rant

This in NO WAY exonerates him…

.. nor does it indicate that I am OK with his behavior, or feel that women were lying or making too big a deal of things, but for chrissakes, can we find something else to lose our minds over? Regarding Weinstein– I promise to never shut up if he ever attempts to run for elected office after the behavior that has come out. ( how many people couldn’t have pointed Weinstein out in a line up back on Monday night?)

It is morally reprehensible and unethical if not illegal.  His political persuasion has not a whit to do with anything.

WHERE is the outrage for the way Donald behaved? Why suddenly is there to be a moral equivalence between the Accidental Resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenues’ past behaviors (for which he had doubled down, as is his wont, that it wasn’t so bad, that other people have done worse) and what at this moment is a personnel issue at a private company? (and Weinstein’s “apology” has the stink of I got caught but is slightly more graceful than Donald could ever hope to be)

Why are the president’s surrogates all out there talking about how terrible Weinstein is, when their boss is equally as bad? What high horse do they get to ride in on, to intimate that all Democrats are complicit for having accepted monetary donations from a man who is just now publicly accused of sexual harassment? As if A has anything to do with B. As if the majority of the GOP electorate and elected officials alike haven’t just shrugged and looked the other way, hoping to be able to get their piece of the pie before Donald is carted away (via the 25th, impeachment, or my personal favorite option, Mueller.)

Instead, couldn’t we save all of our outrage for the NRA, which continues to try to buy our government, lock, stock and barrel? (bad pun, I couldn’t resist)

Or, what about we take some of that bloviating frustration out on those in the GOP responsible for not refunding CHIP? Or for those in government who have decided that not only should your employer get to decide if you can have birth control, but also that the resulting pregnancy caused by lack of BC is a preexisting condition and therefore not covered, and also that there is no right to maternity leave, nor is it illegal to discriminate against you when the OBGYN tells you not to lift anything heavy while pregnant and so you lose your job (and there goes your health insurance)

Still have room to fit Weinstein into your irritation bubble? Well, there is the matter that 3.5 million American citizens are suffering from Maria down in Puerto Rico, and that their president is more interested in pointing out that their hurricane may cause us to mess up the budget (read: negatively impact the huge tax breaks he is planning for his cronies and himself, while trying to con you into thinking he will throw you more than a bone)

How about the fact that Donald ran on “her emails” and yet,  his kids are doing THE EXACT SAME THING?

Or, plain old health care, or clean water for Detroit, or Mother Russia… or… I could find you things to worry about and grouse about and lose your mind over all day long.

Weinstein doesn’t even hit the Top Ten.

This is why we can’t have nice things.

Just a random thought from a sinus-y, head-achy brain, that’s waiting for the caffeine to kick in.

I think Congress and the GOP in general are a pile of petulant children, not at all adults who care a whit about you and I, their constituents, and even less about governing. They care about posturing, however. They are afraid to utter a vocalization that will not tow the line of their silent partners–those with the moneybags; the ones who bought them their seats of power in exchange for their free will.

They want to make sure that whatever they say will play well and be bombastic  and loud and rally the people in the 10-20 second clips that will make the news.

Governing- not so much. Smokescreens- those they like.

President Obama has just done SOMETHING, ANYTHING, finally, about the issue that our country is being shot full of holes by people who feel their right to lug around and use a gun over-rides my right to LIFE, let alone liberty and the pursuit of happiness. What’s funny is they have been screeching “We don’t need new laws, we need to uphold the ones we have–” after EVERY mass shooting, and so, that is what President Obama has finally done. The majority of sane people agree this is a Smart Thing, (especially if they don’t have to say it on camera, with their name attached, in case they happen to be Republicans and will be ‘found out’.)

As expected, they’ve all* now come out screeching about how wrong the president is and how illegal it is for him to enforce the laws that already exist! (*If there are any GOP elected officials or candidates who haven’t, please share with me.)

Healthcare was dealt a similar fate. Back in the days before the ACA, there was this thing called RomneyCare, for the residents of Massachusetts. And President Obama wanted to avail the entire country of such a Wonderful Thing. So, he bent and he twisted and he sliced and he diced and he arrived at the admittedly not perfect ACA, which could be a lot better if the amount of energy put into fighting and destroying it were put into making it better. (But, hey, that’s just me.) Once out of the hands of the Republicans, it now has President Obama’s name attached to it, and has suddenly become the worst idea EVER.

And now, the Faux News is carrying on that President Obama is faking his tears about shot dead six-year-olds, and the GOP candidates say he is simply distracting us from the incipient horrors of Daesh by trying to keep American citizens from killing each other, and he should be more concerned with defeating Daesh. Considering the number of people murdered last year by Daesh in this country versus the number of people murdered by (formerly) law-abiding good guys with guns who went bad, I think the president is on the right track.

By the numbers.  (If you READ the article before belly-aching, you will see the author indicates the numbers are slightly off from reality, but the reality is that the CDC isn’t ALLOWED to collect all the information they need, and therefore the data comes from a variety of sources and is being approximated.)

So, to counteract this wily bit of distraction by the president, the GOP  has decided to attempt to defund the ACA and Planned Parenthood. AGAIN. (Head-scratching inserted here.)

Hypocrazy

If I am following the latest outrage du jour properly, I am to understand that Ted Cruz allowed (used/permitted/agreed to/suggested/didn’t refuse) his young girls to mock our current government and other people running for president, in search of campaign contributions. This is an acceptable use of an actual minor child.

And then,  a political cartoonist inferred that his children were being used to collect money by performing, a la the organ grinder and his dancing monkeys. This is not an acceptable use of pen and ink, or pixels. (Do people understand the reference –that the organ grinder is out begging for money, using the monkeys to ‘entertain’ in exchange for cash?) or are they just offended because they were told to be offended?)

And THEN, he sent out the offensive cartoon to many, many more people who would have never otherwise seen it, and begged for the money himself.

Let’s leave all the kids out of it all, how about that? Politicians–Don’t parade them out for votes or for warm-fuzzies photos. Reporters and photographers–Don’t stalk them, or try to sneak photos, or use them in the news cycle. What they wear or where they vacation or had for dinner? Not part of the campaign.