'Tis the Season....

Ti's the season to be..... (insert your own word here). For me, it's been a decent year, better than the previous two. Politically, we got a needed boost, and some hope for the needed additional checks & balances with the Democrats winning the House so convincingly.

Good news from New Jersey. Progressives defeated the NJ Democrats who wanted to gerrymander the hell out of their state, like Republicans so blatantly have done in many states. Perhaps we can now have a national law that prohibits this practice. But, don't hold your breath since the Republicans have to result to such methods and election fraud to win elections and cheat the people of their choices.

Health care is in the minds of many people, and it was a big topic in the past November election. Yes, there are lots of costs of providing care, but shouldn't this be a hallmark of an advanced society? It's about human lives. Suffering matters; we should promote life and happiness.  The recent judge's decision that ACA ("Obamacare") is unconstitutional may be a very bad thing for the GOP. But, what's new about the Republicans promoting policies that hurt people, directly, and often irreparably.

For most Trumpistas, logic and facts don't apply. They're cognitive challenged, and, as someone said on the topic of religion, it's very hard to move someone from a position by using logic when they didn't arrive at their position using logic.

I've asked the following question to a couple of Trump supporters: At which point would you say, 'lock him up' ?  His business have been fraudulent; he was selling and buying influence while running for president of the US; his election was aided by foreign agents/powers, including a brake-in ala Watergate; his top people (remember? "I will choose the best of the best"..) have been indicted, convicted or are under investigation; his transition team and his inauguration committee, his campaign, the emolument clause, the lies, the dishonesty, the attack on our institutions, the..., the....

He needs to be shamed out of office... He will be rebuked by the system and by the voters, and he'll go down in history as the worst, most corrupt, most incompetent president in the history of the U... of the world!

Happy solstice!

Midterms 2018--There Will be Checks and Balances

There was a blue wave, not a tsunami, but Dems, again, won the majority of American votes, this time by 9% points--which they had to to overcome the barriers to voting put up by the Republican machine.

Just watched Trump's press conference. Nothing new. Idiotic, nonsensical statements, very limited vocabulary, same stupid drivel, unhinged, egotistical megalomaniac ignoramus as usual. This is not just about the wrong policies and the wrong direction Trump and his party are inflicting on our country, but it's also about the kind of vile person he is and how unqualified. No serious company would hire this moron or have him speak for them. What an embarrassment. 

There was a big effort to register new voters and get out the vote by the Dems and progressives. It worked up to a point. It was probably a very high turnout for a midterm election, but still most Americans didn't vote! It's pathetic. And, it's also pathetic that we have to beg, entice, almost trick or treat people to vote. It should be a civic duty, a patriotic duty to vote. And, not just vote, but be informed about the important issues.

If you vote is counted, then it matters even if your political choice didn't prevail. We measure public opinion and commitment through voting. It matters because voter participation influences how we're being governed. Of course, elections have huge consequences, especially in a sharply divided country whereas the two parties represent vastly different policies--policies that directly affect the lives of our people, and not only.

 It's disheartening to see so much support for Trump--OK, the majority of Americans disapprove of him, but still there are too many who do like him. The change will take time and lots of effort. I think most people are misinformed about the issues; many are just very ignorant and/or don't have the ability to understand that they don't know enough and they don't know how to evaluate evidence.... 

This is not a snobbish comment. It's the Dunning-Krugger effect in play.  It takes a skill to understand what constitutes a fact and what a reliable source is, and how to arrive at a rational conclusion.  That's why it's very difficult, next to impossible, to have a conversation with anyone who doesn't understand this. In the absence of common facts, no rational conversation can take place!

At any rate, I'm looking forward to the next 2 years....

 

(Un)happy Columbus Day

“They ... brought us parrots and balls of cotton and spears and many other things, which they exchanged for the glass beads and hawks' bells. They willingly traded everything they owned....They were well-built, with good bodies and handsome features....They do not bear arms, and do not know them, for I showed them a sword, they took it by the edge and cut themselves out of ignorance. They have no iron. Their spears are made of cane....They would make fine servants....With fifty men we could subjugate them all and make them do whatever we want. … They are so naïve and so free with their possessions that no one who has not witnessed it would believe it. When you ask for something they have, they never say no. To the contrary, they offer to share with anyone … As soon as I arrived in the Indies, on the first Island I found, I took some natives by force in order that they might learn and might give me information of whatever there is in these parts.”
               ~~Christopher Columbus, Captain’s Log, October 12, 1492

Anonymous: Com'on, You Already Knew Trump is a Dangerous, Impetuous Child

It's painful to have to deal with someone who, by all indications, should have been dismissed long time ago. It's not just an adverse reaction to his policies, but the fact he's incompetently dangerous to be in a position of power. The Don, unfortunately, will be damaging the institutions and interests of the US, and of our sanity for a while longer. My senses are tired and I shudder every time I think of Trump and his actions.

We already know that hard-core Trump supporters are impervious to reality. Even a simple task--comparing two photos from Obama's and Trump's inaugurations--is beyond their ability to see the obvious.  Likewise, when they hear so many voices--many of whom are life-long Republicans--state the obvious about Trump and his chaotic style, such talk is dismissed as "fake news." There are several reasons for Trumpistas to believe in alternative facts. One is the Danning-Kruger effect, that is, people are too incompetent (or morons) to realize the extend of their mistakes and ignorance.

Anyway, the recent anonymous OpEd in the NYT about the resistance against Trump's childish behavior didn't reveal anything new, other some more details that support the view he is so far out that even his own people are trying to curtail his destructive and dangerous impulses.

Very few Republicans, especially the ones who are in power, have dared to openly criticize the "dear leader." Hopefully this will change after the midterm elections if there's a blue wave that sweeps Republicans out of many offices.

But let's not forget that he's also giving the conservatives a lot of what they want: deregulation, tax breaks to the rich, and the Supreme Court. Perhaps that's why the Republican leadership has been relatively quiet and acquiescent to Trump's trespasses.



 

RESIST!

Sorry, I couldn't help it..

Yes, it's been a long while since my last post, but I've been mulling about the nature of blogging in this age of social media. When I started blogging, in 2004, this medium was very, very young. I had many followers soon after, some even outside the US, as people were getting more familiar with online blogs and sites. I was more eager to write posts and I believed it was necessary for the progressive movement. Then everybody came to posting online and most people began to get most of their information on the Internet. Newspapers and dedicated news/opinion/information sites abound today. Many bloggers I knew from the early days have moved on to other things. It's amazing how the media have changed in the last 15 years...


I was working for the Kerry campaign in Cleveland, Ohio, when I started Liberal Citizen. After George Bush's reelection, it became imperative for progressives to resist the kind of conservatism and the policies, including the wars, Bush had been pushing.  You see, the 2000 election was disappointing but most didn't think Bush would do crazy shit, and we believed in 2004, the blue side would retake the White House.  But, 9-11 happened, and it changed everything!

Blogging was great for us. We connected, we learned, we organized, we acted, we helped each other through this free social medium. It was good to feel part of a greater family with regular exchanges via posts and comments. 

So, I'll make an attempt to re-invigorate this blog. I think it'll be good therapy for me. I should raise another "Resist" flag on the Internet, and this will be it.