On the U.S. protests: It would be a shame (a satire)

[Provided by a friend on a social media platform]

It would be a shame if protesters began making their signs out of quarter-inch-thick plywood to stop rubber bullets, forming a tight shield wall to prevent police from singling out and mobbing individual protesters. 

It would be a shame if the people behind the shield wall held up umbrellas so that tear gas canisters fired over their heads on the front line will be bounced away. 

It would be a shame if protesters began constructing improvised armor vests out of duct tape, hard-backed books, and ceramic tiles.

It would be a shame if protesters started wearing safety glasses, hard hats, respirators, and gardening gloves, all of which can be found at the same hardware stores as the plywood. 

It would be a shame if they started using traffic cones (the kind without the hole in the top), upside down buckets, or other improvised lids to contain teargas by placing them over the canisters.

It would be a shame if protesters learned that police scanners are legal to own in the US, allowing them to learn where police are moving, and what routes they intend to take. 

It would be a shame if they discovered that these scanners can be used to send as well as receive, allowing them to flood the scanner frequencies with noise.

It would be a shame to copy & paste this to your own blog for others to see and also c & p.

All of this would be a terrible, terrible shame.

An even worse shame would be to start donating these items to protesters.

Heh heh. 

Dump Trump NOW

 

The first four years of the Orange Cheeto's stay in the White House should have been enough warning of what he intended to do. Should have been.

Apparently, it wasn't.

We've forgotten history – or chosen to believe it could not happen to us, here in the good ol' U S of A. We didn't think that an autocrat, a dictator, an oligarch could get himself elected once into the presidency, much less twice. Yet, here we are.

Many warnings were sounded. Too many voters didn't listen. The party that could possibly have prevented this mess didn't get their shit straight from the git-go, and offered up a candidate who just didn't have the energy to get through another election campaign. They compounded that mistake by offering up a second candidate who could've gone the distance, but didn't get the groundwork needed and the time to put it in place before the November election.

Now, we're seeing the results of that fatal misstep. The avalanche is falling not just on certain folks, but on all of us. FAFO is in effect, y'all, and it is ugly and heartbreaking.

The black folks are sitting back, having their tea and nodding. They deserve their break. After all, where were the rest of us in the 1960s? The 1970s and later, right up until last year? Sure, some of us got out and protested, some of us organized, some of us spoke up and voted for social change. But not enough.

Not nearly enough.

"It can't happen heeeeeeeeerrrrrre..." Frank Zappa sang back in the counter-culture decades. He was being sarcastic. He knew damn well it could happen here.

So, what do we as citizens of the US do now?

We can sit around crying and moaning, sure. That'll change nothing. It'll only bring the end of the country that much sooner. You wanna live in a fascist dictatorship? Do nothing and wait around, it'll happen.

If you want to retain what's left of your freedom, get off your ass and get to work. Grabbing the reigns of this runaway carriage and getting it back on the road of democratic governance per the Constitution is going to take sustained effort over a long period of time.

INFORM YOURSELF. Gather information from a wide range of sources, not just mainstream media. Always consider the source. "Independent" journalism isn't always independent; check who's footing the bill for the news outlets you read/view.

Call, email, and write handwritten (or typed) letters or postcards to your congress-persons at the state and federal levels. Weekly. Yes, weekly. There's plenty of topics to choose from. A single-page letter per topic will be easier for the politicians' aides to file. :-) If you're not much of a writer, simply state what you support or don't support re: what's going on in Washington.

SECURE YOUR INCOME, FOOD AND PROPERTY. If you have a good job, and you're saving money, good. Keep doing that. Try to save a little more each month. Stock your pantry with non-perishables. If you can afford it, install a security system (electronic, animal, bells, etc.) over all the windows and entrances to your home. KEEP YOUR DOORS AND WINDOWS LOCKED AT ALL TIMES. If I had a nickel for every bodycam video I've seen where people left their front door unlocked and someone just waltzed in and committed mayhem, I'd have a lot more $$ than I do right now.

