"That's why there's nothing hypocritical about the fact that nearly every member of the Caucus is religious."
And they would be among the first targets of crusading NatCs in a Christian theocracy. It's why we're supposed to keep church and state as far apart as possible.
We need as many of these men and women in our Congress as possible (all 535 would be preferred). When it comes to pushing the “button” I want someone as rational as possible that realizes that there is no going back from that mistake.
Good news, as always. The one thing that Congress needs more than anything else, especially while the Republicans continue to take individual and collective aim at their feet, is RATIONALITY.
Here's hoping that the Congressional Freethought Caucus can help bring that closer.
GQP state legislators are up to no good again (I know, day ending in Y, right?)- they draw up gerrymandered district maps in secret, and then assert either legislative or attorney-client privilege to sandbag efforts to challenge the maps... or even to find out how and why they were drawn the way they were (I mean, the answer is racism, but it has to be 𝘰𝘯-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 racism to prove it in court). The trick is to have a right-wing law firm draw the map 𝘧𝘰𝘳 them, so they can claim that the map itself is a privileged communication with the attorney who drew it up. Would that assertion of privilege stand up in court? Who even cares! By the time the case makes its way through the legal system, the next election (or several) has been held, and the even-more-deeply-entrenched GQP majority draws up an even shittier map if the first one gets tossed (which is a pretty big "if" where conservative appeals courts and SCROTUS are concerned).
And that's not the only trick up their sleeves. They're also moving, with considerable success, to exempt redistricting proceedings from open records laws (the article cites Texas and Florida as examples, among others). Presto! Now the public isn't even allowed to 𝘴𝘦𝘦 the map, let alone challenge it. That'll solve that pesky "democracy" problem!
If you live in a swing state, never forget that you're one election away from this happening to you. Republicans want to rule, not to govern.
I would also point out that Arizona has been Republican for years now, even if Barry Goldwater wouldn't be welcome in today's party. You should be able to get to your state's redistricting from that link as well. Have fun?
Oddly enough, I got a call a couple days ago that said it was from Liz Cheney, but it was actually Harriet Hageman inviting me to a Tele-Town Hall meeting. I used to get those all the time from one of the senators. I tried to join once, didn't work right, and I've never tried again.
Nothing is more ironic and hypocritical than a bunch of congressmen sitting around and praying together--and delusionally thinking it will accomplish anything.
I can hear the cries of 'but family values!!!' already.
As an observation, anyone else ever notice that it's always the single mothers they complain about, and only very rarely the single fathers? Single parents are all too often superheroes without capes in this life; neither the mothers nor the fathers deserve the slams the religious right so often take against them. Real family values means helping these solo parents take care of their kids with a smile and a good attitude; not the sort of vicious criticism we so often see.
I agree it is about religious freedom not being atheist. I was very impressed when the Rep from Texas joined. That is some serious political courage down there.
This is going to sound naive, but it should be an expectation that the people in charge of the fucking country would be interested in doing the best thing for the fucking country rather than them fucking selves and their fucking cronies.
The U.S. relationship with Israel always brings to mind the fact that one of the responsibilities of a friend is tell you when you're being an asshole.
Not much of a choice though is there – believing nutty religious fanatics who will lie for God, or a corrupt regime who has lied about this sort of thing before.
For an internationally acknowledged "legitimate" military with state-of-the-art weaponry, they sure seem to have a LOT of "accidents".
Also, I haven't forgotten the time they used an attack helicopter to launch a missile at an old man in a wheelchair in the middle of a crowded marketplace as he was leaving a mosque after prayers.
Pakistan and India both have them, there is enough fanatics in these two countries who would want to use them whatever the consequences for the rest of the world.
I believe that any of the combatants could have accidentally hit the hospital, possibly by carelessness. I don't believe the Israeli government would do it on purpose. I could see a terrorist group like Hamas doing it. Its not that I think the Israeli government are good people, there just isn't a good reason to do it on purpose.
Hamas is almost certainly getting help from the outside. Intentionally destroying a hospital full of refugees would serve no purpose. You're wasting a very expensive missile. I can believe aiming for something else and not giving a damn about collateral damage.
Yup. War is evil. But I do think there is a difference between intentionally intending to kill refugees and screwing up and killing refugees. There are no good guy's in this conflict. Hamas started this particular conflict by indiscriminately firing rockets into residential neighborhoods and murdering ordinary citizens. I cannot support that even though I believe the Palestinians have many legitimate grievances.
The BBC just now reporting it got some "explosives experts" to look at the crater, and they said something like "while they can't be absolutely sure, it's too small to have been done by one of the bombs the Israeli air force uses." It probably won't be definite until some analysis is done on the fragments. Whether that can be done impartially who knows.
Israel would absolutely do it and pretend they didn't if there was some Hamas leadership hiding in it. OTOH, Hamas misfiring a rocket/mishandling ordinance and blaming the result on Israel has also happened in the past. I'm temporarily withholding judgment on this one.
Secondhand, but it appears some analysts now think it was neither Israel nor Hamas, but the PIJ. They're a group too radical for even Hamas, who will basically murder anyone if they think it will destabilize the region and cause more fighting between Palestinians and Israelis. I don't know if there's any physical *evidence* for them doing it, but them doing it makes more sense than either of the principals.
Not any crazier than sincerely believing the imaginary enemy is winning the imaginary fight against the imaginary friend and therefore they must do real world stuff to help the imaginary friend to win the imaginary fight against the imaginary enemy.
Good on ya, Mr. Garcia.
As always, it's so nice to see my state being represented in the Caucus.
Promoting reason and maintaining the Constitutional separation of church and state - what a concept! A shame it is only democrats. Says a lot.
Definitely a shame. Not a surprise, sadly.
Certainly beats joining the Insurrection Caucus.
"That's why there's nothing hypocritical about the fact that nearly every member of the Caucus is religious."
And they would be among the first targets of crusading NatCs in a Christian theocracy. It's why we're supposed to keep church and state as far apart as possible.
We need as many of these men and women in our Congress as possible (all 535 would be preferred). When it comes to pushing the “button” I want someone as rational as possible that realizes that there is no going back from that mistake.
Good news, as always. The one thing that Congress needs more than anything else, especially while the Republicans continue to take individual and collective aim at their feet, is RATIONALITY.
Here's hoping that the Congressional Freethought Caucus can help bring that closer.
OT- If your legislators are using legal loopholes to hide what they're doing, it's a sure sign that what they're doing wouldn't survive any kind of honest scrutiny: https://www.propublica.org/article/electoral-maps-gerrymandering-texas-voting-elections-privilege
GQP state legislators are up to no good again (I know, day ending in Y, right?)- they draw up gerrymandered district maps in secret, and then assert either legislative or attorney-client privilege to sandbag efforts to challenge the maps... or even to find out how and why they were drawn the way they were (I mean, the answer is racism, but it has to be 𝘰𝘯-𝘵𝘩𝘦-𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘥 racism to prove it in court). The trick is to have a right-wing law firm draw the map 𝘧𝘰𝘳 them, so they can claim that the map itself is a privileged communication with the attorney who drew it up. Would that assertion of privilege stand up in court? Who even cares! By the time the case makes its way through the legal system, the next election (or several) has been held, and the even-more-deeply-entrenched GQP majority draws up an even shittier map if the first one gets tossed (which is a pretty big "if" where conservative appeals courts and SCROTUS are concerned).
And that's not the only trick up their sleeves. They're also moving, with considerable success, to exempt redistricting proceedings from open records laws (the article cites Texas and Florida as examples, among others). Presto! Now the public isn't even allowed to 𝘴𝘦𝘦 the map, let alone challenge it. That'll solve that pesky "democracy" problem!
If you live in a swing state, never forget that you're one election away from this happening to you. Republicans want to rule, not to govern.
If you've never seen a map of Arizona congressional districts you should:
https://www.cnn.com/interactive/2022/politics/us-redistricting/arizona-redistricting-map/
I would also point out that Arizona has been Republican for years now, even if Barry Goldwater wouldn't be welcome in today's party. You should be able to get to your state's redistricting from that link as well. Have fun?
Thank you for that rabbit hole! Check it out, everybody. Links to other states are at the top.
Wyoming's is especially informative.
Wyoming has more than one Rep?
No, our state is one big red block.
Oddly enough, I got a call a couple days ago that said it was from Liz Cheney, but it was actually Harriet Hageman inviting me to a Tele-Town Hall meeting. I used to get those all the time from one of the senators. I tried to join once, didn't work right, and I've never tried again.
Nothing is more ironic and hypocritical than a bunch of congressmen sitting around and praying together--and delusionally thinking it will accomplish anything.
There is one thing more ironic and hypocritical:
Those same congressmen calling a single mother working 3 jobs a “welfare queen”.
I can hear the cries of 'but family values!!!' already.
As an observation, anyone else ever notice that it's always the single mothers they complain about, and only very rarely the single fathers? Single parents are all too often superheroes without capes in this life; neither the mothers nor the fathers deserve the slams the religious right so often take against them. Real family values means helping these solo parents take care of their kids with a smile and a good attitude; not the sort of vicious criticism we so often see.
Or calling her a bad mother because she leaves her kids with a neighbor all the time so she can work those 3 jobs.
Heaven forbid she takes a single day off, then they'll call her a "deadbeat".
Then they'll call her a "bad mother" for not spending enough time with/taking care of, her kids. Lose-lose situation.
The cruelty is the point.
I see I just repeated what cdbunch already said. I need sleep.
...and then ensuring she can't have an abortion for child #7 from father #5.
I agree it is about religious freedom not being atheist. I was very impressed when the Rep from Texas joined. That is some serious political courage down there.
6 of the 19 are from CA. And people wonder why I'll never move.
Ah, sensible minds in Congress, what a thought!
Which explains why people like Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Jim Jordan, and the like are not on it.
Who'd a thunk it, right?
No, no "I will not vote for this bill because it has more pages than the Bible" nonsense from this crowd.
Ugh, that first "no" should actually be a a "Right."
