24-their plan, yes, that awful, horrible, no good plan

I took yesterday completely off after doing all the research into Project 2025 and Agenda 47. I did not want to sully the day with this filth.

A couple of years ago, I heard rumblings about the “conservative game plan” for after the 2024 election. You know, the one that is November 5, 2024.Call it Project 2025, the 900-page conservative wishlist. Call it Agenda 47, which is what Trump wants to do if he is reelected. And he’s got a whole lot of hurt planned for those he perceives who have wronged him.

I call it bullshit.

All of their horrible, misogynistic, misanthropist, nightmare wishing, end of the rainbow, white christian nationalist ideas. All of it is bunk.

Call a spade a spade.

They wouldn’t because a spade is a black card.

This is how far they have slid down the white christian nationalist shit pile.

Did you see the masked, khaki pant wearing, beige baseball hat wearing, blue polo shirted assholes that came pouring out of rented U-haul trucks to stalk the streets of Nashville, waving their upside down flags, and their confederate flags, and their 13 starred flags? Yeah these are a what I can surmise is an offshoot of the Proud Boy movement that call themselves the Patriot Front. They look like all the brotastic podcast boys, put the women in their place wannabes. Riding in the back of the probably sweltering U-haul trucks in disregard to ANY safety laws.

Ugh. I need a shower after digging through that muck.

I’ve done a pretty deep dive into the mess. The 900 pages of the Project 2025, the hate speech of Agenda 47 which, again, calls patriots traitors for daring to stand up to the great one. I’ve listened to podcasts, and I’ve watched videos, and I’ve read article after article after article about it.

Kevin Roberts, the head of the Heritage Foundation, believes that we are in the middle of another civil war and you know what side he is on. He also believes that this can be bloodless if the left allows it to be. Yeah, no. I don’t think so. Who gave him the covenant to declare that? Himself.

But I have a pretty good bead on what it all means.

There is a part of the introduction that says that they want to “live well”. Well, that’s up to interpretation. My well is to have dominion over my own body and voting rights for those who are citizens. To some of these people, living well is holding their feet/knees/weapon against the neck of others they deem less than themselves.

It all boils down to three things. All 900 pages of the vitriol. Of all the weaponizing of our own tools against us with the takeover of the DOJ and the firing of all the civil servants who are there as a constant. The Agenda 47 on 45’s own website.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
I don’t like it because it is not like me, therefore no one should have it. Doesn’t matter what it is, gender affirming care (but Cialis and Viagra are still okay), rights of people to have dominion over their own body, rights of people to love who they love, regardless of gender, to be who they are at the core regardless of gender
We fear women

That’s it, that’s their entire platform.

Why would you believe a known liar? They are telegraphing who they are and straight out telling us who they are and then lying about it when they claim that they are not. Why should we believe the known liars? I will not pretty up their actions and words by calling it “Falsely accused without evidence.” It is lies.

Call them for what they are- liars and wanna be big men.

I call them creepy and gross who see bogeymen in the shadows that look and act a lot like their secret desires.

These are beyond scary times. This election isn’t about red v blue, Trump v Biden; it is about not allowing the very bones of Democracy be picked over by the corporate ghouls who want you to live as they DEEM you should. Personal freedom goes out with the bathwater. As I just wrote, money, fear of women, and fear of the unknown is at the root of it.

We should be alert but resolved.

I am.

Both as a woman and a patriot. Just not their definition of the word. Because of the whole woman thing.

I am going to take another shower now, just writing this. And set fire to my browsing history.

Dispatch July 4, 2024-not so happy here on the front lines

I know many other people, liberals and conservatives alike, who have a pit in their stomach like me when it comes to celebrating the fourth. One of my favorite authors who I KNOW is a Republican because she has talked about it and is also sounding the alarm.

Some of us are actively sitting out on celebrations.

Because we don’t feel so merry.

Some would call us out as non-patriotic.

The United States we are living in is and always has been a grand experiment. It always has been. It is meant to be a living, breathing thing, not mired in the past as some would have us be.

We are patriotic enough to be fearful of the overreach by the Supreme Court, egged on by the dark money and not-so-dark money that has been flowing their way. Easier now that they ruled that bribes can happen AFTER verdicts. Handy, that.

We are patriotic enough to embrace change.

We are patriotic enough to cheer on those who are scrabbling, desperate for that change.

What we have to ask those who cleave so hard to the past what they are afraid of?

Because this smacks of fear to me. Afraid of the not like us, afraid of the other religions, even though this country was founded on religious freedoms. Afraid of the different. Afraid of things they don’t understand.

What they don’t know is that we would teach them not to be afraid.

