The Bishop and the Butterfly: Murder, Politics, and the End of the Jazz Age
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    I'm Offended by my Country

    By Ramona on Sun, 08/14/2016 - 1:55pm | Politics
     

     
     


    As a denizen of the Internets given to spouting personal opinions I'm not easily offended.  I can't afford to be. It's hard enough to write without having to do it curled up in a fetal position, tears in my eyes, sucking my thumb.

    But I'm offended by my country.

    I'm offended by the very idea of a Donald Trump in the role of public servant, and even more offended by the narcissistic, asocial blowhard billionaire himself.

    I'm offended by the Republican party for opening up the deep, dark hole Donald Trump felt encouraged to slither out from.

    I'm offended by the press, whose idea of good journalism is the elevation and celebration of a madman who believes he can be president of the United States.

    I'm offended by voters who hate our government system so thoroughly they're working to punish the entire nation by electing officials whose qualifications are limited to a mutual need to make us pay for our supposed sins.

    I'm offended by my own Democratic Party for allowing this to happen.  We're supposed to be the party of the people and we've let the people down.  Our leaders wimped out and didn't fight hard enough for the people whose age, race, gender, religion, income, or health kept them down and sometimes out. 

    The Dems didn't show enough interest in the economy, in our public lands, in our public schools, in our public roads and bridges, in the very water we drink or the air we breathe.  They didn't care enough about the health and welfare of the occupants of our beautiful nation. That's not to say they didn't show any interest. They cared far more than the Republicans ever did. But that's not saying much.

    More people now have health coverage but too many are bogged down by crushing deductibles and copays.  We still have not capped the price of pharmaceuticals.  We still have not lifted the cap on Social Security.  We still have not figured out how to convince half the country that helping the least of us is what makes us wholly American.

    The stock market is up, the deficit is down, but we're not feeling it.  We've cauterized the job cuts so that more people are working, but  too often they're among the working poor. We're winding down our military presence in countries that are not ours but our pantries still go empty while our war chest fills up. We've allowed our prisons to become for-profit industries.  We don't worry enough about other peoples' children.

    We're in thrall to the one-percenters, we're leaning toward a church state, we're ripe for a demagogic takeover. 

    I'm offended by my country when it stops being proud of what it can be and reverts to being ashamed of what we've become. We're in a mess of our own choosing, which means we can fix it if we choose to.  Now we have to choose to.  Because this sure as hell isn't us.

    (Cross-posted at Ramona's Voices and Crooks and Liars)

    Topics: 
    Politics

    Comments

    Amen, Mona


    by Michael Wolraich on Sun, 08/14/2016 - 4:03pm

    You said it, Ramona!!  Brava!


    by MrSmith1 on Sun, 08/14/2016 - 4:35pm

    This is the clearest, most concise analysis of the American condition and call to action I've seen in a long time. IMHO it could have come from an FDR Fireside Chat.  Thanks and Keep up the good work Ramona!

    Unfortunately, as I write this the post has 202 readers (surely more on Ramona's blog but probably in the same range). It needs to be read by 200 million. If there are media gurus who know how to make it happen, please do so!


    by VincenzOH on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 1:00am

    Mona reaches the Hoi Polloi - from there it trickles down. Trust me, it's the most efficient way using combinatorics.

    But Mona, be careful - last time someone expressed disappointment this hard, careers were shattered. America can be quite unforgiving towards honesty, even tho forgiving of stupidity. We cater to the underdog and the ribald jackass.

    http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2016/08/shut-up-and-sing.html

    (interesting comparing just how over-the-top their screeching was vs. today's more measured social commentary from every lectern and media outlet. Certainly the American political scene's matured and gained a needed sense of self-perspective)

    PPS - I'm sure there was no sexism involved ,and if it had been a Hank Williams Jr, Charlie Daniels,  Toby Keith or even Ted Nugent rather than a bunch of dumb bitches insulting the president, they would have reacted the same way burning records and banning airplay. One thing America provides is a classless level playing field. Wait, I meant "class-free".


    by PeraclesPlease on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 1:25am

    The hoi polloi, huh?  Trickle down?  Is that how it works?  How long does it take?

    Love the pic of the Dixie Chicks.  Love their bravery, too.  They've got voices.  They're out there.  They need to keep on singing.


    by Ramona on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 8:47am

    Thanks so much.  But, hey, if you think this needs to be read by the multitudes you'll need to tell me how to do that.  I'm a simple blogger from the Midwest.  Nobody knows my name. It's not how I'd planned it but there it is.

