SERIOUSLY,  the very many statements, actions, threats, choices and supposedly pro-American (at least pro-USA)  moves from the new presidential regime  signals a route for the U.S., our country and democracy to fail, even before climate change.  What  is the target they’re aiming at?

Must be with another goal in mind than liberty and justice for all.  And it appears to be a failed government to be replaced by…what?  Communism? Socialism?  An old-fashioned  feudal system run by one man and a huge dungeon?  Better yet, King.  And as the Lord of All, it may include the planetary system, or in someone’s madness, the Universe!

Sounds a little crazy, doesn’t it?  That’s what I’m saying: it is crazy and with patriots selling us out, either for their cut or  due to private derangement,  the dragon appears already half-grown and half as powerful (if only that).  Time for tut-tutting is fleeing.  Today I cannot attempt to put the demonized jig saw puzzle together, just blow my  own little tin whistle in hopes many others are sufficiently concerned to act.  (And by that I don’t mean killing our neighbors, or seceding from the union.)

It may very well be a weakness of mine, but in my heart of hearts (if not brains) I greatly regret the Supreme Court’s 2010 decision that further tilted political influence toward wealthy donors and corporations, and hold that decision is in large part responsible for allowing the great unraveling.

VETOED

Gov. Kelly (Kansas) Vetoes Senate Bill 63:  “Right now the Legislature should be focused on ways to help Kansans cope with rising prices. That is the most important issue for Kansans. That is where my focus is.

“Infringing on parental rights is not appropriate, nor is it a Kansas value. As I’ve said before, it is not the job of politicians to stand between a parent and child who needs medical care of any kind. This legislation will also drive families, businesses, and health care workers out of our state, stifling our economy and exacerbating our workforce shortage issue.

“It is disappointing that the Legislature continues to push for government interference in Kansans’ private  medical decisions instead of focusing on issues that improve all Kansans’ lives.”   (The Hill)

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GUN RIGHTS?   Thanks to  Diane  Ravitch for bringing our attention to a posting by Heather Cox Richardson:

On Friday, President Donald Trump issued an executive order “protecting Second Amendment rights.” The order calls for Attorney General Pam Bondi to examine all gun regulations in the U.S. to make sure they don’t infringe on any citizen’s right to bear arms…

And to Diane for reminding us about Musk’s 19-year old appointed as a senior advisor to multiple departments.

“He is dangerous,” said one of the U.S. officials, noting Coristine’s age and a report by Bloomberg News that he was fired for leaking a data security firm’s information to a competitor.  Eddie, known as “Big Balls” on the internet,  worked briefly for Musk’s Neuralink. He is a “senior advisor” to multiple highly confidential departments’ documents at the State Department and the Office of Personnel Management.  He apparently was never vetted. “What could possibly go wrong?”

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…Are my  new blogs not appearing?

nanmykel.com  nmykel@gmail.com

Another good reblog by Keith.

The Trump administration, working with OpenAI, SoftBank and Oracle, will invest at least $100 billion in A.I. infrastructure.

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Donald Trump orders trans women inmates to be housed with men: “There will be rapes”  ny times

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POEM OF THE DAY

Work Bench

Life has morphed into a jigsaw

puzzle with all pieces accounted

for, but fewer and much larger.

And I work and rework the same

chunks day after day after day,

grateful for seeing the biggest ones

fracture, until I am inside

struggling to revision content.

Will I come together in time?

Only angels and fairies know.

Nan  Dec. 2024

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For You: Trump Terminates Fauci’s Government Security Protection. Mr. Trump inaccurately characterized FEMA’s role, which is to support state and local officials only if those officials are unable to respond to disasters on their own, and only at the request of a governor.

Dr. Anthony Fauci is stripped of Government Security protection.  Trump told  reporters he would not feel responsible if harm came to Fauci. The day before, he removed Government Security protection for Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook, former top aides. “Both these men  faced continuing Iraq threats because of actions they took  on Mr. Trump’s behalf during  his first administration.”

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Imjingak Pyeonghoa-Nuri Park at the DMZ on the border of the two Koreas

The park was built in 1972 to console those from both sides who are unable to return to their hometowns, friends and families because of the division of Korea and currently receives approximately 1.2 million visitors per year.” (source)

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GLAD I ASKED

In my last blog I asked if Trump really salutes the flag, based on two photos I came across on the internet.  WRONG, it seems to have been a setup.  The second photo, at Jimmy Carter’s funeral, was iffy in comparison.  Of course, then he went and didn’t fly the flag at half mast for the usual 30 days.  Anyway, I apologize for any misinterpretations.

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Is this presumably A.I. internet image the reason the black women’s vote was so overwhelmingly Democrat?