Because they are hurting us with every law declaring the president can basically rule as a king as long as he is acting within official presidential duties. And what are official duties? Whatever they tell us or the president regards them. No matter if it is to deny a free and fair election and try to subvert the will of the people. Apparently, insurrection is within official duties.

Walt Kelly and his comic strip “Pogo” said it best.

We have met the enemy and he is us. I know it was a strip about littering and pollution and I could write about that too.

Speak up when they are against you and making it harder for you to vote.

Call out instances of cheating and stacking the courts.

Call a lie a lie.

Call an insurrection an attempted coup.

Fight like hell against those who want to drag the country back, kicking and screaming to a time they deem to be original.

Original to who?

The white men who owned other people and called them slaves.

Or the white men who fought to free themselves from tyranny just to foist it on the slaves.

Or the white men who left the faraway country and came to America to escape religious persecution.

By their court, women have been stripped of dominion over their own bodies.

By their court, what is feared can be ruled and legislated against. Even if it is the torture of babies who are not meant to live outside the womb. Ask a parent who has had to watch the minutes-long “life” their child endured before nature took over. Was that a peaceful death? Or did it look tortuous? More to the point, did their child die in pain?

By their court, the president has the powers of a king.

Please vote.

I am a patriot. Not only because I signed and swore my oath as an Air Force Reserve cadet at age 18.

I believe in this country and its people.

Even if it is hard at this particular moment.

This has been a dispatch from the healthcare front,

Kate

Tuesday Top of Mind 6/18/24-professors suing to fail girls who have had abortions

To set the scene, two professors in Austin Texas want to punish students for their actions outside of class. The action in this case is abortion. How would they know that there was an abortion is not mentioned. The second professor is suing to not hire teaching assistants who have had an abortion.

Again, how would they know?

In their lawsuit, they claim that girls who take time off of class to have an abortion should be failed. By them. For the egregious crime of becoming pregnant and not wanting to be. Does this mean they will fail all women who can’t come to class because they are sick or need surgery? Because, of course, if they are absent because they are sick they must have had an abortion. But boys who are sick or need care can have it no questions asked, no threat to their grades?

Are they also going to fail the boys who participated in the girls becoming pregnant?

No?

I just asked because if the girls are pregnant and desire an abortion because reasons, the acknowledgment that it takes two for a pregnancy would be useful.

Or does it go back to the judge who sentenced the Stanford rapist to 6 months because otherwise, it might hurt his career? I won’t write what I said then because there aren’t enough curse words. This was back in 2016, let me jog your memory. And when his dad piped in that it wasn’t worth ruining his life for an action that was 20 minutes. I think he forgot that the girl that his son assaulted has to live with that forever. She got a far harsher sentence than he did and she wasn’t even on trial. Because he was remorseful. Yeah, remorseful he got caught.

But to go back to the failing of women and girls because they couldn’t attend class because of an abortion, how would they know?

This comes from an open desire to control the actions of women and girls.

Again, it is all about control.

The men want it and therefore the women should give in.

I’d ask if that was what they want but I’m afraid I can’t stomach the response.

This entire “culture war” that they’ve created and railed on is all about control.

I have a new shirt, did I say?

An RBG tee shirt that says “I’ve heard enough from old white men”.

That says it all, right?

These men are afraid of losing the control they think they have over women.

Tuesday Top of Mind 6/11/24- the vote against the federal right to birth control

Again with this bullshit.

Okay. Back up.

Last week there was a Senate vote on protecting the federal right to birth control. And it failed with only 51 votes to 39. Reminder, The Senate needs 60 votes to pass legislation. That is a different top of mind. There were some Republican yeas (okay TWO) and a couple of Democratic nays and still more people voted by not voting.

But the important thing is that it did not pass.

Even though over 90% of Americans support birth control.

What was to be protected by the bill?

A person’s ability to obtain and use birth control. And a doctor’s ability to prescribe said birth control.

There are mealy-mouthed people who say that the right to birth control is not in danger.

OH REALLY?

Some people said that Roe was settled law. This was very, very recently at their Supreme Court nomination hearings. Remember them? I do.

The right to birth control was settled with the 1965 decision of Griswold v Connecticut. This ruling essentially meant that the Constitution protected marital privacy rights against state restrictions. This has been used for many things, including Roe v Wade. And interracial marriage. This has definitely been mentioned in the last two years, by Justice Clarence Thomas and Justice Samuel Alito.

You understand our concern.

Forgive me if I don’t believe them. Any of them.

This is about controlling women.

And controlling child-making.

Which was the reason for Dobbs.

But it is ALWAYS and FOREVER about controlling women.

This is your call to look up and see if your Senators in your state voted yea or nay. If they voted nay make a note on your calendar to call their office monthly to say how disappointed and angry you are. I mean, you are not one of their billionaire handlers but it will make you feel better.

