dailykos--2020-08-28--RINO or lemming? The Republican dilemma

RINO or lemming? The Republican dilemma

This author knows ; he has actually seen one in the wild .
It was an extremely rare , black African rhino and it was immense .
It appeared to be about eight feet long and about six feet high at the shoulder and must have weighed a ton .
It seemed like a creature from another time , more dinosaur than mammal .
It was armor plated and with a horn that looked like it could pierce a steel plate .
If disturbed or annoyed it could charge and do really serious damage .
Our guides and those of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ South African brush treated it with extreme caution and respect .
The same respect is not shown for the RINOs of Southwest Florida or anywhere else in America for that matter .
These animals , of course , are Republicans in Name Only .
It ’ s a derisive term leveled at Republicans who supposedly show less than sufficient ardor for Republicanism , or this year , in this political climate , complete and total Trumpism .
In the Republican primary race in the 19th Congressional District of Southwest Florida , the term @ @ @ @ @ @ @ No candidate was sufficiently Trumpy not to get hit with it at least once and no candidate burned with a fiercer hatred of RINOs than whichever one had purchased the TV ad of the moment or posted the latest video .
But if a non-Trump believing , independent-thinking , traditional conservative Republican is a RINO nowadays , what animal best represents a true-believing Trumper ?
The answer may lie , in of all places , the Republican Party platform and the Republican National Convention .
There ’ s a general idea abroad these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ matter .
That they ’ re a lot of trivial geekish verbiage that doesn ’ t mean anything that no one reads .
For those who think only in TV images and 280-character tweets that may be true .
But in fact party platforms are important .
It ’ s not just that they set out in detail where a party stands on numerous issues .
They synthesize the different strains and factions in a party and bring them together in a single document so everyone can know where the party stands .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ a party platform is informing down-ballot candidates of the party ’ s positions .
A candidate running for local dogcatcher on a party ticket can go to the party platform and align his or her platform on issues that might not otherwise be present in a local race .
If the dogcatcher candidate is asked where he or she stands on international trade restraints—and this kind of thing happens !
—he or she has a ready answer .
Party platforms can be extremely important on a purely policy basis too and tiny word @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2016 Delegate Diana Denman proposed language in the Republican Party platform calling on the United States to provide “ lethal defensive weapons ” to Ukraine , which was fighting off a Russian invasion .
The United States had provided Ukraine with equipment and training short of weaponry and some Republicans felt more needed to be done .
However , two Trump campaign operatives insisted that the language be watered down to “ appropriate assistance ” on orders from the Trump campaign ’ s New York headquarters .
With the change of three words @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s Democratic Party platform runs 91 pages and covers dozens of topics .
By contrast this year the Republican National Committee abandoned all efforts to formulate a current Party platform and instead adopted a one-page resolution that ignores all the events since 2016 and simply continues the Party ’ s positions from that time .
The document sounds like it was dictated by Trump and then dressed up in legalese .
The establishing clauses ( the “ whereases ” ) state that whereas the convention is scaled down ; the Party didn @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the platform without broader Party input ( actually the reverse of the way it really works—but someone would have to know how it worked in the first place to understand that ) ; had the Party convened as usual it “ would have undoubtedly unanimously agreed to reassert the Party ’ s strong support for President Donald Trump and his Administration ” —no need for discussion there ; the media won ’ t report it accurately anyway ; and since the Party “ enthusiastically supports President Trump ; ” basically , there ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Therefore , states the resolution , “ the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President ’ s America-first agenda ; ” it “ will adjourn without adopting a new platform until the 2024 Republican National Convention ; ” it calls on the media to report this all accurately and any attempt to amend the 2016 platform or change the procedures to make changes “ will be ruled out of order.
” The resolution can be summed up as “ Whatever Donald Trump wants , we give him ” —and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has arisen since 2016 including the coronavirus pandemic and response , the economic crash , civil unrest and the quest for racial justice .
It ’ s really quite a remarkable American document and not in a good way .
It abandons all Party mechanisms , legislative processes , popular input and surrenders to the whim of a single man .
It ’ s a mind-boggling screed worthy of Adolf Hitler ’ s Reichstag or Kim Jung Un ’ s Supreme People 's Assembly .
On June 12 , 2017 , at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were in chaos due to Trump ’ s mistakes , his Cabinet secretaries gathered in the White House Cabinet Room and went around the room lavishly praising him and thanking him for the opportunity to serve in his administration .
It reduced accomplished men and women and proud civil servants to slavish sycophants and craven toadies .
“ On behalf of the entire senior staff around you , Mr. President , we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing you ’ ve given us to serve your agenda and the American people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Priebus , 49 days before he resigned .
There has never been a let up in Trump ’ s hunger for adulation .
The same kind of obedience and flattery that was expected of Trump ’ s first round of Cabinet-level officials was on display at the Republican National Convention—and if anything , it was even more over the top .
Natalie Harp , a cancer survivor , praised Trump : “ You have used your strength to make America strong again .
Sacrificed the life you built to make America proud again @ @ @ @ @ @ @ safe again.
” “ Mr .
President , lead the way .
Millions in our American family believe in this path to destiny .
Guide us to that horizon !
” said Sean Parnell , a Republican congressional candidate from Pennsylvania .
No one , though , was more lavish and extravagant than Kimberly Guilfoyle , a Trump campaign aide and Donald Trump ’ s girlfriend .
“ President Trump believes in you !
” she shrieked .
“ He emancipates and lifts you up to live your American Dream !
You are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are powerful !
And you have the ability to choose your life , and determine your destiny !
” It ’ s reminiscent of the praise heaped on Adolf Hitler : “ He is a pathfinder for those who devoted themselves to his idea , a man who conquered the hearts of his comrades in the midst of battle and never released them , ” as Joseph Goebbels put it in one speech .
So if the rhino represents the free-thinking , independent , individualistic , traditional conservative Republican , what totemic animal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bedazzled Trumper ?
In a glass case in the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa , there is a preserved , round , furry mammal about the size of a small Florida marsh rabbit or a large guinea pig , which it closely resembles .
It lives in Arctic climes where it ’ s preyed upon so much it ’ s been characterized as the Arctic tundra ’ s “ lunch box.
” Its scientific name is Lemmus Lemmus .
It ’ s known generically as a lemming .
Whether deserved or not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gathering in large herds and migrating .
Supposedly lemmings surmount all obstacles and ford streams , mindlessly moving on until they reach a cliff or the sea and unthinkingly and suicidally charge ahead to their deaths .
The danger of blindly following Donald J. Trump over a cliff to disaster is not new .
In fact , it has a distinctly Southwest Floridian perspective .
“ I ’ m definitely at variance with some of the people in the district who would probably follow Donald Trump off the Grand Canyon rim , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ when he announced his retirement on Oct. 19 , 2019 .
The time has come when Donald Trump and his herd of lemmings have reached their cliff .
Despite all the fantasies spun at the Republican convention Trump has utterly failed the nation , which is far sicker , poorer and weaker than when he took office .
Real Republicans can see this and they ’ re finding new ways to express their dissent .
Long-time Republican political professionals have formed the fiercely anti-Trump Lincoln Project , which says it consists of “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Against Trump state on their website that they are “ a coalition of Republicans , former Republicans , conservatives , and former Trump voters who can ’ t support Trump for president this fall.
” Veterans Against Trump declare that “ We do not believe Donald Trump has the values or character to be our Commander-In-Chief and do not support him.
” Former Republican governors John Kasich of Ohio and Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey , former representative Susan Molinari and businesswoman Meg Whitman attacked Trump when they addressed the Democratic National @ @ @ @ @ @ @ catastrophe that another four years of Donald Trump would bring and they ’ re doing something to prevent it .
They ’ re awake , angry and charging .
Perhaps the term RINO doesn ’ t really mean Republican In Name Only—nowadays it really means Really Independent Nasty Opponent .
But whatever it means , the conclusion is inescapable : better to be a RINO than a lemming .

