Category: Politics

A Shameful Day to Be A Republican

my_tombstoneAlas, I was a lifelong Republican, though with the rise of rabid anti-gay fundamentalism and the suspicion of those who are not white, conservative, gun-loving, climate-change-denying, Christians, I cannot fathom what my political idols, Lincoln or (yes, indeed, this it true) Reagan would think about the rise of the Republican Party’s de facto nominee Trump’s “I’d like to punch him in the face” to the Senate’s refusal to even talk about or open for a vote the new Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland, a patriot and good man if ever there was one.

What, Mitch McConnell won’t even speak with the man who ran the Oklahoma City bombing and Unabomber investigations? Has politics made the Republican Party more American than America itself? I rarely criticize politics in this way, but I feel so disgusted I can almost scream.

Shameful.

Critical Mass NYC Bike Ride Tonight

critical mass I am hoping for nice weather this evening, as I am planning to attend my first Critical Mass ride in Manhattan / NYC this evening. Sponsored (as much as these sort of things can be sponsored) by Time’s Up, it is an opportunity to reclaim the streets for bikes, people, and the joy of community (with a little social and environmental activism in there as well, it seems). We pay taxes, and as there are a lot more people in Manhattan who are not driving in cars, it seems we can enjoy the streets, too.

I know, bikes are always on the streets, freely riding to and fro. The difference? It is dangerous to ride on the streets along. Like so many things in New York, we celebrate the right to be alone and independent, though we often like to do that together. Ironic, but this is what we so love about NYC!

Like many informal groups, Critical Mass is a bit difficult to track down online. Wonder how many people attend these things?

times up Regardless, I am looking forward to attending my first event, as informal as it may be, from my new environmental group (which I joined, btw, and have a nifty new hat to show for it!), Time’s Up. What a cool logo they have.

I only wish I would know somebody, or have somebody to attend tonight’s Critical Mass ride with . . .

Perhaps I should rather hope it stops raining and clears up – I am still too new to bike riding to want (or be able) to do it in the rain!

The Time Has Come

Political Party Change

The Republican Party, my party, is no more. It has left me. Its focus on Guns, God, and Gays as exemplified in its looking back at a history we never really had, is opposite how I perceive the world. While I do not think the Democrats have everything completely in order (who does, after all?), they do seem a little more forward-thinking and progressive.

How better to meet the current and future challenges we all face?

Facebook’s Flip-Flop / Protest

So, facebook is back to its old and safe (really??) self. The NYTimes reports today that After Protests, Facebook Withdraws Changes in Data Use.

Facebook has changed before (remember their advertising model?), and with so many people using it, they will undoubtedly change again. As I asked yesterday, is Facebook really any different from the NSA, employers, the phone companies, etc.?

Perhaps better questions (just, perhaps)  is why did Facebook so quickly change because a bunch of people complained online, though other recent protests  did not stop the war in Iraq, the issues around VP Gore’s missed election, or even the bank bailouts that only seemed to promote publicly-support massive bonuses  for the same bankers who did not show any support for struggling individuals losing their homes?

Perhaps mob protests and their effects are fickle? Perhaps online protests work? Perhaps people care more about their social networks than NIMBY social, national, and economic problems?

Perhaps, perhaps, perhaps . . .