Grumble, grumble, grumble...!
Greetings, fellow Dot Calm Readers, Freedom Fighters, and Truth Crusaders!
Well, here I am again, grouching about something or other...grumble, grumble, grumble.
Today, Paul LePage is pissing me off. What a hateful waste of oxygen he is. Dot Calm hated the corporate take-over of our once-great nation; she would have been beside herself to see the Christo-fascists, dissatisfied with mere unbridled greed, add searing, seething hate to the political equation. How could they resist after being given permission and free rein by Donald J. Trump? Trump has single-handedly made hatred and bigotry mainstream again, not to mention dragging right-wing nut-job tin-foil-hat conspiracy from the lunatic fringe into mainstream Republican thinking. It grieves me to witness all the -isms and -phobias he foments. How many generations is it going to take to undo the damage Trump is gleefully wreaking?
Combine that with Christians' equally gleeful destruction of our nation's once-formidable technical edge. Michio Kaku has said--in his outside voice--that America has the worst education system known to science, adding that only 50% of Ph.D. students in science and engineering are American; the rest are immigrants who take their degrees back to their home nations. Dot Calm's younger daughter saw that phenomenon with her own two eyes: not only was she the only female pursuing an electrical engineering doctorate in her school's EECS department, but she was the only white! Of the rest, roughly 50% were Asian (Chinese, South Korean, etc.), 25% were Middle-Eastern, and the remainder were from India and other non-melanin-challenged areas of the world (Dot Calm's younger daughter jokes that she tans like a lobster). This is the natural outcome when people get their science from the preacher in the pulpit, screaming and shouting weekly at them that all science is evil, inaccurate, the work of the Devil, and not to be trusted. This is what happens when Christian parents fight against teaching science in the science classroom, demanding to replace with religion any possibility that children might learn critical thinking. This is what happens when "I'm not a scientist, but..." politicians teach the public to disrespect scientists and engineers and when people like my Tea Party Christian friend come away convinced by FOX News and talk radio that he with his GED knows as much about science and technology as, say, Dot Calm's younger daughter with her Ph.D. Couple all of this with declining science and engineering salaries, which have been driving anyone with any math talent into lucrative Wall Street jobs, and what do you expect? Do you really expect America as a nation to hold onto its technical edge without having enough scientists and engineers to do the actual work? Or is the only thing you care to export our crappiest forms of culture (McDonald's, Wal-Mart) and democracy (we choose and install your dictators for you at gunpoint)?
Holy yuck.
Yuck. Yuck! YUCK!!!
...only I ain't laughing.
It's a shame, really--I'm actually a rather happy person. I had the privilege of hanging out with Dot Calm for so long that I couldn't possibly be otherwise. Her optimism was contagious.
Here's hoping that I'll be back to my usual jolly self once Trump has been well and truly trounced--assuming that that is how the election goes.
As Dot Calm would say, "Oh, my bleeding gums."
VOTE BLUE all the way down those ballots, friends--please and thank you!
Here's also hoping that my work spouse is correct in assuming that, perhaps within the next 50 years, Christianity, Islam, and their ilk will have gone the way of Zeus and the rest of the deific dodos by virtue of mounting ridicule that rubs superstitious people's noses in moral and scientific obviousness. I'll drink to that.
Before I slawg on with the blawg, I do have one piece of personal news for you, my virtual Intert00b budz: I am going out of town this weekend and won't be back on the blawg til Wednesday--FSM willin' an' da crick don't rise.
Don't forget to read Dot Calm's shadow's favorite independent sources of news and information:
Daily Kos
AlterNet
Peas, friends. Take care of yourselves for me. Trust me--you're worth it! As for me...well, once I click "Publish," it's Fireball Time!
- Dot Calm's shadow
Consider the preemptive Blogger phuqued-up phormatting disclaimer to be in effect. Grrr.
-- Dot Calm's shadow
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Many people are saying
Trump will execute
sluts wanting abortions
and make them pay for it
-- Dot Calm's shadow
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HuffPo: Stephen Colbert's 'Tinfoil Hat' Segment Explains GOP Conspiracy Theories
The Week: Donald Trump suddenly raised his own rent, and Stephen Colbert has some questions
Vox: Are older voters the YOLO generation of the 2016 election?
...In other words, are America's older Trumpkins the equivalent of the older Britons who voted for Brexit?
Vox: Trump campaign CEO Steve Bannon reportedly abused his ex-wife
...Trump, Ailes, Bannon: birds of a filthy, misogynist feather
Fast Company: Trump Campaign Continues To Send Illegal Solicitations To Foreigners Despite Warnings
...Teh Dunceald knows it's illegal...!
