Whither the Republican Party?

Bill Moyers makes a great statement today and then asks an also excellent, fair, even important question today.

There is no real Republican Party anymore, it has morphed into the Party of Trump. Will democracy survive if people continue to believe whatever they want to believe, if truths, facts, and respect for the rule of law are eliminated?

Bill Moyers talks with noted lawyer Steven Harper and distinguished historian Heather Cox Richardson about threats to democracy and the future of democracy after Trump.

Link:

PODCAST: Democracy on the Edge

Arguably the Most Important Article All Adult Americans Can--and Should--Read Today

The Business Insider published today what I think is an excellent, downright important article on this President and the direction we should all take once he's out of office. 

Once Donald J Trump is out of office, we need to investigate--and more. A lot more.

I'd argue that it is easily, easily the most important, insightful, over-arching article any adult American could read about our nation and our situation today and going forward and in at least a few different ways.

If Democrats win, they need to enact a transformative agenda, fully prosecute Trump — and ignore any hand-wringing from pundits

All Democrats need to see, read and understand this article.

We need to make certain nothing like Donald J Trump ever happens again in our nation. We owe it to ourselves, we owe it to our children and grandchildren, we owe it to the nation and all successive generations of Americans.

It isn't about "revenge", either, no way. And it's not about fighting between the two political parties. It's about having people follow the law but especially government officeholders, especially the highest officeholder of the nation.

Let's do this. We need to do this. We need to root out corruption so it doesn't happen again.

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And then prosecute him to the fullest extent of the law.

And then fight for restructuring the government so that it's far more fair and just and science-friendly and forward-thinking and acting, at the very least.

Our lives and our nation depend on it.

Links:

A brief overview of the many lawsuits Trump is facing right now

Trump officials blur lines on campaigning, governing

Here's a List of the Crimes That Made Donald Trump President

All the President’s Crimes

List and Summary of Donald Trump Scandals

The Many Scandals of Donald Trump: A Cheat Sheet 

The two real, actual problems people have with "Obamacare"

Let's face it, the fact is, there are only two real problems Americans have with the Affordable Care Act, aka "Obamacare."

Sure, there's the whole idea that we aren't quite sure what it is or how much it's going to cost or who's going to pay for it or, ultimately, how it will work because, really, that would require reading and/or paying attention, after all, right?  And who's "got time for that"?

But ignoring that, there's really only two problems Americans have with this bill.

The first one is the big one.

It REQUIRES Americans to do something.

By law.

It demands that we all get health insurance.

And that goes against everything Americans in the 21st Century have come to be for.

WE HATE TO BE TOLD WHAT TO DO.

And we especially hate to be told what to do, for something to be required of us by Uncle Sam. We hate to be told we have to do something BY GUBMINT.  It just goes against our current, very spoiled grain right now.  We're far too spoiled to have anyone TELL US WHAT WE HAVE TO DO. (Even if it's for the greater well-being of the society, too, as it turns out).

That's the first problem.

The second problem is a tougher one, though albeit more short-term.

We really, really don't want no dang Kenyan/Socialist/Communist/Pinko/Gubmint lover tellin' us what to do.




 

The Founding Fathers on religion and our government?

Here you go. Here's one of our Founding Fathers and how serious he took the separation of church and state:



Faith based initiatives?  Funded by government?

I don't think so.

A cousin makes an excellent point about upcoming technology

 

You have likely heard of Google's developing technology, their glasses, that are computer-equipped and -enabled.

 

As bad as American's have proven to be already, what with our cell phones and the car accidents we have wherein people have been hurt and, of course, worse yet, killed, my cousin makes the following observation yesterday on Facebook post on my page:

 

"Prepare to die in a horrible head-on crash."

 

Seriously. Can you imagine?

 

Some idiot will buy a pair of these things and feel sure he (for it will most surely be a male) can "absolutely, positively drive with these things."

 

Watch for it.

 

Congress should move immediately to simply and quickly outlaw the operation of automobiles with these things, before anyone gets remotely close to having this happen.

 

Instead, what will happen is our legislators and laws will wait, do nothing and be behind time on this. Consequently, people will be hurt, people will be killed first.

 

And then and only then will anyone in government think to react.

 

Facepalm.

 

Link:

 

6 New Google Glass Demos Worth a Watch - Mashable



The future is here

It happened about a week ago but news of it is just going viral now:

Drone Comes Within 200 Feet of Airliner Over NY

NEW YORK — An unmanned drone came within 200 feet of a commercial jet over New York, triggering an FBI appeal to the public for any information about the unusual and potentially dangerous incident.

