[Closed] The Great Turning Part 7

On top of that there is also making use of issues that Republicans say they are for, but that they are inconsistent on.  For example, if you venerate the American flag and consider it especially important to venerate the flag because American veterans fought to defend it how can you support the American flag if you're supporting the Confederate flag.  Make it an either or in much the same way folks are currently  pointing out that pro-birth and pro-life aren't the same things. A lot of Republican voters are black and white thinkers (not just talking racism here).  Things have to be one way or the other, and there is no room for any flexibility in between.  The same should apply to their flag worship.  By the way, aren't you Christian and isn't worshiping a flag idolatry which is forbidden in the Bible?

And lastly, I think we should embrace their insults (and also turn the insults back on them when appropriate).  I'm happy to be a snowflake and perhaps an embrace of an all-powerful, conservative-owning "Dark Brandon" will minimize the power of the "Let's go Brandon" insult or even turn it into a Liberal slogan "Let's go Dark Brandon!"  We should also point out that book bans are part of "cancel culture" which they constantly rail against and that they are the whining, easily offended, snowflakes in a number of situations. And remind them that statements (and t-shirt slogans) such as "My rights don't end where your feelings begin" works both ways.  Perhaps we should have t-shirts made that say "Black rights don't end where your feelings begin" or "Gay rights don't end where your feelings begin."  And if "All Lives Matter" then police lives matter, but also Black lives, gay lives, trans lives, immigrant lives. Thanks for supporting all lives."

I often think we should take the "Br'er Rabbit" approach to politics.  Br'er rabbit was a hero and trickster in Southern U.S. African American tales.  He often prevailed by using his opponents stubbornness, arrogance, avarice and/or stupidity against them.  My favorite is the story of Br'er rabbit and the Briar Patch.  Br'er rabbit was caught by the fox who was going to eat him.  Br'er rabbit convinced the fox that the fox could do whatever he wanted as long as he didn't throw Br'er rabbit in the briar patch.  Of course, after repeated pleas not to be thrown into the briar patch, the fox eventually threw Br'er rabbit in the briar patch because he thought that was the worst way to hurt the rabbit.  Once Br'er rabbit was in the briar patch, he was safe from the fox and the fox couldn't chase him without getting hurt by all the briars.

In terms of the Jon Stewart clip from earlier, I honestly would have started the argument from the foundation of what it is about, body modification. So, instead of using child cancer as a comparison, I would have used male circumcision, as, in my opinion, it is not needed in most circumstances and has a negative effect on the relationship between the baby and the mother. Whereas in terms of trans children, the methods utilized are not in infancy, and they are not nearly as invasive, most are reversible too. Plus, parents are largely not being forced to treat their children through doctors they disagree with. So, if a parent wants to deny their child's identity, they largely can. Getting effective treatment for trans children is about improving the relationship between the parents and the child, while male circumcision is about abusing the child without their consent in one of the most vulnerable times for their brain in terms of development for an ancient religious ritual that was never a requirement in the Christian religion theologically. 

As a self-correction for my former comment, I also am aware that Jon Stewart would have never made such a comment because he does have some Jewish background. I am just stating how I would have argued against the viewpoint. Of course, I don't think everyone agrees with my view on things, I just am of the opinion that body modification should always start with consent, and if consent can't be given, rituals of such a nature should be delayed until the ritual and pain are more meaningful. 

@melmystery My favorite approach to turning the right-wing narrative on its head is the slogan:

"Deception Has Consequences"

A backhanded dig at the Far Right's overuse of Obama's "Elections Have Consequences" mantra, which they try to weaponize against any centrists, liberals, or progressives who put a spotlight on the immorality of cheating in elections.

When they whine that leftists are "picking on" Ginni Thomas or Tommy Tuberville or Matt Gaetz or Dana Loesch, just say:

"Deception Has Consequences"

Or say it as an instant rebuttal ANYTIME a sniveling paleocon squawks "Elections Have Consequences" as some blanket defense for their corruption.

