Republicans: As Long As We Keep Power, What We Do is Fine

John Nichols, in an article in The Nation, states that Republicans are refusing to honor a peaceful and respectful transition of power in states where they lost elections. As an example:

Lambasting Wisconsin Republicans for this week’s power grab, Wisconsin state Senator Caleb Frostman, whose brief tenure in the legislature will end in January, warned that, “Unlike the tradition of a peaceful transfer of power, and unlike President Bush’s humble words of encouragement to incoming President Clinton, the [actions of Walker and his legislative allies] are hostile to democracy, display the petulance of children denied their third piece of birthday cake, and reek of supreme arrogance.”

The policies of Republicans support hierarchies, and Republicans believe themselves to be on top of their hierarchies with no accountability when they do whatever they want to keep their power, even when it is against the law and tradition.

https://www.thenation.com/article/wisconsin-michigan-republican-lame-duck-power-grab/

Trump's Tariffs Hurting the Average Community

Siting on top of his hierarchy, Trump and the Republicans don't care how their laws that benefit the rich affect everyone else.

Across the country, contractors working on infrastructure projects have reportedly had to contend with higher costs as a result of steel tariffs imposed by the Trump administration earlier this year.

A project engineer on a new wastewater treatment facility in Utah told the outlet that costs there shot up by roughly $29 million in part because of higher steel costs.

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/419767-trump-administration-tariffs-inflating-costs-of-public-works-projects?fbclid=IwAR3XS4EHfRFYlrBrA0bTg7A0NzWtlhTYnI3mgi-DLAnw6T4zNic7bbpRCqA

Church in Boston Speaks Out for Immigrants

The St. Susanna Parish near Boston has put a baby Jesus doll in a black metal cage cut off from the rest of the scene by a fence in a reference to family separation at the U.S.-Mexico border.

Father Stephen Josoma hopes the display will stimulate conversation about immigration in America and draw attention to how immigrants are being treated.

A sign reading “deportation” points toward the wisemen and is hanging on the fence separating them from Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus.

“We thought we would kind of put a mirror image of what it would look like if this happened 2,000 years ago,” Josoma said. “It’s kind of a mirror image of where we are at today.”

Last year their nativity scene included 16 signs, each one describing an American mass shooting, 

listing how many people were killed at each.

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/419732-boston-area-church-puts-baby-jesus-in-cage-as-part-of?fbclid=IwAR2DLIET7-GdJOnWliAILhn7oCBCVHTwb2153-StIU0iQtudP20uw2u-d08

How Republicans Cheat

"The 2018 Republican Party is baldly at odds with its own title. They do not believe in republican institutions, because — to quote one of the party's own founders — 'government of the people, by the people, for the people' means they will lose. And so, they cheat."

This article tells us about their current efforts.

https://theweek.com/articles/810795/how-republicans-cheat?fbclid=IwAR3kjG-1yHUrBjdDEQGRvMChbBBMbQcc0iT8pPeiUOHkboLWv-IWyg5bzvY

Would Republicans Be a Majority Without Voter Suppression?

Typical of people on top of a hierarchy, nothing will stop Republicans from trying to be in power. Not gerrymandering, lying, voter suppression, racist ads, anything they can think of.

And now apparently they might have destroyed over a thousand absentee ballots from likely Democratic voters in the race for North Carolina's 9th Congressional District last month.

No surprise, as the heart and soul of the current Republican party revolves around hierarchies, and there is no limit to what those on top think they deserve.

https://thehill.com/homenews/house/419979-over-a-thousand-absentee-ballots-possibly-destroyed-in-controversial-north?fbclid=IwAR0ZpYxV-IPv_VKHc-gKufQDmUfn81i5RancMXwgRiAK13fGeBjSX0JHAls

Sarah Silverman: Lucky I Don't Have to Wear Hollywood Star on My Clothes

Sarah Silverman, after receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame earlier that day, told Bill Maher she is “very lucky” she doesn’t have to sew a Jewish star to her clothes under the Trump administration.

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/416055-sarah-silverman-im-very-lucky-i-dont-have-to-wear-a-jewish-star?fbclid=IwAR0JejAD-cpU-BL-m2xt-kC4siMYD0cJn-37d5b560O9ZcCJOaGkvD9PnCw

Catholic Church Sends Predator Priests to Minority Neighborhoods

People lower on the hierarchy receive more of what is undesirable. And they are less likely to be successful at challenging the top.

Catholic Church leaders in Los Angeles for years shuffled predator priests into non-English-speaking immigrant communities. That pattern was revealed in personnel documents released in a decades-old legal settlement between victims of child sex abuse by Catholic priests and the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

Now clergy sex abuse victims throughout California are working to get the release of more data to discover how wide-spread the practice of hiding abusers in immigrant communities really was.

 https://www.npr.org/2018/11/08/665251345/immigrant-communities-were-the-geographic-solution-to-predator-priests?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&utm_content=202909&fbclid=IwAR2uIyzFSTlv_yAgu15hTgESspFtzevFo8okRc1pLKo3CU1jdZzrPoQVBVk

Mississippi Man Fired Because of Wearing Racist Shirt to Vote

The Regional One Health hospital in Memphis has fired an employee after an image of the shirt he wore to the voting polls went viral. Clayton Hickey wore a shirt with a Confederate flag and a noose to go vote this week.

