Rita's Spur to Action

Religion has historically been a two-sided issue. On the one side, it is about belief in a God, a higher power, and hopefully that God is a guiding force toward tempering the human character. That God requires human kindness to strangers, and it requires human beings to help others carry their burdens in times of need. That God requires each person to take moral responsibility toward other human beings. On the other side of this issue is the application of religion to totally dominate the body and soul of human beings who inhabit the same world and space as the oppressor.

The existence of this dichotomy is particularly noticeable in this administration. The Senate, as the governing body, is supposed to represent the core values of our nation. Our government is not exercising its moral responsibility; instead, it is exercising its religious prerogative when it suits their political ambitions.

They self-righteously deny the rights of women, people of color, and the LGBTQ+ community. This nation is in grave danger of losing its moral compass. Every citizen who cares about the United States should be seriously concerned about the direction to which we and this country are being driven by the present administration.

This Senate is ruled by oligarchs of the extreme right-wing, by Mitch McConnell, by Lindsey Graham, and by conservative born-again Christians. Their avowed Christianity and religious orthodoxy is in direct conflict with the basic tenets of the Constitution of the United States. Our forefathers, who saw the dangers of religious domination in government, made it very clear to all and sundry that this country was not to be dominated by a coalition of Church and State. They were two distinctly separate entities.

Clearly, clearly, this administration, with the acquiescence of Mitch McConnell, Lindsey Graham and the Senate, is allowing and encouraging the imposition of their religious beliefs into the governing process. The line between Church and State is being blurred.

2Do they completely abandon their religion, or does their religion completely abandon

them, when they have to deal with complicated issues such as immigration? Is their religion totally unrelated to the question of human rights?

Of course illegal immigration is a huge problem and this country has never created a proper immigration policy. But, does their religion shelter them and the president from inhumanity, to turn our government into a body with no sense of humanity, without Godliness, and without respect for human rights? This is what our government stands for today.

What kind of religion do these people observe? Certainly not the kind that demands that they be kind to strangers and love their neighbors.

When a nation loses its sense of righteous indignation, compassion, decency, and morality, when it denies people freedom of speech, when it strips people of their basic human rights, it is no longer a great nation.

America is not great when it retreats behind its borders and fails to recognize and observe its own constitution.

America is not great when it fails to maintain the separation between Church and State, and America is not great when it allows fear, ignorance, prejudice and greed to diminish the values of the nation.

America is not great when its governing body aligns itself with the most oppressive governments in the world, and isolates itself from those who have joined together to make a peaceful world their central issue.

We the people must take a stand to preserve our Constitution, and to deny rights and privileges to the perpetrators against humanity, represented by our government today.

This country is facing clear and evident danger.

I am continuously upset with the born-again Christians who seem to have gained enormous power in this country, and especially with the present administration. They, like their Führer Trump, are without compassion, without brains, and, worst of all, without any sense of rationality.

They believe that they alone should have the right to live above the law or even to change it in order to suit themselves. Take the case of Roe vs. Wade.

They rant and they rave about the growing overpopulation of the world, the endless line of people asking for handouts. And at the same time, by fighting to outlaw abortions, they reserve themselves the right to increase that population as they wish.

These people are trying to take this country back into the dim dark days when abortion was illegal throughout the nation. Women had to resort to illegal abortions, international trips, wire coat hangers, self-harm, and any other means they could find to end unintended or unwanted pregnancies.

Then the Supreme Court passed Roe vs. Wade, which gave women the right to take control of their own bodies. I have never in my long life ever known a woman who wanted an abortion. But women should have the right to decide whether to take a pregnancy to term, whether they are carrying child who has a terminal prenatal diagnosis or debilitating deformities, or if they have been violated and raoed raped, or molested and impregnated by a family member, or if they already have more children they can afford. They may be too young for the financial and emotional burden of parenthood, or any one of a thousand reasons for having an abortion.

These lawmakers are trying to put all of the responsibility on the women for these pregnancies. It is THEY who don’t want to take care of the child; they want to the woman to carry the pregnancy to term without any responsibility on their part. And then complain about the overpopulation, and do nothing to take care of them or provide financial assistance or support.

These right-to-lifers support the death penalty, support wars, support gun lobbies that are killing people all over America; the only life they support is women’s pregnancies for which they take no responsibility.

Historically, men have considered it their right to control women. Banning abortions is just one way of them taking no responsibility for unwanted pregnancies. The fact of the matter is that it takes two to tango – so it is critical that men are included in these conversations around abortion. It seems that the last time they were was in 1992, when the Supreme Court overturned a law that required a woman to prove that she had the permission of her husband before she could have an abortion. It seems as though men want all of the control in the decision-making process, but none of the responsibility after the baby is born.

To make sure they take that responsibility, here is my solution. Every boy at the age of 12 should undergo a vasectomy. This would only be reversed after he has reached a certain age, has been married legally for a period of time, and is now ready, willing, and able to have a child for whom HE will take responsibility for their entire childhood. If he does not want to take responsibility at all, he can have a clinical castration. This would put an end to the problem of teenage pregnancies, as well as other unwanted pregnancies and pregnancies from rape. It would largely solve the problem of abortion.