The rhinoceros—rhino for short—is a mighty beast.
This author knows; he has actually seen one in the wild. It was an extremely rare, black African rhino and it was immense. It appeared to be about eight feet long and about six feet high at the shoulder and must have weighed a ton. It seemed like a creature from another time, more dinosaur than mammal. It was armor plated and with a horn that looked like it could pierce a steel plate. If disturbed or annoyed it could charge and do really serious damage. Our guides and those of us in a Range Rover on the South African brush treated it with extreme caution and respect.
The same respect is not shown for the RINOs of Southwest Florida or anywhere else in America for that matter. These animals, of course, are Republicans in Name Only.
It’s a derisive term leveled at Republicans who supposedly show less than sufficient ardor for Republicanism, or this year, in this political climate, complete and total Trumpism.
In the Republican primary race in the 19th Congressional District of Southwest Florida, the term RINO was thrown around with abandon. No candidate was sufficiently Trumpy not to get hit with it at least once and no candidate burned with a fiercer hatred of RINOs than whichever one had purchased the TV ad of the moment or posted the latest video.
But if a non-Trump believing, independent-thinking, traditional conservative Republican is a RINO nowadays, what animal best represents a true-believing Trumper?
The answer may lie, in of all places, the Republican Party platform and the Republican National Convention.
The platform—or non-platform
There’s a general idea abroad these days that party platforms don’t matter. That they’re a lot of trivial geekish verbiage that doesn’t mean anything that no one reads.
For those who think only in TV images and 280-character tweets that may be true. But in fact party platforms are important. It’s not just that they set out in detail where a party stands on numerous issues. They synthesize the different strains and factions in a party and bring them together in a single document so everyone can know where the party stands.
One of the most important roles of a party platform is informing down-ballot candidates of the party’s positions. A candidate running for local dogcatcher on a party ticket can go to the party platform and align his or her platform on issues that might not otherwise be present in a local race. If the dogcatcher candidate is asked where he or she stands on international trade restraints—and this kind of thing happens! —he or she has a ready answer.
Party platforms can be extremely important on a purely policy basis too and tiny word changes can have big consequences. In 2016 Delegate Diana Denman proposed language in the Republican Party platform calling on the United States to provide “lethal defensive weapons” to Ukraine, which was fighting off a Russian invasion. The United States had provided Ukraine with equipment and training short of weaponry and some Republicans felt more needed to be done. However, two Trump campaign operatives insisted that the language be watered down to “appropriate assistance” on orders from the Trump campaign’s New York headquarters. With the change of three words, Ukraine was abandoned.
This year’s Democratic Party platform runs 91 pages and covers dozens of topics.
By contrast this year the Republican National Committee abandoned all efforts to formulate a current Party platform and instead adopted a one-page resolution that ignores all the events since 2016 and simply continues the Party’s positions from that time.
The document sounds like it was dictated by Trump and then dressed up in legalese. The establishing clauses (the “whereases”) state that whereas the convention is scaled down; the Party didn’t want a small contingent formulating the platform without broader Party input (actually the reverse of the way it really works—but someone would have to know how it worked in the first place to understand that); had the Party convened as usual it “would have undoubtedly unanimously agreed to reassert the Party’s strong support for President Donald Trump and his Administration”—no need for discussion there; the media won’t report it accurately anyway; and since the Party “enthusiastically supports President Trump;” basically, there’s no need for a platform.
Therefore, states the resolution, “the Republican Party has and will continue to enthusiastically support the President’s America-first agenda;” it “will adjourn without adopting a new platform until the 2024 Republican National Convention;” it calls on the media to report this all accurately and any attempt to amend the 2016 platform or change the procedures to make changes “will be ruled out of order.”
The resolution can be summed up as “Whatever Donald Trump wants, we give him”—and it conveniently ignores every national issue that has arisen since 2016 including the coronavirus pandemic and response, the economic crash, civil unrest and the quest for racial justice.
It’s really quite a remarkable American document and not in a good way. It abandons all Party mechanisms, legislative processes, popular input and surrenders to the whim of a single man. It’s a mind-boggling screed worthy of Adolf Hitler’s Reichstag or Kim Jung Un’s Supreme People's Assembly.
Cult of personality
On June 12, 2017, at a time when the country’s borders were in chaos due to Trump’s mistakes, his Cabinet secretaries gathered in the White House Cabinet Room and went around the room lavishly praising him and thanking him for the opportunity to serve in his administration. It reduced accomplished men and women and proud civil servants to slavish sycophants and craven toadies.
“On behalf of the entire senior staff around you, Mr. President, we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing you’ve given us to serve your agenda and the American people,” said then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, 49 days before he resigned.
There has never been a let up in Trump’s hunger for adulation. The same kind of obedience and flattery that was expected of Trump’s first round of Cabinet-level officials was on display at the Republican National Convention—and if anything, it was even more over the top.
Natalie Harp, a cancer survivor, praised Trump: “You have used your strength to make America strong again. Sacrificed the life you built to make America proud again. And risked everything to make America safe again.”
“Mr. President, lead the way. Millions in our American family believe in this path to destiny. Guide us to that horizon!” said Sean Parnell, a Republican congressional candidate from Pennsylvania.
No one, though, was more lavish and extravagant than Kimberly Guilfoyle, a Trump campaign aide and Donald Trump’s girlfriend. “President Trump believes in you!” she shrieked. “He emancipates and lifts you up to live your American Dream! You are capable! You are qualified! You are powerful! And you have the ability to choose your life, and determine your destiny!”
It’s reminiscent of the praise heaped on Adolf Hitler: “He is a pathfinder for those who devoted themselves to his idea, a man who conquered the hearts of his comrades in the midst of battle and never released them,” as Joseph Goebbels put it in one speech.
So if the rhino represents the free-thinking, independent, individualistic, traditional conservative Republican, what totemic animal best represents the obedient, adoring, bedazzled Trumper?
The choice
In a glass case in the Canadian Museum of Nature in Ottawa, there is a preserved, round, furry mammal about the size of a small Florida marsh rabbit or a large guinea pig, which it closely resembles. It lives in Arctic climes where it’s preyed upon so much it’s been characterized as the Arctic tundra’s “lunch box.” Its scientific name is Lemmus Lemmus. It’s known generically as a lemming.
Whether deserved or not, the lemming is famous for periodically gathering in large herds and migrating. Supposedly lemmings surmount all obstacles and ford streams, mindlessly moving on until they reach a cliff or the sea and unthinkingly and suicidally charge ahead to their deaths.
The danger of blindly following Donald J. Trump over a cliff to disaster is not new. In fact, it has a distinctly Southwest Floridian perspective.
“I’m definitely at variance with some of the people in the district who would probably follow Donald Trump off the Grand Canyon rim,” said Rep. Francis Rooney (R-19-Fla.) when he announced his retirement on Oct. 19, 2019.
The time has come when Donald Trump and his herd of lemmings have reached their cliff. Despite all the fantasies spun at the Republican convention Trump has utterly failed the nation, which is far sicker, poorer and weaker than when he took office.
Real Republicans can see this and they’re finding new ways to express their dissent. Long-time Republican political professionals have formed the fiercely anti-Trump Lincoln Project, which says it consists of “dedicated Americans defending democracy.” Republican Voters Against Trump state on their website that they are “a coalition of Republicans, former Republicans, conservatives, and former Trump voters who can’t support Trump for president this fall.” Veterans Against Trump declare that “We do not believe Donald Trump has the values or character to be our Commander-In-Chief and do not support him.” Former Republican governors John Kasich of Ohio and Christine Todd Whitman of New Jersey, former representative Susan Molinari and businesswoman Meg Whitman attacked Trump when they addressed the Democratic National Convention.
These RINOs can see the catastrophe that another four years of Donald Trump would bring and they’re doing something to prevent it. They’re awake, angry and charging.
Perhaps the term RINO doesn’t really mean Republican In Name Only—nowadays it really means Really Independent Nasty Opponent.
But whatever it means, the conclusion is inescapable: better to be a RINO than a lemming.
Liberty lives in light
©2020 by David Silverberg


dailykos--2020-08-28--Comedian Jim Gaffigan unloads on trump loyalists

Here is the full set of tweets , unrolled , emphasis mine - Look Trumpers I get it .
As a kid I was a cubs fan and I know you stick by your team no matter what but he 's a traitor and a con man who does n't care about you .
Deep down you know it .
I 'm sure you enjoy pissing people off but you know Trump is a liar and a criminal .
• None By the way you ca n't be against Cancel Culture and tell people to stay out of politics .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ job and did n't get paid ?
That 's trump and you know it .
• None I know you hate snobs and elites I get it but look at Ivana and that douche bag Jerod .
Think they are on your side ?
Do you think they 've ever done a real days work in their lives .
Wake up • None to those of you who think Im destroying my career wake up .
if trump gets elected , the economy will never come back .
• None Fuck Lou Holtz @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ?
Compared to who ?
How many abortions did trump pay for ?
How many women has he raped ?
How many times did pull the shit he did in Ukraine .
Wake up .
He 's a crook and a con man .
• None can we stop with this HOLLYWOOD shit .
I 'm not from Hollywood and Hollywood is just a town .
Please say coastal elites ( which Trump , Jared and Ivana are ) Maybe people on the east and west coasts have different values from yours but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ like trump .
• None Please dont buy that socialist crap either .
Obviously Obama was n't a socialist .
This is all lies to scare you and you know it .
Biden is not radical .
Are you serious ?
• None Remember everything Trump accuses the Democrats of he 's guilt of .
Dont let the socialist name calling distract you from the fact he is a fascist who has no belief in law .
• None You know Trump just creates enemies .
You know you ca n't trust him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ this crisis .
You know all those people did n't need to die .
Trump talks about the Space Program and you ca n't safely go to a movie .
Wake up • None I dont give a fuck if anyone thinks this is virtue signaling or whatever .
We need to wake up .
We need to call trump the con man and thief that he is .
• None Trump derangement syndrome is part of the con .
Wake up .
you know Fox News is biased and full of loons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ silence criticism .
Do you think any of those congressional republicans really believe in Trump or do they fear him dont want to end up like Flake .
• None Trump literally ran Paul Ryan out of politics .
Why ?
Paul Ryan knew Trump was poison .
So does Romney .
Trump is not a conservative or even a Republican .
You know that .
You know Barr is dirty .
You know if Trump gets re-elected it 's over .
How many books have to be written ?
• None Heading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ want to sound crazy please tell me about THE DEEP STATE .
- To sound stupid please be against CANCEL CULTURE but then accuse anyone with an opinion of Virtue signaling.- Trump Derangement Syndrome is meant to distract from the con of Don

Here is the full set of tweets, unrolled, emphasis mine -
Look Trumpers I get it. As a kid I was a cubs fan and I know you stick by your team no matter what but he's a traitor and a con man who doesn't care about you. Deep down you know it. I'm sure you enjoy pissing people off but you know Trump is a liar and a criminal.
By the way you can't be against Cancel Culture and tell people to stay out of politics. You know that time you did a job and didn't get paid? That's trump and you know it.
I know you hate snobs and elites I get it but look at Ivana and that douche bag Jerod. Think they are on your side? Do you think they've ever done a real days work in their lives. Wake up
to those of you who think Im destroying my career wake up. if trump gets elected, the economy will never come back.
You know he lies. Constantly. Yet you dont care? What because he insults people that make you and me feel dumb?
Fuck Lou Holtz. Biden is Catholic in name only? Compared to who? How many abortions did trump pay for? How many women has he raped? How many times did pull the shit he did in Ukraine. Wake up. He's a crook and a con man.
What bravery from the cowards who are against equal justice. Wake up. Don't you know history will make you the fool.
can we stop with this HOLLYWOOD shit. I'm not from Hollywood and Hollywood is just a town. Please say coastal elites (which Trump, Jared and Ivana are) Maybe people on the east and west coasts have different values from yours but they dont like liars and con men like trump.
Please dont buy that socialist crap either. Obviously Obama wasn't a socialist. This is all lies to scare you and you know it. Biden is not radical. Are you serious?
Remember everything Trump accuses the Democrats of he's guilt of. Dont let the socialist name calling distract you from the fact he is a fascist who has no belief in law.
You know Trump just creates enemies. You know you can't trust him. You know he been incompetent during this crisis. You know all those people didn't need to die. Trump talks about the Space Program and you can't safely go to a movie. Wake up
Trump budding up with dictators is RADICAL. Trump having interfering with the justice department is RADICAL. Trump pandering to the police and army (I gave 3 raises) is RADICAL.
I dont give a fuck if anyone thinks this is virtue signaling or whatever. We need to wake up. We need to call trump the con man and thief that he is.
Trump derangement syndrome is part of the con. Wake up. you know Fox News is biased and full of loons. it's how they gaslight and silence criticism. Do you think any of those congressional republicans really believe in Trump or do they fear him dont want to end up like Flake.
Trump literally ran Paul Ryan out of politics. Why? Paul Ryan knew Trump was poison. So does Romney. Trump is not a conservative or even a Republican. You know that. You know Barr is dirty. You know if Trump gets re-elected it's over. How many books have to be written?


dailykos--2020-08-30--This Week in the War on Women, 8/23-29/20: Kamala Harris, News, and Cats!