This is going to sound naive, but it should be an expectation that the people in charge of the fucking country would be interested in doing the best thing for the fucking country rather than them fucking selves and their fucking cronies.
Then we'd have to put people in the job who didn't want it. I'm not sure that's a bad idea, but it goes against all precedent.
OT: Burt Young, "Paulie" in the Rocky movies,* has passed away. RIP
*Interestingly (to me, anyway), I've read that Sylvester Stallone originally wanted Harvey Keitel for the role.
So Biden has announced he’s believing Israel’s cover story with regards to the hospital war crime.
https://news.yahoo.com/israel-hamas-war-live-updates-gaza-hospital-biden-224233934.html?
The U.S. relationship with Israel always brings to mind the fact that one of the responsibilities of a friend is tell you when you're being an asshole.
Now I’m wondering what the Republicans are going to do.
Agree with Biden, or side with Hamas?
"Look, Drag Queen"
"Promised Land" "Flows with Milk and Honey"
Why is the reality (and not just *this* Promised Land) always flows with blood and destruction?
Not much of a choice though is there – believing nutty religious fanatics who will lie for God, or a corrupt regime who has lied about this sort of thing before.
I still haven't forgotten the Israeli military sinking the USS Liberty during the Six-Day War. The attack killed 34 crewmen and wounded 171 others.
Had anyone else done that to the Liberty, it would be deemed an act of war. Israel claimed it was an accident. Survivors said it was deliberate.
For an internationally acknowledged "legitimate" military with state-of-the-art weaponry, they sure seem to have a LOT of "accidents".
Also, I haven't forgotten the time they used an attack helicopter to launch a missile at an old man in a wheelchair in the middle of a crowded marketplace as he was leaving a mosque after prayers.
Israel has nuclear weapons. How long before they nuke a perceived enemy "accidentally."
On the plus side, most of their enemies are close enough that even their most fanatical know they might as well nuke themselves.
Pakistan and India both have them, there is enough fanatics in these two countries who would want to use them whatever the consequences for the rest of the world.
I hope you're right.
Pretty sure they'd have already dropped a couple on Gaza by now if not for two things:
a) Gaza has been shrunk so much over the years that the radioactive fallout would encompass most of the lands that were stolen; and
b) They still want the land, so they need it non-irradiated.
Ooooohhh, shit, I did not need to know that. Something else to keep me awake at night.
At this point I can't tell which you're referring to.
This seems like one of those things where we'll never get the definitive truth, unfortunately. I hope I'm proven wrong on this, but I doubt I will be.
I believe that any of the combatants could have accidentally hit the hospital, possibly by carelessness. I don't believe the Israeli government would do it on purpose. I could see a terrorist group like Hamas doing it. Its not that I think the Israeli government are good people, there just isn't a good reason to do it on purpose.
Except Hamas lacks the firepower for a strike this devastating.
Hamas is almost certainly getting help from the outside. Intentionally destroying a hospital full of refugees would serve no purpose. You're wasting a very expensive missile. I can believe aiming for something else and not giving a damn about collateral damage.
Yup. War is evil. But I do think there is a difference between intentionally intending to kill refugees and screwing up and killing refugees. There are no good guy's in this conflict. Hamas started this particular conflict by indiscriminately firing rockets into residential neighborhoods and murdering ordinary citizens. I cannot support that even though I believe the Palestinians have many legitimate grievances.
Nothing definite, just both sides blaming the other.
Considering Israel's track record when it comes to non-combatants, I'm not inclined to believe their story.
The BBC just now reporting it got some "explosives experts" to look at the crater, and they said something like "while they can't be absolutely sure, it's too small to have been done by one of the bombs the Israeli air force uses." It probably won't be definite until some analysis is done on the fragments. Whether that can be done impartially who knows.
Even so, it doesn't mean that they didn't do it. Only that they didn't use their own easily-traceable munitions.
Hamas uses homemade explosives. Those are easy to replicate by anyone.
Israel would absolutely do it and pretend they didn't if there was some Hamas leadership hiding in it. OTOH, Hamas misfiring a rocket/mishandling ordinance and blaming the result on Israel has also happened in the past. I'm temporarily withholding judgment on this one.
Secondhand, but it appears some analysts now think it was neither Israel nor Hamas, but the PIJ. They're a group too radical for even Hamas, who will basically murder anyone if they think it will destabilize the region and cause more fighting between Palestinians and Israelis. I don't know if there's any physical *evidence* for them doing it, but them doing it makes more sense than either of the principals.
I'd like to see someone from New York on that list 🤷♀️🤞
Yeah, I can relate. I'd like to see someone from Florida on that list. (Yeah, I know. But a person can dream, right?)
There's one from Texas, so it's not impossible.
Is also terrified by the words "Happy holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas."
Not in some parts of Florida. They breed like rabbits in those trailer parks.
Not any crazier than sincerely believing the imaginary enemy is winning the imaginary fight against the imaginary friend and therefore they must do real world stuff to help the imaginary friend to win the imaginary fight against the imaginary enemy.
https://uploads.disquscdn.com/images/751c376fea14c71bde52cfe729910755b9f5fdf8afd2825305e52e7b7f2e5067.jpg