COLOSSAL FAIL

*Note:  Written back in the Summer.  Contains mature themes and strong language.  And some just plain sorry shit.

Amendments voted down in the early AM today, in the Senate, nearly entirely along party lines:

Allowing young people up to 26 to stay on insurance.

 

Lowering prescription drug cost by allowing importation of pharmaceuticals from Canada.

Guaranteeing that women do not pay more for insurance than men because of their gender.

 

Guaranteeing that rural hospitals will stay open.

 

Guaranteeing that those with pre-existing conditions will not be charged more and will be protected.

So, everybody pleased?  Gonna throw a big party and cheer about the Poor and the Sick and the Indigent, the families that will go bankrupt- lose homes, possessions, dignity, the people whose lives now will end sooner?  How about sick children born into Poverty through no fault of their own?  Is this really your idea of "making America great again"?  Or does something like this now qualify as some Glorious Christian Act to some of you?

Y'know, contrary to what you've allowed yourself to believe, what so many of you seem so damn desperate to believe, in direct opposition to the Truth, (remember that?  The Truth?), everyone that needs help ain't a Piece of Shit.  And this Country wasn't founded on the principles of "Every Man for Himself" and "Tough Shit" and "Too Fuckin' Bad, Loser".

Nor are those things present in the minds of genuinely Christian People, or in the minds of Compassionate Atheists, Agnostics, or Hebrews, Muslims, or good people of any other religion.

Here's the thing, or things:

Nobody's perfect.

And no one subset of humans has an exclusive claim to virtues such as Honesty, Empathy, Kindness, Humility, Grace.  These are the traits of an individual, not of a clique or a club or a race or religion.  Just like other traits:  Hate.  Pride.  Greed.  Pettiness.  Cruelty.

So, tonight.  If you're scared, worried about the fate of loved ones, even concerned about the futures of strangers, I can bring you no solace or comfort.  Not without pretending or just plain making shit up.  Not within my scope.

But if you're kicked back wearin' your best shit-eatin' grin, nice and snug in your home and your knowledge of the desperation of others, have another cocktail.  No skin off your nose, huh?  Fuck 'em, right?  Probably Trash, anyway, right?  That's how things work now, right?

Fish~

From the plaque mounted at the Statue of Liberty, in its entirety:

The New Colossus

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"

Emma Lazarus  

November 7, 1883

HERITAGE or HORSESHIT?

I realize that the recent dust up over the Stars and Bars bein' flown over the Capitol Building in South Carolina has been pretty much addressed by the legislators in that state, but it seems fairly clear that the discussion is far from over.  

I just finished readin' over a short exchange on the Facebook thing between some longtime friends of mine, and some of their friends, regardin' the flyin'- or not flyin'- of the Confederate Battle Flag.  It was a reasonable, non-toxic exchange, which was refreshin', since all y'all know it can sometimes be really easy for these kinda things to disintegrate pretty damn quick into bein' not much more than an insult/name-callin' session that ain't worth a damn.  (I admit it: I'm as guilty as anyone of participatin' to some degree in that kinda shit on occasion.)  Hell yeah- people actin' like they got some sense.  More Rarity than Regular these days.  

Anyway, on with it.

The Confederate Flag Uproar has yet to turn into an assault against anyone's Personal Freedom, and I seriously doubt it will, regardless of what a buncha agitators wanna incessantly repeat.  No more than, after a number of mass shootings that have and still continue to plague our country sparked most Americans to favor common sense changes such as waiting periods and background checks for gun purchases, meant that the Government was "comin' to take all our guns away".  Again, the same buncha folks makin' the same kinda extreme exaggerations in the hopes that we'll be distracted from the Genuine Bullshit that's bein' perpetrated by 'em.

Flags.  Any flags.  No one's "comin' to take our flags away".  Or tryin' make it to where ya can't fly a flag.  It just ain't happenin'.  Just people blowin' smoke up our ass.

 For the sake of this last point, let's even take Slavery entirely outta the equation.  

Okay. 

 Now:

The Stars and Bars is the battle flag of the Confederacy, and is therefore a symbol of Treason and Sedition used by enemies of the United States of America.  You can disagree all you want, but it's the truth, pure and simple.  

