Political Campaign Paraphanalia.

I, 

The campaign of 2016 has begun. What fun. Rand Paul takes a chain saw to the Federal tax code; Lindsey Graham alternately sets his cell phone on fire and hits it with a baseball bat. Donald Trump is saying stupid things and his Republican opponents, for the most part, do not object because they don't want to offend Donald's "people." Depending on how you count, there are 16 to 20 GOP candidates and at least five Democrats competing for our attention. I'll bet the Founding Fathers had no idea what kind of circus they were creating. 

Not only is the country's TV industry salivating at all the money these people will pay to tell lies about each other, but these days each candidate has her/his own set of merchandise to sell to  loyal followers. Hillary Clinton is selling everything from t-shirts to bottle openers and  spatulas -- all emblazoned with her "H."  While Jeb Bush is selling  campaign buttons, bumper stickers, and car magnets, none of which mention the name, "Bush." An interesting omission.

Ted Cruz (R-Texas) appears to hold the lead in terms of negative slogans on T-shirts and bumper stickers. He sells the obligatory "Stop Hillary 2016" button and a T-shirt that says: "Stop the Battle Axe (photo of Hillary) with a CRUZ Missile (photo of Ted)." For his Texas wingnuts he sells a button challenging: "Come and Take It. God and Guns Since 1776." (I wonder how God feels about being used this way.) And for the Tea Party crowd,there is a car magnet featuring a coiled snake with Ted's head and the phrase: "Don't Tread on Ted." I presume the implication is that he will bite your ankle and infect you with his venom.

In contrast,  Lincoln Chaffee has just a few items (I presume they are in metric sizes), but who can resist the slogan: "Lincoln for President."

 On the other hand, I  have in mind another array of T-shirts and buttons that are not yet for sale;

"I'm Dubya's Smarter Brother"  Jeb Bush
"I Slept with Bill Clinton" Hillary
"I'm Bought and Paid For"  Scott Walker
"Christians Rule" Rick Santorum
"Indicted Today, President Tomorrow" Rick Perry

"Work Longer Hours, You Lowlifes" Jeb Bush
"We Are the Party of Stupid" Bobby Jindal
"Apostle Huck is Your Savior" Mike Huckabee
"Keep'em Out!" Donny Trump
"Get on My Bus or Be Run Over" John Kasich

"Rumpled is In" Bernie Sanders
"I Left the Party of Stupid" Lincoln Chaffee
"Please Look at Me." Donny Trump
"Irish Should Apply" Martin O'Malley
"Let's Shut Down the Govt. Again" Ted Cruz

"No Such Thing as Marital Rape" The Donald Trump
"Close That Bridge" Chris Christie
"Fired by HP" Carly Fiorina
"Me and My Dark Money" Scott Walker
"I Spread Misinformation" Rand Paul
"I Don't Have Time for Senate Roll Calls" Marco Rubio*

The quadrennial political circus is back. Get a beverage of your choice, pull up a chair, and watch adults revert to their junior high school personas. 

*Marco is against Paid Leave, but was absent for 1/3 of Senate votes. 

"I Want My Country Back" Is Back

Bumper Sticker

After the recent controversy surrounding the use of the Confederate Flag, a racist and conservative element has intensified a propaganda campaign under the banner, "I Want My Country Back," featuring bumper stickers because they are not too good at writing complete sentences.

The slogan has a patriotic and nostalgic ring to it, but it also suggests that "someone" -- a malevolent ogre, perhaps -- has stolen the country. We are apparently invited to fill in the name of the villain or villains. The promoters probably want you to fill in the blank with one of the following: President Obama, liberals, Latino immigrants, atheists, gays/lesbians, evolutionists, socialists, Muslims, environmentalists, intellectuals, or that whole unwashed conglomerate known as "non-Christian."

It is inconceivable to these people that someone would have the temerity to suggest that the country was stolen by: the NRA, the Tea Party, white supremacists, the religious bigots, the creationists, big oil, big coal, Wall Street oligarchs, or radical Christians.

Then there is the question who the "I" is in the slogan. It would have two different interpretations for a Donald Trump or a Bernie Sanders.

Ignoring the lack of clarity in such a bumper sticker, the most important question becomes: What country do they want back? a country that:

• practices slavery
• allows lynchings
• steals lands from Native Americans
• allows only white landowners to vote
• allows racial segregation
• ignores domestic violence?

If that indeed is the country they wish to take back, most Americans are thankful that "country" is a thing of the past.

Although some may wish for that kind of country; others of their ilk probably are hoping to take back a country that has no:

•  civil rights legislation
•  labor laws
•  voting rights act
•  national parks
•  Internal Revenue Service
•  Department of Energy
•  Department of Education 
•  Food and Drug Administration
•  Department of Housing and Urban Development  
•  Justice Department.

But the country they really want back is a country without:

• The Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)
• Social Security
• Medicare and Medicaid

An almost hysterical fear of socialism has led these people and their politicians to spend their time and treasure trying to dismantle what so many have given their lives to build and protect. 

No matter how desperately these people would like to go backwards, the continued success of this country depends on going forward in a continuing effort to build an egalitarian, just, and compassionate society which exercises wise stewardship of our limited resources.

