We're racing towards 1,000 dead in the wake of Newton.

836 have been killed with firearms since the mass murder in Newton on December 14th. One month on now.

The number dead is growing disturbingly fast. And I hope that we don't get more accepting of that reality. Things have to change.

So, to be sure we don't go and become numb to this, and are motivated to keep working, Slate has a calculator that shows updated numbers.

It won't be long before we hit 1,000. When will we hit a number that phases people, and gets real change racing towards realization?

My other sites.

Just as a reminder, here are the other places I have pages online:



FaceBook - Jack Salazar



Twitter - @jadedskeptic



Tumblr - Mumbly Grumbly Braincrumbs

113th Congress. Like the 112th needed a sequel. *UPDATED*

So we now enter the 113th Congress...

As we go into the mess that this may be, let's remember a couple of things (amidst the huge load that never got addressed, thanks to the GOP majority in the House) that the GOP House never let get resolved.

Source

The Violence Against Women Act reauthorization
In the reauthorization of this Act, the Democrats in the Senate added protections were added to help native women, LGBT, and undocumented women. And Eric Cantor worked hard to keep the reauthorization came about. And here we are, the Act lapsed. And women across the country are left at greater risk.

Of course what didn't help was how the media mostly ignored the looming end of the act. So there is shame to go around. But the GOP has taken great effort to not act on many subjects. And this one cannot be forgotten.


Hurricane Sandy Relief funding
Since the last Congress, the House has sat on acting to get funds and support to those hit by the hurricane in November. The Senate finished up, but the House has sat and sat on it. And, as the 112th came to a close, even Republicans from New Jersey and New York were chasing Speaker Boehner around the Capitol. They were trying to get him to just get the damn bill to the floor and voted on. But he refused, and was pretty testy about it. And now, in the 113th, they put forward a small portion of the funds, promising in the month to come to get to more of it. They are, again, penny pinching emergency aid. And, worse, they are slow walking it, weeks after it was first needed.

How can the GOP be seen as acting in the interests of the country?

But what did Boehner and the GOP race to do today, as they open Congress?

Okay. They did do partial funding of Sandy Relief. But they've only done it partially, and plan to be a pain about the rest. So they're racing to be dicks on the subject.

What else? First bill out, Michelle Bachmann's (Yeah, her.) bill to end "Obamacare." Brilliant. A dead end bill. What a good use of the session. Can't help but see this as a sign of how the session will likely go on.

And they also set the rules. And, buried in that, they've included funding to continue the fight to keep the Defense of Marriage Act (the federal anti-gay marriage law) in place. Guess there isn't always money to help people left homeless after a hurricane. But there's always money to go after gay people, and preserve intolerance and inequality in the law. Way to set an example GOP.


This is all just patently ridiculous. The last Congress was ground to a halt by refusals to act by the GOP, or just the damn incompetence of John Boehner to govern, administer, and legislate. ...And the GOP have reelected him Speaker again. I'd think he kept the post through political know how, but I think, rather, no one else really wants to be stuck with the job this session. They plan to screw this country a lot in the next four years.

I would repaint Boehner as a clown, but life's done that already.

_____________
ADDENDUM:

So! What have the Republicans done in the days since to right this sad image I have of them?

Marcia Blackburn (R-Tennessee) has put forward a bill to cut all funding to Planned Parenthood. ...For fuck sake. This! This is what they are doing with the People's times? Where's the bill to defund PBS? Where's the ban on rock music?

Why is the GOP so eager to be a cliched villain of our day?

STOP BEING THE APPENDIX OF POLITICS, REPUBLICANS!

See Being Lois Lane

Be meaning to point to these videos for awhile. It's from a documentary produced that looks at the women that have played Lois Lane over the years. It gives a sense of how the character changed over the years, stayed constant, and how these women say the character they worked to embody.

It is quite interesting to see what they brought to their roles and how they look back on it.

The relationship of America and the Modern Conservative Movement in Eight Images

How does the US/GOP relationship go?


They're constantly surprised that we (the country as a whole) don't see it coming.

So, they pick their target (reproductive rights, social security, tax cuts for billionaires, access to voting, etc.) 

And, they STRIKE. 

And they toss the country into turmoil.

They do a good job of hitting our infrastructure hard.

And we have to scramble in the wake of their lunacy. 

This is what Eric Cantor is striving to do tonight.

Bonus "fun":
Who said this of whom? Khan of Kirk? The GOP of Obama?

• "He tasks me. He tasks me and I shall have him!"
• "My number one priority is making sure [person]'s a one term [title]."
• "There she is! There she is! Ah. Not so wounded as we were lead to believe. So much the better."
• "I'll chase him round the moons of Nibia and round the Antares Maelstrom and round Perdition's flames before I give him up!"
• "[Person]'s got a [policy program] logo that's right out of Adolf Hitler's playbook."
• "You're still alive, old friend?" [After attempting murder.]
• "To the last, I will grapple with thee. From Hell's heart I stab at thee! For hate's sake, I spit my last breathe at thee!"
• "I've done far worse than kill you, [title]. I've hurt you. And I wish to go on hurting you."
• Surely, I have made my meaning plain? I mean to avenge myself upon you, [title]. I deprive your [place of work] of power, and when I swing around, I mean to deprive you of life.