@serethiafalcon 

As a male circumcised at birth, I totally agree with you that circumcision should be a male's choice and not forced on him at birth.  If he's really serious about his religion or develops medical concerns, let him make the decision to get circumcised later in life.  I wonder how many people actually would make this decision if it weren't forced on them when they were too young to consent. 

@melmystery

I'm also male and was circumcised at birth.  I do often wonder what I'm missing, since I have nothing by which to compare my circumcised status.  Ideally, I would love to be able to "try out" both sensations, like a "Before/After" Jetsons-style transformation chamber, if you will.  But that isn't realistic.

I do know that, if my parents had left me intact -- and then later I'd had to get circumcised as an adult where I'd have conscious awareness of which upcoming procedure would need to be performed on me...it would cause me severe anxiety.  I'm not sure whether that would have been a good tradeoff for the possibility of greater lifetime sexual pleasure.

@autisticanthony , @serethiafalcon. As the mother of a son, a premature baby born at 32 weeks...weighing 4 lbs... he was not circumcised at birth.... that had to be done at 5 years old due to health reasons... it ....was....horrific!!!! It was so painful and he had lots of swelling and screamed when he urinated and he had to walk with a legs apart rolling gait for weeks. It traumatized both of us. Pre-op as well...because he fought them so hard when it was time to get his pre-op sedation that they had me hold him to my chest face to face while one nurse held his arms and hands that were wrapped around my neck and another held his legs which were wrapped around my waist.... while he was given a shot in his gluteus maximus. I understood the need for it???? But it rent my mother's heart wide open with sorrow and pain. I am sure it did his too...that I helped them overcome him.  It's been many years now... but that memory is sharp in my mind.

There are no easy answers and it's not a easy surgery when older.... supposedly.. when done at birth...before nerve endings are complete and mature.... it's less painful.. but... the babies cry when it's done as they do for the needle sticks when given injections.... I was in NICU with him daily for 6 weeks after he was born... and.. they do cry when they get stuck with needles..... so... yeah... babies feel pain too.

@autisticanthony  - I was not circumcised at birth due to being born a 'blue baby' which would have complicated my survival or so I was told.  Fast forward to the age of 24 and I chose to be circumcised due to the tedious hygiene routine.  Forty Eight years later everything still works as it should but requires far more concentration and effort.  Anyway, I really can't compare before and after sensations but having them is still something to look forward to - even at my age!

It seems like things are blah, lately.  Trump is still free to spew hate, Putin is attacking civilians, and Republicans look like they are retaking the midterms.

And yet....I don't know why, but I feel that there is something on the horizon.  Something earthshattering.  

I don't know what it is.  Things are not doing good, and it looks like the light is stalling.  All the Republicans need is a red wave, and they will NEVER stop.  They will take away women's rights, ensure that corruption goes uncontrolled, and basically use bullying and violence to bend us to their will.  With the recent economy news (for which I actually blame Republicans for), many people will vote for their paychecks instead of their values.  They blame Democrats for the inflation when it is actually Republicans who continue to work behind the scenes to ensure prices run high and salaries run low.  I live in a red state.  Yes, we have low taxes, but we also have few jobs, few resources, cheap medical care, substandard materials for education, etc.  

And yet, I feel oddly hopeful.  I think there is something big that is coming out.  Maybe several things.  I don't know.  I shouldn't feel hopeful.  After all, Herschel Walker is still competitive in Georgia after all the things he did, but it is clear that Republicans care more about power than they do about values.  So one scandal or even a million scandals will not help us.  Nothing will change this.

So why am I feeling so hopeful?  Is something going to happen that will spur us into action?  Will something happen that even Republicans would be ashamed of?