I hope. Let me know if it works.

Tuesday Top of Mind 5/7/24- Everything old is new again

History has much to teach us.

How to survive a pandemic. Such as the so-called Spanish Flu from 1918. Even though at best guess it started in Kansas.

Nope, never mind. Some people never learned about masking and taking steps to ensure that OTHER people are kept safe.

What’s next?

Students protesting against what they see as an unjust war. And them being fired upon by the Ohio National Guard. What they were protesting was the expansion from Vietnam into Cambodia. May 4th, Ohio National Guard fired upon the protestors, killing 4.

Oh, lookie, students are protesting again against what they see as the unfair treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza at the rockets of the Israelis. Yes, Hamas (the ruling party of Gaza) did kill 1269 Israelis without mercy on October 7, 2024, and kidnapped 240 people. Israel defended itself (their words) and have killed over 30,000 Palestinians in retaliation. They are searching for the Hamas leaders and killing women and children. And choking off much-needed humanitarian aid at ports and crossings and killing an aid convoy from World Central Kitchen. This is why the students are protesting. Last weekend police were violently (at times) dispersing the student encampments on multiple universities. You know, destroying the student’s First Amendment rights. Nothing to see here.

Another thing history tried to teach us, that no one is listening to. No students have died in the current times so perhaps those with guns learned their lesson. Probably not.

The Supreme Court showed its thumb firmly on the scale for the former president. But then it has never been apolitical.

What’s next?

Fifty years ago women were granted the right to privacy, outlined in the 14th Amendment. This was the Roe v Wade decision and was universally hated by those who wanted to control women and didn’t give a fig about their privacy. But I’ve written about that. A lot. And I am still incandescent with rage, nearly 2 years later as women’s rights are dripped down the drain, women die and some unborn are tortured. But that will be another Dispatch.

The same Supreme Court also ruled against privacy rights, which was what Roe v Wade was about, and handed abortion to the states. Who have all but danced around Roe’s body in response and finally get the chance to control women. Again, that will be another Dispatch. Or read the ones I’ve already written.

George Santanaya, a philosopher, wrote in 1905 “Those who don’t cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Winston Churchill also said “Those who fail to learn from history, are doomed to repeat it” in 1948. Take of that what you will.

History repeats itself because we do not listen. We are forced to relearn lessons that history has already tried to teach us.

Tuesday Top of Mind 3/5/24-Nex Benedict

Tuesday Top of Mind for 3/5/24 has been simmering at the top of my mind since I learned of their death. They died one day after a beatdown by three classmates in the bathroom. In which they lost consciousness due to their head being beaten on the floor.

No ambulances were despite that.

They were being made fun of by the three girls and they flicked water at them.

For that, they were beaten to unconsciousness, and not given timely care at the hospital.

Instead, the school called their grandmother, who took them to the hospital. They spoke to police officers who told them that they started the fight with the water.

Flicking water to a beat down. Doesn’t seem fair, does it.

After giving their statement at the hospital and being released into the care of their grandmother, they collapsed and died the next day.

Preliminary autopsy reports stated that they did not die of trauma. It took pressure from trans activist groups and allies to get the U.S. Department of Education to open an investigation into their death. If the school responded appropriately in this matter. There have been student walkouts regarding Nex’s death and the widespread bullying the students say goes unanswered and uninvestigated. Even University of Oklahoma students staged a walkout.

The state superintendent denies. He goes as far as to say that transgender and nonbinary people do not exist.

Well, I know some transgender and nonbinary people and they are not unicorns or dragons. They are people.

I want to write directly to those who think this beat down was justified, and Nex deserved whatever they got and ask of those who think this who hurt you? Why do you care that this is the way they lived their life? Does it impact you personally when someone identifies as that with which you don’t agree?

I can’t understand it for you.

According to the Human Rights Campaign, 35.1% of transgender youth live in a state that would spit on them if they were on fire. Okay, I added that last part. However, 35.1% of transgender youth live in a state that is actively trying to ban them. Think why that is.

Is it because they dare to be different? That’s another good question.

Some states are going so far as to ban gender-affirming care until the age of TWENTY-SIX! You know, adults. If this doesn’t make you mad, I can’t explain it to you.

Did I know Nex Benedict? No. But I know others like them. The ones you want to shit upon for being different. The ones who are afraid today of what tomorrow will bring. Afraid to be themselves. May you never know that kind of fear.

I have some questions for you. Again, what does it matter to you? Could it be that the banning of all transgender and gender-affirming care led to this? The horrible rhetoric of the current State Superintendant of Schools Ryan Walters? The emboldening of people, like the girls who were involved in the altercation and were the ones who physically assaulted Nex? Could it be? Why do you care so much?

Please reflect upon that.