Nobody Is Entitled to Be an Elected Official It ’ s not cancel culture to demand a would-be teen legislator demonstrate maturity .
Coleman found a nude photo of a girl online and threatened to publicize it unless she sent more nude photos .
She refused , so he carried out his threat .
Could this be considered childish and too far in the past ?
Welp , of course , he minimized the whole thing and issued a nopology .
So no .
But “ Boys will be boys , '' right ?
Suffragists and activists are being accused @ @ @ @ @ @ @ B. Anthony was no racist , historian says https : //www.democratandchronicle.com/ ... `` The charge that Susan B. Anthony did not want black women to vote is simply wrong , '' she said .
`` There 's lots of evidence to show otherwise .
But the idea was out there that day , and it 's still out there .
And the fact that this specific charge against Miss Anthony is false should not , I think , end the conversation , but rather start one , about race and voting rights for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the remainder of her talk outlining historical examples of conflicts between racial issues and the women 's suffragist movement , and Anthony 's stance during many of those examples .
https : //www.hercampus.com/ ... Susan B. Anthony was approached by Wendell Phillips and Theodore Tilton- who were members of the same organization for suffrage as Anthony- and advised to allow the American Equal Rights Association to focus almost solely on getting the African American man ’ s right to vote .
Anthony was appalled- she had helped found AERA on the grounds that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vote .
It was in regards to this that Anthony responded by holding up her right arm and stating , “ Look at this , all of you .
And hear me swear that I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work for or demand the ballot only for the negro and not the woman '' .
The Remarkable Friendship of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass https : //2020owovfest.org/ ...
Selective abortion in India could lead to 6.8 million fewer girls being born by 2030 .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brazil published the name of a pregnant 10-year-old girl and the hospital where she was set to have an abortion , forcing her to enter the facility hidden in a car trunk .
Abby Johnson Spreads Falsehoods About Abortion At The RNC ( bonus- she 's also a flaming racist ... ) Scott Peterson 's death sentence overturned in murder of pregnant wife Scott Peterson was found guilty of killing his wife and unborn son in 2004 .
The California Supreme Court overturned the death penalty sentence for Scott Peterson , who was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in a highly publicized case .
Scott Peterson , 47 , was convicted in 2004 of one count of first-degree murder for killing his wife , Laci Peterson -- who was nearly 8 months pregnant at the time -- and one count of second-degree murder for killing their unborn son .
https : //abcnews.go.com/… Joseph James DeAngelo , the former police officer known as the Golden State Killer , is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for raping more than 50 women and killing 13 people in the 1970s and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ up with women .
Many are victims of the war on drugs .
Today , jails in East and Southeast Asia hold the world 's biggest proportions of female prisoners .
In many nations , the majority are incarcerated for drug offenses : 82 % of women in Thai prisons are jailed for this and in the Philippines that figure is 53 % .
Say her name — Breonna Taylor : Rand Paul confronted by protesters over after Republican convention – video A group of angry protesters has confronted senator Rand Paul near @ @ @ @ @ @ @ As Rand walked through the crowd with his wife , demonstrators chanted 'say her name ' , in reference to Breonna Taylor , a black woman from Kentucky who was shot dead by police in May .
https : //www.theguardian.com/… Actually , this was somewhat ironic , as protesters probably did not know : Sen. Rand Paul Introduced the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act https : //www.paul.senate.gov/ ... ( It does not do anything to her attackers , but would outlaw no-knock warrants , a very necessary step IMO ! )
New statue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Park , “ first… to depict real women ” : Uganda court rules government must prioritize maternal health in “ huge shift ” : Ruling is result of lawsuit filed over deaths in childbirth of two women due to staff negligence and lack of facilities .
After three of her dear friends were murdered in 2015 , Nida Allam took to politics .
As a newly elected Durham County commissioner , she is the first Muslim woman elected to any political post in the history of North Carolina .
https : //bittersoutherner.com/2020/nida-allam-durham-north-carolina-county-comissioner-muslim August @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Equality Day ( and 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment of the US Constitution ) .
Hope you had an equally happy day !
How women are working toward making equality a reality : Let ’ s honor the suffragists who helped secure the 19th Amendment by voting , and protecting the right to vote .
19th Amendment at 100 : IU historians delve into diversity of women ’ s suffrage movement .
First we had ( August 26 ) # LetUsSpeak : Victoria blocks sexual assault victims from using @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sexual assault survivors in Victoria have been stripped of their legal right to tell their stories using their real names .
The changes to the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act – which were quietly introduced in February – silence all sexual assault victims whose offenders have been found guilty , by banning them from ever speaking out under their real identities .
The new ‘ gag laws ’ have been described as a “ major victory ” for convicted paedophiles and rapists , as their victims are now “ muzzled ” and prohibited from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ autobiographies – regardless of their consent… .
Any sexual assault victim found guilty of breaking the new laws could face up to four months jail and fines in excess of $ 3000 .
Media outlets could also face potential prosecution and fines of over $ 8000 .
https : //www.news.com.au/… Then we had ( same day ) : Campaign by abuse survivors prompts urgent review by Victoria ’ s Attorney-General .
And now we have ( August 28 ) : Victoria to “ urgently ” fix law that stops sexual assault survivors speaking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ promises the majority of victims will not need a court order to go public .
Of course , would have been nice if they ’ d done this before passing the law .
But better late than never .
Pornhub , the world 's largest and most popular porn site , has been repeatedly caught enabling , hosting , and profiting from videos of child rape , sex trafficking , and other forms of non-consensual content exploiting women and minors .
We 're calling for Pornhub to be shut down and its executives @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Traffickinghub campaign , founded by Laila Mickelwait and powered by the anti-trafficking organization Exodus Cry , is a non-religious , non-partisan effort supported by activists from 192 countries and a broad spectrum of over 300 organizations This column would not be possible without everyone ’ s purrticipation !
Many thanks to Angmar , Tara , mettle fatigue , SandraLLAP , and ramara .
If I didn ’ t have time to include all your links , please feel free to add in comments .
The blog is now open !