I am pretty sure my hopefulness is not due to my favorite football team doing well for the first time in...probably forever (GO VOLS!)  But I honestly think something big is about to happen that will change the next few weeks.  Maybe it is a scandal about abortion.  Maybe they found out Trump gave Russia government secrets and is hiding more in places like Trump Towers.  Maybe Iran will fall to the weight of the people who are tired from being brutalized.  Maybe Ukraine will take Russia back across the border.  Or maybe there is something else so shocking that it is off our radar.

I am not psychic, but I feel SOMETHING is coming.  Something huge in the next few weeks, and it is planned.  Any ideas on what it can be?  

@allyn 

I agree, Allyn; I think several "somethings" are about to happen. I, too, am uncharacteristically positive about the midterms. Dems will garner more votes but the big question is whether it will be by a large enough margin to overcome the inevitable cheating by the other party. I think so, but I am guessing the election results in a number of states will take days to finalize as challenges to Democrat wins will have to be worked out.

This group has such positive power. May we help lift the energy where ever we can.

@journeywithme2 

My first husband and I discussed this in depth. It was the 70s and we were hippie souls. Our sons were not circumcised because I thought it was barbaric. I have to acknowledge that the counseling we received was neutral. No one tried to talk us in or out of the decision, they just explained the procedure. Our oldest was born with congenital hip dysplasia and had to be in a brace anyway, so at the time, adding more pain to that ongoing discomfort was especially difficult for me to contemplate. And yet—it is a parenting decision that to this day still causes me deep sorrow and regret. Both children required the surgery (for different reasons) prior to puberty, causing both fear (hospital!) and pain. I do not recall the severity of the after-effects you described with your son, so my boys were incredibly lucky. Neither child has ever blamed, or even said one negative thing regarding the decision that later caused them such physical pain. The reality is, it is horrific whenever. Your post went like an arrow into my mother's heart and I had to come here to the forum to hug you in the only way possible, with words written from painfully gained comprehension.  ❤️ 

@allyn One thing that I've thought/felt for sometime is that the election WAS stolen....in 2016.  

It's just a feeling but I think that since tfg "knew" Russia could interfere....it should've worked again in 2020....and when it didn't...."they" stole it from him.

IF that could be proved....wow....

@tesseract  Thank you for that!!! I surely needed it. My son's case was maybe a little more involved? The prepuce adhered to the glans and was closing off his urethra and he had strictures in his urethra as well so that his urethra was partially blocked and had a urethrotomy at the same time. 

It was totally horrible for all involved. It is a hard choice either way.

@melmystery hee hee... and great reverse psychological strategies fir the Democrats.

@allyn and everyone

The series finale of the Jan 6 Committee Hearings is Thursday Oct 13, I think at 1pm EDT?

Maybe you are picking up some vibes around it -- now that they had extra time since the last one, and this one is just a few weeks before Election Day.

Could be a mic drop, could be a cliffhanger - in any case I suspect it will be explosive.

I plan to record it and watch it when I come back from my first in-person dance class since March 2020 (!).

@laura-f 

Well, it has been an interesting week for Trump, hasn't it?

First, the judge on the civil case for the Jeanne Carroll rape/defamation matter ruled that Trump's time has run out, and that he must sit in for depositions next week in preparation of the upcoming trial.  He is scheduled for his deposition on October 19, 2022.

Also, Trump Org. goes to trial starting October 24, 2022.  I doubt the case will be resolved by November 8, 2022, but it will be in the news regardless.

The Supreme Court actually told Trump that they were not going to order for the Justice Department to hand over the 100 or so class secret documents to the special master.  Apparently, Trump's arguments that these documents are somehow "privileged," "belonging to him," and/or "declassified" did not pass the "smell" test.  Remember, it doesn't take much to get the Supreme Court to put the matter on the docket and help Trump delay his troubles.  But they aren't stupid.  They don't need Trump now.

And now the big bombshell.  Trump has been subpoenaed by the January 6 commission.

