A Senate Republican Speaks Truth to Their Power

At last, long overdue, but we get some truth and honesty from someone inside this political party, calling their "Voter ID laws" what they really are and that is voter suppression.

Most assuredly un-American.  It's shameful. We need to rise up, speak out against this and overturn these efforts and soon as possible.

Quote of the day -- Americans, Together

We need to be and remain Americans, together, first and last.

Good to great things that happened this year

It occurred to me that actually there are quite a few good things that took place this past year. I thought I should make a list.  Herewith:

1) President Obama, the nation's first black president, was re-elected. That's pretty huge;

2) Mitt Romney, multi-millionaire and toady for corporations and the uber-wealthy, was defeated.  Magnificent;

3) The Koch brothers, then, and all like them and all they represent, were also defeated;

4) Money could not and did not buy this/these election(s) and they spent mightily;

5) More women were elected to the US Senate than ever before;

6) The American people have become tired of our perpetual Aghan war. It's important that take place;

7) More minorities voted than ever before. That's growth;

8) More and more equal rights--and acceptance--were gained for people of same-sex attraction;

9)  We finally, maybe, perhaps, have the will, as a nation, to address our national, repeated tragedy of mass slaughters of innocents with assault weapons.  Hopefully;

10) The world didn't end on December 21st.

May yet more good things take place for us all, but especially for the working class and the middle- and lower-classes.

Here's hoping.

Tired, tired, tired

I am so incredibly tired of the ugliness and negativity and pessimism--too much of it unfounded--along with the baseless paranoia rampant in the world today. Maybe it's just the United States. Between people who haven't paid attention to the local, regional, state, national and international situations, along with the fear of the country failing or falling, coupled with the outright fear of something as simple as having a president of a different race as them who isn't on their own intellectual level, is it any wonder so many are confused? If you haven't known what's going on for the previous decade and suddenly you find yourself--and your nation--in a bit of trouble--financial, mostly--it's no wonder people are scared. Sadly, they lash out. Some just verbally. Others, physically. Uninformed? Yes, frequently. Sincere? All too frequently.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Sure, I'm ripping off Bowie, like so many people have, in an effort to point out how we're in the midst of some great changes but, hey, I like the song and David Bowie, both. Sue me.

But really, when you look around the nation and the world, don't you think we're all in the middle of some great, fairly radical change and changes? I know I do.

The one that hits me biggest is the whole Democratic Party candidates for this year's Presidential election. A white woman almost came out the winner. And if that isn't enough, her biggest competition was a black man. Who did win.

Wow.

We all need to soak that in. That's pretty revolutionary for this country.

Sure, it's way overdue but, still, dem's some pretty big differences from the past.

Usually, it's been like the Republican Party still is--just a passel (an even dozen this year) of old, rich, white men.

No more.

A Hispanic--Bill Richardson--Hillary and Barack were part of the top 4 candidates.

People of color and women around the world are more coming into their own power.

Increible'.

But it's more than that.

Oil is around $4.00 a gallon here in the States.

The United States' dollar is nearly worthless. It's becoming an "also ran" in world monetary denominations. (It will stay there if we don't change things here in the States, financially and fiscally.)

Smaller countries, because of all that new petro-wealth. are becoming powers to be reckoned with.

The old, more traditional power positions of the world seem to be falling--most notably, the United States.

The Middle East playing far too large a role in world politics, again, because of the role oil plays in the world, and due to that high price of oil.

Our climate seems to be changing--something we can't too much control--but something we can react to and change, because, it seems, we have to.

Food prices.

The food supply itself.

Health care here and 'round the world and it's availability.

So many things.

And I don't think it's just because I'm into my 2nd century (barely!) and paying more attention. I've watched politics and power since at least high school.

No, I think a great deal is changing.

Some things we can see. Some, no doubt, we cannot. Some, for some of us, we're fighting, ignoring or denying. Some of the change is actually for good. Some, not so.

But it's change. Oh, yeah. And there seems to be quite a lot of it.

And we all hope we come out okay on the other side.

Right?