Category Archives: History

The Rule of Law

Let me preface this post by saying this: I get it.

My Dad, whom I adored, was a WWII vet.  I toured European battlefields with him.  I read the history and heard the tales.  I stood on Omaha Beach and looked up the cliffs that those boys had to scale.  I stood on Utah Beach and looked up steeper cliffs and then down them from the top, through the craters left by our bombs.  I have been fascinated by the history of WWII, by the battles.  By the true contest between good and evil that that war represented in my mind.

I get it.  Really.  They are, truly, the Greatest Generation

So yesterday when my blood pressure hit the roof, it wasn’t that I wanted to deny veterans, especially WWII vets, anything.

My first impression when I read that vets from a Mississippi Gulf Coast Honor Flight crossed over the barricades erected because of the government shutdown was:  Good For YOU!

Until, that is, I learned that it was two GOP Congressmen who were responsible for the “storming.”  According to this article, the barricades were moved by a pair of GOP members of Congress, Mississippi Rep. Roger Wicker and Michigan Rep. Bill Huizenga.  Congressman Huizenga proclaimed it the “the best civil disobedience we’ve seen in Washington for a long time.”

And THAT is when my blood boiled.

Not because the Vets got in.  But because the barricades were opened by the very same folks responsible for them being there in the first place.  Once again, GOP members of the House of Representatives were defying the law.  Because they don’t believe it applies to them.

The GOP shut down the government over a temper tantrum has voted to shut it down because the Senate and the President won’t defund the Affordable Care Act.  Obamacare.

I have said this before:

The Affordable Care Act is a law that went through all three branches of our government as established under the constitution.  According to the rules we set up for our Government, adopted in 1791.

Obamacare passed the House of Representatives (Authorized under Article I of the Constitution);

Obamacare passed the Senate. (Also authorized under Article I);

Obamacare was signed into law by the President (Granted that authority under Article II of the very same Constitution); and

Obamacare was upheld by the Supreme Court (Ditto — Article III).

The GOP lost the 2012 election over this issue (in large part).

The very same folks who do not respect the rule of law by accepting the reality of a duly enacted United States Law also do not accept the consequences of their refusal to govern.  THE GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN IS THEIR FAULT ENTIRELY.

They have no respect for the rule of law.  None.  Laws, to them, apparently, should be followed only when they deem it appropriate.  Last night, Michelle Bachmann announced that GOP members will be there to open the barricade to all Vets.  Because the GOP does not respect the rule of law — but does respect a good PR.

Here, thanks to my blogging buddy, Vickie Lester at Beguiling Hollywood, is a list of a few things that happened on the first day of the government furlough

[Yesterday,] two hundred patients were turned away from the NIH, thirty of them children. Most of whom, because of the severity and difficulty of the disease they faced, had been sent to this research facility as a last resort. [This means, of course, that they will die.  And their blood will be on GOP hands.]

Veterans applying for disability benefits could not be helped.

In a week poor women and children will not be fed.

Food safety inspectors have been furloughed.

The New York Times reported on Saturday that fully 16% of ALL workers in the United States work for the Federal Government.  Those percentages are highest, actually, in Republican states.  How long can a huge percentage of the workforce go without pay because of a GOP tantrum.  How long should they?

The list of who is considered “non-essential” goes on and on.   Things are only going to get worse.   Because many businesses rely on those federal workers to buy their products, to eat in their restaurants.

Call your Congressman/woman

 or Any Representative you think should hear from you

Tell them to pass an unencumbered budget

Tell them to open up the Government

The US Capitol Switchboard Number

 202 244-3121

I am borrowing again from Vickie:

A thought from Andrew Sullivan:

I want to begin with a simple quote, a letter from Abraham Lincoln, facing a very similar constellation of forces as president Obama does with today’s nullification party, and sounding remarkably like his 2008 successor from Illinois:

What is our present condition? We have just carried an election on principles fairly stated to the people. Now we are told in advance, the government shall be broken up, unless we surrender to those we have beaten, before we take the offices. In this they are either attempting to play upon us, or they are in dead earnest. Either way, if we surrender, it is the end of us, and of the government. They will repeat the experiment upon us ad libitum.