Why is the preceding paragraph important? Because the Orange Cheeto and his Meme Monster are coming for ALL of us. Do you really want to just let them in?

This is the BARE MINIMUM. Everyone can do these things, or have helpers do them for you if needed. It may not sound like a lot, but every little bit does, indeed, help.

For those who are able to do so, there are other steps to take.

Find local organizations representing groups affected by the executive orders issued so far, or contact national groups like the ACLU, NAACP, etc., and find out how you can volunteer to help. We aren't all cut out for marching in the streets, and that's okay. Manning phone banks, writing website content, creating flyers and signs, holding bake sales and yard sales to raise money for a bail fund for those protesters who get arrested, organizing lawyers to represent those arrested folks in court when needed, and a lot of other roles need filling. Check the histories of the civil-rights movement for ideas on organizing, protesting, dealing with getting arrested, what civil disobedience is and how to practice it, and so much more.

Yes, the time we are in feels surreal and weird. Because it IS weird. But it's also real and happening right now, and if we don't grab this thing by the neck right now, we'll be consumed by it.

Just because it's never happened to us before, doesn't mean it can never happen to us. The proof is in front of us every day.

To paraphrase someone much wiser than I am, retaining freedom requires eternal vigilance.

Attention, Floridians of conscience: impeach DeSantis ASAP

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has been systematically destroying the state of Florida since he took office. He is currently ripping apart the state's educational structure, which will inevitably result in a generation of Florida students incapable of thinking for themselves.

Florida residents who care about their state's future as a democratic stronghold should be up in arms about this mess. Where are you folks? Where are the protests in the state capitol against what DeSantis and his cronies are doing and have done? If they're happening, why isn't the world hearing about them?

Or do y'all really not care?

Is it time for The Conch Republic to secede again?

 Shit that's got me wound right the fuck up

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/aug/13/marion-county-record-co-owner-joan-meyer-dies-kansas-police-raid?utm_term=64da09e6e62586c771a72d2298a19227&utm_campaign=USMorningBriefing&utm_source=esp&utm_medium=Email&CMP=usbriefing_email

Manslaughter charges, at the least, for the cops. Bastards.

 Go get 'em!

https://www.thedailybeast.com/leah-remini-sues-church-of-scientology-for-harassment-defamation?ref=scroll

Leah Remini is suing the "Church" of Scientology for making her life hell. I hope she manages to financially gut that hellhole.

 Five years, that's all it's been, it's been five years

I just plain forgot about this blog. That's all.

So. I'm back in the saddle, ready to rant about shit in the world that I find intolerable. Today's pile of poop award goes to the Montana House of Representatives, which has had the gall to censure one of its members for speaking truth to power. Yeah, you know how that goes these days.

Rep. Zooey Zephyr (great name) simply wanted to warn her colleagues of the potential harm they'd be doing if they passed legislation banning gender-affirming care for young persons. She mentioned the word blood.

>The "Youth Health Protection Act" would restrict the use of hormone therapy, puberty blockers and >surgeries on people under age 18 for the purposes of gender transitioning.  "If you vote yes on this bill, >I hope the next time you bow your heads in prayer, you see the blood on your hands." 

Ooohh, some fee-fees got hurt.

>The Montana Freedom Caucus, which includes several of Zephyr's colleagues, misgendered Zephyr by >using he/him pronouns and argued the legislation "protects minor children from forced life-altering and >unnecessary surgical procedures." 

Oh my god Becky lookit their butts.

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/transgender-lawmaker-faces-expulsion-montana-house-republicans 

This kind of garbage is going on in faux-Christian right-wing enclaves all over this country. Ever since Roe v. Wade was overturned, bills pushing back against civil rights for women and the LGBTQ+ community have been flooding into legislatures like an overturned piss bucket.

Which is why those of us who care about what happens to women and the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized communities, better STAND UP AND PAY ATTENTION. Take notes, people. Look at what your legislators are voting for and against. Keep tabs on them critters. If you don't like what they're doing, you know what to do next time Election Day rolls around.