Let’s begin with Kamala Harris. How great is it to have a VP that is a minority and a woman? If Joe’s health fails, then we will have our first woman president at last, our second black president, and our first Asian president. Yes, she is all of those! I get tired of reading how she is not really black. If true of her, equally true of President Obama! Really, within reason, people can self identify any way they want. If you are black enough to have to put up with the crap associated with being treated as black in America, then you have every right to identify as black. Mitch McConnell did not suddenly make the Reptublicans (reptilian Republicans) the Party of No because President Obama was a Democrat. He hadn’t been as obstructive of Bill Clinton. Both Obama and Harris have not had their citizenship questioned because they are “not black enough”. Of course they are black!
Further rant: Kamala Harris is “too ambitious” to be VP? Suddenly such critics have conveniently forgotten that Joe Biden ran for president in 1988 and 2008, yet was considered well qualified to serve two terms as VP under Obama, and will now be our 46th president (I suggest we choose to be hopeful, but also work our rumps off for this so-needed outcome). I cannot find any concern in 2008 that Biden was “too ambitious” to serve as Obama’s VP. In fact, his experiences were considered likely to make him very “loyal” to his president. Hmm, what could be the difference...? Maybe Senator Harris hasn’t tried often enough to become president yet? I’m sure that’s it. Or maybe it’s because one of them is a woman….
So I won’t repeat all the critiques, you can find them here if you want to be further disgusted. Of course I am a pretty-far-leftie, so have some policy differences with both of our nominees. But even assuming my views are correct, they’re both WAY better than *Rump and Pants, for whom I have such loathing I will not even type their names correctly. Meanwhile, let’s please push back on racist and sexist horse crap whenever we run across it! (Twitter, of course, being expert at this.)
Most images show Kamala behind Joe. I prefer this one!
In Other News:
harassment
Nobody Is Entitled to Be an Elected Official
It’s not cancel culture to demand a would-be teen legislator demonstrate maturity.
Coleman found a nude photo of a girl online and threatened to publicize it unless she sent more nude photos. She refused, so he carried out his threat. Could this be considered childish and too far in the past? Welp, of course, he minimized the whole thing and issued a nopology. So no. But “Boys will be boys," right?
Passing around nude pootie pics is OK, nude people not so much
racism
Suffragists and activists are being accused of racism lately. Arguments:
Susan B. Anthony was no racist, historian says
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/...
"The charge that Susan B. Anthony did not want black women to vote is simply wrong," she said. "There's lots of evidence to show otherwise. But the idea was out there that day, and it's still out there. And the fact that this specific charge against Miss Anthony is false should not, I think, end the conversation, but rather start one, about race and voting rights for women."
Gordon spent much of the remainder of her talk outlining historical examples of conflicts between racial issues and the women's suffragist movement, and Anthony's stance during many of those examples.
https://www.hercampus.com/...
Susan B. Anthony was approached by Wendell Phillips and Theodore Tilton- who were members of the same organization for suffrage as Anthony- and advised to allow the American Equal Rights Association to focus almost solely on getting the African American man’s right to vote. Anthony was appalled- she had helped found AERA on the grounds that it would be a universal right to vote. It was in regards to this that Anthony responded by holding up her right arm and stating, “Look at this, all of you. And hear me swear that I will cut off this right arm of mine before I will ever work for or demand the ballot only for the negro and not the woman".
The Remarkable Friendship of Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass
https://2020owovfest.org/...
abortion
Selective abortion in India could lead to 6.8 million fewer girls being born by 2030.
Human Rights Watch reports anti-abortion campaigners in Brazil published the name of a pregnant 10-year-old girl and the hospital where she was set to have an abortion, forcing her to enter the facility hidden in a car trunk.
Abby Johnson Spreads Falsehoods About Abortion At The RNC (bonus- she's also a flaming racist...)
More reproductive rights stories this week:
Trump administration wants limits reimposed on medication abortion
Texas renews court effort to ban abortion procedure
No woman should be forced to have babies — cuteness is irrelevant!
violence
Scott Peterson's death sentence overturned in murder of pregnant wife
Scott Peterson was found guilty of killing his wife and unborn son in 2004.
The California Supreme Court overturned the death penalty sentence for Scott Peterson, who was found guilty of murdering his pregnant wife in a highly publicized case.
Scott Peterson, 47, was convicted in 2004 of one count of first-degree murder for killing his wife, Laci Peterson -- who was nearly 8 months pregnant at the time -- and one count of second-degree murder for killing their unborn son.
https://abcnews.go.com/…
Joseph James DeAngelo, the former police officer known as the Golden State Killer, is sentenced to life in prison without possibility of parole for raping more than 50 women and killing 13 people in the 1970s and 80s.
injustice
Asia's prisons are filling up with women. Many are victims of the war on drugs.
Today, jails in East and Southeast Asia hold the world's biggest proportions of female prisoners. In many nations, the majority are incarcerated for drug offenses: 82% of women in Thai prisons are jailed for this and in the Philippines that figure is 53%.
https://www.cnn.com/…
Say her name — Breonna Taylor: Rand Paul confronted by protesters over after Republican convention – video
A group of angry protesters has confronted senator Rand Paul near the White House in Washington DC. As Rand walked through the crowd with his wife, demonstrators chanted 'say her name', in reference to Breonna Taylor, a black woman from Kentucky who was shot dead by police in May.
https://www.theguardian.com/…
Actually, this was somewhat ironic, as protesters probably did not know: Sen. Rand Paul Introduced the Justice for Breonna Taylor Act
https://www.paul.senate.gov/... (It does not do anything to her attackers, but would outlaw no-knock warrants, a very necessary step IMO!)
good(ish) news
New statue in New York City’s Central Park, “first… to depict real women”:
x A bronze statue featuring Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony was unveiled in New York’s Central Park Wednesday. The "Women's Rights Pioneers Monument" is the first in Central Park to depict real women. pic.twitter.com/OhxII61j7R — CBS News (@CBSNews) August 27, 2020
LONG overdue!
Uganda court rules government must prioritize maternal health in “huge shift”: Ruling is result of lawsuit filed over deaths in childbirth of two women due to staff negligence and lack of facilities.
After three of her dear friends were murdered in 2015, Nida Allam took to politics. As a newly elected Durham County commissioner, she is the first Muslim woman elected to any political post in the history of North Carolina. https://bittersoutherner.com/2020/nida-allam-durham-north-carolina-county-comissioner-muslim
NASA astronaut Jeanette Epps to make rookie spaceflight aboard Boeing's Starliner
https://www.space.com/…
Real astronaut Jeanette Epps with Nichelle Nichols (of Star Trek fame) — h/t mettle fatigue
August 26, 2020 was Women’s Equality Day (and 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment of the US Constitution). Hope you had an equally happy day! How women are working toward making equality a reality:
x This #WomensEqualityDay, we’re proud to re-share our special collaboration with illustrator @BodilJane that brought to life how women who were affected by conflict are working towards making equality a reality. Meet Razia, Laraba and Valentina: https://t.co/9yqvugT1cE — IRC - International Rescue Committee (@RESCUEorg) August 26, 2020
Let’s honor the suffragists who helped secure the 19th Amendment by voting, and protecting the right to vote.
19th Amendment at 100: IU historians delve into diversity of women’s suffrage movement.
Do not take voting rights for granted!
evolution of a solution
First we had (August 26) #LetUsSpeak: Victoria blocks sexual assault victims from using real names
Australia
Tens of thousands of sexual assault survivors in Victoria have been stripped of their legal right to tell their stories using their real names.
The changes to the Judicial Proceedings Reports Act – which were quietly introduced in February – silence all sexual assault victims whose offenders have been found guilty, by banning them from ever speaking out under their real identities. The new ‘gag laws’ have been described as a “major victory” for convicted paedophiles and rapists, as their victims are now “muzzled” and prohibited from self-identifying in publications – including media and autobiographies – regardless of their consent….
Any sexual assault victim found guilty of breaking the new laws could face up to four months jail and fines in excess of $3000. Media outlets could also face potential prosecution and fines of over $8000.
https://www.news.com.au/…
Then we had (same day): Campaign by abuse survivors prompts urgent review by Victoria’s Attorney-General.
And now we have (August 28): Victoria to “urgently” fix law that stops sexual assault survivors speaking out: State attorney general Jill Hennessy promises the majority of victims will not need a court order to go public.
Hennessy said the previous law change was meant to maintain the privacy of sexual offence victims and was never meant to stop them from speaking out. “The voices of victim-survivors are a powerful and important part of the justice system,” the attorney general said in a statement. “Their expertise will be invaluable as we make these urgent changes. I have immense respect for victim-survivors who have the courage to speak out about their experiences and advocate for positive change. We hear you and we will take action.” The Victorian government is planning to consult with survivor groups on amendments to the legislation, which will be introduced into parliament before the end of the year.
Of course, would have been nice if they’d done this before passing the law. But better late than never.
Petitions
Pornhub, the world's largest and most popular porn site, has been repeatedly caught enabling, hosting, and profiting from videos of child rape, sex trafficking, and other forms of non-consensual content exploiting women and minors. We're calling for Pornhub to be shut down and its executives held accountable for these crimes.
The Traffickinghub campaign, founded by Laila Mickelwait and powered by the anti-trafficking organization Exodus Cry, is a non-religious, non-partisan effort supported by activists from 192 countries and a broad spectrum of over 300 organizations
https://traffickinghubpetition.com/…
Together, we do make a difference!
This column would not be possible without everyone’s purrticipation! Many thanks to Angmar, Tara, mettle fatigue, SandraLLAP, and ramara. If I didn’t have time to include all your links, please feel free to add in comments. The blog is now open!


dailykos--2020-08-29--Because of mail-in voting, Trump could APPEAR to win by a landslide on Election Night!

Better not schedule a Victory Party on Nov. 3rd if you ’ re a Biden supporter .
Because of the @ @ @ @ @ Biden ’ s voters will be voting by mail .
Most of Trump ’ s @ @ @ @ @ .
So while SOME mailed-in ballots may be counted early and their totals posted Election @ @ @ @ @ most of those ballots won ’ t be counted for days if not WEEKS later @ @ @ @ @ believe the article above at Nate Silver ’ s 538.com .
What do we imagine @ @ @ @ @ ?
I ’ m thinking his simplest line of attack works best , eg .
@ @ @ @ @ on Election Night !
And then , as time goes by it seems they keep @ @ @ @ @ !
Now , all of a sudden I ’ m LOSING !
It ’ s @ @ @ @ @ to STAND FOR THIS ?
!
”

https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/bidens-supporters-appear-way-more-likely-to-vote-by-mail-than-trumps-that-could-make-for-a-weird-election-night/
Better not schedule a Victory Party on Nov. 3rd if you’re a Biden supporter. Because of the COVID virus, MOST of Biden’s voters will be voting by mail. Most of Trump’s voters will vote in person.
So while SOME mailed-in ballots may be counted early and their totals posted Election Night, more than likely most of those ballots won’t be counted for days if not WEEKS later. At least if you believe the article above at Nate Silver’s 538.com.
What do we imagine TRUMP will do with this? I’m thinking his simplest line of attack works best, eg. “ I was WINNING BIG on Election Night! And then, as time goes by it seems they keep discovering all these NEW BALLOTS! Now, all of a sudden I’m LOSING! It’s DISGRACEFUL! Are we going to STAND FOR THIS?!”
(Some of the early comments appear not to have read the article, which is what I hope everybody who is interested in this issue will do.)


dailykos--2020-08-30--ABC to air ‘Black Panther’ and Chadwick Boseman special tonight, no ads ☼ Watch with family ☼ Poll

The Walt Disney Co. and Marvel Studios will pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman tonight with a special commercial-free airing of “ Black Panther ” on ABC , followed by a special examining the actor ’ s life and work .
The unusual move is a sign of respect from the studio behind the Marvel movie that brought Boseman his greatest fame and pop culture impact .
The respected actor died Friday at the age of 43 after privately battling colon cancer for four years .
Boseman starred in the groundbreaking 2018 superhero movie that was the first of its kind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Boseman emerged as a hero and role model from his commanding performance as T ’ Challa , a man who returns home to the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda to fight to claim his rightful place on the throne after the death of his father .
Directed by Ryan Coogler , the formidable “ Black Panther ” cast includes Michael B. Jordan , Lupita Nyong ’ o , Forest Whitaker , Danai Gurira , Daniel Kaluuya , Angela Bassett , Martin Freeman , Letitia Wright , Winston Duke and Andy Serkis .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Chicago time , with the special following at 9:20 p.m. — Chicago Sun Times Connect and watch with your family You could use any of the online-meeting programs to connect with your family while you watch the show , even separated by miles : Zoom , Google Hangouts , Skype , FaceBook Live , and others will suffice .
It ’ s like being in a theater together .
Power with , not power over ,

1.
ABC to Air ‘Black Panther’ and Chadwick Boseman Tribute Special Tonight — Variety
The Walt Disney Co. and Marvel Studios will pay tribute to Chadwick Boseman tonight with a special commercial-free airing of “Black Panther” on ABC, followed by a special examining the actor’s life and work. The unusual move is a sign of respect from the studio behind the Marvel movie that brought Boseman his greatest fame and pop culture impact. The respected actor died Friday at the age of 43 after privately battling colon cancer for four years. Boseman starred in the groundbreaking 2018 superhero movie that was the first of its kind to center largely on Black characters. Boseman emerged as a hero and role model from his commanding performance as T’Challa, a man who returns home to the fictional African kingdom of Wakanda to fight to claim his rightful place on the throne after the death of his father. Directed by Ryan Coogler, the formidable “Black Panther” cast includes Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong’o, Forest Whitaker, Danai Gurira, Daniel Kaluuya, Angela Bassett, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Winston Duke and Andy Serkis.
The film will be broadcast at 7 p.m. Chicago time, with the special following at 9:20 p.m. — Chicago Sun Times
2.
Connect and watch with your family
You could use any of the online-meeting programs to connect with your family while you watch the show, even separated by miles: Zoom, Google Hangouts, Skype, FaceBook Live, and others will suffice. It’s like being in a theater together.
Power with, not power over,
2thanks (he, him)


dailykos--2020-08-30--Joe Biden, Please listen to Don Lemon Speak on the Violence.

I have to tell you , I an not nervous but I am getting concerned .
I ( we ) have seen several elections where Republicans were able to “ take control of the narrative ” and define the issues .
This happened in 1988 .
Let me be clear I support BLM .
I acknowledge Systemic Racism and most of my friends do as well .
But I am writing here in my beautiful college town ( Its currently a beautiful day in New Paltz ) but I am thinking about Wisconsin , Michigan , Minnesota , and Pennsylvania @ @ @ @ @ @ @ law and order ” may be totally nonsense but so was the Willie Horton Add .
Don Lemons , being from Louisiana understands this as he , like all African Americans , lives with it .
Joe Biden needs to to what Obama did when he addressed racism and white privilege He needs to stand before the podium , renounce violence and remind people that this Donald Trump is responsible for this debacle !
He is inciting violence and like COVID-19 instituted a series of misteps that result in the deaths of 180,000 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not assume folks will “ connect the dots ” If we don ’ t define this issue , Trump and the GOP will do it

thehill.com/…
I have to tell you , I an not nervous but I am getting concerned. I (we) have seen several elections where Republicans were able to “take control of the narrative” and define the issues. This happened in 1988 . Let me be clear I support BLM. I acknowledge Systemic Racism and most of my friends do as well. But I am writing here in my beautiful college town (Its currently a beautiful day in New Paltz) but I am thinking about Wisconsin, Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.
Trump’s appeal to “law and order” may be totally nonsense but so was the Willie Horton Add.
Don Lemons, being from Louisiana understands this as he , like all African Americans , lives with it.
Joe Biden needs to to what Obama did when he addressed racism and white privilege
He needs to stand before the podium , renounce violence and remind people that this Donald Trump is responsible for this debacle! He is inciting violence and like COVID-19 instituted a series of misteps that result in the deaths of 180,000 people (and counting)
You cannot assume folks will “connect the dots” If we don’t define this issue, Trump and the GOP will do it


dailykos--2020-08-30--Trump Is Trying To Disappear The Reality That This Is Happening On His Watch-Urgency Is Needed

I am a business/marketing consultant specializing in neuropsychology and how consumers make decisions .
I believe this is an appropriate forum for a discussion such as this .
I ask for your consideration of the premise .
Gaslighting works .
Trump doesn ’ t have a lot of skills but he is a master of gaslighting .
He would have used the chaos in the streets narrative no matter what .
That is a staple of Republican election politics .
Whether it ’ s the communists , the terrorists , caravans or black people coming for your homes , Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their voters .
Here ’ s a piece I wrote for a magazine recently .
“ Always campaign like you are two points behind ” In studies conducted on the psychological profiles of liberals and conservatives back in the early 2000s at the University of Nebraska and another at UCLA it was discovered that people who tended to vote for Republican candidates were more security minded and had a very fixed sense of right and wrong , preferring social conformity .
Using FMRI brain scan technology subjects viewed images of black people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did , the amygdala part of the brain , which among other functions is responsible for the fight or flight response , lit up more dramatically than people who said they voted for Democratic candidates .
What we now know is that the narrative of law and order in times of racial unrest is soothing to the brains of people who call themselves conservative .
There needs to be a sense of order because it simply feels safer and with it comes a better chance of survival .
The conservative brain craves safety @ @ @ @ @ @ @ leader who comes across as tough , uncompromising and even a bit ruthless is the only choice they want in perilous times .
Unconsciously , after all this is where most important decisions are made , they don ’ t care as much if their leaders lie , cheat on their wife and cage children as long as they can keep them safe .
Democrats have never done a good job of counteracting this because according to these studies , their brains and those of their voters are not as susceptible to fear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lesser role in decision making per the two university studies .
Democratic politicians seem to overestimate the ability of voters to see through these tactics .
Democrats tend to be more cerebral , they like smart Presidents who enlightened them .
Republicans want someone who they feel will protect them , their tribe and their stuff .
The irony is that Republican policies don ’ t make people safer , in any conceivable way .
Instead every metric for real life safety impacting people ’ s real lives like the economy , social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and these failures then get blamed on Democrats .
There will be a depression sized recession coming in 2021 due to current circumstances and the time bomb left ticking by the Trump tax cuts .
Republicans will be blaming that on Biden and the Democrats .
That inevitability must get preempted right now .
Biden and all Democrats have to make a priority this election cycle to warn Americans what is coming .
If not they will find themselves back in the same situation they experienced in 2010 when Obama took the hit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Joe Biden and the Democrats must constantly co-opt the safety argument and interrupt that facade .
They have started to do it I noticed with Joe saying and Tweeting about the chaos is already here under Trump ’ s presidency .
There needs to be stronger versions of this every day .
Democrats have an advantage in selling the rationale of this narrative because we are actively living through it and it ’ s not anywhere near an overstatement that Trump is the cause of most of it .
They have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump himself even can by hammering home that not only is this shit show Trump ’ s doing , but it is going to get much much worse .
Make it graphic , make it real for them .
It ’ s not some hypothetical reach .
It ’ s not hyperbole , it is as real as the events they are living through right now .
People have natural biases , yet getting them to be aware of them is not something that is likely to happen .
We don ’ t @ @ @ @ @ @ @ toward another group , that we house prejudices .
We need a reason that builds upon a rationale to psychologically validate the negative feeling about another group .
Stereotypes can serve to assist with to some extent but over time these lose their effectiveness as the culture becomes more diverse and our day to day encounters with other groups become more prevalent .
I suspect the Trump campaign has a team well versed in neuropsychology advising them on how to keep the anger stoked around Black Lives Matter by weaponizing the language of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people they hope to get back living in the suburbs , feel better about their anger and disgust around the protests .
To separate the two would require more nuanced thinking than most people are willing to do .
Our brains are designed by default to adopt the simplest answer .
It will be difficult for voters to separate the peaceful protests from the violence , especially in the presence of existing implicit biases .
If I were to give Joe Biden ’ s campaign advice it would be this ; there will @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bring people together and healing after the election .
This is no time for the arrival of the reasonable man or a political Mr. Rogers .
Be harder and tougher than Trump , your cause is righteous so own it .
His base will crumble and feel more secure with you as their leader after the election .
Visceral righteous anger is interpreted as strength .
It looks like resolve .
It looks like order .

I am a business/marketing consultant specializing in neuropsychology and how consumers make decisions. I believe this is an appropriate forum for a discussion such as this. I ask for your consideration of the premise.
Gaslighting works. Trump doesn’t have a lot of skills but he is a master of gaslighting. He would have used the chaos in the streets narrative no matter what. That is a staple of Republican election politics. Whether it’s the communists, the terrorists, caravans or black people coming for your homes, Republicans have effectively used a boogeyman to scare their voters. Here’s a piece I wrote for a magazine recently.
“Always campaign like you are two points behind”
-James Carville
In studies conducted on the psychological profiles of liberals and conservatives back in the early 2000s at the University of Nebraska and another at UCLA it was discovered that people who tended to vote for Republican candidates were more security minded and had a very fixed sense of right and wrong, preferring social conformity. Using FMRI brain scan technology subjects viewed images of black people, protests and urban violence. As they did, the amygdala part of the brain, which among other functions is responsible for the fight or flight response, lit up more dramatically than people who said they voted for Democratic candidates.
What we now know is that the narrative of law and order in times of racial unrest is soothing to the brains of people who call themselves conservative. There needs to be a sense of order because it simply feels safer and with it comes a better chance of survival. The conservative brain craves safety and security above all else. A leader who comes across as tough, uncompromising and even a bit ruthless is the only choice they want in perilous times. Unconsciously, after all this is where most important decisions are made, they don’t care as much if their leaders lie, cheat on their wife and cage children as long as they can keep them safe.
Democrats have never done a good job of counteracting this because according to these studies, their brains and those of their voters are not as susceptible to fear based rhetoric. Their amygdala plays a lesser role in decision making per the two university studies.
Democratic politicians seem to overestimate the ability of voters to see through these tactics. Democrats tend to be more cerebral, they like smart Presidents who enlightened them. Republicans want someone who they feel will protect them, their tribe and their stuff.
The irony is that Republican policies don’t make people safer, in any conceivable way. Instead every metric for real life safety impacting people’s real lives like the economy, social welfare and wellness suffer under Republican administrations and these failures then get blamed on Democrats. There will be a depression sized recession coming in 2021 due to current circumstances and the time bomb left ticking by the Trump tax cuts. Republicans will be blaming that on Biden and the Democrats. That inevitability must get preempted right now. Biden and all Democrats have to make a priority this election cycle to warn Americans what is coming. If not they will find themselves back in the same situation they experienced in 2010 when Obama took the hit for the Bush economic disaster in 2008.
Joe Biden and the Democrats must constantly co-opt the safety argument and interrupt that facade. They have started to do it I noticed with Joe saying and Tweeting about the chaos is already here under Trump’s presidency. There needs to be stronger versions of this every day. Democrats have an advantage in selling the rationale of this narrative because we are actively living through it and it’s not anywhere near an overstatement that Trump is the cause of most of it. They have to scare Trump’s base more than Trump himself even can by hammering home that not only is this shit show Trump’s doing, but it is going to get much much worse. Make it graphic, make it real for them. It’s not some hypothetical reach. It’s not hyperbole, it is as real as the events they are living through right now.
People have natural biases, yet getting them to be aware of them is not something that is likely to happen. We don’t like to feel that we have animus toward another group, that we house prejudices. We need a reason that builds upon a rationale to psychologically validate the negative feeling about another group.
Stereotypes can serve to assist with to some extent but over time these lose their effectiveness as the culture becomes more diverse and our day to day encounters with other groups become more prevalent. I suspect the Trump campaign has a team well versed in neuropsychology advising them on how to keep the anger stoked around Black Lives Matter by weaponizing the language of violence to help their base, and people they hope to get back living in the suburbs, feel better about their anger and disgust around the protests. To separate the two would require more nuanced thinking than most people are willing to do. Our brains are designed by default to adopt the simplest answer. It will be difficult for voters to separate the peaceful protests from the violence, especially in the presence of existing implicit biases.
If I were to give Joe Biden’s campaign advice it would be this; there will be time to calm the nation and bring people together and healing after the election. This is no time for the arrival of the reasonable man or a political Mr. Rogers. Be harder and tougher than Trump, your cause is righteous so own it. His base will crumble and feel more secure with you as their leader after the election. Visceral righteous anger is interpreted as strength. It looks like resolve. It looks like order.


dailykos--2020-08-31--Pavement-pounding Wise, Pence Foolish

Pavement-pounding Wise, Pence Foolish

I don ’ t know exactly why , but earlier this year , I received a fund-raising letter from the office of Vice President Mike Pence , asking for a donation , and ( unusually ) an opinion .
I wrote back , as follows : Dear Mr. Vice President : Thank you for this opportunity to submit my opinion .
In this last decade of de facto censorship and repression of free speech , such an opportunity is a pearl of great price , and not to be discarded lightly .
Indeed , I must regret , as did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have only one opinion to give my country .
It is my painful duty to admit , in my lifetime the present administration have made an outrageous fiasco of our national policy .
The actions , innovations , guiding principles , and positions assumed by President Trump and all his supporters , in office and out , have made our nation a mockery and a laughingstock in half of the world , and a name of opprobrium in the other half , and have furthermore inspired corrupt politicians , crooked businessmen , demagogues @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world over , to commit atrocities against the people they were elected to protect .
Of this situation , you yourself , sir , can scarcely be unaware .
Indeed , you may be more cognizant of the details of this appalling condition , than I .
Having said that , public opinion , including my own , is inclined to believe , It is far too expensive to be borne , in money , lives , time , and resources , to persist in the pursuit of present national objectives , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and justification .
Therefore I do most respectfully urge yourself , and the administration , to redirect your attentions to domestic concerns , such as the reduction of industrial pollutants , the easing of inter-ethnic tensions , and the refinancing of the educational system , especially at the university and trade-college levels .
I have yet to see a second letter from Mr. Pence ’ s office .

I don’t know exactly why, but earlier this year, I received a fund-raising letter from the office of Vice President Mike Pence, asking for a donation, and (unusually) an opinion. I wrote back, as follows:
January 9, 2020
Attn: Vice President Mike Pence,
National Republican Congressional Committee,
P.O. Box 98219,
Washington, D.C. 20077-4591
Dear Mr. Vice President:
Thank you for this opportunity to submit my opinion. In this last decade of de facto censorship and repression of free speech, such an opportunity is a pearl of great price, and not to be discarded lightly. Indeed, I must regret, as did Nathan Hale of his life, I have only one opinion to give my country.
It is my painful duty to admit, in my lifetime the present administration have made an outrageous fiasco of our national policy. The actions, innovations, guiding principles, and positions assumed by President Trump and all his supporters, in office and out, have made our nation a mockery and a laughingstock in half of the world, and a name of opprobrium in the other half, and have furthermore inspired corrupt politicians, crooked businessmen, demagogues, propagandists, fanatics, and tyrants the world over, to commit atrocities against the people they were elected to protect.
Of this situation, you yourself, sir, can scarcely be unaware. Indeed, you may be more cognizant of the details of this appalling condition, than I. Having said that, public opinion, including my own, is inclined to believe, It is far too expensive to be borne, in money, lives, time, and resources, to persist in the pursuit of present national objectives, even on a guarantee of future success and justification.
Therefore I do most respectfully urge yourself, and the administration, to redirect your attentions to domestic concerns, such as the reduction of industrial pollutants, the easing of inter-ethnic tensions, and the refinancing of the educational system, especially at the university and trade-college levels.
Sincerely yours,
[name redacted].
I have yet to see a second letter from Mr. Pence’s office.


dailykos--2020-08-31--End-of-month Money Bomb for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris! Update $0 to $641 in 1 hour!

Last day of the month , let ’ s give Joe and Kamala a big bump !
Today is the last day of the month , and you know those monthly national fundraising totals will be compared .
Let ’ s muzzle the huddled mastiff yearning to plead the fifth .
For that purpose , the Daily Kos Biden group created an ActBlue page for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris here .
Please use our ActBlue page to donate to their campaign .
We have to start somewhere .
Who will be first ?
Donating via our ActBlue page is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Biden-Harris campaign .
There are many other options : • Support them on other social media .
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If you donated or supported us , thank you !

Last day of the month, let’s give Joe and Kamala a big bump!
Today is the last day of the month, and you know those monthly national fundraising totals will be compared. Let’s muzzle the huddled mastiff yearning to plead the fifth.
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Please use our ActBlue page to donate to their campaign.
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We have to start somewhere. Who will be first?
x To lead America, you have to understand America.
I know how hard it is for folks who are sick, struggling, and wondering how they'll get through the day.
You deserve a president who will fight for you and lead our nation out of these crises. I'll get started on day one. pic.twitter.com/evrWlwqhh1 — Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 27, 2020
Kamala Tweets
x Black Panther was more than a movie—it was a moment of collective celebration. And that’s because of Chadwick. pic.twitter.com/4aptPVyGlX — Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) August 31, 2020
Summary
Donating via our ActBlue page is not the only way to support the Biden-Harris campaign. There are many other options:
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Support this diary in myriad Kosack ways: Recommend Comment Share it with family and friends via your social media or by email. Answer any of the following questions in the comments: Did you donate? How are you participating in the Biden-Harris campaign? Did you switch your continuing contribution to our Daily Kos grassroots fundraising campaign ? Bring content into this diary: Links to current Biden/Harris diaries. Embed tweets of Kamala and/or Joe. We welcome positive comments about Joe and Kamala in this group diary. Follow our group by clicking the red ❤ or the word “Follow” after our name on this page . Then check your Stream (Daily Kos Inbox) for fundraising diaries for the Biden and Harris campaign.
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Power with, not power over,
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For the Daily Kos group Bye Don AKA Biden 2020
Update on 8/31 at 7:10 p.m. ET: $0 to $641 in 1 hour and 20 minutes! If you donated or supported us, thank you!
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dailykos--2020-08-31--COME JANUARY 21st, WE STILL HAVE A LONG WAY TO GO TO COME BACK FROM THE ABYSS.

Our nation must heal from trump ’ s divisiveness and his emboldening of the racist , misogynistic , xenophobic , and dangerous segment of our society .
This includes the militias , the neo-Nazis , the white nationalists , and even some members of our law enforcement agencies .
Three books I emphatically urge all Americans to read are by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin , by Ron Chernow , and The Soul of America : The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham .
The first gives better insight into the difficult struggle we had to free ourselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where we had to fight against our own neighbors , the Tories , who still supported King George III .
The second gives insight into how difficult it was to actually form the United States of America after England agreed to withdraw from the fledgling 13-colony coalition under the Articles of Confederation enacted in 1781 .
And the third tells how hard its been to stay the course to where we are today .
One of the most illuminating parts of Meacham ’ s account is his discussion of the red scare created @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The parallel between trump and McCarthy is scary , as both men fostered an ugly portrait of America .
The irony is that though both were narcissistic , media seeking , and dishonest want-to-be rulers , trump would have been labeled a communist by McCarthy and McCarthy would likely have been labeled a democrat by trump .
This November 3rd , we may put trump ’ s destruction of America in our rear-view mirror , but trump ’ s actions and the existence of his enablers and followers make me uneasy about what @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more so , if trump wins a second term .
Will we ever feel safe in America after what we have seen and been through these past few years ?
Too many folks have been given license by trump to exercise their true discriminatory and inhumane beliefs in the open .
In addition , seeing how trump , his family , his associates , his Republican enablers , and his wealthiest of American supporters and benefactors have controlled our lives these past few years makes me seriously doubt that our Nation can heal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it can root out these diseased elements of society that sought to enrich themselves and to destroy this Nation ’ s progress , to return our Nation to times of its ignominy , and to espouse ideals that I could never understand or support .
Are we to just forget what trump did to us , like killing over two hundred thousand of us before the election by his pretense of a COVID-19 response ?
Are we to forget his encouragement of these diseased and easily manipulated members of our society ?
Are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ could not have occurred but for his being enabled by Republican U.S .
Senators and Representatives , Governors , state legislators , and many members of the Republican party ?
Are we to just forget the existence of all of these groups and people that supported him in destroying America ’ s reputation and our sense of security in living in the United States of America ?
Are we to just forget Putin ’ s invasion of the American political system ?
Or trump ’ s abuse of the pardon power , or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abuse of the rule of law ?
What about Kelleyanne Conway ’ s creation of alternative facts to support trump ’ s lies and misrepresentations , Attorney General William Barr ’ s sickening allegiance to his fuhrër trump , or trump ’ s assault on the media and his claim of fake news ?
Should any of their actions be forgiven ?
I don ’ t think so .
Clearly , trump and his family , all the Republican enablers in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives , and other politicians @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trump ’ s cabinet , especially William Barr , must be prosecuted and punished .
All the money these thieves stole from America these past years must be recouped and used to make reparations to those most affected .
Shouldn ’ t these enablers and supporters be identified , monitored , and their ability to ever harm America again or to be so willingly manipulated into the pawns they have been these past few years be eliminated ?
What of all the judges that McConnell and his Putin-backed Republican senators put into life-time @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they get to remain there to spew trump philosophy and rhetoric from the bench ?
Shouldn ’ t they be impeached in the House , convicted in the Senate , and removed from office , too ?
Can we really allow insanity like the QAnon group that now has a toehold in our U.S.House of Representatives continue unabated ?
Whatever our Nation looks like on January 21st , we ’ ve a long way to go before our Nation is healed and able to return to its truest purpose to ensure justice for @ @

Our nation must heal from trump’s divisiveness and his emboldening of the racist, misogynistic, xenophobic, and dangerous segment of our society. This includes the militias, the neo-Nazis, the white nationalists, and even some members of our law enforcement agencies.
Three books I emphatically urge all Americans to read are Valley Forge by Bob Drury and Tom Clavin, Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, and The Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels by Jon Meacham. The first gives better insight into the difficult struggle we had to free ourselves of England’s monarchy and abuse where we had to fight against our own neighbors, the Tories, who still supported King George III. The second gives insight into how difficult it was to actually form the United States of America after England agreed to withdraw from the fledgling 13-colony coalition under the Articles of Confederation enacted in 1781. And the third tells how hard its been to stay the course to where we are today. One of the most illuminating parts of Meacham’s account is his discussion of the red scare created and fostered by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The parallel between trump and McCarthy is scary, as both men fostered an ugly portrait of America. The irony is that though both were narcissistic, media seeking,and dishonest want-to-be rulers, trump would have been labeled a communist by McCarthy and McCarthy would likely have been labeled a democrat by trump. This November 3rd, we may put trump’s destruction of America in our rear-view mirror, but trump’s actions and the existence of his enablers and followers make me uneasy about what’s next for America. And more so, if trump wins a second term.
Will we ever feel safe in America after what we have seen and been through these past few years? Too many folks have been given license by trump to exercise their true discriminatory and inhumane beliefs in the open. In addition, seeing how trump, his family, his associates, his Republican enablers, and his wealthiest of American supporters and benefactors have controlled our lives these past few years makes me seriously doubt that our Nation can heal itself in the near future or that it can root out these diseased elements of society that sought to enrich themselves and to destroy this Nation’s progress, to return our Nation to times of its ignominy, and to espouse ideals that I could never understand or support.
Are we to just forget what trump did to us, like killing over two hundred thousand of us before the election by his pretense of a COVID-19 response? Are we to forget his encouragement of these diseased and easily manipulated members of our society? Are we to just forget that his actions could not have occurred but for his being enabled by Republican U.S. Senators and Representatives, Governors, state legislators, and many members of the Republican party? Are we to just forget the existence of all of these groups and people that supported him in destroying America’s reputation and our sense of security in living in the United States of America? Are we to just forget Putin’s invasion of the American political system? Or trump’s abuse of the pardon power, or his abuse of whistleblowers, or his abuse of the rule of law? What about Kelleyanne Conway’s creation of alternative facts to support trump’s lies and misrepresentations, Attorney General William Barr’s sickening allegiance to his fuhrër trump, or trump’s assault on the media and his claim of fake news? Should any of their actions be forgiven? I don’t think so.
Clearly, trump and his family, all the Republican enablers in the Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives, and other politicians, as well as the members of trump’s cabinet, especially William Barr, must be prosecuted and punished. All the money these thieves stole from America these past years must be recouped and used to make reparations to those most affected. Shouldn’t these enablers and supporters be identified, monitored, and their ability to ever harm America again or to be so willingly manipulated into the pawns they have been these past few years be eliminated? What of all the judges that McConnell and his Putin-backed Republican senators put into life-time appointments, like Brett Kavanaugh? Do they get to remain there to spew trump philosophy and rhetoric from the bench? Shouldn’t they be impeached in the House, convicted in the Senate, and removed from office, too? Can we really allow insanity like the QAnon group that now has a toehold in our U.S.House of Representatives continue unabated?
Whatever our Nation looks like on January 21st, we’ve a long way to go before our Nation is healed and able to return to its truest purpose to ensure justice for all.


dailykos--2020-08-31--The Cenacle | 112 | Summer 2020 *Just Released*

Here comes the just-released Cenacle | 112 | Summer 2020 .
It is dated “ Summer ” instead of “ June ” because , quite honestly , it ’ s been slow in finishing .
Maybe it ’ s the pandemic and sheltering at home , maybe it ’ s me job hunting ( again ) , or maybe I was just slow to do it .
But “ Summer ” fits this time .
It ’ s been a hard , crazy summer for everyone , in the world really .
This issue addresses some of the things on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ think holds its currency for its release today .
As always , my thanks to the wonderful writers & artists within its pages .
And thank you for taking the time to read it .
I hope it spends your time well Contents of this new issue include : Marches in cities are helpful if they lead millions clamoring for justice to the voting booth this November .
Ridding the government of the poison that is Trump will help , will maybe be a restart .
Tom Sheehan ’ s short story “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wonderfully unpredictable , and seems to hint at some kind of larger world around this village .
The ending is perfect .
It left me wanting to know more about the world it took place in , and to hear more stories from this setting .
And to experiment with woodworking [ Timothy Vilgiate ] To me this is a very Taoist poem .
Clearly , it is all about balance .
But more than that , it shows us that we can not have light without dark , happiness without sorrow , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Once one finds Tao , it goes with you everywhere because the Tao is all things .
A Tao waterwheel spins within a Tao stream .
And in finding what we were looking for , we realize we were never without it .
[ Jimmy Heffernan ] All this after two months in isolation , we wake up in a revolution , Notes from New England by Raymond Soulard , Jr. : Everything dreams , because Dreaming is the original state/sense , from which the others come .
There is no bifurcation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ too , even in this timeless Dreaming time .
The hmmm emerges from the Dreaming , music of all singing close together .
Something , or someone , cackles playfully , merrily , & the Hmmm becomes a braiding of many musics , still clustered in one Dreaming ; until a Blue Suitcase falls from the sky , from an Emandian spaceship , waking all to the senses of sight , sound , touch , smell , & taste .
There is now waking & these 5 senses additional to the Dreaming & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 16 : What is the Red Bag ?
Part 1 by Algernon Beagle I could tell you that we come from the Red Bag , & it would be almost true , but not enough .
You see , the Red Bag is how we got here .
And through the Red Bag is where we are from .
It ’ s like through the door of the Red Bag , just on the other side , is our original home .
If you tried to get there the usual way , it @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many centuries , & you would arrive so much later than now .
But through the door of the Red Bag , you would arrive now , a few steps , a few seconds .
Except you would not find our world .
Our world is gone .
It is a dead , dark place .
We left unwillingly , & we could hardly bring everyone , or everything , or our beautiful world itself .
We brought a remnant , a sliver .
Church in the Greenhouse [ Pandemic Journal ] by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ least two hundred bulbs so far during the quarantine , and I already had many lilies and gladioli ready to blossom .
Yesterday , I planted black adder hyssop , pearl polianthes , and crocosmia .
Soon , this yard will be so full of color and beauty that I will be in a wonder-world .
I wonder if the beauty of these flowers reflects something alive in me—something colorful , vivid , playful .
I suppose there are many reasons for having a garden , but I can ’ t help but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ find the beauty and wonder in us again .
It seems to be why we go to concerts , too , or listen to music alone in our rooms .
My grandfather was a mystical man to me .
He would take me as a boy to hunt antelopes and other wild animals in the dense forest .
Sometimes he would place me in a circle , and give me a sacred leaf to put in my mouth .
He would instruct me not to leave the circle until he returned , come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ intelligent species can get past blowing itself up , technological advancement might actually reach the point that they would transcend matter and energy , and go into a higher dimension of reality .
Of course several hypotheses in physics including , to an extent , quantum theory , unequivocally posit dimensions beyond the four we are familiar with .
So perhaps , at a certain point , putative aliens would not exist in physical bodies transmitting light signals , but would simply vanish from our consensus reality .
Long before men , & @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Webs upon webs , veining down through the living world , there is green .
World by light , a combustion to glory , now mixed with Sea water , there is music , there is life , there is green .
Rivers of the Mind ( A Novel ) by Timothy Vilgiate Well .
I guess I have superpowers , I thought to myself , as I started to fall asleep lying there in the bushes , my stomach and head both feeling still strongly overcome by latent LSD .
As @ @ @ @ @ @ @ vortex of diamonds spun across my eyelids , pulsed into the shapes of birds , of anchors , of chains , of pearls , of ivy , eventually grew steadily darker until it faded into blackness .
We always separate this way , as if night is a wedge or wall , River of Voices Or , Why the Jaguar Goddess No Longer Walks the Earth ( Travel Journal ) A man went out hunting with his blowgun and darts .
Sitting within the smell of frying time , I see the story @ @ @ @ @ @ @ eyes .
There ’ s a rainbow serpent in it , but it starts on the bank of a river , where this hunter found a baby playing by herself on the sand , all alone .
He thought he might need to bring her home and adopt her .
Looking far up the river , though , he saw the mother , a powerfully built young woman crouching ankle-deep in the current , perfectly still .
Almost too fast to see , she pounced , and a great splash went up from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ feet with a wriggling fish in her hands .
In a moment , the hunter would realize who she was .
an unidentifiable spot on the kitchen floor , My name , on the desert playa at the Burning Man Arts festival , is Detonator !
Here , on a fossil lakebed at the head of the Basin and Range Province in northwestern Nevada , a vast city , called Black Rock City , emerges for a week a year .
Thirty-thousand domes and shanties , peopled with exhibitionist youth , blanketed in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 50-foot wooden idol that sham-protests commercial materialism .
They collectively spend approximately $ 11 million on entrance tickets , and another $ 30 million on supplies , tents , gas , etc .
It is the biggest private party known on the planet .
one foot in front of the other sometimes not noticing space around us , sometimes wondering what ’ s out there & if we could be happy on another world— Slowly , awkwardly trying out his feelers , which he now first learned to appreciate , he pushed his @ @ @ @ @ @ @ had been happening there .
His left side felt like one single long , unpleasantly tense scar , and he had actually to limp on his two rows of legs .
One little leg , moreover , had been severely damaged in the course of that morning ’ s events—it was almost a miracle that only one had been damaged—and trailed uselessly behind him .
Empathizing with an old girlfriend , It was a cube of chocolate chip cookie dough , edible ?
the baking kind ?
The story varies .
It was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said it was cherry vanilla .
Some said both .
Some said one cube , some said many .
Some said it was the confection of the culture it was travelling .
Some said it contained magick .
Others called it really trippy .
Email comments to this mailing list by simply hitting “ reply ” to this post—or reply to me directly & off-list at editor @ scriptorpress.com

The Cenacle | 112 | Summer 2020
Reading link: http://www.scriptorpress.com/cenacle/112.html
Download link: http://www.scriptorpress.com/cenacle/112_summer_2020.pdf
[Size = 8.1 MB]
Hello everyone,
Here comes the just-released Cenacle | 112 | Summer 2020. It is dated “Summer” instead of “June” because, quite honestly, it’s been slow in finishing. Maybe it’s the pandemic and sheltering at home, maybe it’s me job hunting (again), or maybe I was just slow to do it.
But “Summer” fits this time. It’s been a hard, crazy summer for everyone, in the world really. This issue addresses some of the things on many of our minds, and I think holds its currency for its release today. As always, my thanks to the wonderful writers & artists within its pages. And thank you for taking the time to read it. I hope it spends your time well
Contents of this new issue include:
From Soulard’s Notebooks:
[Excerpt]
Marches in cities are helpful if they lead millions clamoring for justice to the voting booth this November. Ridding the government of the poison that is Trump will help, will maybe be a restart.
Feedback on Cenacle 111:
Tom Sheehan’s short story “The Man Who Hid Music” is wonderfully unpredictable, and seems to hint at some kind of larger world around this village. The ending is perfect. It left me wanting to know more about the world it took place in, and to hear more stories from this setting. And to experiment with woodworking [Timothy Vilgiate]
From the ElectroLounge Forums:
EL Forums Reading Club:
“Kindness” by Naomi Shihab Nye
[Excerpt]
To me this is a very Taoist poem. Clearly, it is all about balance. But more than that, it shows us that
we cannot have light without dark, happiness without sorrow, joy without pain, kindness without loss. Once one finds Tao, it goes with you everywhere because the Tao is all things. A Tao waterwheel spins within a Tao stream. And in finding what we were looking for, we realize we were never without it. [Jimmy Heffernan]
Poetry by Timothy Vilgiate:
[Excerpt]
All this after two months in isolation,
we wake up in a revolution,
called rioters while being
slammed into the pavement,
pepper sprayed, tear gassed,
false flagged, infiltrated—
Notes from New England by Raymond Soulard, Jr.:
What is Bags End?
A Reader’s Guide - Part 3: 2014-2020
[Excerpt]
Everything dreams, because Dreaming is the original state/sense, from which the others come. There is no bifurcation between waking & sleeping. Things change too, even in this timeless Dreaming time. The hmmm emerges from the Dreaming, music of all singing close together. Something, or someone, cackles playfully, merrily, & the Hmmm becomes a braiding of many musics, still clustered in one Dreaming; until a Blue Suitcase falls from the sky, from an Emandian spaceship, waking all to the senses of sight, sound, touch, smell, & taste. There is now waking & these 5 senses additional to the Dreaming & the Hmmm.
Bags End Book #16: What is the Red Bag? Part 1 by Algernon Beagle
[Excerpt]
I could tell you that we come from the Red Bag, & it would be almost true, but not enough. You see, the Red Bag is how we got here. And through the Red Bag is where we are from. It’s like through the door of the Red Bag, just on the other side, is our original home. If you tried to get there the usual way, it would take you millions of miles, many centuries, & you would arrive so much later than now. But through the door of the Red Bag, you would arrive now, a few steps, a few seconds. Except you would not find our world. Our world is gone. It is a dead, dark place. We left unwillingly, & we could hardly bring everyone, or everything, or our beautiful world itself. We brought a remnant, a sliver.
Poetry by Sam Knot:
[Excerpt]
As entire lifetimes
metamorphose ceaselessly
in every nectarous
effortless death drop of
changingly changeless
butterfly nature.
Church in the Greenhouse [Pandemic Journal] by Tamara Miles
[Excerpt]
I’ve planted at least two hundred bulbs so far during the quarantine, and I already had many lilies and gladioli ready to blossom. Yesterday, I planted black adder hyssop, pearl polianthes, and crocosmia. Soon, this yard will be so full of color and beauty that I will be in a wonder-world. I wonder if the beauty of these flowers reflects something alive in me—something colorful, vivid, playful. I suppose there are many reasons for having a garden, but I can’t help but think that one good reason is to find the beauty and wonder in us again. It seems to be why we go to concerts, too, or listen to music alone in our rooms.
Poetry by John Echem:
[Excerpt]
My grandfather was a mystical man to me.
He would take me as a boy to hunt antelopes
and other wild animals in the dense forest.
Sometimes he would place me in a circle,
and give me a sacred leaf to put in my mouth.
He would instruct me not to leave the circle
until he returned, come what may.
Notes on UFOs by Jimmy Heffernan:
[Excerpt]
Perhaps, if an intelligent species can get past blowing itself up, technological advancement might actually reach the point that they would transcend matter and energy, and go into a higher dimension of reality. Of course several hypotheses in physics including, to an extent, quantum theory, unequivocally posit dimensions beyond the four we are familiar with. So perhaps, at a certain point, putative aliens would not exist in physical bodies transmitting light signals, but would simply vanish from our consensus reality.
Many Musics (Poetry) by Raymond Soulard, Jr.:
[Excerpt]
Long before men, & down below sight,
there is green. Webs upon webs,
before story, before song,
veining down through the living world,
there is green. World by light, a combustion
to glory, now mixed with Sea water, there is music,
there is life, there is green.
Rivers of the Mind (A Novel) by Timothy Vilgiate
[Excerpt]
Well. I guess I have superpowers, I thought to myself, as I started to fall asleep lying there in the bushes, my stomach and head both feeling still strongly overcome by latent LSD. As I tried to relax, an endless vortex of diamonds spun across my eyelids, pulsed into the shapes of birds, of anchors, of chains, of pearls, of ivy, eventually grew steadily darker until it faded into blackness.
Poetry by Tom Sheehan
[Excerpt]
We always separate this way,
as if night is a wedge or wall,
final hard divider of the day,
a bolt thrown home by pale hand,
sounding ultimate punctuation.
River of Voices Or, Why the Jaguar Goddess No Longer Walks the Earth(Travel Journal)
by Nathan D. Horowitz:
[Excerpt]
A man went out hunting with his blowgun and darts. Sitting within the smell of frying time, I see the story Rufino told us taking place before my eyes. There’s a rainbow serpent in it, but it starts on the bank of a river, where this hunter found a baby playing by herself on the sand, all alone. He thought he might need to bring her home and adopt her. Looking far up the river, though, he saw the mother, a powerfully built young woman crouching ankle-deep in the current, perfectly still. Almost too fast to see, she pounced, and a great splash went up from the water. She sprang to her feet with a wriggling fish in her hands. In a moment, the hunter would realize who she was.
Poetry by Martina Newberry:
[Excerpt]
To stay sane, I research and pore
over the small things:
a chipped fingernail,
an odd-colored feather gracing the ground,
an unidentifiable spot on the kitchen floor,
a television show,
a book of crosswords.
Detonator! (Prose) by Charlie Beyer:
[Excerpt]
My name, on the desert playa at the Burning Man Arts festival, is Detonator! Here, on a fossil lakebed at the head of the Basin and Range Province in northwestern Nevada, a vast city, called Black Rock City, emerges for a week a year. Thirty-thousand domes and shanties, peopled with exhibitionist youth, blanketed in alkali dust. The masses worship a 50-foot wooden idol that sham-protests commercial materialism. They collectively spend approximately $11 million on entrance tickets, and another $30 million on supplies, tents, gas, etc. It is the biggest private party known on the planet.
Poetry by Judih Haggai:
[Excerpt]
dust settles
one foot in front of the other
into clarity
Poetry by Ace Boggess:
[Excerpt]
We settle for sedentary lives,
sometimes not noticing space around us,
sometimes wondering what’s out there &
if we could be happy on another world—
The Metamorphosis (Classic Fiction) by Franz Kafka
[Excerpt]
Slowly, awkwardly trying out his feelers, which he now first learned to appreciate, he pushed his way to the door to see what had been happening there. His left side felt like one single long, unpleasantly tense scar, and he had actually to limp on his two rows of legs. One little leg, moreover, had been severely damaged in the course of that morning’s events—it was almost a miracle that only one had been damaged—and trailed uselessly behind him.
Poetry by Colin James:
[Excerpt]
Empathizing with an old girlfriend,
I helped her train
her pet eagle, Caligula.
Labyrinthine [a new fixtion] by Raymond Soulard, Jr.:
[Excerpt]
It was a cube of chocolate chip cookie dough, edible? the baking kind? The story varies. It was the end of the world. Others said it was cherry vanilla. Some said both. Some said one cube, some said many. Some said it was the confection of the culture it was travelling. Some said it contained magick. Others called it really trippy.
Email comments to this mailing list by simply hitting “reply” to this post—or reply to me directly & off-list at editor@scriptorpress.com
Peace,
Raymond