Good for the hospital in realizing that “Regional One Health holds employees to a high standard. We are committed to upholding our mission to provide compassionate care and exceptional services to all,” the statement continued. “This includes fostering a safe and protected work and care environment for all. Behaviors contrary to these principles are unacceptable and will not be tolerated."

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/415903-hospital-fires-mississippi-man-who-wore-shirt-with-noose?fbclid=IwAR10dEzZl72Ueii-W8D0ky3Nr7UuRTwIHcMRETeIl-ztWu7a3NQdYABPBgc

Hate is Not a Mental Illness

In an article in Psychology Today, Amy Barnhorst MD states that we are diagnosing incorrectly if we think that the mass shootings are caused by mental illness. Instead, we should be focusing on guns.

In the study of hierarchies, we know that whatever applies to the top group is assumed to apply to everyone. So if angry white men are shooting people they don't know, then they must be mentally ill. But girls and women who are mentally ill aren't doing this, so obviously the mental illness is not the problem.

Angry white men who want to remain on top of their hierarchies are the issue, and they will do whatever it takes to stay there.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/in-crisis/201811/hate-is-not-mental-illness?fbclid=IwAR3gGcG5HEpGR12XcCCGta81Fk_69a_sQkhiIHgwP2dz8wHqPfT4si3rsv4

GOP Has to Cheat to Win Georgia Governor Race

Maybe it is the sign of the times of the GOP losing support, which would be a good thing for the demise of hierarchies, but it appears that in the Governor's race in Georgia, Brian Kemp would not have been able to win if he had not used his Secretary of State office to rig the election in his favor.

According to an article by Van Jones, here are the top eight moves by Kemp made in an attempt to give him a victory, in a fashion that in any other country, the UN would be investigating:

Overseeing the election he ran in,

Purging voters from the rolls,
Closing polling places,

Disenfranchising voters,

Sowing voter confusion, 

Creating long lines with too few voting machines, 

Forcing voters to use provisional ballots,

Refusing to secure elections.

The top of our hierarchies will do anything to stay in power.
 
https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/09/opinions/dont-let-brian-kemp-steal-georgias-gubernatorial-election-van-jones/index.html

All 19 Houston Black Women Running for Judges Won

A local judicial race in Houston, Texas brings even more great news: All 19 black women who ran for various judicial seats in Harris County won their races last night, marking the single biggest victory for black women in the county's history.

Keep those hierarchies cracking up!!!

https://www.yahoo.com/amphtml/lifestyle/19-black-women-running-judge-181400986.html?fbclid=IwAR1C_G86gYmAKxpulhHLnhS8t6IL_a0KahD0bUupl74qF7_xzi8cLj0UXx0

Black Sheriffs Elected in Seven Largest North Carolina Counties

More good news on election day, hierarchies cracking all over the place!!

North Carolina's seven largest counties – Buncombe, Cumberland, Durham, Forsyth, Guilford, Mecklenburg and Wake – all elected black men to their county’s top law enforcement positions. Five of those counties – Buncombe, Cumberland, Guilford, Durham, Forsyth – did so for the first time ever.

Issues of racial profiling, advancement of minorities and immigration played a part in the campaign.

http://pulse.ncpolicywatch.org/2018/11/07/black-sheriffs-make-history-in-sweep-of-seven-largest-nc-counties/?fbclid=IwAR2CmT1CdsjVMOONzZA0lJMFNdn5iX0yDJ_JqMaimY3FzL9IGJOyX644Yj4

Rainbow Wave - LGBTQ Candidates WIN!

Mor LGBTQ candidates ran for office this year than ever before, and more than 240 ― an unprecedented number ― won their primaries. On Election Day, several of them made history, including the first openly gay man to be elected governor; New Hampshire’s first gay congressman; and a Native American lesbian who won a House seat in Kansas, becoming the first queer person to represent the state in Congress.

Hierarchies breaking down everywhere!!!  Read all about the victories here:


https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lgbtq-midterm-elections_us_5be29707e4b0dbe871a49ea0

Keb Mo and Rosanne Cash - "Put The Women in Charge"

Make your day and keep your spirits high with a wonderful new song by Keb Mo and Rosanne Cash, "Put the Women in Charge."

Great beat, and wonderful representation of the female energy, that they say is "Magic" and will "Raise the Vibration" of the world.

Watch at:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FciQeRGYFlw

Boy Scouts Sued by Girl Scouts – They Think They Can Have It All

The Girl Scouts of the USA has sued the Boy Scouts for trademark infringement.

In a typical move of people who think they are on the top of the hierarchy and deserve anything they want, and that they represent everyone, the Boy Scouts recently launched a campaign only for their organization called "Scout Me In." It's the exclusive, generic use of "Scouts," without a gender marker, that the Girl Scouts object to.

