you want is not a legal argument. If it were no one should be arrested for anything.

3. Stop saying that gun control is a slippery slope to weapons confiscation. You sound stupid doing it. I don't care who you are. It is virtually impossible to take personal weapons from the population and I don't see anyone arguing this who has any legitimacy in public life. (and if your reaction is the old Sen Feinstein quote from 60 Minutes you look even dumber).

4. Stop saying that it isn't the kind of gun you would hunt with. I agree if you go hunting deer with a semi-automatic weapon you are either a really bad hunter or you are a psychopath who just wants to kill animals and not really wanting to hunt for game or sport. But that is not why we have a 2nd amendment. Owning a weapon is not about hunting, and protection for some is a real issue. Again I feel that if you build an arsenal for fear of the government you may be over the moon a little today, but in the end the founders basically said that it is the reason to have the weapons freely in the hands of individuals. And that leads me to the idea of muskets versus AKs. The 2nd amendment was written, in part, to protect against well-armed tyranny. Evolution of weapons is not relevant to the conversation. Yes the founders would be appalled by what happened in Vegas and couldn't full fathom it, but they also didn't want an unarmed citizenry in case a despot took power. Having commonly used weapons is implied in the right.


Congress can do more and should but just saying that is not enough. Here is what I think they could wrestle with, do hearings on, take votes and force a national conversation based on the facts and situations of today within the context of the 2nd amendment.

1. Outlaw the ability to turn a semi-auto into virtual full auto. With a broad law that covers everywhere.
2. Return to banning weapons sales to mentally ill.
3. Have a full and public hearing on suppressors (known as silencers) and what their impact might be.
4. Continue buy back programs.
5. Engage a special commission on basic rights education. Bring in people with a variety of opinions and then put together curriculum to use in school systems. If we have public schools they should be for the public good. Teach people accurate information about the rights as they stand.
6. Prosecute fully anyone who uses a gun in the commission of a crime.
7. Media should stop making these shooters into folk legends. The Vegas shooter didn't snap, he isn't a retired real-estate investor and professional gambler. He is and was a homicidal maniac. If his name was LeRoy Washington or Abdul Mohammed the stories would be different.

There are many more things we can discuss. Gun culture is a problem, in urban neighbors where guns are badges of honor, in my town where I eat breakfast at a place where 10% of the people open carry and some with questionable holsters, and online where wanna-be heroes tout their arsenal and pretend to be soldiers. (One comically ran from the Vegas shooting when the firing started).

We have a problem, but the noise around it is drowning out what we can do. Or as Mich McConnell suggests we should just sit back and relax, take a breath and hope that next week another person doesn't decide that killing 70 people might be a good idea. He know knows how to do it.

It Really Isn't That Hard

Indianapolis has  a treasure for those who want to walk, job, bike or just enjoy some green space in the city.  The Monon trail, built on the land that used to house the Monon Railroad runs for 18 miles from just north of downtown to Westfield.  It crosses high traffic flow roads and winds through the backyards of neighborhoods.  Used by countless people daily, the Monon is a jewel of our community.  However in my area of town there is a problem.  As the population of Westfield, IN, where I live, grows there are more and more cars who drive on roads that cross the Monon.  Now the rules about driving is simply to slow down and yield is someone is in the crosswalk as you approach.  If no one is the crosswalk you drive normally (but be alert as you would where anyone crosses).  But that simple set of rules has become a problem for two reasons.  The first that while there are stop signs on the trails and people walk, jogging, or biking on the trail must stop at street crossings, some people don't.  Second, there are people who who are driving who see people waiting for traffic to clear on trail, stop and wave them on.  This is dangerous for drivers who are not expecting to stop, it screws up traffic patterns that could cause an accident due to back ups and of course, cars coming in the other direction may not stop or be prepared to stop putting people who are crossing in jeopardy.