WaPo: Trump, shifting back, now says no legal status for all 11 million illegal immigrants
...Oh, lookie--Donald's pulled his hamstring doing the splits! This is what he gets trying to court voters he's already alienated--only now he's also alienated his base. Like the very base MAnn Coulter.
Vox: Hillary Clinton's strongest argument against Donald Trump, in one sentence
The Hollywood Reporter: Stephen Colbert Diagnoses Hillary Clinton's Real Medical Problem: "Chronic No-Penis"
Vox: Maine's governor unleashed an expletive-laden, homophobic tirade on a state representative
...LePage is a piece of human filth. He has no business in public office...not in America, anyway. He'd be a lot happier in Iran, where the theocracy thinks exactly as he does.
BBC: Italy earthquake: Death toll passes 240 as rescue efforts continue
...I heard on NPR's three-minute sound-bite this morning that the death toll is even higher. Friends, forgive me--I just can't look right now. I am grieving for our beautiful Italian brothers and sisters. I can't go look right now for the higher numbers. Please understand.
Vox: Bernie Sanders's post-campaign political revolution is off to a rocky start
BuzzFeed: Government Delivers Killer Blow Against For-Profit College Chain ITT
...This is what happens when we allow privatization of public education. ITT is a symptom, as are the charter schools.
BBC: Prince's Paisley Park home to open to the public
...Hope I get to see it someday.
Vox: 4 experts make the case that the Clinton Foundation's fundraising was troubling
...Check out the "Democracy Now!" debate below. Two Dems: one fault-finder, one defender. Both made good points, but I still have to side with those who express concern over the fact that Obama and Clinton even permitted the appearance of a conflict of interest. As the Vox article points out, with all that money greasing palms, there's no way to know for sure whether it had any influence because, at the very least, it's possible that those who donated helped frame Hillary's point of view just by virtue of having contacted her.
Vox: Denouncing Trump's bigotry, Hillary Clinton flatters mainstream Republicans in order to demoralize them
...Funny AF, e-e-e-evil AF. Totally inaccurate, totally brilliant. I love it!
BuzzFeed: People Are Tweeting About #IfAfricaWasASchool And It's Perfect
...Friends, this is absolutely yummy. It'll make your day.
Vox: France's debate over the burkini ban, explained
Vox: artist shows how women are scorned regardless of what they wear
...As the headline says, "covered, naked, or in between: artist shows how women are scorned regardless of what they wear." Spoiler: see below for the artwork--lovingly translated into English, no less.
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Mailbag
From Change.Org
One of my dearest friends, who's deathly allergic to bees, would have died if Mylan had pulled this shit before 2012, before she got married...when she was out of work and had only Social Security for income. Even the $150 per EpiPen was too much for her, so I bought them for her. I could never have afforded $600. Even with me helping, she still had to hang onto expired EpiPens because she couldn't afford to buy enough to keep fresh ones everywhere around her house and car where she might need one. One day, she was sitting on her patio and was stung by a bee and only had an expired EpiPen within reach to "shoot up" with (as Dot Calm, who used daily injectable Copaxone whenever the greedy insurance companies could spare it, would call it). My friend bought herself just enough time to call EMS and unlock her door so they could come in and take her to the ER. She was only barely conscious when they arrived and was pretty sick for some time afterward. And that's with an expired EpiPen--which saved her life until EMS arrived. Without it, they said she'd have died. And Mylan presumably would have had an orgasm, just as Wayne LaPierre does every time an innocent American is shot to death.
-- Dot Calm's shadow
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From Change.org
Stop the irresponsible and costly practice of airing drug ads on TV |
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Aug 25, 2016
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In light of the recent price hikes and significant increase in executive
salaries, I think resurrecting this petition is appropriate. Please
sign to stop this predatory practice.
Thank you!
Read more
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We’re still fighting to make sure Wall Street can’t do that to us again—but America’s largest banks are even larger now than before the financial crisis. The nation’s six largest banks, for example, issue more than two-thirds of all credit cards and hold more than 40 percent of all U.S. bank deposits.
To rein in Wall Street and help people like you and me, we need a 21st-century Glass-Steagall Act. To back this bipartisan idea—a plank in both the Republican and Democratic platforms—we’ve joined with other progressive and labor organizations that are fighting to make banks smaller, simpler and safer.
Join me and thousands of other working people to tell Congress to do its job and pass a 21st-century Glass-Steagall Act.
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From UltraViolet--tell FOX to fire Bill O'Reilly for sexual harassment and Bill Shine for telling victims to shut up about it
Tell
21st Century Fox: Clean up the disgusting culture of sexual abuse at
Fox News. Start by firing Bill O'Reilly and Bill Shine.