"Such misconduct will not only cause confusion among the public, damage the goodwill of GSUSA's GIRL SCOUTS trademarks, and erode its core brand identity, but it will also marginalize the GIRL SCOUTS Movement by causing the public to believe that GSUSA's extraordinarily successful services are not true or official 'Scouting' programs, but niche services with limited utility and appeal," the complaint reads.

https://www.npr.org/2018/11/07/665308785/girl-scouts-of-the-usa-files-suit-against-boy-scouts-of-america

Trump and Supporters: Take Responsibility for Pittsburgh

In an article in The Atlantic, Adam Serwer describes how Trump's lies and creation of hysteria about the "caravan" headed to the United States from countries south caused the Pittsburgh gunman to shot and kill 11 people yesterday at a synagogue. 

"As for those who aided the president in his propaganda campaign, who enabled him to prey on racist fears to fabricate a national emergency, those who said to themselves, “This is the play”? Every single one of them bears some responsibility for what followed. Their condemnations of anti-Semitism are meaningless. Their thoughts and prayers are worthless. Their condolences are irrelevant. They can never undo what they have done, and what they have done will never be forgotten."

But of course, from the top of the hierarchies they create, these Republicans will not take responsibility for their actions, and feel they never have to. 

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/caravan-lie-sparked-massacre-american-jews/574213/?fbclid=IwAR175SQmLes1oioKS8cPPvOVde35-KNlYEuLkfRJGrbNORJnVVLGlfarx7k

League of Women Voters are Communists, According to GOP

The Kansas City Star is reporting that Missouri Secretary of State Kris Kobach has called the League of Women Voters a Communist organization, along with the ACLU. His comments came at the state G.O.P. convention.

The top of our hierarchies are becoming farther and farther out on the see saw as more and more people are supporting equality in the United States, exerting mass on the opposite side of the hierarchy conservators. In order to stay in the game, Republicans as the strongest supporters of hierarchies, have to move farther out to compensate.

They are losing it. Getting closer to the end and falling off.

https://www.kansascity.com/latest-news/article61850332.html?fbclid=IwAR10JOC_xR2g7du-pojl720ewl8n-zpYj3NKkuC3i7OQECkxLNct_XeLAXc

Starbucks: First Signing Store

Actress Marlee Martin was on hand on Tuesday as Starbuck opened its first U.S. "Signing Store" in Washington D.C. Customers can order in American Sign Language.

Deaf baristas wear specialty aprons featuring "Starbucks" in sign language.

The store is located near Gallaudet University, the world's only university designated to educate deaf and hard of hearing students.

https://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/412779-starbucks-opens-first-signing-store-in-dc?fbclid=IwAR30tu7r2Zj9bwgQ2JCX9ygvDH1u-Avh7OYjbKB4EtKYOvQn5r7y3yJGoGE

Evangelical Women - Following Their Dictated Lower Roles

"There exists a generation of women who were never taught consent ― and I’m not talking about Boomers. I’m talking about the hundreds of thousands of us who were raised in church and came of age at the turn of the millennium.

"In our world, we were taught that our bodies didn’t belong to ourselves. God owned them, they said, but really, that meant that men owned them. Our fathers. Our pastors. Our husbands. Our politicians. Never ourselves."

Control women by convincing them that men have to controlling their bodies. The God they create is a man on top of a hierarchy. Then women vote for such a man, and support men who control women's bodies, and do with them what they want in order to remain on top of the power in gender hierarchy.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/brett-kavanaugh-evangelical-women_us_5bb3a28de4b0ba8bb211985b

Hierarchy Supporters Keep Trying to Push More Resources Their Way

In hierarchies, lower people are expected to send their resources to the top, and the top is not responsible for how their actions affect those at the bottom.

With record deficits, the GOP is proposing to make a change by expecting lower groups to send even more resources to the top, even though it is the lower groups who generate the economy that allows the top groups to thrive.

Don't stop sending more money to the top by cutting taxes over and over to the rich. Instead, make lower groups who generate the money pay more. Cut Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, according to the GOP.

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-deficit-highest-six-years_us_5bc545ece4b0a8f17ee4c5d6?ncid=engmodushpmg00000003

Hierarchical President Addresses Group Who Work Against LGBT Rights

President Trump will be the first sitting president to address the Family Research Council’s Values Voter Summit, which the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) described as a “rogues' gallery of the radical right.

SPLC President Richard Cohen told The Independent, “By appearing at the Values Voter Summit, President Trump is lending the legitimacy of his office to a hate group that relentlessly demonizes LGBTQ people and works to deny them of their equal rights.” Trump is speaking at a rally of glorified hate speech.

“Family Research Council believes that homosexual conduct is harmful to the persons who engage in it and to society at large, and can never be affirmed. It is by definition unnatural, and as such is associated with negative physical and psychological health effects.”


https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-speak-anti-lgbt-hate-groups-annual-event-first-president-683927?fbclid=IwAR0-_ry_oioAE6v8g_ogKkLRWSVP1tBfhoDdRVckTD_mOc3GQtG-RzkMEIw

Taylor Swift Breaks Political Silence

Today Taylor Swift broke her career-long silence on politics to state that the record of the Republican Marsha Blackburn "appalls and terrifies" her. She instead endorsed former Democratic Tennessee Gov. Phil Bredesen in their race for the U.S. Senate.

“I always have and always will cast my vote based on which candidate will protect and fight for the human rights I believe we all deserve in this country,” Swift wrote. “I believe in the fight for LGBTQ rights, and that any form of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender is WRONG. I believe that the systemic racism we still see in this country towards people of color is terrifying, sickening and prevalent.”