Nothing will happen from this.  We will never see Trump before the January 6 commission.  He will delay it through whatever means necessary.  The Republicans will no doubt use it as a means to garner votes.  They hope to convince the American public to feel so sorry for Trump that they hand the House to the Republicans, and the Republicans will end the January 6 Commission.  If Republicans do not take the House (which will be difficult, seeing as how Republicans have used gerrymandering to their advantage), Trump will still delay things for years.

But this is all about the political strategy of the Democrats.  They know that the economy is bad right now with inflation, and people are more worried about that than the death of our democracy.  But Trump is often very, very good at reminding people what is at stake.  More people voted in the 2020 election than any time in our history, and over eight million more people came out to vote AGAINST Trump.  Think about it.  8,000,000 more people who hate Trump or at least think Trump is too dangerous to be trusted.

In times of trouble, people prefer stability over anything else.  And this is what the January 6 Commission is trying to do.  Right now Trump is vulnerable, like he was after he lost the election.  He tried various ways to use the court system to delay the inevitable, but it didn't work.  Then he committed his little terrorist acts on January 6.  But that action is now taken from him because (1) he is no longer the President, (2) he can't keep the National Guard from coming in and stopping the MAGA terrorists, and (3) some of the MAGA terrorists are now convicted and/or jailed, so they are no longer free to come to another little "insurrection."

Trump will act more crazy.  He will demand that the Republicans use their power to save him.  He will likely demand that they openly state whether they will use their power to shield them.

Some will.  Some won't.  And some will try to tow the line and play both sides.

This will hopefully do two things.  First, it will divide the Republican party, as Trump will use his power to tell his followers not to vote for some Republicans.  Second, this will put any undecided voters likely to vote Democrat, because why vote for a party who is obsessed with helping one man?

I pray that this works.

Posted by: @allyn

@laura-f 

Well, it has been an interesting week for Trump, hasn't it?

First, the judge on the civil case for the Jeanne Carroll rape/defamation matter ruled that Trump's time has run out, and that he must sit in for depositions next week in preparation of the upcoming trial.  He is scheduled for his deposition on October 19, 2022.

Also, Trump Org. goes to trial starting October 24, 2022.  I doubt the case will be resolved by November 8, 2022, but it will be in the news regardless.

The Supreme Court actually told Trump that they were not going to order for the Justice Department to hand over the 100 or so class secret documents to the special master.  Apparently, Trump's arguments that these documents are somehow "privileged," "belonging to him," and/or "declassified" did not pass the "smell" test.  Remember, it doesn't take much to get the Supreme Court to put the matter on the docket and help Trump delay his troubles.  But they aren't stupid.  They don't need Trump now.

And now the big bombshell.  Trump has been subpoenaed by the January 6 commission.

Nothing will happen from this.  We will never see Trump before the January 6 commission.  He will delay it through whatever means necessary.  The Republicans will no doubt use it as a means to garner votes.  They hope to convince the American public to feel so sorry for Trump that they hand the House to the Republicans, and the Republicans will end the January 6 Commission.  If Republicans do not take the House (which will be difficult, seeing as how Republicans have used gerrymandering to their advantage), Trump will still delay things for years.

But this is all about the political strategy of the Democrats.  They know that the economy is bad right now with inflation, and people are more worried about that than the death of our democracy.  But Trump is often very, very good at reminding people what is at stake.  More people voted in the 2020 election than any time in our history, and over eight million more people came out to vote AGAINST Trump.  Think about it.  8,000,000 more people who hate Trump or at least think Trump is too dangerous to be trusted.

In times of trouble, people prefer stability over anything else.  And this is what the January 6 Commission is trying to do.  Right now Trump is vulnerable, like he was after he lost the election.  He tried various ways to use the court system to delay the inevitable, but it didn't work.  Then he committed his little terrorist acts on January 6.  But that action is now taken from him because (1) he is no longer the President, (2) he can't keep the National Guard from coming in and stopping the MAGA terrorists, and (3) some of the MAGA terrorists are now convicted and/or jailed, so they are no longer free to come to another little "insurrection."