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| Tell the Department of Homeland Security: End private prison contracts | |
| Tell Department of Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson:
“Terminate and refuse to renew immigrant detention contracts with private prison companies.”
Add your name:
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From Cartwright for Congress--Protect and expand Social Security
This month marks the 81st anniversary of the
Social Security Act becoming law, and my colleagues across the aisle
have a strange way of celebrating: dreaming up new ways to gut Social
Security benefits that are some people's only income.
My fellow Democrats and I are
fighting back to expand benefits and protections, but it’s frankly
shocking that we have to push this hard to defend seniors’ economic
security.
You’d think this would be crystal clear: We cannot make changes to Social Security that harm our seniors. Seniors
are the foundation of our communities, and risking their retirement
income is no way to show our gratitude and respect. That’s why I’m
committed to protecting Social Security, but I need you with me.
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Across the country, politicians are trying to rob voters of their fundamental rights using tactics like racial gerrymandering and discriminatory voting laws that keep minority communities from the polls and silence vulnerable American voters.
The courts recently struck down racially biased voter ID laws in North Carolina, a huge step forward in our fight to unrig elections. But now proponents of these discriminatory laws are doubling down in Texas and JUST reinstated them in Ohio and Wisconsin – right before the November election. |
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With millions of voters across the country still at risk of being silenced, we can't stop here.
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We're mobilizing a grassroots movement in key
battlegrounds to pass crucial ballot initiatives that will restore and
protect voting power in elections. But more than 500 supporters still haven't given, and we're falling short of our $17,000 goal. Will you give $5 or more to help stop politicians from rigging our elections?
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If you've saved payment information with ActBlue Express, your donation will go through immediately:
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| WOMEN'S HEALTH Policy Report |
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From Change.org--Update on pro-rape Judge Persky
Judge Persky Will no Longer hear Criminal Cases! |
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Aug 26, 2016
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Dear Friends and Supporters-
We have some amazing news. Judge Persky will no longer be presiding over
criminal cases and will move to civil court at his own request.
Although it is not his resignation, for now, he will no longer stand in
the face of rape victims and pity their rapist. For now, He will no
longer let persons pleading guilty to child pornography off without jail
time! This is a...
Read more
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From People For the American Way via Daily Kos--tell Grassley to quit obstructing O'Bama's qualified judicial nominees
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley is leading unprecedented obstruction of judicial nominations -- both on the Supreme Court AND on other important federal courts. Court vacancies are piling up and this judicial crisis is denying countless Americans access to justice. Sign the petition and demand Chairman Grassley does his job.
The partisan blockade on filling these vacancies is unconscionable, and we all need to turn up the pressure on Sen. Grassley to DO HIS JOB as Judiciary Chair and move swiftly to confirm the president's qualified nominees.
We need you in this campaign -- please add your name now and demand that Sen. Grassley STOP the obstruction!
Thanks,
PFAW
Paid for by People For the American Way
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| Tell the Department of Justice: Stop voter suppression in 2016 | |
| Sign the petition to the Department of Justice:
“Take all necessary measures to stop Republican voter suppression in 2016. Investigate the Trump campaign’s ‘Trump Election Observers’ program and do everything in your power to stop Republican voter intimidation and suppression efforts.”
Add your name:
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Katrina Pierson insists
that Trump is not changing his position
but only "the words he is saying."
How exactly are the two NOT related?!??
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Democracy Now!
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Holy cow!
Paul Wolfowitz says
he is so uncomfortable with Trump
that he might vote for Clinton
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Daily Kos
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...Doesn't Obummer know
he's running out of time
to confiscate everyone's
guns 'n' ammo 'n' bibles
and throw all the good, god-fearin'
Republicans
into his death camps?
They're w-a-a-a-a-a-aiting!
Garshk, I'd hates ta dissapernt them!
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...Doesn't Obummer know
he's running out of time
to confiscate everyone's
guns 'n' ammo 'n' bibles
and throw all the good, god-fearin'
Republicans
into his death camps?
They're w-a-a-a-a-a-aiting!
Garshk, I'd hates ta dissapernt them!
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...Not all terrorists are Muslim, either.
There are plenty of Christian terrorists.
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AlterNet
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Don't you think Republicans
would shit kittens
if a MUSLIM
wanted to govern the country
based on HIS OR HER religion?!??
Or what about, say,
a Christian Scientist
who wanted to outlaw
all doctors except emergency rooms?
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Movies!
Just a few today, loves!
'Til next time, check out these great channels:
...or, if you just want something mindless and fun, try Tested
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...Yeah, this one is so good
that I'm leaving it full size.
See y'all Wednesday,
FSM willin' an' da crick don't rise!
FSM willin' an' da crick don't rise!
posted by Dot Calm @ 5:54 PM