One can only speculate if the recent Kavanaugh hearings and confirmation influenced Swift, because of her highly publicized 2017 case of sexual assault against her.

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/410338-taylor-swift-breaks-silence-on-politics-supports-democrats-in

Republicans - Maintaining their Hierarchies are their Highest Priority

With their actions around the Kavanaugh hearings, Republicans have given us a very clear view of hierarchical moves we can expect from top groups in power. Here are a few from the list of 40 on pages 14-17 on the book Everybody Jump Together you can download for free from this website.

- Push back when someone tries to hold them accountable. As accountability comes closer to the top, they will respond with ever-increasingly drastic measures.
- See themselves as unfairly attacked when labeled with typical top attitudes and behaviors such as bigots, misogynists, fascists, homophobes, etc. 
-  Require lower groups to release their resources and decision-making rights to the top.
- Use lies, deceptions, misconceptions, ridicule, and rationalizations to justify thier isolated, selfish, or clueless opinions and actions.
- Think they have a choice whether or not to deal with, or listen to, lower groups.
- Describe their stance as merely another point of view,when it is  much more - a mechanism to build hierarchies that benefit themselves.

Nikki Haley Spent $50,000 of Tax Money on Curtains when State Department Cutting Budgets

According to the New York Times, new curtains installed in Nikki Haley's apartment, last year in the cost tax payers more than $50,000 at a time when the State Department was facing budget cuts and a hiring freeze.

Nikki Haley is Trump's ambassador to the UN and who just led the US efforts to withdraw from the Human Rights Council.

Obviously, if you are on top, the sky and its view from your windows is the limit.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/406659-state-dept-spent-more-than-52k-on-nikki-haleys-apartment-curtains

Googled-Eyed Bus in Copenhagen Urges Americans Abroad to Vote

Use the link below to look at a city bus moving around Copenhagen urging Americans living abroad to vote. On the side of the bus is a picture of Trump, with his eyes turning non-uniformly with the wheels.

https://www.facebook.com/yupthatexists/videos/227675701248033/UzpfSTEwMDAwNDAzMDE0MjA0NzoyMjE0NzI4NDEyMDc0MDI2/

Many Right-Wing Fans Not Happy with Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson is infuriating many of his fans by agreeing to headline a concert for Beto O'Rourke, the opponent of Ted Cruz in the US Senate race in Texas.

Cruz, who has the support of Donald Trump, has flip-flopped in his opinion of Trump, even after being the target of Trump's lies and disdain. But when you, like Cruz, want to stay on top of a hierarchy in the Republican party that grows and supports hierarchies, anything goes to stay on top.
 
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/willie-nelson-beto-orourke_us_5b9a8c51e4b01151973bbe0f

If the UN Criticizes, Then Leave

The Trump Administration, led in this case by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Hale, has announced that the United States is withdrawing from the United Nations Human Rights Council. Haley had told members that they must stop singling out Israel for condemnation and must clean up their roster including Venezuela, China, and Saudi Arabia.

Richard Gowan, a fellow at New York University's Center on International Cooperation, told NPR's Michele Kelemen that there is another potential issue muddying the waters of this decision: the recent condemnations leveled at the Trump administration's immigration policies by international human-rights officials.

"I don't think [Tuesday's withdrawal] is linked to Prince Zeid's criticism of U.S. immigration policies," Gowan acknowledged, explaining that the high commissioner is technically separate from the council. But, Gowan added, "The timing looks just awful for Nikki Haley and Secretary Pompeo."

Worse thing to do to people who consider themselves on top of the world hierarchy - criticize them. Not acceptable from lower groups.

https://www.npr.org/2018/06/19/621435225/u-s-announces-its-withdrawal-from-u-n-s-human-rights-council?utm_campaign=storyshare

Catholic Church - Protect the Hierarchy Above All

"Most of the victims were boys; but there were girls too. Some were teens; many were prepubescent. Some were manipulated with alcohol or pornography. Some were made to masturbate their assailants, or were groped by them. Some were raped orally, some vaginally, some anally. But all of them were brushed aside, in every part of the state, by church leaders who preferred to protect the abusers and their institution above all."

The religious hierarchy of the Catholic Church – protect the top no matter the expense to anyone lower. 

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-08-16/catholic-church-sexual-abuse-scandal-continues-its-betrayal

Republicans Push Gender Hierarchy To Gain Advantage

"Republicans have made attacks on high-profile Democratic women a key part of their strategy for holding onto congressional majorities. The GOP aims to cast rank-and-file Democrats as puppets of House Minority Leader Nancy Peloisi, Sen. Elizabeth Warren and other Democratic boogeymen, calculating that suburban and rural voters won’t want to replace their Republican lawmakers with Democrats beholden to the party’s power brokers."

Such are the statements in an article by Melanie Zanona, who also says that those tactics fire up the Trump base.

But, if if Democrats win the House in November, thirty-five women are poised to lead committees and subcommittees in the next Congress

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/402397-boogeywomen-gop-vilifies-big-name-female-dems

African American Woman Elected President of American Medical Association (AMA)

We keep making progress in the age of Trump and hierarchical Republicans.