Trump will act more crazy.  He will demand that the Republicans use their power to save him.  He will likely demand that they openly state whether they will use their power to shield them.

Some will.  Some won't.  And some will try to tow the line and play both sides.

This will hopefully do two things.  First, it will divide the Republican party, as Trump will use his power to tell his followers not to vote for some Republicans.  Second, this will put any undecided voters likely to vote Democrat, because why vote for a party who is obsessed with helping one man?

I pray that this works.

@allyn

For the last several weeks, I've been harvesting emails of professors who teach at colleges and universities in the swing districts with competitive U.S. House races.  I look to see which professors specifically have research areas and interests (based on their university bios) that would make them inclined to support social justice causes.

Then, I send bcc'd emails out to all of them.  The main email includes a list of Democratic accomplishments combined with what's at stake if Republicans are allowed to control the federal levers of democracy.

I emphasize in the emails how voters must reject the self-fulfilling prophecies peddled by the mainstream media, and I encourage them to forward the email along to anyone in their circles who are politically-conscious or civic-minded.

Maybe I'm naive, but I hope that doing this will trigger some "email chains" that could help to make a difference in those districts.

Some of you are familiar with the Spice company Penzeys.

Penzeys is owned and founded by a very liberal-minded man.  Over the years he has created different spices to reflect certain global or U.S. issues. He will often send out emails promoting a certain spice blend which ties into what is in the news.  Recently he created a spice called Outrage of Love.

Here is the description of that spice:

The ongoing Republican effort to end our democracy is Outrageous. The party's purge of those disloyal to the January 6 plotters is even worse. When does a party end and fascism begin? When good people give up on being Outraged. Your love is strong; use it to keep Outrage alive.

Outrageously good on avocados, eggs, fish, vegetables, salads, chicken, hummus, sandwiches.

Often he will make donations to causes with certain promotions such as Planned Parenthood after Roe was overturned.

Not surprisingly, Fox News will frequently lambast him and Fox viewers often are enraged and boycott Penzeys.

Well,  after what Clarence Thomas just did, I found this email in my box today from Penzeys CEO Bill Penzey:  

Clarence Thomas is back in the news obstructing Justice in the investigation of the Republican plot to end our democracy. I still like and respect journalists. Theirs is not an easy job. But even today when they talk about his past they never put two and two together. It wasn’t just the way he treated Anita Hill, it’s that for eight years he took a paycheck to run the government agency (EEOC) whose job it was to protect women in the workplace from being treated the very way he treated her.

When original President Bush elevated Thomas to the Supreme Court, Bush didn’t deny Thomas was short on the experience needed to be on the Supreme Court but instead he nominated him to our highest court based solely on his character. The character of a man who would take a paycheck to lead the protection of women in the workplace while doing just the opposite. Republicans kind of have a type, don’t they? The problems of their party didn’t start with Donald Trump.

And thirty years ago Clarence Thomas was taking a government paycheck to lead the protection of the rights of women to equal opportunity in the workplace when it was him they needed protection from. This week he is obstructing the investigation into the Republican January 6 plotters when his wife is one of those plotters. Character.

Thanks for being a decent person who actually cares about America and the rights of everyone. This of course means none of us will ever be a Republican Supreme Court Justice nominee. Sorry, but I’m happy you are here just the same.

There was more to the email of course.  But I did get a chuckle that the new promotion is now for the blend Justice, originally created for the BLM movement if I recall, but very fitting for the moment at hand.

@lovendures reading this wrapped in my Hug throw blanket and remembering how Outrageous was used in my Brunswick stew last night... I have enjoyed Bill's commentaries and spice blends for years now... I love that he never let others threats to subdue him and run him out of business silence him.  He is a role model for us all.

I have long been a fan of Penzey’s. And him being a wonderful advocate of all that is progressive is just the best. He is marvelous. I have SO many spices because of it. And don’t lose heart…we will prevail.