Pesky cold finally gone, I'm left to contemplate the continuous stream of terror spouting from the WH resident and his horde of ignoramuses. Now DHS wants to create a data base of journos. Good thing I'm on anti-D meds, else I'd have probably slit my throat weeks ago. No, I'm not kidding. I thought the Nixon era was bad, but the current regime has that past one beat hands down.

Don't tell me the system of checks and balances will redress this mess; that system is broken. Don't tell me that I'm being paranoid: a few days ago I was asked at my bank, at which I've been a customer for over a decade, where I was born when opening a savings account. The teller said the question was used to confirm my SSN. Total and utter bullshit. Of course I told her the truth: I'm naturalized. I feel as though it's just a matter of time before ICE bangs on my door.

Most especially, don't tell me the GOP isn't really that bad: all you have to do is look around with open eyes to see that we are in serious danger of losing all our freedoms.

If you care what happens to your family, your friends, your co-workers, your neighbors, you county, your state, your country, please show up at all your local elections this year, and vote your conscience. Not your party, your CONSCIENCE.

May God have mercy on us all.

The RNC is now officially a dumpster fire and so is its 2016 presidential candidate

I'm so relieved that my dearest uncle has walked on. He was a conservative Republican, and he saw the writing on the wall before he died. This year's RNC would have made him cry.

Along with Melissa McEwen , I am hereby done with beating around the bushes with my vote.

It all boils down to this. A vote for Hillary Clinton is a vote for reasonable governance by the most qualified (but not perfect) candidate for POTUS this year.

A vote for the human dumpster fire that is the Trumper is a vote for global apocalypse.

Choose wisely. Remember to pay attention to down-ticket races in your state and local governing bodies.

And please, please let us all live for another four years.

At least 11 people shot, four dead in Dallas sniper shooting

At a Black Lives Matter demonstration in Dallas Thursday night, a sniper firing from an elevated position opened fire on Dallas police officers pulling crowd control duty for the demonstration, according to news released from the Dallas police chief.

One person shot is a civilian and is not in critical condition.

Ten police officers, including a DART officer, were shot by the snipers. Four of them are dead.

I really, really hope that the US House members are paying attention. Because if they don't do anything this time, there will be a LOT more Dems in the house after November.

Also, Dallas police released a photo of a black man in a camo T-shirt carrying a slung rifle. This man was later identified as the brother of the march's organizer. This man surrendered his rifle to police when the sniper shooting started, and HE IS NO LONGER A SUSPECT in this incident.

So WHY does ABC News still have his photo up as a "person of interest" on their website?

ABC, you done fucked up.

This shit -- the shootings of unarmed black folk by police, and police being shot at events centering black people -- has GOT TO STOP.

If the current Congress, both parts, doesn't hold an emergency session pronto to deal with this mess, then I may lose all hope for the USA's future.

Rage. Seethe. Boil. Fume. Flames. On the side of my face.

Dirty rotten scoundrels: the AVMA and cat declawing

I'm still feeling nauseous and angry.

I just got the following from the American Veterinary Medical Association's website:

"Scientific data do indicate that cats that have destructive scratching behavior are more likely to be euthanatized [sic], or more readily relinquished, released, or abandoned, thereby contributing to the homeless cat population. [Bullshit.-Ed.] Where scratching behavior is an issue as to whether or not a particular cat can remain as an acceptable household pet in a particular home, surgical onychectomy may be considered.

"There is no scientific evidence that declawing leads to behavioral abnormalities when the behavior of declawed cats is compared with that of cats in control groups." [Bullshit. Again. -Ed.] 

Yes, one of the main medical groups for veterinarians in the US still insists on declawing as an option for cat persons. Yes, on their website, the AVMA lists alternatives to this mutilating, medically unnecessary procedure, such as claw caps, ready access to scratching posts, etc.

But the AVMA continues to refuse to call cat declawing what it really is: animal cruelty.

Declawing isn't "just" the removal of claws. Declawing is amputation.