Now a solution at one point at 146th Street is a nice skywalk that allows trail users to cross above the road.  This might be a costly yet functional solution however yesterday as I was turning onto 146th Street at the corner, in the shadow of the trail, were two bicyclists who were trying cross the street.  I simply shook my head, a perfectly good path with safety above their head and they are stuttering to cross 146th as cars travel by and turn onto the street with regularity.   Now I am all for using the trail and I hope that fixes are made at the crossing that are the most dangerous.  But until then here is a very simple tutorial:

1.  If you are on the Monon, when you approach a street you must cross, follow the big stop sign and the barriers you must go around and stop, look and cross when clear.  It is simple.  If you have kids, keep them back from the edge of the road, and if you are on a bike, don't play chicken with on-coming traffic.  That is simply stupid.

2.  If you are driving, as you approach the Monon crossing, slow down, if you see someone in the crosswalk, stop and yield.  If you don't keep going but be aware of surroundings.  DO NOT STOP AND WAVE PEOPLE INTO THE CROSSING.  That is dangerous.  For you and for them.  It is better you keep going and let the traffic clear.

3.  Understand that regardless if you do everything correctly someone might not.  Be aware that people are often going to make mistakes or simply not care about other people, react appropriately and take the high road.

4.  Petition local government for solutions and for law enforcement to police this and fine violators.

We have a wonderful treasure in our city and for much of the length of this it isn't much of a problem.  If we work together, we can almost certainly solve the problems and make the Monon safe and fun.

Clowns to the Left of Me, Jokers to the Right

It continues to be a trial to be a mindful liberal these days.  Recently in McCordsville, a suburb of Indianapolis had a teacher send home a note asking parents to have their children stop saying the words God, Jesus and Devil. Quoting the letter it says:  

"With McCordsville Elementary being a public school, we have many different religions and beliefs, and I do not want to upset a child/parent because of these words being used,” the letter said. “If you got to church or discuss these things at home, please have a talk with your child about there being an appropriate time and place of talking about it.”

So of course the keyboard first amendment experts were there to express their outrage. But first let me say the letter from the teacher was both inappropriate and violates the students rights to free speech.  This is not a gray area, the Supreme Court and many other courts have made decisions about the right of religious expression from students in school.  If children express their faith in a manner that is not disruptive to the educational process nor is an attack on another child it is within their rights to use these words.  May it be offensive? Yes.  Is that a place for a conversation?  Maybe.  Can they be banned? No. 

But of course the simple answer has no place in our culture where anyone can pick up the megaphone of the internet so let me use mine.

1.  For the people who say we are a Christian nation:  No we are not, we are a secular nation that has a plurality of people who identify as Christian.  But written into our laws is a distinct separation of religion and government.  The founders feared the role of religion in government as that is what they were feeling.  They wanted a government of the people not ordained by God.  

2.  For those who say religion has no place in school:  Religion can exist and does exist everywhere.  The issue is who is bringing the religion.  School officials cannot engage in bringing students together in prayer, cannot say one religion is better than another, cannot preach to children nor engage in religious recruitment in public school.  However, students can in fact do all those things at appropriate times.  Students can speak of their faith at free times, can pray before tests, lunch and anytime.  Can wear religious items and ask for times to say daily prayers.  

3.  One nation under God is a phrase that was added to the pledge of allegiance in the 1950s because of fear of atheistic communism.  It is ironically a bit unAmerican to require the pledge and worse to make a statement of faith in it.  The beauty of America is that you can be any religion or none at all.  We don't want a singular religion to be forced on us.  

I can't understand why we so many people simply do not understand the idea and role of faith in our culture.  We live in a country where we explicitly don't want all crimes to also be sins against God.  We don't want religion at the center of our laws.  (yes I know they influence our laws and some crimes are also sins)  But we also don't want religion to be washed out of our public life.  In fact we must fight for all to have their rights expressed as long as they don't interfere with the rights of others.  (We don't have right to not be offended or upset).  That way we can be free, free of the oppression of a government who defines how we interact with our gods, and free to do so. 