Dr. Patrice Harris has made history by becoming the first African-American woman elected to be president of the American Medical Association (AMA). Harris, who hails from Bluefield, West Virginia will serve as the Association’s 174th president.

https://wire.ama-assn.org/ama-news/patrice-harris-md-wins-office-ama-president-elect

West Hollywood City Council Asks Trump Star to Be Permanently Removed

Even though we have an incredibly strong pro-hierarchy organization in the Republican party and its leader Donald Trump, we can be encouraged that people all over the United States are still working to end our hierarchies.

The West Hollywood City Council unanimously approved a resolution Monday night urging that Donald Trump's star be removed from the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

“Getting a star is a privilege; it’s not a right,” West Hollywood’s Mayor Pro Tempore John D'Amico said, who jointly put forth the resolution. "When one belittles and attacks minorities, immigrants, Muslims, people with disabilities, or women - the honor no longer exists."
 
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-star-west-hollywood_us_5b690b10e4b0de86f4a47cab?ncid=engmodushpmg00000003

The Week: Republicans Might Tank

Damon Linker, in an article in The Week, states that Republicans might experience a big belly-flop in November. Not because the 24 percent of people who are Republicans still adore Trump/Pence, but because there are so many people who, more than usual in the midterms, are so opposed to the Republican leadership. He states that it is too early to tell, but the lead-up to the elections is pointing that way.

"Over and over again, at all of these levels, Democrats have outperformed expectations, often winning in districts that in recent election cycles have strongly favored Republicans. That's because Democrats are energized, highly motivated to push back hard against the president and what the GOP has become since Trump stormed the stage during the 2016 Republican primaries."

In the Republican quest to keep our hierarchies strong, we can hope that their lack of flexibility and commitment to what they hold most dear, will sink them sooner rather than later.

http://theweek.com/articles/788811/coming-republican-wipeout

Ruckelshaus: Trump More Frantic than Nixon

William D. Ruckelshaus, the acting director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, deputy attorney general in 1973, and administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 1970 to 1973 and 1983 to1985, points out that President Trump is acting with a desperation he's seen only once before in Washington: 45 years ago when President Richard M. Nixon ordered the firing of special Watergate prosecutor Archibald Cox.

He states that in some ways, Trump is conducting himself more frantically than Nixon, all the while protesting his innocence. 

The people in this country who are fighting to keep our hierarchies alive are stopping at nothing, evidenced by supporting this man and his swamp. They are disparately trying to hold back the tide of change, a movement so strong that it takes no less than these Trump measures. 

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/only-one-other-president-has-ever-acted-this-desperate/2018/08/06/7eed964e-9994-11e8-b55e-5002300ef004_story.html?utm_term=.24ad395efa9f

ATU in Washingon D.C. Stands Up to Hate

The Amalgamated Transit Union, Washington D.C.'s public transportation Metro’s largest union, leaked plans that the system is considering providing separate trains for white nationalists attending the so-called “Unite the Right” rally next weekend.

The Amalgamated Transit Union has stated that it refuses to accommodate the hate groups.

In hierarchies, many times the top groups assume that the rules only apply to them. Republicans including Trump have championed laws that state that people can discriminate against others because of religious or personal convictions, implying that only their hierarchical religions matter.

If they pass the "religious freedom laws," hopefully many, many people whose religion revolves around equality and justice will call out Trump supporters and Republicans and refuse to serve and support them.

http://fortune.com/2018/08/04/unite-the-right-rally-unions/

White Supremacists Bound By The Literature They Read

In a New York Times opinion piece, Ian Allen explains that in order understand why white supremacists back Donald Trump, we only need to view their reading material.

"The books act as a kind of binding agent, a Bible-like codification of basic principles that underpin the various denominations. And yet, for understandable reasons, they remain largely unknown. Journalists are inclined to avoid name-checking the books publicly, for fear of inadvertently promoting them."

 Mr Allen quotes Heidi Beirich, of the Southern Poverty Law Center. “We needed to have been talking about these books for decades. They’re very influential, they’re reaching the highest levels of power, they’re having an impact on terrorism, on policy, and so on. Not talking about them is just wrong.”

The article continues with descriptions of the literature.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/07/30/opinion/inside-the-world-of-racist-science-fiction.html?emc=edit_th_180731&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=164129060731

Many Republicans Have No Problem with Russian Election Interference

A new poll finds among Republicans there is double digit support for Russia interfering in the U.S. midterm elections to try to help Republicans keep control of Congress in the fall.

Released Tuesday, the poll finds that 11 percent of Republican or GOP-leaning Americans surveyed said it is "appropriate" for Russia to try to help Republicans, while 29 percent said it's "not appropriate, but wouldn't be a big deal."

People who support hierarchies will rationalize away any problems, as long as they and their ideology reign.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/399783-poll-some-republicans-approve-of-russias-help-in-elections

US Borrowing Money So Rich Can Pay Less Taxes

The new Republican tax bill to benefit the wealthy has trickled down to everyone else. Our debt we leave to our children demonstrates just who the Republicans expect to foot the bill to pass on to the top.

The Treasury Department predicted the U.S. government’s borrowing needs in the second half of this year will jump to the most since last decade’s financial crisis as the nation’s fiscal health deteriorates despite a strong economy.

