Feeds:
Posts
Comments

Posts Tagged ‘Politics’

Get in good trouble, necessary trouble, and help redeem the soul of America.
    ―     Rep. John R. Lewis
.
On This Day In:
2022 A Little More Each Day
Zappa-ed!!
2021 Every Time It Gets Better
Distant!
2020 I’m Persuaded
2019 Hungry For Trust
2018 Mutual Assistance
2017 The Toughest Job
2016 Congratulations!!
Better Yet, Read!
2015 Even If It Kills Us Slowly
2014 Fun To Play God
Of Anything
2013 Legal (Almost)
2012 Great Scots!
2011 The GI Bill – A Simple History Lesson
Breaking Even

Read Full Post »

All you need in this life is ignorance and confidence, and then success is sure.
    —     Mark Twain
.
On This Day In:
2022 Guitar Music
Yesterday
2021 Maybe Faith Is Based On Hope
I Want To See You Smile
2020 Thank You (To Those Who Serve)
Hanging In There
2019 Her Job, Too
2018 Just Another Song I Like
Earlier Still
2017 Ten To Go
2016 Unstable Emergence
2015 88
2014 Some One-Liners Are Too Easy
2013 Greatness
2012 Memories Of Arlington
2011 Wake Up

Read Full Post »

Democracy is a device that ensures we shall be governed no better than we deserve.
    —     George Bernard Shaw
.
On This Day In:
2022 A Reminder Of Pride And Responsibility
2021 And Last Minute Blog Posts
This Boy Just Ain’t Right
2020 Pat, Pat, Pant, Pant
2019 You (Too) Are Related
A Blind Squirrel Finds An Idiot
2018 My Hope
2017 We All Lose
2016 Wants
2015 Let Us Join
2014 Feeling Kept?
Chillin’
2013 The Lucky Few
2012 A Post-Valentine’s Day Message
2011 Risk, Lyrics, Starting Over, And My Trip To The ER
Lucky Choice

Read Full Post »

Man is about to be an automaton;  he is identifiable only in the computer.  As a person of worth and creativity, as a being with an infinite potential, he retreats and battles the forces that make him inhuman.  The dissent we witness is a reaffirmation of faith in man;  it is protest against living under rules and prejudices and attitudes that produce the extremes of wealth and poverty and that make us dedicated to the destruction of people through arms, bombs, and gases, and that prepare us to think alike and be submissive objects for the regime of the computer.
    —    William O. Douglas
Associate Justice, U.S. Supreme Court
[Resistance / dissent is – probably – already futile…    —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2022 End The Filibuster
2021 Be Creative, Question Assumptions
By No Means
2020 I’ll Eat To That (Gemütlichkeit)
To The Front
2019 #ContinueToResist
Except Willful Ignorance And Prideful Stupidity
2018 More Executive Time For #DumbDonald
2017 Watched The Inauguration
Two Geniuses
2016 Come Dance And Laugh With Me
2015 Looks Good To Me
2014 Desire For The Sea
2013 The Fierce Urgency Of NOW
Happy Inauguration Day!
2012 One Path
Sorrow And Joy
The Seven Year View
2011 Emergent Practicality

Read Full Post »

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights we designed to get the government off the backs of the people — all the people.  Those great documents guarantee to us all the rights to personal and spiritual self-fulfillment.  But that guarantee is not self-executing.  As nightfall does not come all at once, neither does oppression.  In both instances, there is a twilight when everything remains seemingly unchanged.  And it is in such a twilight that we all must be most aware of the change in the air — however slight — lest we become unwitting victims of the darkness.
 
    —     William O. Douglas
 
[Thinking back to the riot at the Capitol Building and the attempted coup by disgraced / former President Trump and his followers, I am reminded that “civilization” (like our liberties) is in a constant struggle with the “jungle” and the jungle never gives up in its struggle to reclaim whatever has been lost.  It is up to each American to support / promote our democracy and Constitutional Republic.  Trump remains an announced candidate for 2024.  The darkness remains at the edge of democracy.    —    kmab]
 
.    
On This Day In:
2022 Defeated: So Far (Anyway)
2021 Elections Have Consequences
  It’s Cold Way Down There
2020 Fearless Security
2019 I Prefer A Neat Single Malt
2018 Seeking Finer Fruits
2017 Something That Is Absolute
2016 Animate And Encourage
  Out Of Time
2015 In Time
2014 Robust Interconnectivity
2013 What Have We Here?
2012 Tributaries And Eddies
  An Honest Politician
2011 Penultimate
   