What right do a group of male politicians have to rule the lives of women? This is the last developed nation in the world that does not give women the right or access to safe, medically processed legal abortions.

Italy and France (both Catholic countries) show more humanity and compassion toward women than do the so-called religious fanatics of this country, the pro-lifers of America. How can America ever again be great as long as we are under the rule of neanderthal men?

I grew up in a family of boys, two of my own brothers and two adopted. I have two sons and two grandsons. None of them have the demeaning attitude toward women that is evidenced by this Republican congress which is totally dominated by the born-again Christian missionaries who have bought their way into the congress of the United States.

I say shame on a nation that allows its values to be corrupted by their own lawmakers. These people care more about a seat in the Senate than they do for the integrity of the Republican party, or the benefit of the nation. Shame on the Republican party for having capitulated, and for their failure to act as individual members. They have surrendered their independence and moral standards to allow religion and prejudice to control their duty as the governing body of the USA.

Hit the streets, people. Stand up, vote them out. Every last one of them. Make your voice heard. Call your senator. Call your congressperson. Let it be known, by one and all, that you will not allow your country to be taken over by irresponsible, uncaring, unpatriotic self-seekers, whose agenda does not serve our nation.

When I Have Fears Part 5

Before President Obama brought the concept of Nation Healthcare, we were the only country in the developed world that didn’t have a health program that covered every citizen. Perhaps ObamaCare was not perfect. It is my personal belief that medicare insurance should cost the same from one state to another and one city to another. And it should cover men, women and children equally according to need. Instead of attempting to improve healthcare, this administration has made every effort possible to destroy it. This president and his administration has no care or compassion for the average man, woman or child.

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

List last updated 6:40am EST, 3/19/2019

When I Have Fears Part 4

Today we should be listening carefully to the scientific community. All we need today is to look around us.

Look at the fires in California driven by unprecedented wind storms. Look at the rising tides eating away at the once familiar shorelines and endangering homes perched on those shores. Look at the melting icebergs and the consequent loss of species. Polar bears basically trying to find food as they are forced roam from one ice flow to another where once they trod on solid ice.

We are clearly at the tipping point. Attention must be be paid. Anyone who cares about the future, anyone who cares about their children and grandchildren and the world that we are forcing upon them, must pay attention to climate changes.

The following weeks will be dedicated to listing Trump’s incredible moves against the United States of America and the Democracy for which we stand.

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

List last updated 6:40am EST, 3/19/2019

When I Have Fears Part 3

If the increase in worldwide population is the issue that many people believe it is, then we should look closely at our own Congress and our own government for the irresponsible role that they play. Among the very first actions taken by this administration was to institute a worldwide gag order which was wildly supported by the born again Christian right wing of the Republican Party. The gag order means that organizations anywhere in the world receiving government money would be cut off from funding if they so much as mention abortion, birth control or any other issues that effect women’s reproductive health.

It is obvious that these people in this administration are so ignorant and so abusive of women that they do not even understand the relationship between women’s ability to take control of their reproductive lives and the subsequent decrease in the rates of both the population and the number of abortions. The distribution of contraceptives  and information provided by the UN Population Fund prevented 3.7 million abortions last year, so obviously if you are against both population increase and abortion then you should logically support the UN Population Fund instead of destroying it.

The following weeks will be dedicated to listing Trump’s incredible moves against the United States of America and the Democracy for which we stand.

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

When I Have Fears Part 2

The progress that has been made through careful and insightful legal action to improve the conditions under which people live, work, and survive in America are systematically being destroyed by a man who, by cheating, lying, and stealing, has managed to survive and flourish.

The following weeks will be dedicated to listing Trump’s incredible moves against the United States of America and the Democracy for which we stand.

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

List last updated 6:40am EST, 3/19/2019

Part 1

I am sure that Trump has fears that he may cease to be before he has destroyed our nation and brought us all down with him.

Alone and desperate, he sits at his desk in the Oval Office and dreams up actions he can take to hasten our demise as a nation, as a world power, as a democracy and as a world in which we might choose to live with intelligence, industry and compassion.

The following weeks will be dedicated to listing Trump’s incredible moves against the United States of America.

10

See a full list of Trump’s actions against the United States of America here

List last updated 6:40am EST, 3/19/2019

Hoda Mathana left the United States to join ISIS in Syria, fully knowing that The Caliphate was dedicated to the destruction of the USA. In my opinion this woman , Hoda Mathana, should be left in the Syrian Refugee Camp where she is now. 

She was an adult when she made up her mind to destroy the US by join ISIS.

When I was 15 years old, most of my friends were really excited about signing the Communist Manifesto. I read it through to the very end where it was clear that the aim of the Communist Party was the destruction of the US Government.I did not sign on and I have never joined any group or any organization whose express aim was the destruction of the US Government.