*     *     *

Thanks to Carrie of The Write Transition for this information:  This Huffington Post link lists the Republicans who are ready to fund the government with no strings attached. Let’s hope it keeps growing. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/10/01/house-republicans-clean-cr_n_4024755.html

As I mentioned to Carrie, though, Peter King (R-NY) is on the list.  He has been preaching a clean Continuing Resolution for days, but keeps voting with the GOP.

So as always, we’ll see.

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Filed under Bloggin' Buddies, Campaigning, Criminal Activity, Disgustology, Elections, Family, History, Huh?, Hypocrisy, Law, Politics, Stupidity, Taxes, Wild Beasts

Go Fish

Did you play “Go Fish” as a child?  Of course you did.  Remember how wonderful it felt when you could shout out:

“I Got What I Asked For!”

How’s it feelin’ long about now?  Because many folks got exactly what they asked for by electing folks to government who don’t believe in Government.  What did they get?

A Defunct Government.

From Dailykos.com

From Dailykos.com

And now the House GOP, it a temper tantrum has voted to shut it down because the Senate and the President won’t defund the Affordable Care Act.  Obamacare.

That is a law that went through all three branches of our government as established under the constitution.

Passed by the House of Representatives (Authorized under Article I of the Constitution);

Passed by the Senate. (Also authorized under Article I);

Signed into law by the President (Granted that authority under Article II of the very same Constitution); and

Upheld by the Supreme Court (Ditto — Article III).

The GOP lost the 2012 election over this issue (in large part). [Yes they did.  The House retained the majority because of gerrymandering.  They lost the popular vote.]

Parts of Obamacare became effective long ago.  The part that allows us to keep our kids on our policies until they’re 26, for example.  Great provision, isn’t it?

THE REST OF IT GOES INTO EFFECT TODAY IN SPITE OF THE SHUTDOWN.

So they are doing all of this for nothing.  Except for show.

Sums Up the GOP nicely, don't you think? (Photo:  NY Daily News)

Sums Up the GOP nicely, don’t you think?
(Photo: NY Daily News)

I saw the perfect description of what they are doing in a column by Michael Tomasky:

Republicans Aren’t Hostage Takers, They’re Political Terrorists

Because if they win, they will do it again and again.

Vote out folks who

(1) do not understand how our government works; and

(2) do not believe that there really is a point to having a government; and

(3) think that by stamping their feet long and hard enough, they can erase the results of elections.

Elections matter.  Vote the GOP OUT.

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Filed under Campaigning, Criminal Activity, Disgustology, Elections, History, Huh?, Hypocrisy, Law, Politics, Stupidity, Taking Care of Each Other, Taxes

Need a New Job? I Got One For You!

Need a new job?  A new career path?

Are you stuck in a dead end job?  No future?  No expansion?  No ability to grow, to expand?

Well there is a whole new field that is just opening up.  And the possibilities for advancement are endless.  It’s a growth area, especially here in the Washington, DC area.

Best of all, you can do it from home.  Even while you keep your current job.

You can do it anywhere.

Yes, you too can become a “Disgustologist!”

Dr. Valerie Curtis is an anthropologist who studies yucky stuff:  poo, vomit, maggots, rotting flesh.  You know, the stuff that smells bad, hurts us or causes disease.  Stuff that we avoid.  This avoidance helps keep us healthy – and keeping away from disease-ridden filth is always a plus.

So in reading this article about Dr. Curtis, I saw a potential growth opportunity festering right there in front of me.

You and me will use the science of “Disgustology” to lead American voters back into voting for sensible politicians.  And into voting out the disgusting ones.

Now, I know many of you are saying,

“But Elyse, American voters have proven since they re-elected George W Bush that they are disgusting!”

And you do have a point.

“But Elyse, American voters have voted in members of the Tea Party!”

And you have another point.

“But Elyse, American voters have voted for people who are destroying our humanity.”

OK, you have lots of points.

That’s where we Disgustologists come in.  Plus that’s why Disgustology is such a growth industry.  Because we are going to reinsert the “That’s Disgusting!” reflex back into the American voter.   With pictures!