The department expects to issue $329 billion in net marketable debt from July through September, the fourth-largest total for that quarter on record and higher than the $273 billion estimated in April, Treasury said in a report Monday.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-treasury-borrowing-20180730-story.html

Medicare for All - Save Money, Even Though Koch Brothers Report the Opposite

As initially reported in the Koch Brothers' sponsored study, Medicare for All would cost 32.6 trillion dollars over the next ten years.

But buried in the report, the net savings over what we are paying for health care now, even considering the inflated figures by the Koch study:

Matt Bruenig of the People's Policy Project  notes that though absent or buried in much of the initial reporting—even the Koch brothers' numbers, which Bernie Sanders says are vastly inflated, demonstrate that the "U.S. could insure 30 million more Americans and virtually eliminate out-of-pocket healthcare expenses" while saving "a whopping $2 trillion" in the process.

More lies to keep the haves having and the have-nots without.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/07/30/koch-funded-hit-piece-backfires-shows-medicare-all-would-save-300-billion-over-ten?utm_campaign=shareaholic&utm_medium=facebook&utm_source=socialnetwork

Anger from Holding Whites Accountable as Biggest American Terrorist Threat

Turns out people get angry when the top is held accountable, and singled out.

GlobalPost ran an article with the headline, “White Americans are the biggest terror threat in the United States.”

"Non-Muslim extremists in the United States had killed nearly twice as many Americans since 9/11 as Muslim “jihadists.” Many of the non-Muslim extremists — whom we’ll just call terrorists from now on — were motivated by right-wing anti-government beliefs or white supremacist ideologies. Nearly all of them were white US citizens," the article stated.

But of course, the next obvious question is, why not state that most of the killers are male. Why lump women into the mix too?

https://www.pri.org/stories/2015-07-08/turns-out-people-get-angry-when-you-say-white-americans-are-terrorists-too

Trump - Lying for the Top of All of His HIerarchies

People at the top of the hierarchy will go to amazing lengths to keep themselves clueless and on top.

According to Don Lemon on CNN Tonight, tells us that Donald Trump has lied at least 2,000 times, and his rate of lying is stepping up. Just last week, he lied 54 times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjI_wCEsKCw

What is Trump Trying to Hide in Migrant Detention Centers?

Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley posted a video showing he was denied entry to a detention center in Brownsville, Texas, for migrant children who have been separated from their parents when the families were trying to enter the United States. 

Merkley said in the video, "I think it's unacceptable that a member of Congress is not being admitted to see what is happening to children whose families are applying for asylum. I decided to come out here, go up to the door and ask to be let in."

The Trump/Pence administration has not disclosed how many children have been separated from their parents as a result of Trump/Pence's new "zero tolerance" policy. But a U.S. Customs and Border Protection official told a Senate panel that the 638 adults referred for prosecution from May 6 to May 19 had been traveling with 658 children, according to The Washington Post.

Trump has stated that people from Scandinavian countries, who are mostly white, would be more welcome to immigrate. The race hierarchy is one of many supported by Trump/Pence.

http://www.oregonlive.com/politics/index.ssf/2018/06/sen_jeff_merkley_denied_entry.html

Judge Who Gave Brock Turner a Lenient Sentence Recalled

If the elite white male establishment refuses to hold members of its group accountable, it is refreshing to note that in many cases, other people will.

Judge Aaron Persky – who gave Stanford swimmer Brock Turner an extremely lenient sentence after he was convicted of assault with intent to commit rape of an intoxicated/unconscious person, penetration of an intoxicated person and penetration of an unconscious person – yesterday became the first California jurist recalled from the bench in 86 years.

Persky was concerned that prison time could have a "severe" impact on Turner's life as the reasoning behind the lenient six-month sentence. Turner ended up only serving three months due to good behavior. 

But speaking of severe impact, the victim, Emily Doe, then 23, read an emotional 7,000-word statement during the sentencing detailing the impact to her life and the horror of the 2015 attack, including taking a shower at the hospital after two bicyclists spotted her being assaulted by Turner and chased him down. Her statement, published in full by BuzzFeed, quickly went viral. It was viewed by more than 10 million people within four days.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/06/06/judge-aaron-persky-who-gave-brock-turners-lenient-sentence-sanford-rape-case-recalled/674551002/

Betsy DeVoss: No Discussion of the Role of Guns When Addressing School Violence

Betsy DeVoss, Trump's appointment as Education Secretary, said yesterday that the White House’s school safety commission will not focus on the role of firearms in gun violence at schools.
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“That is not part of the commission’s charge, per se,” DeVos said during a Senate Appropriations Committee hearing after being pressed by Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the panel's ranking member.

"I see,” Leahy responded. “So, you're studying gun violence but not considering the role of guns."

White males, on top of our country's hierarchies, have used violence or the threat of it, to control everyone else for centuries. Guns are an important part of that violence, and guns have been embedded in their culture and mentality in order to keep white males on top. The power and control of white males (the group running the NRA, showing up at gun shows, profiting from violent video games, and mass shooting people they don't know) might be lessened if we discuss guns as causing any sorts of problems in our society.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/390770-devos-safety-commission-wont-look-at-role-of-guns-in-school-violence

Jaelene Hinkle: Hierarchical Religion over Civil Rights in Professional Soccer

Professional soccer player Jaelene Hinkle used her Christian religion as an excuse to snub LGBTQ Pride Month recognition from her NWSL’s North Carolina Courage team. She refused the call-up, citing “personal reasons.” In a recent interview with the "700 Club," the devout Christian athlete explained that her decision was motivated by her desire not to wear the USWNT’s special LGBTQ Pride Month jersey.