Read Full Post »

Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked.
    —    Warren Buffett
[For most of the last 60 years, all we’ve heard from the Republicans is: “Lower taxes on the rich and require everyone to work for their social safety net “benefits” and America will be a “better” place.”  How’s that worked out for the middle and working class American?    —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2021 Most Likely Beast
Memories To Last A Lifetime
2020 Meet Unexpected Success
Sweet Love
2019 Curing With Salt
2018 A Politician With Skills
And / Or A Genuine Smile
2017 A Lone, Brave Voice…
2016 Job Security
2015 For I Have Always Lived Violently
2014 We Stand !! (I Stand With George)
Additional Requirements
2013 In The Present Day
2012 Feeling It
2011 Stretching Science

Read Full Post »

I realize that a lot of people feel that speaking out against unions is almost:  ‘Un-American.’  I remind them:  not all of America is unionized — in fact, the vast majority of Americans are not — and glad about it.
Some people fear that if the unions were to vanish, the labor situation would return to the way it was in the beginning, with child labor and sweatshops.  I agree with them.  Large employers do tend toward unscrupulous behavior when nobody is looking over their shoulder.
So, what the bottom line here?  I would like to see more honesty in business — at both ends of the table.  Honesty in U.S. business appears to be at its lowest ebb in history.
There are a number of reasons for that.  When political leaders do not demonstrate honesty, when people lie constantly in the media — everybody gets used to “The Big Lie” as a way of life.  At that point, honesty becomes a quaintly outmoded concept — nobody wants to be honest anymore, because if they are, they might finish last.
I would say that today, dishonesty is the rule, and honesty the exception.  It could be, statistically, that more people are honest than dishonest, but the few that really control things are not honest, and that tips the balance.
    —     Frank Zappa
From his book:  “The Real Frank Zappa Book
.
On This Day In:
2021 Momentary Offering
Happy Noise
2020 No Crumbs
Too Many Detectives On This Case
A New Day Is Coming
2019 Or In This Case – What’s Wrong
2018 Just Passing Through
2017 True Torture
Happy Thanksgiving – 2017 !!
2016 Overtaken
2015 Alone Praying
2014 A Full Man
2013 Off Defending The Universe
Taking Precautions
2012 Never, Never, Never
2011 Testing 1, 2, 3

Read Full Post »

For what a man would like to be true, that he more readily believes.
    —     Francis Bacon
.
On This Day In:
2021 These Days Rather Loosely Held
Harvest Time
2020 Why I’m Happy
The Wind In My Face
2019 I Think Impeachment Is Another Test #45 Has Already Failed
2018 Second Chances – Rice, Now Trees
And Then You Have To Start Training Again
2017 Small Hands, Small Grasp
2016 Two Murrow’s
Election + 1 Week
2015 Not Mine, Anyway
2015 South By South East
2013 Don’tcha
2012 I Hear A Distant Thunder
2011 A Poison Tree

Read Full Post »

My rule is always to do the business of the day in the day.
    —     Arthur Wellesley Wellington
[If you haven’t already voted early, please vote today.  The Democracy you save, may be ours!    —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2021 Closer To Understanding
On My Knees
2020 Profit From Ongoing Disintegration
I’m A Dreamer
2019 Even When We Have A Criminal / Dangerous / Incompetent President
2018 But It Keeps Trying
Blue Wave, But Not Blue Tsunami
2017 The Promise At Risk
2016 Or As Will Come In Time
2015 It Is Another Beautiful Day At The Red Pony Bar And Continual Soiree…
2014 Days And Years
2013 Currency And Transport
2012 Something Which Did Not Exist Before
2011 True Magic

Read Full Post »

What I try to tell young people is that if you come together with a mission, and it’s grounded with love and a sense of community, you can make the impossible possible.
    —     U.S. Representative John Lewis
.
On This Day In:
2021 A Simple Choice, Really
Waaaay Before The Movie
2020 I Just Want To Stay Happy
Fading…
2019 Show Righteousness, Not Fear
2018 Sounds Like Politics, Too
2017 Resist More
Conservatives Are Not The Enemy
2016 Two Weeks To Go…
2015 Remembering
2014 The Creeping Death Of Civilization
Orange October (X) – A Blue Morning Turns Into An Orange Evening
2013 License Problem
2012 Giants Win Game 2 Of The 2012 World Series 2 To 0!!!
Adage, n.
Questions Women Should Ask Before Voting…
2011 What Are You Looking At?