Starting off the new year with positive memories of the last.

Last year had it's definite ups and downs. Your own monthage may vary. Still, at all times it is important to draw the positives that can from any event or time (Then start addressing the negatives, fill out the critique, etc.). So I want to end/start the year going over some of things I'm thankful for this last year. ...Gods! Another list, Jaded Skeptic? ...Well, yeah. I didn't get this done by Thanksgiving, or by Christmas! So here we are. Likewise, resolutions only go so far and often are just ways to verbalize regret. (I'll get to a plan of action for 2013 tomorrow, or today, depending on how long it takes me to finish this post.) Rather, let's talk what helped carry us through to year's end, and what we can call back next year to buoy us at dark times, or share with others to shore them up.

So! Let's talk about the good that came from the last year.

Why don’t we begin in politics, which brings out my cynicism and sarcasm, but has had certain moments and vistas to appreciate.

First, I’m thankful that President Obama has been reelected. I know there are issues with positions he’s taking and orders he's given for many liberals/progressives, but I can’t afford to be blind to what else has happened. The Affordable Care Act will continue, and health care access will expand. No global gag order reinstated. Supreme Court nominees for the next four years will not be in the frame of Anthony Scalia. An interest (at least) in green energy, green jobs, and environmental protection. And, restating, the basic point, NO NUTTERS in the White House. No folk who thinks they are prophesied leaders. No Ayn Rand acolytes. No pizza merchants. No sweater vest wearing internet sex jokes. That is something we should be thankful for. (And, yes, then we can get into what can and should move on to what can be done better.)

Also in this year's election, we saw the likes of Allen West and Scott Brown booted out. I can only hope we won’t see them on the news or as pundits this coming year. But at least they aren't voting in Congress.

Source

In 2012 we also had a lot of good and important work being done by groups not in government. These groups have and will continue to strive to make a positive impact on the world. Planned Parenthood is fighting the good fight to try and guarantee women have access to reproductive knowledge and medicine, along with aiding women with getting cancer screenings. It has been a back and forth struggle, where some states have taken large strides towards driving them from their borders. But PP fights on, and saves the lives of so many woman, and makes certain many families have a brighter future. Likewise the ACLU continues to work to be sure we all have our 1^st Amendment rights. I may not always agree with every fight they take on, but I applaud the principle they work towards. And we also can’t miss out on appreciating what the Occupy Movement has done. This year, among other efforts, they've been working to keep people in their homes, or getting people into one. Also they've done amazing work in the wake of the hurricane that struck the east coast. If you don’t know what they've been accomplishing, you ought to read up on it. There are plenty more groups acting as well, feel free to note and praise them in the comments so others (like me) can learn.

But now, let’s get into some of the more recreational pleasures of the last year.

In particular let’s get into the more merry and jolly…and things that end in -olly. 

What has helped me through some of my dark moments, something that has lifted my mood. Terry Pratchett and Discworld. I do love it. I already mentioned Hog Father on my list of great thing to watch at Christmas. But I also enjoy that miniseries anytime of the year. In fact, as I was feeling low today, I put it on, on my phone, as I worked. It does lighten one's mood. This also stands for the other series that have been produced recently (Colour of Magic and Going Postal) and the older animated work. Also, obviously, the actual written works of Terry Pratchett covering the various people and events of the Discworld (from the Unseen University to the witches to Death to the City Watch to the Post Office and so on).  There is something special in the mad logic and humor of the Discworld. It just connects with my often lost sense of whimsy and wonder. I know it’s not for everyone, but it is worth trying out and getting lost in.

Dark Knight Rises

ParaNorman

Movies are another fun escape. There have been some more serious and sober pieces that are worth talking about, but…I’m in more an escapist mood now. So let’s look at some of the movies that came out this year which gave took me to my happy place. The Avengers. I have noted before that I have some issues with the movie. But as pure superhero team up, with escalating danger and Whedon snark, it's hard to beat. Better, to my mind, was The Dark Knight Rises (I know, a controversial opinion.). The end of the Nolan Batman trilogy hit all the right marks and will be a movie I go back to for years to come. And Hathaway's work as Catwoman was everything I've hoped to see in a rendition of that character. Now, just as we end the year, The Hobbit has come out, and it was a treat (Many disagree.). Glad to be able to look forward to this new trilogy of films (I plan to soak in all the details from the book or added by Jackson over the next two years. I may be alone in that.  Dredd, was also fun. Not for everyone, this violent post-apocalyptic scifi cop adventure hits many of the fun aspects of 2000 AD. Much of this was missed in the last attempt at a Judge Dredd movie. ParaNorman was another enjoyable film to catch. It went way to quick from the theaters, and unlike Dredd, I didn't get to see it until the disc for it came out. Spooky and humorous, I am glad I saw it. For me, this makes a good double feature with the animated movie, Monster House. Wreck-It Ralph was another animated pleasure. It offered a fun story and characters, and plenty of arcade nostalgia. Brave, also an animated affair, gave us another great adventure with a daughter and mother at its core. We need more of this. Heck we need more of all of this stuff.

Once Upon A Time -
Emma Swan

Leverage

On TV, I have also gotten so needed escape (what a shocker). Sherlock has proven a fun translation of the old characters. And while it only gives a handful of mysteries each series, they've been pitch perfect, as far as I’m concerned. Also this year, I've finally started watching Once Upon a Time. It’s been a very palatable surprise. Fairy Tale characters trapped in our reality is proving a joy. I look forward to watching the second season this month. Community, while coming to an end, has also been a good laugh. It will be missed. As will Leverage, a great bad guys gone good heist show, which has been cancelled. Futurama, though, keeps coming back and still something that knows how to woo me. Doctor Who, as played by Matt Smith (being controversial again) has not lead me wrong yet. The adventures of the mad man with a box, the girl who waited, and the last centurion have kept me enthralled. And I look forward to what comes next with the new travelling companion, Oswin. Red Dwarf is another show that has risen again, and it’s proven in the latest series to still have the old charm, like their time traveling run in with Jesus. We also have had at least one new series of The Thick Of It. The political machinations continued wittily. If this is the end, they end on a strong bastardy note.

QI with host Stephen Fry

Also have to give some praise to all the British Comedy Panel and Quiz shows I watch, all helping to keep me sane and laughing. QI to Have I Got News For You to Mock the Week, thanks. Here's some of the QI to be found on YouTube.

Penny Dreadful and her cohorts

While it's more online these days, my favorite Horror Host shows have helped keep a smile on my face (whenever one appears). From Elvira to Penny Dreadful to Midnite Mausoleum, the snarky hosts dealing with horror and bad movies keep me coming back to join in the B-Movie mayhem.

Also online, largely, we have the movie riffing masters. From the great live shows of Cinematic Titanic (some available for download or ordering) , with part of the old MST3K team, to RiffTrax, with part of the old MST3K team. From the early MST3K on to today, these guys have helped me learn to laugh at the ridiculousness in life around me.

Captain Marvel - Art by
 Terry
and Rachel Dodson

Comics are also a great respite through the year. And, yes, their have been problems from many quarters, from bad ideas made manifest to editor meddling, good results have occurred. Captain Marvel (starring Carol Danvers) is proving a great read. Ed Brubaker, as always, has been a joy to read. His work with Captain America and Winter Soldier, have given me, and will continue to give me, great joy and satisfaction. Batman has been a good book though it's fight between the Bat Family and the Court of the Owls. Also at DC Comics, Demon Knights has proven to be a very enjoyable medieval romp, and Justice League Dark has proven to be far more engaging and interesting than the main Justice League book. Working somewhat in concordance at DC, Animal Man and Swamp Thing have kept me drawn in to the battle with The Rot. Along with these DC books, Smallville Season 11 has proven to be one of the better and more engaging reads now being released. I'm quite happy supporting these books.

Captain Britain and
MI13

As far as the creators behind these books. I really want to applaud and be so thrilled I get to enjoy the style and work of people like: Gail Simone (who's now back again with DC Comics after being fired for a short period). Ed Brubaker, now leaving Captain America, and taking my heart with him. His work on Gotham Central (a police drama book set in Gotham City and Catwoman has been amazing. Greg Rucka, someone who did amazing and interesting things in writing Superman and Wonder Woman, in their books, is also a favorite. He's also currently writing a new detective (P.I.) series, Stumptown (Worth a read.). And Paul Cornell. His work on Knight and Squire, Captain Britain, MI13, Doctor Who, Demon Knights, and more has been just a joy to read. 

Zack!

Ah, LEGO. I know, I should grow up. But there is something to putting the pieces together to build some place or thing. Or to come with a redesign. Or just do your own thing. It’s an accomplishment (Ages, 4 and Up.). And still I build, and it makes me happy.

I also want to remember those who are not doing well right now, and hope are on the mend next year. Hillary Clinton’s in the hospital right now, being treated, I hope things improve for her quickly. Also, a wonderful writer, Peter David, has just had a stroke. I can only hope he’s recuperating and will be better soon.

Also, want to be thankful for social media. From twitter to this blog to Tumblr to, yes, FaceBook, social media has helped keep me active, communicative, and engaged. I can only imagine what would become of me in a less techy world. I also am appreciative of those that FOLLOW or FRIEND me, or that I FOLLOW or LIKE. It is appreciated. Those people I do get to converse with and share ideas and jokes with are invaluable to me.

I also want to be thankful for my continued skepticism in life. For some, questioning, or not just accepting accepted wisdom or faith is a sad thing. But for me it means I'm trying to get a clear view of what is and isn't real. The world, humanity, and the universe are amazing. They don't need lies or tall tales to be staggering. The world is a wonder unto itself. And as a skeptic, I can take it in quite happily.

Which takes me to my ever persisting optimism. I am a grump. I am a pessimist at times. But, damn it, I do maintain some level of optimism. An odd sense that better results could still occur, that success could still be grabbed. And that is something that still amazes me. Even as dire as I can get, as lost as I can, I still see some way forward.

Many things help keeo me going. I hope you to have some sense of what helps propel you on, and appreciate it all.

Christmas: Let's just watch something and not talk. *UPDATED*

Well. It is Christmas Day...Crap! It's Christmas. That means you may be stuck with family. The awkward questions. The awkward silences. The awkward family members. What to do?!

What do we do in America? Watch some TV. But, trying to be me, let me offer up some ideas you may not have considered. If you can get them, enjoy them. ...So many Christmas choices.

In case you haven't heard, the Apocalypse is cancelled.

The Apocalypse is cancelled!

What? You still think it's coming? You want to fret over calendars, poems, and verses?

You want to challenge Idris Elba?

Or BATMAN?

Is there a need for anything else to be said?

Good.

December 21st: It's the End of the...Week.

Is December 21st here already? No? It's tomorrow? Whew! So I still have time to start and finish that novel I've been meaning to write. I do love a deadline.

How time flies while you march towards oblivion.

BOOM! It's all over.

Or, maybe it all will end with the sound of a subtle fart at boring dinner party. Who can say?!

Well, I guess Revelation can. And Nostradamus. And the Mayan Calendar/Industrial Complex.

Granted. Revelation is talking about an event from during the time the Roman Empire controlled the Middle East. And Nostradamus was a poet and a doctor who's work future sight is...good for a laugh. And the Mayans, first, didn't really see the fall of their own culture. And, second, don't, even today, think their calendar means remotely what the "experts" think it means.

It's all ridiculous. I'd call it silly. But people actually have already destroyed their lives over the talk being peddled about the 21st. Lives are being hurt. Some may actually kill themselves. Fostering this fear and sense of doom is not good (Looking at you History Channel. Nice block of doomsday shows you have on today.).

So, try and reassure anyone that you think might need worrying about that calendars are meant to come to ends, so you'll have to carve another one out of a stone wheel. That, yes, we may well be passing through the galactic center, but it isn't even that interesting to astronomers and astrophysicist (And you know guys like Phil Plaitt are gagging for something interesting to happen.).

The movie, 2012, isn't going to happen on Friday. It is a big dumb disaster movie, with ridiculous and improbable events, and I'm not talking about the acting and casting.


It is all stupid. But our culture likes to build this crap up and scare a portion of us. Let's all be the rational counterbalance. Okay?

It's the holidays...and I should be writing.

Alright...

Yes. What the fuck.

Okay. Mostly this is mostly a note to me, because I have allowed myself to go radio silent on the blog for about a month now, and that is rather annoying me. It's not as if this has been an uneventful month on any front of interest to me. But I have been struggling to write. Sitting down, organizing thoughts, putting them down in a semi-coherent form, and hitting post, it just hasn't been happening for me. And that annoys me.

Worse, it means I start, as I've noted before, building up tabs on my browsers full of topics and articles I want to reference and talk about. And then it all gets overwhelming, and it...eh.

But it has been extra annoying as I've been, for the last month wanting to write some posts on the holiday season (Yes, Richard Dawkins, it is a valid phrase. Learn to live with that.). I missed Diwali by a day, it happens. But Hanukkah  I started writing something up on it on Day 1. And, on Day 9, still nothing was done. You may be thinking, "But Jaded Skeptic, there are only 8 days in Hanukkah " Or, you may not know that. In which case, SEE, I've failed you. Point is, it didn't get done, in an 8 DAY window.

My procrastinating on this is getting out of hand. Particularly as their are things I want to talk about here, and things I'd enjoying sharing.

So, again, this mostly about kicking myself, and being pissed at a missed seasonal opportunity to share. So, next year, we'll talk Hanukkah, Diwali, Ramadan, etc.

But maybe I can tweak some of the interesting Christmas customs...maybe. It does feel cheap to just talk Christ Mass. Rather run of the mill, isn't it?

Anywho.

Let the frog play the trumpet...That's how we all celebrate December, right?

The trouble with going to Walmart

We know much about Walmart. Walmart is big business. It cuts into other businesses in a communities. And most of the products it sells come from other countries.

But what it does to it's own employees is a matter that seems to be missed in much of the media.

Walmart employs 1.3 million, making it the largest private employer. On average the starting salary at Walmart is $15,500. This puts a two-person family at the poverty line. Walmart also skimps on paying overtime to workers. When workers do make more money they get pushed out of jobs, to keep the workforce from taking too much of the profits (from managements view.). Also, no unions have able to gain a foothold within the corporation, as of yet, to allow workers to achieve any change. Of note, in Alabama this poor pay rate forces 4,700 kids on to Medicaid to get by. This is an intended result of the pay strategy, to put employee benefits pressure on Medicaid. By allowing it's workforce to fall below the poverty line, the government takes on the cost of their health care, food support, etc. Here's a chart to show the impact of Walmart's scheme on the whole country:

$1.5 billion in tax dollars. Just so Walmart can post an extra billion and a half in profit. Millions of which go to the CEO. And much more into the pockets of the Walton family. So you go to Walmart spend hundreds to buy their products, then you pay your taxes and fund them further. All the while the Waltons will support efforts to get their tax rates cut further.

How much money in their in this business? The CEO of Walmart makes $18 million a year. And the profits for Walmart were $15.7 billion in 2011. Efforts to get better treatment for workers, in the wake of these high executive salaries and massive profits, continue. But management disregards the concerns and needs of workers.

And the result of this has been the beginning of attempts to strike against mistreatment by Walmart management. And come tomorrow, Black Friday, strikes will begin in earnest. Up to now, Walmart has prevented any real dissent. It looks like things are shifting.

What Walmart has been doing isn't too different from what many businesses do, trying to minimize what it pays and offers workers. It is really all too common. And that is sad. Now, I understand the desire to maximize profits, but as Henry Ford understood long ago, you want a workforce that can actually buy your products. This should be immediately obvious to the largest private employer in a country. It is truly pathetic shortsightedness. As noted here, paying better only improves the state of a given industry and an economy as a whole. But businesses don't bother. And Walmart has the power to ignore it's impact, while doing small acts to try and look better.

We need to move them to change. Workers are beginning to believe they can have some affect. But part of this can also come from boycotting Walmart. At least on Black Friday. We can hope to make a mark on their profits to make them consider how they treat their workers, and how they damage the economy.


Additional Resources:

OUR Walmart Strike Took Kit

Stand With Walmart Strikers On Black Friday

Thanksgiving. More than thanks, giving.

Thanksgiving is upon us...in the Americans...North America...United States. Okay, we Americans are having our Thanksgiving holiday.

And you know what that means. Having a good meals before we head out later that day to line up to shop. Sadly, no joke there.

That is what it is for many of us. Others like to get some time off (unless you work retail, and you're resting before going to work Thanksgiving night -- or afternoon, at Wal-Mart) Or, to complain about Thanksgiving being horrific.

Now, it is true that the relationship between Europeans colonizers and native peoples in the Americas tended to be less than ideal...Okay. They tended to be dark passages in the annals of history. And we can never let what resulted be forgotten, despite some wanting to brush it over.

But there are some positive lessons to learn from those early years. Even today.


But first...



Okay. Back to my point.

Giving thanks is an old tradition. For the US, we draw back to the Plymouth colony for the holiday. From the start, the English settlement of Plymouth struggled. They were out of there depths. They couldn't get the crops to grow. They were getting sick, or dying. Some local tribes didn't care for the colonial interlopers. And the colonist stole from the food stores of some of locals. Not a good start. A bad lot. You can imagine what modern conservatives would say of them and call them if they could see them as they were.

We too often get a nice weird image of guys in big hats, all in black, with lots of buckles. They seem to all be tall and barrel-chested. And then they invite the Indians over for a party, because that's just how awesome they were. No. The colonist didn't dress like that. And they weren't clean, healthy, and hearty. It was a tense and dark time. Things were grim.

But...They were helped. The Wampanoag tribe gave them food during the first rough winter. They were taught fishing techniques, and which crops grow best in the local ground. Plymouth was struggling and dying. Many colonies before had been attempted. some died out, some were abandoned. Their fate was not certain. But the local society around them lent a hand to them. It fed them. It trained them. It bolstered them at the point of greatest need. They got their asses saved.


So now, as we gorge ourselves and prep to show in this time of Thanks Giving, let's remember and learn from the aid and support given to our national ancestors (the white ones) by those natives (also out national ancestors) 400 some years ago.

No, they didn't just build it.

No, they weren't lazy because they needed a leg up.

Now though, we can continue the good that was done that year. We can consider and plan today how we will continue to pay forward the good spirit and intentions of that time. How can we feed those in need? How can we teach those in need? How can we bolster and aid those in need?

We can ensure the Affordable Care Act moves forward. We can ensure a social safety remains intact (Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, SNAP, and on down the line). We can pull back from war. And we can remember those in need, acting to be sure they have a chance to succeed.

Americans to pay for Thanksgiving dinner with food stamps in record numbers

... 

The latest data from the US Department of Agriculture shows that 47.1 million Americans relied on food stamps in August – the highest number yet. 

Since 2007, participation in the food stamp program has skyrocketed, increasing by 70 percent. The cost of feeding the approximately 44.7 million Americans who relied on food stamps last year cost the US government a record $72 billion. 

...

Also, in the wake of the first Thanksgiving, on reservations, poverty approaches 1/3, and 4% of food stamps go to Native Americans.

 More SNAP data.

Infographic: The face of the food stamp recipient

But it is a joke to some.

Fox Pundit Jokes Food Stamps Could Be A Diet Plan

Sadly, for some, helping out your neighbors is ridiculous. From conservatives that see much of the country as lazy or looking for hand outs, to wealthy people eager to avoid any investment in society.

Or, investing in the well-being of their employees.
Restaurant chain experiments with more part-time work to avoid Obamacare costs

And they do this despite the positives for the economy and the business that will come from this investment.

RETAIL'S HIDDEN POTENTIAL: HOW RAISING WAGES WOULD BENEFIT WORKERS, THE INDUSTRY AND THE OVERALL ECONOMY

Take time to appreciate the good things you have in your life. Thank those that helped you, and were their for you.

Then think about giving, how we can all give to those in need.


Some more thinking on Thanksgiving with John Fugelsang, hosting The Point:

Get better Conservatives. We need you.

I enjoyed this piece talking about my we Liberals need Conservatives out there.

Overall, I feel Liberals carry forward the better ideas, the better arguments, and the better philosophy. But that doesn't mean we don't require feedback. It doesn't mean we don't need a sounding board. And it doesn't mean we don't need a counter argument to test the strength of our ideas, or to fine tune our thinking. And some ideas of Conservatism are worth debating, and/or broken down to show the serious flaws.

The funny thing about being a good Liberal. We love a good argument. We want to move things. We want to make things better.

And to do that, we need you. We need you sane. We need Conservatism functioning right, so we can work out or show the serious flaws or horribly outdated philosophies. So we need the opposition.

And that is not what you are now. You are a ridiculous caricature now. Instead of a counterpoint, you are a wall. You choose to block all ideas we support. And then you respond with ridiculousness. You're side discusses the validity of rape. You're side thinks evolution is a satanic trick. You're side warns that all the scientists are lying. You're side suggest President Obama is a socialist Muslim. It's ridiculous.

I CAN'T TAKE YOU SERIOUS!

There was a time when you were a serious party. Or, at least, you could put forward arguments that weren't patently ridiculous. But in a reach for power, you seem to have decided real arguments are for wusses. And you go to hyperbole, lies, or misdirection. You seem to have embraced the worse of what you are and have amplified and celebrated it.

And this is not what you have to be. You can fight for traditions, for small government, without all this...crap. And, yes, some of you aren't like this. Some think the president is an American. Some of you think evolution is fact. Some of you think rape is rape. Great. But that is not where your party is. It is not where Conservatism is. Look at the media voices. Look at their massive audiences. Look at the political leaders. They all believe or sell these bad ideas, or are beholden to those that embrace this thinking.

If you can see through it, it is up to you to lead the way.

So, one last time, see if you can shift away from this,

okay?

Red and blue districts: It's is the numbers of voter, not the miles.

The image of the country, showing how each district went in the presidential vote, has been getting passed around.

Some look at the country and see the vast swaths of the country that are red and translate that into the country being almost entirely being red. And that is true if you decide politics and elections by miles taken up, and not by the numbers that vote. The country is very red across much of Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Nebraska, and Missouri. But that area is also not a very large part of the total population. It, like Oklahoma, Kansas, and Montana, are smaller populations compared to other parts of the country. And in those places, at their larger population points, they tend towards being more liberal (Like in Omaha, Nebraska. As seen on the map above.).

It's like in the state of New York. New York City is large population centers. It's massive. The result in New York state is that it holds a great deal of sway. People living in Albany might not like it. But if much of the state's population lives in that city and it's boroughs, then that is were the electorate is.

And if in California, New York, Illinois, and various large cities around the country hold a significant chunk of the nation's population, that is where the electorate is. And if these people are more liberal, that is where the electorate is.

And that's how the maths just work.

Wrapping up an election - Obamacare Is A Go!

Source

One advantage to now knowing President Obama will be continuing for another 4 years is that we know our president won't be shutting down the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

And that means along with the parts that have already started working, more is coming online as we go into next year and in the years to come.

Some of what is becoming available soon, from Think Progress:

• States will soon be deciding whether to start up their own health care exchange, or whether to use a federal run exchange. (2014)
• Pre-existing condition discrimination protection will be expanding from children to all Americans. (2014)
• End to lifetime benefit caps and annual benefit caps. (2014)
• All employers will be required to cover contraception without co-pay. (Religious organization will need to get in line by August 2013.)
• All employers with 50 or more employees will need to offer insurance, or pay fine to access government service. (2014)

Wrapping up an election - Demographics *UPDATED*

The demographic results of the 2012 election are quite useful to understand where the population of the united states is going.

From Here:

As you can see outside whites, Obama won over every racial group. And lost men, but clearly won over women. And among age groups, Obama won clearly among people 44 years and younger.

So, Obama won over a minority of whites, men, and people over 44 years. And he clearly won the popular vote in this country.

That is how this country has changed, and will be continuing to change. Old, white, and male are no longer the key to electoral success. The changes in this country make it unwise to cater just to this part of the population, if only for the sake of the maths.

Likewise, Hispanics and Asians clearly support Democratic interests at present, despite anger from some conservatives that racial groups they deem conservative should vote and align themselves to GOP interests exclusively. Democrats need to continue to work to ensure this connection.

Josh Marshall has some thoughts on the dynamics.

The risk to Democrats is that the GOP could learn to better communicate and drive out vote in minority communities. Or, they could actually change some and be a genuinely more palpable option for these voters. Trouble for us the GOP is that they are the GOP. And they are too easily driven to become angry and enraged at blacks and Hispanics, and voice the feeling and push law to enact suffering.

And the GOP is so heavily made up of people who too dearly love the power of white people in America. They do a great job of reminding us all just what lies behind any friendly Republican facade.



And then we had Rush Limbaugh throwing his fit about how Santa Claus won. Apparently women and the various minority groups that supported Obama only did it because we are just children, who love free gifts and toys. You embrace Limbaugh's vision, or your a spoiled baby. This is a major Republicans voice, loved by the Conservative base, sought for support by Republican politicians.

This is the GOP that can't quite figure why it can't garner votes from minority groups.

The GOP is a great ally to liberals in uniting minority groups.

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ADDENDUM:

David Simon has an interesting look at the change in demographics to consider.
Jessica Valenti considered the power of women in voting.

Veterans Day / Remembrance Day - What's it all about?

November 11th is almost upon us. In the United States we talk about Veterans Day, come November. In the United Kingdom, and it's commonwealth, they talk about Remembrance Day.

Now on programs and at many events people often say, when talking to veterans, that "they honor their service." Which is a thoughtful and good thing to say, but it seems to have become a rote response. A formality before moving on. Say the magic words and think no more on it.

Veterans Day in the US can be the same, have the day out, go to a parade, and move on with little thought. Though hopefully for those of us with family still serving, or having finished, we think on it more.

So, while we do have many large issues to deal with, it is important to understand why we have this day set aside. To remember, and to not ignore lessons and obligations we have as a nation and as a people.

This day of remembrance comes out of the end of World War I. Then it was called Armistice Day. To celebrate the Armistice, an end of hostilities, that was agreed to in 1918. It would fall on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of that year (Someone was in love with some symbolism.).

So a peace was struck. It came in the wake of a global war. It came after the deaths of around 20 million. The war, unsurprisingly shook many. It was a maddening experience. And then there was peace.

In November of 1919, the year after Armistice, President Woodrow Wilson declared the first Armistice Day. And in 1938 Congress to passed law to make every November 11th Armistice Day, to promote world peace. And this, in 1954, was rename Veterans Day to expand those remembered to all veterans, including those that had just served in World War II.

And the tradition continued on from there. Date has shifted back and forth. Laws and proclamations were made. But from the start, this has been an act of remembering those that lost their lives fighting for their country, and those that return home.

REUTERS/Chris Roussakis

In the United Kingdom the traditions hold more to the original Armistice Day. King George V in November of 1919, like it was in the United States. England has taken on a number of continuing traditions to this day. Among those most notable is the image of the poppy. The red poppy is commonly worn, as a lead up to Remembrance Sunday, which was set as the 2nd Sunday of November (This was meant to prevent disrupting the war time services during World War II.). The poppy use is tied to the poem, by John McCrae:

In Flanders fields the poppies blowBetween the crosses, row on row,That mark our place; and in the skyThe larks, still bravely singing, flyScarce heard amid the guns below. 

We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lieIn Flanders fields. 

Take up our quarrel with the foe:To you from failing hands we throwThe torch; be yours to hold it high.If ye break faith with us who dieWe shall not sleep, though poppies growIn Flanders fields.

The image conjures the image of the dead across the battlefield. The image of blood. The image of the cost paid in war. A cost that must be remembered, and learned from.

So at 11AM on Remembrance Sunday, their are two minutes of silence through the country, to remember the costs of war. This is initiated by the of a field gun firing on the Horse Guard Parade, then ended by firing again. Then the Royal Marines have buglers play out "Last Post."

And at Cenotaph in London a ritual of laying flowers:

Wreaths are laid by Queen Elizabeth, the Duke of Edinburgh, the Prince of Wales, the Duke of York, the Princess Royal, the Duke of Kent, the Earl of Wessex, the Duke of Cambridge, the Prime Minister, leaders of major political parties and former Prime Ministers, the Foreign Secretary, the Commonwealth High Commissioners and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, the Merchant Navy and fishing fleets and the civilian services....After the ceremony, a parade of veterans, organised by the Royal British Legion, marches past the Cenotaph, each section of which lays a wreath as it passes.

This procession means a lot to those that have served and suffered for their countries. Also for those that mourn family and friends that have passed.

These rituals can be important to supporting us to remembering what has come to past. WWI was a horrible scaring event. It was an event that should leave anyone with a loathing of going to war. But we still have seen war come, and those who to eagerly call for it. And those that returned from WWI, and other conflicts, have many times not gotten the treatment or respect they deserve from government (The GI Bill was a major change to the treatment veterans received for service.).

So I can only hope as we go into Veterans Day and Remembrance Sunday tomorrow, we think about why we do have veterans, what has been asked from them, and how we look at them (How we really look at them, not what we say for appearance.) and how we treat them (How many think about the Veterans Administration or the related services much?).

And also learn. Stats and facts to think on for Veterans Day:

• Veterans are 50% more likely to be homeless than other Americans.
• 75,000 veterans are homeless on any various night in the years.
• 1% of Americans serve in the military, and 20% of all US suicides are veterans.

Get more informed:

• Department of Veteran's Affairs
• VA - Veteran's Day Information
• VA - Homeless Veterans
• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans
• National Alliance on Mental Illness - Veterans and Military Resource Center

Wrapping up an election - What the Right learned. *UPDATED*

It would be nice to say now, that the Right in this country have sagely taken some lessons away from this election. That they see where some ideological extremes they embraced were too far. That some of their attacks on rights were morally wrong. That the Tea Party, the Religious Right, and the billionaire backers asked for things no one should agree to do.

Let's pretend for a moment that happen. Steve Schimdt, a one time adviser to John McCain says the GOP needs to break from reactionary angry voices like Rush Limbaugh. Good. Frum is also unhappy with conservative media (which booted him). But they seem to be a minority.

Among the conservative voice online, we heard a very loud message. "That !@$#ing #!@&*+ has done it to us again." At the University of Mississippi students went out into the street screaming and throwing rocks in anger.

In a more established grouping, as seen in the piece on Steve Schimdt's concerns, it was also noted that the Tea Party Patriots had a message. WAR. They will not stand for "moderates" like Mitt Romney leading anymore. They are naming themselves the rightful heirs of the conservative movement. This group is eager to fight, Republicans, and they have many billionaire backers to help. Not a good start for change, except a shift further Right.

An odd addendum to the Tea Party right comes from Boehner who acted like their was no Tea Party caucus in the House. Seems like a disconnect, but will the Tea Party make life easy if Boehner were to actually break? He's already been made to walk with back a bit.

For the Family Research Council their is an eagerness to increase it's aggression against what it deems as an attack on morality. With the passage in multiple states of marriage equality, they want more aggressive civil disobedience against these rights. What then? Will they be ruining people's weddings. Will they be trying to humiliate and terrorize newlyweds? Yeah. That's a winning strategy, isn't it?

On the business front, we are hearing now that a number of CEO's are cutting jobs and trying to blame it on Obama. Pathetic. From coal magnates to the owner of Red Lobster, they took this electoral loss, and punished their employees. They took the risk of a loss of ANY profits, and decided to take it out of the hides of the workers. This is how they do business. I wouldn't care to do business with them.

Among advisers, Grover Norquist wants everyone to believe that the election was good and positive for the GOP, on many levels. Others have tried to go as far as saying that Republicans have a mandate coming out of the election. I know, it is crazy. A lot of sad opinions.

Some want to reach out to Latinos by doing a little immigration reform. Put Rubio up to talk it up, and then have him run for president. So, it's not about helping Latinos or understand their issues or concerns, just buy them off.

Some also are saying that the GOP needs to reach out to women. Karen Hughes wants to cut the tongues out of GOP representatives if they talk like Akins. That is great. Except, they aren't upset at the ideas. They are still pushing the denial of reproductive rights. They still oppose equal pay. They still think of women who use the Pill as sluts. As I heard today they think open talk on this costs votes. It's a strategic pain. They aren't growing and learning about their mistaken policy positions, as we see in Ohio.

Melina Mara/ The Washington Post via Getty Images

In Ohio the Republican party has now decided, post-election to renew an attack on the reproductive health care access of women. Wednesday, the 14th, they will be voting on restricting access to abortion. That is the reaction, "Onward, damn those women."

And in Florida, the governor still is avoiding the media and now is refusing to acknowledge the utter failure his election day was.

And in the Congress? In talking about the coming budget fight, Speaker Boehner offers as a way forward, effectively, the plan that Romney ran and lost on. They are complaining that the president must meet their expectations. How is that moving things forwards? How is that finding answers to our problems?


How is any of this showing that ANY lessons were learned?


The Conservatives are active in these days following the election. They are prepping for in four years. Hell, they are looking for the soonest local election where you are. They want to put the usual suspects from their clique on your school board. They want to put a pal in the mayor's office, or on the city council. They are grooming a like minded fellow ready to be voted onto the PUC or onto a court.

This is what Nordquist was hinting at. They can loose a presidency. They cannot take the Senate. But they are establishing bases of power lower, they are writing law to keep liberals out, or to get to the US Supreme Court to get desired rulings.

The key reason that their was little change in the House of Representatives is all the states that the GOP gained control of State Legislatures. With that power they redid the shapes of districts, limiting the places that Democrats could win House races, and bolstering the ability of Republicans to hold and keep seats across the country. Those state races that they fought for were pivotal. We can't let them keep them.

We have to be active on the ground. We need to find people to run against Republicans for all offices. We need to be seeing the decisions they are making in office NOW. We need to not decide that the elections over and now we get to disengage.

Don't disengage now. Don't let others. We all have to care what happens on the school board. We have to care what the city council is doing. We have to care what out legislature is up to. AND we need to bother to be heard with what will be happening in Congress.


Stay active and engaged.

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ADDENDUM:

In Texas, the treasurer of the Hardin County Republican Party is calling for Texas to secede from the the nation.

...“We must contest every single inch of ground and delay the baby-murdering, tax-raising socialists at every opportunity,” Morrison wrote. “But in due time, the maggots will have eaten every morsel of flesh off of the rotting corpse of the Republic, and therein lies our opportunity.” 

“Texas was once its own country, and many Texans already think in nationalist terms about their state. We need to do everything possible to encourage a long-term shift in thinking on this issue. Why should Vermont and Texas live under the same government? Let each go her own way in peace, sign a free trade agreement among the states and we can avoid this gut-wrenching spectacle every four years,” he wrote. 

The contents of the letter were first reported by the Texas Observer and TFN Insider. 

Morrison also wrote that “many members of minority groups are simply racist against the party most white people happen to vote for.” He singled out Asian Americans, who he said should be Republican “as they earn more money and pay more in taxes than white Americans.”...

WOW! That is some hardcore racist BS. The party head in the county said he didn't know what the treasurer was thinking or writing. But that isn't to say he disagrees. Like with the rape talk they are upset at, how does their rhetoric or legislating differ? Maybe in coarseness. But I have seen a lot of resentment towards business Hispanics already, for not getting in place with Republicans.

But this is how the GOP is acting and reacting now. They are pissed the country didn't go the way they want. And they are pissed the demographics they deem to be theirs won't just do and vote as the party wants.