Now it’s hard to know where to start these days, isn’t it.  So I started randomly, with my faint recollection that we Americans have hearts and a collective heart.

You know how we Americans like to stick together.  How we’re always the first to help each other in times of tragedy.  How we pull together and support each other during natural disasters?  We pride ourselves on that.

So — Disgustologists – Get your feet wet with this bit of hypocrisy:

Four GOP Congressmen voted FOR Colorado Flood Relief AFTER voting AGAINST Hurricane Sandy Relief!

Here they are:

Rep Cory Gardner (R-CO)

Rep Cory Gardner (R-CO)

Rep Mike Coffman (R-CO)

Rep Mike Coffman (R-CO)

Rep Scott Tipton

Rep Scott Tipton (R-CO)

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO)

Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO)

Now don’t get me wrong — I think we as Americans SHOULD take care of the flood victims in Colorado.  And New Jersey.  And victims of hurricanes.  Oh and fires.  We can’t forget the victims of fires.  In fact, we can’t — we shouldn’t — deny aid to folks that are harmed by natural disasters.  Of course we shouldn’t.  We are America.  The richest country in the world.  We take care of our own.  Right?  Right?  You there — am I right?

But you know, there are some folks that we just need to take care of more than others.  Take that good Christian, Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN).

Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN)

Rep. Stephen Fincher (R-TN)

Fincher was a proponent of separating the Farm Subsidies bill from the Food Stamp bill.  He believes that the Food Stamp program “steals other people’s money.”   He backs up his stand with the bible, natch:

“He who will not work shall not eat”

Those vile children, expecting food, an education and a future.  Stone them, I say, stone them!

But guess what!  Some of YOUR money is going to Congressman Fincher!  Yeah, really!  But, being a good, moral Christian, I’m sure he deserves it.  Look at this:

Mr. Fisher is the second most heavily subsidized “farmer” in Congress under the Farm Subsidies Bill!  Yahoo!  I love it when my money goes to keep hypocrites in business.

USDA data collected in EWG’s 2013 farm subsidy database update — going live tomorrow –shows that Fincher collected a staggering $3.48 million in “our” money from 1999 to 2012. In 2012 alone, the congressman was cut a government check for a $70,000 direct payment. Direct payments are issued automatically, regardless of need, and go predominantly to the largest, most profitable farm operations in the country.

Fincher’s $70,000 farm subsidy haul in 2012 dwarfs the average 2012 SNAP benefit in Tennessee of $1,586.40, and it is nearly double of Tennessee’s median household income. After voting to cut SNAP by more than $20 billion, Fincher joined his colleagues to support a proposal to expand crop insurance subsidies by $9 billion over the next 10 years.

Soon we can give Stevie some more!  I don’t know about you, but I’m DISGUSTED.

And then there’s the new kid on the block.  Ted.  And not the Ted of the TED Talks, either.

Senator Ted Cruz You'd think he was a Disgustologist instead of the nasty thing on the shoe

Senator Ted Cruz
You’d think he was a Disgustologist instead of the nasty thing on the shoe

This guy is one of the leaders of the movement to shut down the government rather than fund The Affordable Care Act.  “Obamacare,” a law that was passed by the United States Congress (of which he is now a member), signed by the President of the United States, and upheld by the United States Supreme Court.  Last I heard those were the only three branches of the U.S. government under the Constitution the GOP loves to wave in everyone’s face (but apparently have not read).

Of course, it isn’t only that Teddy is against it because he clearly doesn’t understand the U.S. government.  Nope, I’m guessing that Ted Cruz lives in some sort of vortex, because he doesn’t understand that the folks that voted him into office are the ones who need the Afordable Care Act.

Look-y here – folks in Ted Cruz’s state of Texas need Obamacare more than most.

Poverty in the US

Poverty in the US

rics

Diabetes map

I'm beginning to see a disgusting pattern here

I’m beginning to see a disgusting pattern here

And the folks who have the most to gain from Obamacare:

In America?  Disgusting!

In America? Disgusting!

Senator Ted Cruz is just disgusting.  Disgustologists?  Let’s show the world.

*     *     *

See what I mean when I say that Disgustology is a Growth Field?  Sign up today!  Opportunities are everywhere.

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Filed under Campaigning, Climate Change, Conspicuous consumption, Criminal Activity, Disgustology, Elections, History, Huh?, Humor, Hypocrisy, Law, Mysteries, Politics, Sandy, Taking Care of Each Other

Ancient History PC

In the olden days, I didn’t need books to find answers to my questions.  I could avoid the library.  And research?  Be serious.  Not me.  Nope, I could tap the fountain of knowledge.  At any time of the day or night.  Easily.  Most of the time I just had to roll over or maybe, during business hours, pick up the phone.

My ability to get all the answers became widely known amongst my circle of friends.  And so whenever I or any of my friends needed to know a bit of history, a philosophical principle, how to do a math problem, they’d come to me.  They knew I could solve the mystery.  Sort of.

“Elyse,” they’d say, “would you ask John …”

And no matter what the question, John always knew the answer.  Always.

But then came personal computers and search engines.  I think John was hurt by the fact that I  no longer called him for all the answers.

In the intervening years, somehow I forgot.  Or maybe I’d gotten used to being married to such a smart guy.  Or maybe I was just used to having easy access to all of life’s mysteries at my fingertips.

Not long ago, though, I was thrown back into the early days of my marriage.  Yup, I was reminded just how much stuff is packed into my husband’s brain.  It was almost as good as reliving that very first kiss.  (But not quite.)

You see, he and I were driving through Pennsylvania a few weeks ago.  We passed farm fields ripe with corn, a plant I knew by sight from my days of stealing it from farm fields in my home town.  There were also fields of other plants right next to the corn, but I didn’t recognize them.  Apparently, I had never stolen those plants.  Obviously they don’t taste good with butter.

“I wonder what that is growing in those fields,” I casually asked John.

“They’re soybeans,” he replied without missing a beat.  “They need the same soil and conditions as corn, so they are often planted near each other.”

I looked at my husband and remembered how, when we were first married, I could always count on him to know whatever I didn’t know.  He still does!  Even after all this time slummin’ with me!

I smiled at him.  “You know, it’s just like being married to Google.”

John has filled in many of the blanks in my life.  He’s been doing that now for 27 years (on the 20th).

September 10th is John’s birthday.  Happy birthday to the smartest guy I know.

For my long-time bloggin’ buddies, you’ll know that John and I have very different musical tastes.  But this is a song we both love, and a version we both think is one of the best.

With it, I toast the very best husband I’ve ever had.  Of course he knows that he’s the best husband I’ve ever had.  After all, he knows everything.

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Filed under Bloggin' Buddies, Conspicuous consumption, Diet tips, Family, History, Humor

Passing Through

It’s a place I’ve tried to avoid since the turn of the millennium.  I pass through there regularly, but I bite my lip, swallow past that huge lump in my throat, and try not to cry.  I do not stop.

That’s because it’s such a lovely place with a huge hole.  Last year that hole got bigger.  Not just for me but for all the folks who love its windy, tree lined roads, its historic houses, its New Englandness.  For all those who love children.  For all those who hate violence.

My sister Judy lived there.  I miss her.

I was forced to go through there.  As we drove north to Maine on Saturday, traffic came to a halt.  I knew the roads from a few decades of driving them.   I took them to get where we were going.  Yes,  we got off the highway, and I wound my way down the streets of Newtown, Connecticut.  Through Sandy Hook.

We stopped for gas at a Mobil station right next to the Blue Colony Diner, where my sister helped me laugh through my troubles thirty years ago.  Where the two of us solved all the world’s problems over coffee and pie.  Where we laughed and cried, but mostly laughed.

On the door of the gas station was a sign that made me cry, too.  But in a different way.

Google

Google

Yes.  Sandy Hook Chooses Love. Love over hate.  Love over violence.  Love over the 2nd Amendment.

And so do I.

 

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Filed under Childhood Traumas, Criminal Activity, Driving, Family, Gun control, Health and Medicine, Hey Doc?, History, Politics, Stupidity