Read Full Post »

How can you tell if you should be voting Democrat or Republican:
Vote Republican if you hire exterminators to kill bugs in your house.
Vote Democrat if you step on the bugs.
Vote Democrat if you buy books which have been banned somewhere.
Vote Republican if you form censorship committees and read the books as a group.
Vote Democrat if you eat the fish and game you catch or hunt.
Vote Republican if you hang them on a wall.
Vote Republican if you keep your bedroom shades drawn (although there is little reason you need to).
Vote Democrat if you ought to but don’t.
   —    From “An Incomplete Education“, by Judy Jones and William Wilson
[The above quote was posted several years ago, but I’ve recently re-read it, so I’m re-posting it.  I would add:
Vote Democrat if you believe America should be a representative democracy based on the votes of a majority of the American public.
Vote Republican if you believe a theocratic minority (mostly hypocritical) should be able to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of America.
   —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2021 Press On
Mama Said There’d Be Days Like This
2020 AMA
Still Shiny
2019 Things That Go Bump In The Night
Hoping I’m Careful
2018 I Must Be Truly Wise
2017 My Sensei
2016 The Worst Sin
2015 Rules Of Thumb
2014 A Prayer
Orange October (IX) – Giants Lose Game 2 In Bullpen Collapse
2013 Complacent Reality
2012 Two-minute Sex
Just Staring, Why?
2011 A World Of Difference

Read Full Post »

Hubris itself will not let you be an artist.
    —    Larry Wall
.
On This Day In:
2021 Better To Lie, Get Rich And Destroy Your Country
Love Is All There Is
2020 You Remind Me Of Someone
When I Grow Up I Want To…
2019 Running History, But I Don’t Expect Many To Match It…
It’s Probably Easier When You Live Alone
2018 25 Days Until The November Election
Old And Young
2017 Universal Soul Sounds
2016 Not Rivals
2015 Dead Sure
2014 Are You Educated?
2013 For Myself
2012 And When I’m Gone…
2011 Complete Conviction

Read Full Post »

Fanaticism consists in redoubling your efforts when you have forgotten your aim.
    —     George Santayana
[You cannot “Make America Great Again” by restricting the voting rights of those who don’t agree with you or redistricting representative government to promote minority rule over a majority vote.  The “way” to win elections is with better policies and ideas for promoting the general welfare.    —    kmab]
.
On This Day In:
2021 Of Course The Term “Value” Is Undefined
Waiting
2020 I Hadn’t Thought Of That
Keep Looking!
2019 Knocking On Impeachment’s Door
2018 Do You Remember?
2017 Choose Life
My Response To President Trump’s Threat To NBC
2016 We, Us, All
2015 No Less
2014 Life Advice (50)
Orange October (IV) – Giants Win Game 1 Of NLCS!
2013 Running To
2012 Suddenly
2011 Liberal Washington
2010 Giants Advance To NLCS!!

Read Full Post »

There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river.  We need to go upstream and find out why they’re falling in.
    —    Bishop Desmond Tutu
.
On This Day In:
2021 The Mirror Would Know
Mamasaydobeddyalong
2020 Why #45 Is Always Crying
Watching #45 Hold A Rally
2019 I Think Reading Books Is A Good Place To Start
2018 And Pay In Full
2017 If Only
2016 Equal Justice
2015 Not Enough
2014 Are You Even Listening?
2013 Namaste
2012 Looking Up
2011 Et Tu Brute?

Read Full Post »

Voting is your chance to be heard!
If you are registered:  VOTE in November!!  And tell your eligible family, friends and neighbors to do the same.
Vote by mail, by drop-box, or in-person;  vote early or vote on election day.
If you are not currently registered, see if your state will still let you register.  If not, see if they will let you register and vote on the same day.
Take the time to learn about your local issues / candidates and vote down ticket as well as for your Congressional House District Representative (or Senator if they are running).
Your vote ONLY counts IF you (they) actually cast your (their) vote.     —     kmab
.
On This Day In:
2021 Practically Worthless In Every Way
It Never Was
Frustrating Incentive
2020 You Too?
Six Degrees
2019 A Branching Stream
Day 9: One Day At A Time
2018 Pity The Nation (Part 2)
Day 1: Redux
2017 Good Blogs, Too
2016 My Prediction For #AmnestyDon
2015 Worth A Try
2014 I’m Feeling It
2013 May I Have A Little More, Please?
2012 Increasing Doubt
2011 You Can’t Touch This

Read Full Post »

Older Posts »

%d bloggers like this: