I suppose I am too political...

A person I used to know back in England has been getting annoyed with the political articles I share on Facebook. I only stay "friends" with her because she's close to a good friend of mine and I don't want to start a "thing." This woman started commenting "enough" on all my posts. When she got to the fifth post, I had enough and decided to reply:

The irony in all this: the friend I didn't want to upset liked my reply! 

I hope it makes a difference...

There are marches going on today in many European capitals to mark the 60th anniversary of the European Union. 

The London march is really an anti-Brexit protest, as Theresa May is going to formally notify the EU of the UK's intention to leave the Union next Wednesday. She claims the whole country supports her decision. I, and at least 100,000 people beg to differ...

 

We owe the longest period of peace in Europe to the EU:

I need to vent!

Yesterday the UK parliament voted to become officially useless by rejecting an amendment to the Brexit bill that would give them the final say on any deals between the EU and the UK when the two years of negotiations are over. It's full power to Theresa May.

Back in 1933, the Germans representatives voted in a very similar way, giving Hitler absolute power through the Enabling Act. The British had not yet lost their minds in 1933:

The British Ambassador to Germany watched these developments with increasing alarm and, having seen Hitler rip up the constitution, wrote: “We are living in a country (Germany) where fanatics, hooligans and eccentrics have got the upper hand.”

I expect the German Ambassador to the UK to have very similar feelings regarding yesterday's vote...

More about the Enabling Act: http://www.historyinanhour.com/2011/03/23/enabling-act-summary/

A cute photo and some useful advice

1smartcanerican brought this to my attention and I think it should be shared on the political blogs, as it contains very useful advice about contacting politicians' offices. It's from a guy who worked taking calls from the public. Thanks, 1sc.

Friends! As some of you know, I used to work on Capitol Hill as the person in charge of all the incoming phone calls to my Senator's office.  I have some insider tips to make calling your reps easier and quicker.

1. Give your name, city, and zip code, and say "I don't need a response." That way, they can quickly confirm you are a constituent, and that they can tally you down without taking the time to input you into a response database.

2. PLEASE ONLY CALL YOUR OWN REPRESENTATIVES! Your tally will not be marked down unless you can rattle off a city and zip from the state, or are calling from an in-state area code.  I know you really want to give other reps a piece of your mind, but your call will be ignored unless you can provide a zip from their district.  And don't try to make this up; I could often tell who was lying very quickly thanks to the knowledge of the state's geography.  Exceptions to this are things like Paul Ryan's ACA poll which are national.

3. State the issue, state your position.  "I am opposed to ________."  "I am in favor of _______."  "I am opposed to banning the import of phalanges." I am in favor of a trade deal to lower the price of juice smoothies."  That's it.  That's all we write down so we can get a tally of who is in favor, who is against.  It doesn't matter WHY you hold that opinion.  The more people calling, the less detail they have time to write down. Help them out by being simple and direct.  This keeps calls shorter, allowing more callers through.

4. Please be nice! The people answering the phones on Capitol Hill already had the hardest job in DC and some of the lowest pay as well, and for a month now their jobs have become absolute murder, with nonstop calls for 9 hours every day.  Thank them for their hard work answering the phones, because without them our Senators could not represent us!

What does this sound like?

"Hi, my name is Mark, I'm a constituent from Seattle, zip code 98***, I don't need a response.  I am opposed to banning the sale of blueberries and I encourage the Senator to please oppose implementation of any such ban.  Thanks for your hard work answering the phones!"

This is how I wish every caller had phrased their message.  It makes it easier for the people answering the phones and takes less time and emotion than a long script.  I know that you want to say why, but keeping it short and sweet helps the office answer more calls per hour, meaning more people get heard.  The bigger the tally, the more powerful your voice.

Also, when you're reading off the same script as 100 other callers that day... well...they know what you're about to say, so you don't need to use the whole script for your opinion to be heard!

Pick one issue each day, use this format (I am in favor of _____ or I oppose ______), and call your 2 Senators and 1 Representative on their DC and State Office lines, and you'll be on your way to being heard.

Someone made this comment about the above:

I also spent a several years on Capitol Hill.  IMHO calls to a Reps. office don't count for very much.  If you really care, spend the twenty minutes to write a letter expressing your view.  The rationale being that people who take the time to write may be more inclined to take the time to vote.  A more impactful strategy is to show up a your Reps. town hall meeting and ask in person.

There you are. Some sound advice from people in the know. Contact your representatives in whatever manner works best for you, but do it. Share widely, as we're living in very strange, dangerous times! 

Diverging preoccupations

Although I've been following the US presidential campaigns very closely, at the moment I'm very absorbed in campaigning against Brexit becoming a reality. We feel very despondent at times. Stupid politicians exist and thrive everywhere! Making the country great again seems to be a priority for shortsighted, xenophobic people on both sides of the pond...

This is soooo tempting...

This video shows what happened to some politicians in the Ukraine. I could make a long list of useless, corrupt politicians that deserve to meet the same fate, especially in Brazil, where the most corrupt congress in history voted to impeach the democratically elected president. Grrr!

Topical joke

Now I get it!

Clever political commentary

This illustrator has a good eye for bulls*it and assorted shenanigans... His name is Pawel Kuczyski and you can see further illustrations and info about him at THIS LINK.

The elections

I smell a rat...

Modern fairy tale

Normally I don't post stuff about politics, but I found this video very sweet (and accurate), so I'd like to share it with you. It's narrated by Ed Asner.

Happy day

We ended up going to bed at 6:30 am, absolutely exhausted!

It was very nice to wake up to a brilliant sunny day. The sun seems to be in a celebratory mood as well.

Please click to enlarge

[Hey MrsG, there's some autumn colour out there!]

Finally, it's CC's special day. Happy birthday, dahhling! What a lovely gift you had, eh?

It's a very happy day!

Fingers crossed

We're gearing ourselves up for tomorrow's election. First things first, and the day will start with a visit to the dentist (poor Peter). We may take a nap in the afternoon, because we're very likely to stay up all night watching the results...

The first video is inspirational, but the second is VERY irreverent, very funny and NOT suitable for children or for work.

Go Obama!

I couldn't resist!

I succumbed to temptation... Here's a Romney joke:

Mitt Romney had a bad reaction to the fake tan he used for the Univision appearance and had to be admitted to hospital for observation.

He was a royal pain to the nurses because of his patronizing attitude.

None of the hospital staff wanted to have anything to do with him. They kept passing the buck when it was time to deal with Mitt.

A junior Hispanic nurse drew the short straw, bravely walked into his room and announced,

"I have to take your temperature."

After a few idiotic soundbites, he finally settled down, crossed his arms and opened his mouth.

"No, I'm sorry, but for this reading, I can't use an oral thermometer."

Mitt wasn't too happy, but eventually he rolled over and bared his behind. After feeling the nurse insert the thermometer, he heard her announce,

"I have to get something. Now you stay JUST LIKE THAT until I get back!"

She leaves the door to his room open on her way out. He curses under his breath as he hears people walking past his door, laughing.

After almost an hour, a doctor comes into the room.

"What's going on here?" asked the doctor. Angrily, Mitt answers,

"What's the matter, Doc? Haven't you ever seen someone having their temperature taken before?"

After a pause, the doctor replies,

"Yes, but never with a daffodil!"

Life panels

While watching the opening ceremony of the Paralympic Games, I found out some interesting facts...

On the day of the opening of the 1948 Summer Olympics in London, Stoke Mandeville Hospital organised a sports competition for British World War Two veteran patients with spinal cord injuries. The games were held again at the same location in 1952, and Dutch veterans took part alongside the British, making it the first international competition of its kind. These Stoke Mandeville Games have been described as the precursors of the Paralympic Games. The Paralympics were subsequently officialised as a quadrennial event tied to the Olympic Games, and the first official Paralympic Games, no longer open solely to war veterans, were held in Rome in 1960.

Stoke Mandeville Hospital is a large National Health Service hospital within Aylesbury Urban Area to the south of the town of Aylesbury, near the village of Stoke Mandeville in Buckinghamshire. It is part of Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust.

The hospital's National Spinal Injuries Centre is one of the largest specialist spinal units in the world, and the pioneering rehabilitation work carried out there by Sir Ludwig Guttmann led to the development of the Paralympic Games. Mandeville, one of the official mascots for the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics in London, was named in honour of the hospital's contribution to Paralympic sports.