This woman who married 3 times, to men all of whom were members of ISIS. Each time her husband was killed, she promptly married somebody else who was a member of ISIS. Admittedly, she might not have had a choice in this matter. 

If she is, allowed back into the United States, she should be tried for treason and jailed for life.

Think about it. She could easily be a mole and we would never know it. 

Why should the American tax payers take on all of that? There is a hight cost for court time, for lawyers , and paying for her while she is in prison.

We have so much trouble deciding on a realistic immigration policy for this country, and we are disallowing and turning away  people who are legitimately seeking asylum.

This girl left the United States to join a force that was dedicated to the destruction of the US and the Western World. She would be lucky to remain in the Syrian refugee camp where she is, with people who are legitimate refuges from an abusive and destruct Government.

ACHTUNG!

 1. Attention!

2. Beware!

Anybody who lived through WWII who is still alive today will remember that “ACHTUNG!” was the Nazi call to attention. They recognize the classic signs and symbols of a systematic takeover by a totalitarian dictator. Do not forget that it was the people of Germany who voted Hitler into power, and that is what We The People of the United States are facing today.

A democratic society is complicated, confusing, and difficult. A dictatorship dismisses societal protections (whether they be for the environment, education, healthcare, or the arts) as complications and simply eliminates anything or anybody who gets in the way of simple, direct action and total control.

Unfortunately what this country needs at this time is complicated. It is made even more complicated by the social progress that has been made over the last 90 years. Probably the advent of computers and cell phones has exacerbated the problems and simultaneously shed more light on the divisions within the country, whether they be race, creed, religion, gender or financial inequality. This is a time in our history where leadership is as crucial as it has ever been. This nation, this democracy, is being torn apart and is in dire need of a healer who brings people together instead of what we now have, a divisive and destructive egocentric dictator.

The last Republican administration was that of George W. Bush and it was on his watch that we became involved in the total destruction of Iraq and the endless wars in the Middle East. It was on his watch that the banks were failing and the country was heading towards a serious financial depression. It was also George W. Bush who at last recognized the situation; late, but at least in time to start the turn around.

Obama ran his campaign on the need for a National Health Program, but even as he took office as President, he became caught up in the desperate need to stop and reverse the downward tide of the financial crisis facing the nation. He supported the banks for which he has received endless criticism. However, in the 1930’s, it was also the Republicans who caused the financial collapse. The banks were not saved, and a financial crisis plunged our country into a deep depression that swept the globe. There were no jobs, there was no money, and people starved. The truth is, we didn’t recover from the depression until after WWII.

So here we were in 2008 facing the same dilemma. Obama took action to put the country back on the path to recovery. It was not speedy but at least it was constant. Jobs were being created. The banks were secured. The stock market was on an upward trend. However, a certain portion of the population was still left behind, and their jobs disappeared. Numbers of people slipped from the middle class into poverty. Trump seized upon their vulnerability. He was subsequently elected and immediately claimed credit for all that Obama had accomplished.

Instead of addressing the ongoing problems and divisions in the country, he has exacerbated them, causing irreparable damage to the fabric of our society and to the very core of our Democracy.

This is a time in history where this country needs creative, enlightened leadership to help solve the many problems facing and endangering our society. This is a time to address the social, racial, and financial issues that separate the poor and the middle classes from the 1%. This is not the time to cut taxes for the wealthiest people in the world, nor for many wealthy corporations.

The country is split by serious problems of job displacement. Due to the advancement of technology, our economy today relies less on manufacturing, and more on technology. Therefore, the requirements of the workforce are different and more demanding than they ever were before.

We need to have a high level of education in order to prepare people for today’s job market. It takes an educated public to make demands of their government and hold them accountable. Education in this country is at a lower standard than it has ever been and we have never ranked higher than in the middle worldwide. Now we have a woman in office, chosen and backed by the President, neither of whom understands the value of a high quality public education, nor do they want it. They do not want an educated public. They do not want free speech. They are not open to accountability or criticism. A democracy cannot survive with an uneducated public. A dictatorship cannot survive with an educated public.

The congress, which constitutionally should be the nation’s check and balance system, has become an exclusive club to which members swear allegiance. Instead of representing their constituencies, the members are representing their party and drumming out anyone who disagrees with the party line. Our check and balance system is broken, and has played right into the hands of a demagogue.

Only someone incapable of dealing with the complications of a Democracy, someone looking to line his own pockets and to have the power to do so, chooses to be a dictator and thus rids himself of the problems or blame. Instead of governing he rules by edict. And further to save his own skin, he forces the appointment of his sycophant to denigrate the Supreme Court. Only someone incapable, incompetent and ignorant wants and needs to get rid of Free Press and Free Speech and any possible criticism. Are we as a nation really willing to give all of our freedoms and rights away to an ignorant and corrupt President and this sycophant’s followers in the Congress? Hit the streets folks: Rebel. Vote! Vote the despots out!