"But why would the AVMA say such things?" you might ask. To which I'd reply: follow the money.

Visit The Paw Project and watch the film on what the TPP is all about.

If you're a cat person and you've considered declawing but haven't learned what's really involved in this procedure, get thee hence and research. If, after doing so, you still think declawing is ethical, then you have no business having a cat in your residence.

Look at it this way: human doctors don't cut off the end digits on the hands of patients who have itching problems.

Pay attention: a cat is higher in overall worth to any piece of furniture. If you think having a cat would be nice, get a toy stuffed animal cat instead.

If you'd never do such a thing to your kittehs, please consider donating to TPP or spreading the message in your area. Ask your vet if they do declawing. If the answer's yes, you might wanna find a vet that doesn't.

How far CNN has fallen

Back in the early days of the 24-hour news cycle, CNN was actually trying to be balanced in their reporting. It was a news channel worth watching because it reported the news in a journalistically appropriate way. CNN followed the 4 Ws + H of reporting and regularly snagged at least two people for interviews -- who were actually connected to the event being reported -- for every story they aired. Breaking news was fairly well done as well.

Now?

This is just one of the people CNN had on air for a piece on the Sandra Bland arrest. Harry Houck is a retired NYPD detective who runs his own PI business now. He's also a "law enforcement analyst" for CNN. He said that if Bland hadn't acted "arrogant" to the officer, the whole incident would never have happened.

That's a really big assumption, Mr. Houck, and doesn't even take into account  a citizen's rights when stopped by a LEO. You know, like protection against unlawful search and seizure?

For shame, CNN, having this person appear as a "law enforcement analyst" on your channel. It appears that your news director has no qualms about paying any hothead who used to carry a badge to appear as a "law enforcement analyst." Does the ND even know what that phrase means? I bet not. Claiming someone is a "law enforcement analyst" means absolutely NOTHING in terms of accurate news reporting. All it means is that some person analyzes law enforcement. No background, no credentials, no other potential qualification is included in that phrase.

Ah, but such a euphemism it is. It's just like Silly Putty, you can mush it and shape it anywhichway to suit your needs.

Which is what CNN has done.

Being an LEO for 25 years says very little about the quality of that LEO's work. Running one's own PI agency says very little about the quality of that PI's work. I doubt Houck knows how to analyze the contents list of a box of noodles.

My late husband, who was a soldier and a police officer, would be angered by this whole situation: CNN swirling down the toilet bowl in a never-ending whirlpool of gabblery masquerading as news, police departments all over the US getting military-grade equipment (there's a damn good reason it has that name) instead of continuing education in psychology and medicine as it pertains to their field, and people -- and let's remember, folks, they're all people of color -- getting killed by police who seemingly think it's okay to shoot first and ask questions later. My husband never had to raise his voice while he was on duty as a cop, never felt using his gun was necessary in 12 years on the job, and spent nearly five years as a field training officer for rookies and new hires. He was admired by other officers for his quiet demeanor and ability to defuse situations that could have turned violent.

I'm glad he's not alive to witness the destruction of his last field of employment.

Two things I live by: consider the source (for any situation), and use more than three information sources before making any decision. These two things have saved me a whole lotta grief over the years.

Try 'em out, if you haven't already. You might be surprised at how different the world looks.

NYT, Time and Bloomberg can STFU

Honest journalists are once again hanging their heads in grief over the sour grapes of some MSM entities, this time for not being invited to a private party. At the White House. 

Holy crybabies, Batman.

President Obama deserves a private life. Being President of the United States is not an automatic I'll-show-you-everything card for the press. Yes, government should operate "in the sunshine" as often as is possible. There are times when doing so is against the public interest, i.e. classified information (though why something is designated classified is a debatable point). Outside of those items, actions and words meant for public/media consumption should be available for public/media consumption.

The President himself paid for this party. He's chary with information about his private life because he has the right, like every other American, to do so. Public figures should expect a certain amount of increased media notice, but there is no law that forces such folks to make available every last thing they do. Politicians are public figures; if they want to keep their non-public lives private, that's their choice.