  

Perhaps the Most Impressive Thing Any President Has Done

CNN has a fetish for interviewing ignorant Trump supporters who never seem to have a critical thing to say about him.  I am not saying all Trump supporters are ignorant, though I think they are misguided.  I mean people really ignorant of the reality of Donald Trump as President of the United States.  They bring them together to ask them how they think he is doing, especially after some big news story, so like clockwork CNN will for the next few days have Alison Camerota talk to people about how great President Trump is while not knowing anything he has done or failed to do.  This morning we saw it with his speech on Afghanistan.

For years Donald Trump has said the United States should pull out of Afghanistan and let the people in the area deal with the fallout.  It became part of his campaign, a campaign that included him saying that he knew more than the generals on military matters.  But when asked what this group thinks of Trump's Afghan speech they said he was fulfilling a campaign promise.  When Camerota pointed out that in fact he promised the opposite in the campaign and came close to admitting he was wrong last night in the speech, they quickly changed the subject.  This is but one of a number of crazy ignorant statements made by the voters who support the President without knowledge what is actually going on.  Tomorrow CNN plans to ask about Charlottesville, that is going to be a cluster for sure.  But it is not uncommon for American voters to be uninformed.  What is less comfortable when it is a member of the media who simply vomits praise for no reason.

Tucker Carlson, Fox News, is a prime example.  Last week, after the events around the Nazi marchers,  there was segment on his show that tried to justify slavery.  Seriously, because Trump thought there were good people marching with White Supremacists Carlson tried to make it safe to say that by downplaying slavery as an American tragedy and evil.  But it gets worse.  During yesterday's eclipse the President of the United States look directly at the sun.  Something that we have been told for months not to do and he was shouted not to as he was doing it.  Carlson, talking about it,   said "He looked at the sun without any glasses. Perhaps the most impressive thing any president has done."

Seriously, for almost a decade I kept hearing people tell me that liberals saw President Obama as a mythical savior.  We never did.  But now, seriously, he could slap a baby (I mean he did kick one out of his rally) and there will be people who bring up that the baby spit up on someone at the grocery or church.  It is sickening thing and their voices should be ridiculed.  The other day on one of the NBC channels a Trump apologist was lying about the economy and the reporters whose beat was the economy basically explained to the sycophant that the first six months of this year, every measure of economic growth was slower than the previous 18 at least.  But of course the typical Trump supporter wouldn't believe it.

The facts are simple, if you like the President of not, he has been basically a terrible leader and has stumbled over every thing he has tried to accomplish that requires more work than signing his name.  Perhaps his turn around on Afghanistan and adopting previous Presidents' ideas and the military leadership in his cabinet.  I hope this is the start of something but I don't think I will be fooled.  He is having a campaign rally tonight, more than 3 years before the election.  He is doing this because he wants praise, so who knows what he will say, perhaps he will tell the good people in Arizona that he was just reading and it isn't what he thinks.  And that is where we are.  Tucker Carlson will report how cagey the President is and on CNN a group of Trump supporters will thank him for winning the war in Afghanistan.  

He Makes it So Hard.

When I started this blog so many years ago I thought the title would be a signal that not all you read can be believed and even what you see is hard to believe.  But today I stand shocked and struck down.  I have been cultivating in my head a post that I hoped I had time to write tomorrow morning, trying to be level headed and challenge those that think the answer to the ignorant violence of the Nazi marchers is to vandalize and destroy the monuments you hate.  Spray painting statues and pulling them down is no way to protest.  We can talk about how a community wants to remember its history.  I actually have a lot to say about remembering the ugly past we as a nation must not forget and talking about how some people see that as a heritage.  I don't believe we should build monuments to traitors, but I also understand that the Civil War was a war fought by a country that was a new experiment that struggled with where do the rights of the people lie.  Slavery, was a disgusting component of the war leading our modern sensibilities to reduce the discussion to that but it was much more than slavery that led farm boys to take up arms against the federal government.  So when a southern looks at Stone Mountain or a Robert E. Lee statue, I have no idea what they are thinking but I can't assume they long for a time of slavery again.  Some people do.  Some of them marched in Charlottesville. Many others think of a nostalgia that they understand is complicated.  A time and place that we can't understand fully.  To them the heroes of the confederacy might be like the uncle who drops his pants in the living room at Thanksgiving and never fully zips up after the meal.  He is embarrassing, he is wrong, but he is still your uncle.