The crew of Alitalia Flight 608 approaching John F. Kennedy airport on Monday reported the sighting.

“We saw a drone, a drone aircraft,” the pilot can be heard telling air traffic controllers on radio calls captured by the website LiveATC.net.

The FAA said it was investigating the incident.

The Alitalia aircraft did not take any evasive action and landed safely.

And the thing is, in the first place, this is just the beginning.

Second, presumably this was a government drone of some kind, either by a state (NY?) or federal agency.

In the not distant future, these things will be flying around for and by private companies, going who-knows-where.

We need rules on these things. We need laws and we need them quickly since clearly the drones are already out there and are only like to increase in quantities greatly, especially as the prices for them will inevitably fall.

And then we need laws on these things so the public is protected and not the companies and corporations, first.

I'm not optimistic.

I'm not optimistic in the speed the laws will happen in nor am I optimistic about exactly who those laws will protect, either, given that our legislators will get "campaign contributions" to create those laws.

All the way to the top of Wal-mart, apparently

I say again, if they broke both Mexican laws--and it looks as though they did--and they broke American laws--and that's been shown already, in the New York Times article--then they need to be charged and prosecuted in both countries. Link: http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/busted-wal-mart-caught-massive-bribery-scandal-goes-150100011.html

A great way to spend 7 minutes of your time

Let's do this. Let's make this May 1st the largest labor movement march and rally across the planet, ever. Let's make this the "American Spring." Let's take back our governments from the corporations and wealthy. Let's no longer allow Americans to be killed by our own government. Let's end the "Patriot Act." Let's end NDAA. Let's get back habeus corpus. Let's get back our justice system, too, of the people, by the people and for the people. "Let's roll!"

Mad as hell and don't want to take it anymore?

I saw the following post recently as the response to an otherwise unrelated article on the internet yesterday and I have to say, I think this could get some traction:


EVERYONE NEEDS TO POST THIS, LETS GET IT STARTED. I SUPPORT A PROPOSED 28TH AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTITUTION!


"Congress shall make no law that applies to the citizens of the United States that does not apply equally to the Senators and Representatives; and, Congress shall make no law that applies to the Senators and Representatives that does not apply equally to the citizens of the United States".


If the Tea Party and Libertarians pick this up, this could go somewhere, possibly.  I think we're all fairly sick of all our representatives taking care of themselves first and foremost and us, afterwards, maybe--if, say, it's an election year.


I don't look for anything to happen on it but stranger things have happened.


It would sure give "equality" a whole new meaning, wouldn't it?

Laughing at Kansas today on Yahoo! News

Yep.  There's an article over there at Yahoo! News today on "Weird Traffic Laws" and who should show up but our next-door neighbor, the glorious state of Kansas.  And why not?  Here it is:


Weird Traffic Laws

10 of the weirdest, wackiest traffic laws in America

By Cindy Perman

You know the basic traffic laws — stop at a red light, obey the speed limit, don’t drink and drive.

But this is America, land of the free and home of the make-it-up-as-you-go-along, so in addition to the standard traffic laws, there are some weird and wacky ones out there.

Some of them are specific to activities common in that town or state, and some of them make you wonder why someone had to tell you it’s illegal to do that.

10. Screeeeeeeeeeeech!


In Kansas, it is illegal to screech your tires. That's a state law, but there are also local ordinances to back it up.

In Derby, Kansas, for example, it's part of a standard traffic ordinance that any act which causes or creates "unnecessary rapid acceleration, unnecessary tire squeal, skid, smoke or slide upon acceleration or stopping including the casting of tread, gravel, dirt or other road surface materials from the tires" is illegal. Also any acts that "simulate a temporary race."

The penalty is a fine up to $500 and/or imprisonment up to 30 days.

Good luck enforcing this one.  

Oh, and isn't it great the authorities in Kansas are going after the "big guys" in crime here and not wasting their time on the petty criminals that don't matter?

On the plus side is that they're in last place, at number 10.

Kansas can count it's blessings on that one.  At least they're not the worst.

Link to original post: http://autos.yahoo.com/articles/autos_content_landing_pages/1792/weird-traffic-laws/ 

Plato knew a true, complete Libertarian bent can't work

"Laws are partly formed for the sake of good men, in order to instruct them how they may live on friendly terms with one another, and partly for the sake of those who refuse to be instructed, whose spirit cannot be subdued, or softened, or hindered from plunging into evil."


But that's my take on him and this quote.


The flip side to this is that there can, in fact, be too much law and/or too much government, certainly:

The curse of me and my nation is that we always think things can be bettered by immediate action of some sort, any sort rather than no sort.