The Tyranny and Intolerance of Religious Fumdamentalists

Why is it that religious fundamentalists, whatever the religion, are not happy having the freedom to follow their religious dictates , but feel compelled to impose those dictates on the rest of us?

This tendency raised its ugly un-American head most recently following the Supreme Court's  decision declaring gay couples have the right to marry (Obergefell v. Hodges). Fundamentalist Christians   were outraged. Some government officials said they would refuse to issue marriage licenses to gay couples because it was contrary to their personal religious beliefs. Some business owners proclaimed that they would not sell flowers, cakes or whatever for gay marriage. A conservative Catholic organization (catholicvote.org) used their money to produce a hateful anti-gay marriage commercial.

Why all this furor and fear?  No one is forcing Rick Santorum to marry another man. No one is forcing a Christian to attend a lesbian wedding. No one is attacking the marriage of a good Baptist man and woman.Why do they feel threatened?

The apparent answer is that they want to impose their religious convictions on the rest of us. If they believe same-sex marriage is an abomination, they want to mount a crusade to make the rest of us conform to that belief.

 If fundamentalists believe the biblical creation account, they want our common public schools to teach their version. If some Catholic bishops believe contraception is a sin, they  want to impose that belief on employees and deny them access to medical contraceptives. If fundamentalist Muslims believe  that Sharia law is the path to everlasting glory, they want Sharia Law to replace civil law. I'm guessing here, but I suspect Jewish fundamentalists believe that all males should be circumcised. Other fundamentalist religions believe young women should be circumcised.

In addition to the attempts of fundamentalists and their GOP puppet politicians to impose their beliefs on the rest of us, they are also intolerant of the religious beliefs of others. The most arrogant example of intolerance is the claim that the United States is "a Christian Nation." Although it may be true that a majority of US citizens claim to be Christian, that fact does not make our country a "Christian Nation."  Unless our Constitution is replaced, our country will never be a Christian, Jewish, Muslim, or Mormon nation.

In case there was any doubt about that, in 1797 President John Adams submitted the Treaty of Tripoli to the US Senate which unanimously approved it.  The treaty reassured the world that "the Government of the United States of America is not, in any sense, founded on the Christian religion."

The beauty of the United States and its Constitution is that the government will not tell you what to believe, but by the same token you must tolerate your neighbor's beliefs.

Buck Blasts Fireworks

My friend , Buck, decided we should meet on Saturday, the 4th of July, instead of our regular Wednesday breakfast. Very patriotic, I thought. We met at Nick's Diner, and asked Sara to take us to our favorite table -- the one in the back corner, the one Nick chose for us because he didn't want his customers to be distracted by our arguments.

As we took our seats, I wished Buck a Happy Fourth. "What's so happy about it it?' he snapped. It was going to be one of those meals.

"Today, 239 years ago," (I was trying to impress him with my math) "we declared our independence and we are still free. A great day."

"You do know the Declaration of Independence wasn't signed until August 2nd, don't you?" he asked somewhat sarcastically.

"Fine," I said. "What's your problem? Did Michigan fire Jim Harbaugh?  Is Pope Francis too Christian? No wait, I got it. You're upset that the Supreme Court legalized gay/lesbian marriage. That's it, admit it. You were sure your Republicans had stacked the Court."

'Give me a break," he said. "I could care less whether men can legally marry men. Nobody is forcing me to marry a man, so why would I  care? I prefer to marry women and I will continue to do so."

At that point, Sara appeared with our coffee, and Buck said he wanted to ask her an important question. "Would you," he said in a pleading voice, "be my next wife?'

"What? Did you kill your wife?' she asked.

"Just preparing for the future. And reassuring my friend here that I'm never going to marry a man."

"Oh, okay, just fax me your financials, and I'll let you know."

As Sara left, I asked, "Okay, what is your problem?"  

"The damn Fourth of July! That's my problem."

"That's unpatriotic and sacrilegious. I will have to turn you in to Homeland Security. Maybe they can revoke your citizenship."

"I'll tell you what's sacrilegious. It's the damn fireworks and marching bands. Particularly the fireworks. John Adams had many good ideas, but telling Americans to shoot off fireworks on the 4th of July was his worst."

Bewildered, I said, "You are unbelievable. What is wrong  with fireworks? I look forward to seeing a beautiful fireworks display. It's a fine art,  albeit temporary."

"Balderdash. There's nothing fine about it. For one thing it's a big waste of money. I read Americans spent $967 million on fireworks in 2013. What a waste. Imagine how many school lunches we could buy with that money."

"Buck, my friend, it's entertainment -- pure and simple."

"Entertainment that kills and maims people, frequently kids. Also it damages and destroys property. Not to mention the damage it causes for animals and the environment. Many fireworks are manufactured in India and China by children.  The whole thing is insane."

"How altruistic of you."

"No one's ever accused me of being altruistic. It;s not altruism; it's a deep and abiding hatred of fireworks. It should be called what it is -- noise pollution.  The noise frightens children, pets, the autistic, and those suffering from battlefield stress issues. And not the least of which, fireworks deprive me of a good night's sleep because some idiots are shooting them off all night long."

When Sara brought our checks, she looked at Buck and said,  "I get such a bang out of you when you go ballistic."