I also wanted to say that it is okay to criticize the President of the United States for not denouncing the Nazis right away.  I was part of the angry calls for him to stand at a microphone and attack those that spew such hatred and some doing it in his name.  Name them for what they are, not the wishy-washy both sides.  So he did, and I saw many say "that's not enough".  Let's face reality I thought.  This guy is not intelligent and highly emotional.  He reacts like a toddler or a drunk guy in a bar. So even when he reads a statement I don't believe he believes it, but I wanted to say the act of calling them out was a step in the right direction.  But I can't defend that move any more.  Because this afternoon he took it all back.

While telling us how smart and excellent his statement on Saturday was, where he said that the hatred was on many sides, he decided that the left was just as much to blame as the right.  That he couldn't condemn the Nazis because he didn't know the facts.  Well Mr. President the facts are simple.  A group of people marched in an American city calling for the death of blacks and Jews.  They carried weapons and torches, the beat on and chased away people at prayer and yes, there was an anti-fascist demonstration that attacked the Nazis.  That is true, but you see when someone threatens to eliminate you I think it makes sense to respond with anger.  But here is the thing.  Today the President said

“You had some very bad people in that group. You also had some very fine people on both sides,” 

No, no you don't.  There are no fine people on the side of the Nazis, none.  If you call yourself a White Nationalist, if you chant "Jews will not replace us" and "Blood and Soil".  You are not a fine person.  If you call a woman murdered by one of your minions "a fat slut" as the internet voice of the groups that gathered did of the young woman, Heather Heyer, the you are not a fine person.  If you think that you are superior to other humans because the circumstances of your birth, you are not a fine person, and if you believe that only you and those who think like you have a place in this country you are not a fine person.  Mr. President can you fine me one fine person.  If only he were more like Abraham arguing for Sodom and Gemmorah in the Torah, looking for 10 righteous people.  But for the President it isn't about finding 10 righteous people.  It appears some part of him believes that many minorities are inferior, criminal, dangerous and he attacks them and has for as long as I have known of his existence.  Today, the President of the United States called some Nazis fine people.  Let that sink in.  A woman is dead, the worst of the worst are emboldened, and our President is attacking the media instead of the terrorists who descended on a small town with the intention of causing mayhem.  This is wrong.  This is simply wrong.

A little piece of you The little peace in me Will die For this is not America

Today, in Charlottesville a person died of the disease of hate.  A group of neo-Nazis, who have been emboldened by certain members of the Republican party and the Trump White House organized a protest.  Last night they marched with tiki torches shouting racist and anti-Semitic slogans.  Today they wanted to rally against the removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee.  This devolved into violence. Violence promoted as the right wing protesters brought guns, ball bats, and other weapons.

Now I know some will say it has nothing to do with the President or the GOP, but you would be wrong.  They themselves see themselves as being given more support by this President and the fake the self-professed Nazis serve in his White House.  Members of the GOP also have met with and defended many of the leaders of this protest.  Even after the death of someone, the President couldn't bring himself to condemn the neo-Nazis and used the mushy statement of "violence on many sides". My dad fought for his life against people who supported the ideology those who were protesting today claim as their own.  It is unAmerican, it is hateful and it is wrong.  The President should fire anyone in his administration who wallows in the swamp that these people use people swim in.  But people are running with the 'both sides' argument.  The counter-protesters came to stop the anticipated violence and while some engaged it should be noted that some clergy at a prayer vigil were beaten by others carrying flags of groups the American people fought and died stopping.