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Most who have followed Filosofa’s Word for a year or more know that I have zero empathy or tolerance for millionaires or billionaires.  When there are people dying all around the globe because they lack food, potable water, shelter, and healthcare, there is no viable justification for a “chosen few” to sit atop billions of dollars that could feed, clothe and shelter the rest.  None.  Today, the U.S. has the highest level of wealth inequality  in the nation’s history.  WHY??? Tragically, the incoming administration plans to stretch that wealth gap even more, fawning over those who have lots of money while kicking the rest of us to the curb.  Thom Hartmann ponders some of the reasons the Republican Party worship wealth.  It is a bit lengthy, but well worth the time, I think.

Why Do Republicans Hate a Prosperous Middle Class?

The real reason GOP policies target wages, unions, and public education.  By Thom Hartman

(Nan has lost the ability to “reblog,” so you’ll have to find it on your own, or on Jill Dennison.)

It’s tempting to just “forget” what’s happening today in the world, but running away gets me no place, even away.  So while I’m drawn to try and escape acid reflux topics, I will at least mix the two for awhile, at least until my readership vanishes.  That said, today’s mixture:

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“INDIAN GIVER?”

Was Jimmy Carter already dead when Trump announced  his intention/wish to take the Panama Canal  back?  The Canal Zone was constructed following Jim Crow policies of segregation. Privileged white U.S. citizens and their dependents were granted certain rights based on race. Black Panamanians and migrant laborers, mostly from the Caribbean, took the bulk of low-paying jobs and lived in the Canal Zone’s segregated neighborhoods. (Google)  When President, Jimmy Carter signed  https://www.newsweek.com/fact-check

The stretch of land 50 miles long and 10 miles wide in the middle of the Panamanian isthmus had been under U.S. control since 1903, with construction of the canal starting in earnest the following year.

The U.S. Canal Zone had its own government, court system, schools, police force, fire department. It had its own governor, appointed by the president of the U.S. Living in the zone meant access to free housing, free schools, state-of-the-art medical facilities, manicured lawns, clean streets, little-league football and Fourth of July parades.

But when Panamanians set foot in the Canal Zone, their citizenship rights were void and they could be prosecuted under different laws and regulations.

The Panama Canal Treaty promised to give control of the canal to the Panamanians by midnight Dec. 31, 1999. The Treaty of Permanent Neutrality and Operation declared the canal neutral and open to vessels of all nations and allowed the U.S. to retain the permanent right to defend the canal from any threat.

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Voters in Odessa, Texas, have overwhelmingly rebuked the city’s anti-trans reputation by replacing the three city council members who supported its infamous bathroom ban – and also by electing Odessa’s first-ever gay council member.

Craig Stoker, executive director for the local Meals on Wheels, campaigned on improving the city’s infrastructure, while his opponent – incumbent Denise Swanner – campaigned on homophobia.

From <https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2024/12/voters-oust-visciously-anti-trans-city-council-trio-elect-the-citys-first-gay-councilmember/

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FORTY DIFFERENT FRUIT ON ONE TREE

Why can’t we do it?

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I GUESS  I  COULD BE CALLED AN ALLIE IN GHANA

An  Amendment in Ghana would classify LGBTQ+ people, allies,  and related acts as “fugitive criminals.” In the same vein as murderers, rapists, bank robbers and more. This means anyone engaged in LGBTQAP+ activities who are merely deemed to have committed offenses would be subject to extradition to Ghana. Under such extradition law, Ghana could potentially request the extradition of individuals from countries with which it has extradition treaties. The treaty with the US, for example, was extended from its initiating UK treaty which covered Commonwealth countries.

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FRIENDLY AMPUTATIONS

Combat can leave the ants with leg injuries. But as scientists recently discovered, these ants have evolved an effective wound treatment: amputation.

In the journal Current Biology, on Tuesday, researchers report that the ants bite off the injured limbs of their nest mates to prevent infection. Although other ant species are known to tend to the wounds of their injured, typically by licking them clean, this is the first time that an ant species has been known to use amputation to treat an injury.

The ants in the study performed amputations on only certain leg injuries, suggesting that they are methodical in their surgical practices. Aside from humans, no other animal is known to conduct such amputations. The prevalence of the behavior among Florida carpenter ants raises questions about their intelligence and their ability to feel pain.

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Male Versus Female —

“We need the humility to acknowledge that we haven’t come near to solving male versus female issues in the United States. But at least we discuss them openly, shattering taboos — and throwing stones from a glass house is still preferable to silence as women and girls are murdered and assaulted in large numbers around the world.”  https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/18/opinion/sexual-violence-women.html

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Erin in the Morning

120 Anti-Trans Bills Filed Across the United States This Year

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NAN says:  Well, I experimented good vs bad, but I think I stayed a little more down than up…