President Obama and his family can and should do whatever they wish that has no bearing on the political arena or how he conducts himself as the US president. Might laws be broken in such circumstances? Anything is possible. But living in a surveillance state is not the answer to lowering the crimes rate. 

I applaud President Obama for his self-care. Doing the hardest job in the world is not a gig for a workaholic.  A person cannot care for others if they don't take care of themselves first, and that's what I believe the POTUS did with this private get-together: letting off steam, relaxing, having some fun. Damn, we all deserve that, right? Why should a president be whinged at for doing the same?

And here's another question: why are these MSMites concerned about a private party when there is so much else to cover? Hell, there's no shortage of war, famine, genocide, domestic terrorism, crooked pols and stupid laws -- all in our own country. 

Yeah, I said it. Deal with it.

Really, CNN?

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/02/us/freddie-gray-baltimore-death/

"Police Under Fire"? OMG, so MUCH fail in that title. Centering the cops who got arrested for Freddie Gray's homicide instead of Mr. Gray and the kill-all-black-males mindset so prevalent in so many US cities is just wrong.

Off to the pit with you.

AG Holder, FBI: Time to clean up Florida's corrections system

There are lots and lots of things deserving of the descriptive phrase "vile and pernicious," but -- for this week, at least -- this one takes the cake.

The DoJ and FBI need to go full bore on this shit:

1. Investigations on all reports of prisoner abuse by corrections personnel, arrests and indictments made where supported by evidence. If more money is needed to hire qualified personnel to complete this task, ALLOCATE IT.

2. Any laws  allowing Homeland Security to pass on military-grade weapons and-or equipment must be rescinded and all such items removed from any police agency which currently has them. Agencies may then request items be re-provided but NOT be automatically certain of getting them. Justification for such items must be supported by thorough documentation of need.

3. All job requirements for corrections personnel on ALL levels must be reviewed and revised to higher standards, to include higher pay for corrections officers and staff, EXCEPT for the administrators. Lack of equity between corrections and administrative staffs' incomes must be resolved. Better pay attracts better-qualified candidates. ABSOLUTELY NO POLICE ACADEMY WASHOUTS OR REJECTS.

4. For every person convicted and sentenced to serve time for crimes committed while working as corrections personnel, one person convicted for a non-violent crime must be released, starting with those who've been incarcerated the longest.

5. State laws concerning drug possession and use must be overhauled, to reduce the number of persons incarcerated for non-violent crimes.

That's just for starters, of course.

The Dept. of Homeland Security is a dangerous and unnecessary federal agency. It holds far too much power under one umbrella. Cooperation between agencies can be achieved by other means without centralizing so much legal and political power in one department. I've held this opinion ever since I first heard of this department's creation nearly 14 years ago.

The more we give away our freedoms for a little more "security," the less free we become.

The Thug Files

A new feature for this blog is The Thug Files. Our first entry:

Thug kills white prosecutor, wife in Texas

(h/t The Daily Kos)

But but but but ...

 Yeah. Take alla dem butts and make a frame, then slap on an appropriately sized piece of mirrored glass and LOOK AT YOURSELF.

I thank Laura J. Mixon-Gould for her research and resultant article on the fracas surrounding the erstwhile blogger and KTF* reviewer/opinionator of others once known as requires hate, winterfox and other monikers. That person is the subject of this post.

Disclaimer: I'm an old white lady phart who's been reading science fiction, fantasy and horror for more than 45 years, writing about it for about 14 years. I know no one involved in this chain of incidents personally (either in person or on the Intarwebz). I have corresponded once or twice with rh via her rh blog in comments. I learned about the incidents in question yesterday, and have been reading most of this afternoon about rh/etc from various blogs. I never claim to know everything. I'm pretty much an unknown in the SFF fan community, unless you talk to people who are really into fanzines; I pubbed a perszine from 2001-08. I cherish my privacy, so it would take a concerted effort for someone to learn my real name. Also, I'm not so attached to my blogs that it would be difficult to shut them down if I chose. Finally, I do have thick skin, but also a rather nasty temper and a substantial vocabulary in my arsenal. Do no harm to me or mine, and we'll be good. I prefer defense, and those who might test that are warned here: I fight back.