This is not America or at least not my America.  The dog whistles and bull horns of the Trump campaign and administration have called to those members of society that are driven by hate and ignorance.  Today, I fear, is the first of many of these kinds of clashes.  It is time for action.  The President must purge himself of those close to him that in their history have given a forum to these hateful people (Bannon) or is a member and proudly wears the symbol of a neo-Nazi organization (Gorka).  In fact Gorka said the other day that we are too hard on white supremacists.

Today we mourn the dead person who got up this morning and decided to stand on the side of the angels and of America.  I don't know that person, but they are a hero whose name should be remembered.  The terrorist who killed that person should be charged as a terrorist and made an example of for his actions.

This is a shofar blast, an alarm clock, a fog horn...we are called to action.  If our leaders won't we must.  Stand up to hate.

Sec. DeVos, Wake up.

There was a wealthy man named Steve. Steve was quite generous.  He would give a $5 bill to pan handlers, even when he knew they were probably not really homeless.  His list of charitable contributions was long and he would post them in his social media platforms.  His picture was in the paper the other holding a large check symbolizing his contribution to a new arts center.  So it was no surprise the Steve was popular.  When the invitation came to a party at an acquaintance's house he went.  At the party drinks flowed freely and it didn't take long until Steve was intoxicated.  He felt free and open and it was a good time.  The group at the party wanted pizza and so they ordered delivery, when it came Steve insisted that he pay for it, opening his wallet he had about $500 in small bills and paid for the pizza with a generous tip.  An hour later Steve felt too tipsy and decided to lie down in a bedroom and passed out.  In the morning when he awoke he discovered his wallet was empty and he didn't remember where his money went.  John, the host of the party thanked him for the money as Steve walked through the living room to leave and hoped they could get together again.

Steve called the police and explained what happened.  The police asked him:
1.  Did you willing go to his house?
2.  You know that you are well known for giving money, do you think you were sending mixed signals when you displayed what you had?
3.  You were drinking, how can you be sure you didn't agree to giving him the money?
4.  This will be a He said, He said thing, he may look into times that you gave money and to whom.  we know there are times you funded programs with problems, do you want to have all that dragged out in court.
5.  Maybe you should use this as an experience to learn not to carry so much cash and not drink so much.  Do you want to ruin his future with this incident that really didn't cause too much damage?
6.  Are you sure you just don't regret giving him the money?

Steve's story sounds far fetched, and the question nonsensical.  But it happens all the time.  Women, especially young women, who are raped while drinking at a party are seen as not true victims and often are blamed for the situation they were in.  While the story of someone stealing $500 from a drunk man at a party is not seen the same way.  Could you imagine a cop asking those questions?  I cannot. Yet this is not uncommon in the world of rape and is starting to reach the highest levels of our government that are looking to excuse the behavior of men who rape women when they cannot consent.

Recently Betsy DeVos, the Secretary of Education, met with some so-called Men's Rights Advocates who often are rape apologists, especially on college campuses.  At one point Candice Jackson, who heads the office of civil rights at DeVos' department of education said,.  “Rather, the accusations — 90 percent of them — fall into the category of ‘we were both drunk,"  Think about that.  Current statistics suggest that 1 in 5 women will be sexually harassed or assaulted in their 4 years of college and government official are suggesting the 90% of acquaintance rape accusation are the result of two drunk people.  That should be considered being an accessory after the fact.  I think the Department of Education should spend less time trying to tell women how to protect themselves and more time trying to teach men about consent.  But that is hard for some people to do in a world where a judge basically apologized to a rapist who came across an unconscious woman and raped her in public only to be stopped by two heroes.

Woman own their sexuality just as men do.  They can chose how to express it and choosing to do one thing does not mean she should be forced, coerced or expected to do it again.  If there is no explicit consent then it is rape.  If the consent is withdrawn, then it is rape.  Drinking is not an excuse for rape, as it wouldn't be for other crimes, even if it mitigates the severity of the charges.  Rape is rape.

Secretary DeVos, listening to those who find was to justify assault on women to get away with it is not only a failure of your oath to our countries laws it is a moral failing that should follow you the rest of your life.  You see women's dignity is worth more than $500.