So, the Paralympic Games started at a horrible, socialist, at the mercy of bureaucrats hospital!

Stoke Mandeville is still a centre of excellence for spinal cord injuries. People involved in accidents or suffering from neurologic illnesses don't need to sell their houses in order to have the best possible treatment. The British get the best and don't pay a penny.

Fancy that...

Contradictions

I find it amazing that in the country that gave us so many inventions and made so many discoveries there exists a political party that despises the intellectual elites and seems hellbent on dismantling the public school system.

The GOP presidential candidates pandered to religious extremist groups which encourage teaching creationism as science and repudiate the theory of evolution. They're suspicious of science and scientists.

Ironically, they like to remind us of American exceptionalism, but not for the countless remarkable achievements over the past few centuries. No, it seems that to them, America is exceptional in the sense of shoving "democracy" down people's throats, invading and manipulating other countries.

Ignorance and vulgarity are glorified. Television is full of inane programs that show people at their worst. Political pundits spout idiocies every single day. Dumbing down is rapidly accelerating.

Where would we be without the things on the following list, all invented or discovered by Americans? The people who dedicated their lives to make our lives better are now despised as belonging to some mythical, evil elite, as if being curious and innovative were cardinals sins.

There's so much to make any American proud, yet the GOP chooses to massage the egos of people who are proud to proclaim that the only book they've ever read is the bible.

Here's a very short list of American achievements and I would like to thank and pay tribute to the truly exceptional people who made all these things part of our everyday lives.

Morse code
Combine harvester
Circuit breaker
Medical glove
Safety razor
Hearing aid
Windshield wiper (invented by a woman)
Pop-up toaster
Band-aid
Iron lung
ATM
Microwave oven
Carbon dating
Correction fluid ( a woman again)
Air bags
Heart-lung machine
WD-40
CPR
Video tape
Laser
Integrated circuit
GPS
LED
Personal computer
Computer mouse
CD/DVD
Pocket calculators
MRI
Cellphone
Heimlich manoeuvre
Barcode
Digital camera
Lunar module
Space shuttle
Wheeled luggage
Nicotine patch
Vitamins A, B, E and many others
Several life-saving antibiotics
DNA structure
Heparin
Warfarin
Polio Vaccine

And many, many other things we take for granted.

Irritated...

The GOP's War on Women is seriously getting on my nerves. I saw an excellent sign on Facebook this morning: "Keep your rosaries out of my ovaries." I decided to show a selection of recent cartoons about it.

War on women

Back in February I published a post based on an e-mail sent to me by Tumbleweed. This video encapsulates that e-mail:



Mrsgunka received the exact same e-mail from a "Fundie." They're desperate to counter the allegations of a war on women waged by the GOP and conclude the e-mail with these words:

So, refresh MY memory. Some women won't vote this year because - Why, exactly?

We have carpool duties? We have to get to work? Our vote doesn't matter? It's raining? I'm so busy...I've got so much on my plate!

See again what these women went through for you! We can’t let all their suffering be for nothing.

It's ironic that the very same e-mail showing what women in the US went through to achieve equal rights is being used by the left and by the right to urge women not to relinquish these rights. In the case on the right wingers, it's simply the right to vote and they expect the recipients to vote for "anybody but Obama."

The left, on the other hand, recognizes that women have also achieved reproductive rights, such as legal abortions and contraception. They have also fought to achieve equal pay for equal work, which is being taken away by the likes of Gov. Scott Walker.

Then we have the darling of the right, Ann Coulter, saying stuff like this:

"If we took away women's right to vote, we'd never have to worry about another Democrat president. It's kind of a pipe dream, it's a personal fantasy of mine, but I don't think it's going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women. It also makes the point, it is kind of embarrassing, the Democratic Party ought to be hanging its head in shame, that it has so much difficulty getting men to vote for it. I mean, you do see it's the party of women and 'We'll pay for health care and tuition and day care -- and here, what else can we give you, soccer moms?'"

The mind boggles...

I expect the women who are concerned about having more than their right to vote taken away from them to be better motivated to get out and vote in November.

Certain politicians... and the 1%