Maybe that's more than needed stating, but there it is.

The question which keeps popping up in my mind while reading about rh and her defenders is, "What are you, 12?" I did read rh for some months a few years back, but ultimately her abusive nature (my opinion) overpowered her sinister logodaedaly. One tires of reading KTF* reviews all the time. Eventually, it all seemed to turn into revenge porn and I'm just not into that.

"What are you, 12?" is often used by blog writers and readers as a retort to mansplainers, MRAs, and gamers of that ilk who never learned to engage their minds before putting their fingers in gear. I find it an amusing response. The logorrhea that spurts from such folk so much that others question their maturity has grown from a garden hose to a fire hose in volume. 2014 has been a banner year. If we could monetize this shit, we'd all be millionaires in 24 hours.

I thank Athena Andreadis for her recent well-reasoned blog post on the matter in question. Her cogent writing reminded me I was no spring chicken (nor did I want to be) and had a brain that worked pretty damn well. She confirmed a suspicion I'd had about rh, in a succinct and foo-foo-less manner, which is also why I admire her writings.

To those victimized by rh and her cohorts, I offer space here to tell your stories in your own words. I'll do my best to moderate this post's comments (if it ever gets any; that's how far off the radar I am) to create a safe(r) space for you all. Tade Thompson's Safe blog should, imo, be the central resource for those harmed by rh. Please consider me an adjunct. I'm not the only blogger who's done so, so I won't feel bad (much :-] ar ar) if folks choose to go elsewhere.

”I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed.”
---His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso



*KTF=kill the fucker. An abbreviation from the olden days of SFF fanzines.

Note: I don't do linkies much. They're a convenience, not a requirement, imo. Google is yer friend, right?

Twitter gets a cookie for at least trying to reduce the hate

Shut up, Andrew Sullivan.  Pass that on to all your li'l buddies, too, k?

Dog lovers alert

Speaking of pernicious, the website Dog Notebook is definitely not a credible info source on dogs. Any website that publishes a list "article" with no byline on the 25 most dangerous dog breeds (with no in-text cites or footnotes to back up the claims) is beneath contempt. Whoever wrote this "article" included just enough positive content on each breed to keep the text from out and out LYING. 

Thankfully, owners of several of the breeds listed came to their defense in the comments section. Of course, there were also commenters who insisted they were right and the American pit bull terrier is just born vicious. There are no bad dogs, only bad owners. Any dog not properly socialized from puppyhood is capable of "turning on its owner." Any dog not firmly introduced to the pack leader-human and consistently corrected without forceful physical is capable of bad behavior. 

Man, talk about the Dunning-Kruger effect. As the comment writer using this phrase explained, it's "the utter confidence of those who, with no expertise, remain stubborn in their views regardless of overwhelming evidence." 

Sound like any one you know? 

The site owner is First Beat Marketing, one of far too many content mills more interested in ad bux than verifying content. What a surprise (NOT). 

Another offender in this area is Dog Show dot com. It's also a content mill, and its "20 Worst Breeds for Small Children" is also a load of bovine poo. The similar writing styles suggest the same person or persons wrote both "articles." What a surprise (again, NOT).

Folks, it bears repeating that just because something you read is on the Web, it doesn't mean that it's correct or right.I have two words for all those naysayers out there about large-breed dogs: Cesar Milan.

Things that make me go "Hmmm..."

Forty thousand voter registration forms went missing in Georgia US.

Ga. Sec. of State claims almost all 40K forms have been processed.

Yeah, sure. Publish all the state voter registrations records in question and I might consider the possibility that the SoS is telling the truth. Y'know, image manipulation and alla dat. smh

Extra bits

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