Fact: More Americans died in the American Civil War than all other American Military Conflicts combined.  

That flag, the flag of an enemy of the United States of America, should not be flown by our Government any more than our Government should fly the flag of any of the other nations with whom we've been at war- wars that resulted in the loss of American Lives.  

Anyone can fly the Stars and Bars should they choose to do so- just as it's anyone's Right to fly the Rising Sun of the Japanese, or the Union Jack of Great Britain, or the flags of Russia, or North Vietnam, Korea, or that perrenial favorite, Hitler's Swastika, or even the freakin' Jolly Roger if they wanna.  But the flags of our enemies- those responsible for American deaths- it's sorta ridiculous for any part of our Government to fly those flags.  In fact, I t's an insult to those that died in defense of our Country and the Stars and Stripes.  The flag of the Untied States of America.  Our Flag.  The one that represents Our Country.  All of it.  All of Us.  

Fish~

Additional Bonus Fact:

The Great State of Kentucky was never a part of the Confederacy.  Never seceded.  Never tried to secede.  You're welcome.

HE SAID WHAT? (A "Match the Quote to the Author" Quiz)

Okay Boys and Girls! It's time for a little fun, and maybe we can a learn a little somethin' along the way. (Or maybe you'll just get freaked out.)

Here's how this is gonna work:
I'm gonna give y'all a list of ten names and a list of ten quotes. Your mission (if you choose to accept it) will be to try and match the author with their particular quote. I have vetted each quote for accuracy- at least two "nails" in every entry. This will be followed by a repeat of the quotes with their particular authors attached. (No "key" like in school- I want everyone to see the quote and the author's name together. More impact. Better retention.) And no peekin' ahead or usin' the Interweb. That's cheatin' and that ain't right.
So- y'all got it? Here we go...


The Authors-

George Washington
Adolph Hitler
Sinclair Lewis
Ben Franklin
Thomas Jefferson
Winston Churchill
Karl Marx
Vladimir Lenin
Joseph Stalin
Abraham Lincoln


The Quotes-

"The writer is the engineer to the human soul."

"I wish it (Christianity) were more productive of good works ... I mean real good works ... not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing ... or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments despised by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity."

"To place any dependence upon militia, is, assuredly, resting upon a broken staff."

"Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law."

"We must reduce workers' salaries and take away their right to strike."

"It is, of course, much easier to shout, abuse, and howl than to attempt to relate, to explain."

“When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession."

"Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains."

"The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them."



There ya are. Dependin' on how many ya get right, I'd say you're gonna be somewhere between a Student of Modern History and a Scholar of Sorry Guesses.

The Quotes and their Authors-

"The writer is the engineer to the human soul."- Joseph Stalin

"I wish it (Christianity) were more productive of good works ... I mean real good works ... not holy-day keeping, sermon-hearing ... or making long prayers, filled with flatteries and compliments despised by wise men, and much less capable of pleasing the Deity."- Ben Franklin

"To place any dependence upon militia, is, assuredly, resting upon a broken staff."- George Washington

"Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law."- Thomas Jefferson

"We must reduce workers' salaries and take away their right to strike."- Adolph Hitler

"It is, of course, much easier to shout, abuse, and howl than to attempt to relate, to explain."- Vladimir Lenin

“When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross.”- Sinclair Lewis

"The Bible is not my book nor Christianity my profession."- Abraham Lincoln

"Show me a young Conservative and I'll show you someone with no heart. Show me an old Liberal and I'll show you someone with no brains."- Winston Churchill

"The oppressed are allowed once every few years to decide which particular representatives of the oppressing class are to represent and repress them."- Karl Marx

Now- hopefully this has made you a little interested in what else at least some of these folks had to say, how they felt, what they thought. Fortunately, for us, the World is brimmin' with Good Words from Deep Thinkers. Unfortunately, a great deal of it is buried under a Mountain of Disinformation and Downright Bullshit. Do your own Research. Do your own Thinkin'.

Knowledge is Power. At least, it was at one time...

Fish