In hierarchical religions, god is made in the image of a man on top of a hierarchy, and usually orchestrated in the United States by white males who present themselves as representing their deity. Here is another example of a person who chooses to put hierarchies over the civil rights of people in the United States.

https://deadspin.com/jaelene-hinkle-turned-down-uswnt-call-up-because-she-di-1826456909/amp

Freedom Riders: Where are They Now?

In a moving article in the New York Times, Maurice Berger tells us about the lives of Freedom Riders, as portrayed by the journalist and photographer Eric Etheridge. These men and women courageously went to the south in the 60's to try to force those states to adhere to federal anti-segregation laws. Mug shots of the young activists are paired with pictures of them now.

These portraits serve as inspirations for those of us still working to break down hierarchies of many types.

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/05/15/lens/50-years-after-mug-shots-portraits-of-mississippi-freedom-riders.html

UN Vote: Other Countries Can See Through Trump

In a humiliating blow for Donald Trump,  the United Nations General Assembly voted by 128 to nine to declare his decision to recognize Jerusalem at the capital of Israel as "null and void."

In a move so typical of someone on top of a hierarchy who believes he can do whatever he pleases with no accountability at all, the Trump administration issued a threat to "take names" of countries who did not support his move, and he will cut off humanitarian aid funding.

As an indication that she is little more than a Trump surrogate, US’s ambassador to the UN, Nikki Haley wrote to most of the 193 UN members states warning of possible retaliation.

Richard Gowan, a UN expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations, told The Independent  the vote is still a “win for Trump in a perverse way.” He also said it is not a “win” for Ms Haley in his estimation. ”She looks diplomatically isolated and a little inept, and has undone” the work she has put in to build relationships with diplomats.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/un-jerusalem-trump-vote-result-decision-general-assembly-null-void-a8123106.html

Diversity at the Royal Wedding

At the wedding of Prince Harry and mixed-race Meghan Markle, the mother of the bride wore dreads, and tennis great Serena Williams had cornrows. Black singing, and a black minister gave the sermon.

For those of us who are living in the United States with Trump/Pence and their swamp trying to nullify the diversity of the United States in favor of those on top of our hierarchies, we are happy to see the opposite here today in Britain.

http://www.bbc.com/news/video_and_audio/headlines/44184065/royal-wedding-2018-highlights-from-harry-and-meghan-s-wedding

Texas Republicans - Most NRA Money

Texas Republicans have received the most money from the NRA since 1998, according to the Texas Monthly. The state where the latest mass shooting at Sante Fe High School occurred has a history of being a "thoughts and prayers" state, as the Republicans in charge refuse to address gun violence in a meaningful way.

Violence and the treat of violence have been used for centuries to keep the top of our hierarchies in power, so it is no surprise that every person shown here is a white male.

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/5/18/1765295/-Texas-thoughts-and-prayers-Republicans-cash-more-NRA-checks-than-anyone-else

One for the Environment: Returnable Beer Bottles in Oregon

Seven Oregon craft beer producers will start selling beer in reusable glass bottle in July, starting the country's first statewide refillable beer bottle program. 

Oregon’s Widmer Brothers, Buoy Beer, Double Mountain, GoodLife, Gigantic, Wild Ride and Rock Bottom breweries will be pioneering the program with some of their beers. Other breweries may join the program later.

The bottles can be reused up to 40 times, and will be specially marked.

https://www.opb.org/news/article/oregon-craft-beer-refillable-bottles/

Europe - With Trump as Your "Friend," Who Needs Enemies?

Trump and his supporters on top of our countries hierarchies are obvious to other people not in their groups, such as the people in Europe. They can see what a self-centered disaster Trump and his swamp are.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2018/05/16/e-u-leader-lights-into-trump-with-friends-like-that-who-needs-enemies/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.9dae57e01271

In the Age of Trump, Put Your LGBTQ Values On the Street

Phoenix is about to join other cities such as Seattle, Key West, West Hollywood, Miami Beach, Philadelphia, Long Beach, Ottawa, Vancouver, San Francisco, and Toronto in installing rainbow colored crosswalks to celebrate LGBTQ pride. The city council voted unanimously to allow LGBTQ organizations, who will also pay to maintain the vibrant colors, to give the existing crosswalks a makeover.

“The time is right to move this proposal forward to bring rainbow crosswalks … so that our city can continue to embrace and thrive in our diversity and our inclusion and in welcoming all people who wish to visit, live in, work in, build a business in or simply enjoy the city of Phoenix,” Michael Fornelli, Phoenix Pride executive director, told the Arizona Republic.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2018/04/phoenix-latest-metropolis-get-lgbtq-pride-rainbow-crosswalks/

Response to Michelle Wolf Points Out Expected Privilege of the Top

"One of the defining features of the Trump White House is that its occupants demand for themselves decencies and courtesies they habitually deny to others."

Typical of those on top of hierarchies. What they do is fine and should not be mentioned. But they have the right to belittle and attack anyone they see as below them.

In David Frum's article in The Atlantic, "Michelle Wolf Does Unto the White House as It Has Done Unto Others," he points out exactly that. 

 "The people who enable this travesty to continue—can they complain when they are spoken of in hurtful ways?" Apparently so.

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/04/whca-sanders/559253/

Tennessee Legislature Punishes Memphis for Taking Down Confederate Statues

These Republicans just can't let go of their commitment to maintaining hierarchies in this country, and anyone who opposes them is the enemy.

Tennessee lawmakers on Tuesday approved a last-minute amendment to remove $250,000 allocated to the city of Memphis as punishment for the removal of Confederate monuments, which was approved with a 56-31 vote. The amendment was introduced as a result of Memphis officials’ decision to remove two controversial statues on public property last year.

Defending the amendment, Rep. Andy Holt, R-Dresden, argued that "bad actions" have "bad consequences."

Rep. Raumesh Akbari, D-Memphis, called the amendment "un-Christian. This amendment and the explanation is hateful, it is unkind, it is un-Christian and it is unfair," she said. Rep. Antonio Parkinson, D-Memphis, called it the most "vile, racist" effort he had seen and said Republicans viewed Forrest "as if he was God."

https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/news/politics/2018/04/17/house-amends-budget-remove-250-000-dedicated-memphis-after-statue-removal/526482002/

Beyonce - At Coachella, Did Not Give in To White Expxectations

In his New York Times opinion piece, "Beyonce and the End of Respectability Politics," Myles E. Johnson states that at Coachella, Beyonce rewrote the book on black respectability politics. She could have decided to play to the majority-white audience, giving them what they might have wanted to hear. Instead, she came with a show that did not make it easy to forget cultural differences.

"All black people should follow her lead and refuse to shrink blackness. Black people often negotiate how much of ourselves we should show to make others comfortable. Black people often feel the need to edit parts of our culture and upbringing for the sake of appearing respectable."

Hierarchies will continue to be broken down, as we all refuse to change to make the top feel more comfortable. 


https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/16/opinion/beyonce-coachella-blackness.html

George Will: Felons Should Not Be Disenfranchised For Life

George Will, well known conservative columnist, has now come out favoring the right for felons to vote.

In an opinion published in The Washington Post, Will states that in Florida, with a low threshold for felonious acts, someone who gets into a bar fight, or steals property worth $300, or drives without a license for a third time can be disenfranchised for life.

Republicans have pushed this type of legislation, and why? George Will points out that more than 1 in 13 African Americans nationally are similarly disenfranchised, as are 1 in 5 of Florida’s African American adults. Because African Americans overwhelmingly vote Democratic, ending the disenfranchisement of felons could become yet another debate swamped by partisanship, particularly in Florida, the largest swing state, where close elections are common: Republican Gov. Rick Scott’s margins of victory in 2010 and 2014 were 1.2 and 1.1 percent, respectively. 537 votes made George W. Bush president.

Republicans are acting typically of those on top of hierarchies – any measures used to allow them to gain what benefits them are fine and acceptable.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/theres-no-good-reason-to-stop-felons-from-voting/2018/04/06/88484076-3905-11e8-8fd2-49fe3c675a89_story.html?noredirect=on&utm_term=.052a49481aef

Addressing Sexual Harassment Toward Servers in Restaurants

People on top of the hierarchy, particularly men as they play power games with women, have often felt it their right to sexually harass women. Servers in restaurants are one group who may encounter that harassment frequently.

An article in Mother Jones states that the #MeToo movement has helped unearth instances of sexual harassment and impropriety at dozens of restaurants across the country. The article provides a few practical ideas on where restaurants can start to try to address the problem, including a color-coded system that quickly replaces harassed female servers with managers or big hunky men.

Servers in 43 states are paid as little as $2.13 an hour on what’s called a “tipped minimum wage.” Because they supposedly make up the rest of their wages on customer tips, “they have to tolerate whatever a customer does to them, because their customer is paying their bills, not the employer,” explains Saru Jayaraman, head of the Restaurant Opportunities Centers United. 

Just 33 percent of restaurant businesses are majority-owned by women. Women make up just 19 percent of chefs and 7 percent of head chefs. And one reason is financing. “Getting loans and getting people to invest in your company can be harder if you’re a woman—particularly if the people lending the money unconsciously or consciously have specific biases against a female-run business,” New York Times‘ food writer Kim Severson says.

https://www.motherjones.com/food/2018/04/sexual-harassment-poster-harasser-restaurant-customer/

America's Top High School Science Students Are the Children of Immigrants

According to an article in Time, 33 of the 40 finalists of the 2016 Intel Science Talent Search – the leading science competition for U.S. high school students – were the children of immigrants.

                                      

Specifically, 30 out of the 40 finalists had parents who worked in America on H-1B visas, the option that is no longer available for expedited processing due to a recent policy change from the Trump administration.

http://time.com/money/4700743/immigrants-top-high-school-students-science/

Stations Owned by Sinclair Preaching Propoganda

Here are the stations that Sinclair Media bought and will be required to parrot pro-Trump propaganda.