    Thanks again.


    by Ramona on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 8:43am

    I love this country.

    The greatest empire the world has ever known.

    But Plato and innumerable philosophers were concerned about the common folks voting.

    Right or wrong, Trump won his party's nomination.

    Right or wrong.

    But again, as I have stressed in the past, Cruz and Marco and Huckleberry and a host of others would be worse. hhahaahahha

    Although I still think Kasich is an ok kind of guy whom I would never vote for.

    Trump, to me, is a caricature of a 'real' politician.

    And in the end, we must vote.

    And in the end we must have our voices heard. (Which Ramona does quite appropriately)

    And in the end we must admit that there are tens of millions Americans who disagree with our principles.

    LIKE THE TRUTH. hahahahah

    It is all gonna be okay.

    We need to get our children and grandchildren and cousins and neighbors and friends out to vote in November!

    TRUST ME. Trust me, a complete loser. hahahaha

    ​THE END IS NOT NEAR.

    And this Trump is the bestest foe Hillary could ever have found.

     


    by Richard Day on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 5:48pm

    DDay, don't ever refer to yourself as a loser again!  You inspire us all with your wit and kindness, and the gift you have for the segue. You are a wise and gifted writer.

    If you do say this again I may have to send Mr Manafort after you!


    by CVille Dem on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 6:15pm

    Did you see the last blogs on Manafort?

    hahahahaha

    12 million plus from the illegal cash fund from the 'former' Ukraine President?

    hahahahha

    And the history of this diabolical bastard and his contracts with other diabolical bastards. hahahah

    Oh and over the week-end this bastard attempted to cover for his latest tyranical employer. hahahah

     


    by Richard Day on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 6:28pm

    Well even Lennon got some starts wrong. hahah


    by Richard Day on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 6:29pm

    I'm offended by voters who hate our government system so thoroughly they're working to punish the entire nation by electing officials whose qualifications are limited to a mutual need to make us pay for our supposed sins.

    Yeah, ain't it a bitch, this democracy.  Give the idiots a vote and they waste it on someone you don't like.  What's the matter with them:  can't they read the NY Times?


    by Lurker on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 6:21pm

    I wATCH Ailes brothel babes on Murdochs channel and I want to get a 150 round drum for my assault gun bafoe Hillary tries to take my guns like hANNITY told. 

    Do you thick that woud be big enough?

    And I don't believe the libtard new york times. just rupert and rush, my R AND R.


    by NCD on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 7:02pm

    Right.  It's all about who I like or don't like.  Let's make it that simple.  Then you can avoid facts and keep cozy with your opinions.  Smile!


    by Ramona on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 8:02pm

    Facts like Trump is a "narcissistic, asocial blowhard " who slithered out from a "deep, dark hole", and is "a madman who believes he can be president of the United States."  Let me know when you start expressing opinions.

    And I am smiling.  It's always fun to poke at you.


    by Lurker on Tue, 08/16/2016 - 2:58am

    Those "facts" are coming from other Republicans


    by rmrd0000 on Tue, 08/16/2016 - 7:46am

    Which of those words were not factual?  Don't you watch Trump when he's out there?  I do.  Like a hawk.


    by Ramona on Tue, 08/16/2016 - 9:01am

    DR KEITH ABLOW FOX NEWS ON TRUMP BEING WONDERFUL :

    I think we need the next president to display a healthy dose of narcissism and share it with the American people....In this way, Donald Trump is John Wayne. Donald Trump is Babe Ruth. Donald Trump is the Miracle on Ice hockey team that defeated the Soviet team to win Olympic gold in 1980 at Lake Placid. His ego, like theirs, is not untethered from American patriotism. It is inextricably bound to it. 

    THAT IS BEUTIFUL AND SHOULD MAKE LURKER HAPPY, A NARCISSIST IS JUST WHAT THE COUNTRY NEEDS.

    THE NEW YORK TIMES WOULD NEVER PRINT THIS FACT, WHY NOT...?

    DR ABLOW DIAGNOSED JOE BIDEN AS SUFFERING FROM DEMENTIA WHEN HE DEBATED RYAN IN 2012. ABLOW AND FOX NEWS ARE UNADULTERATED NEWS.


    by NCD on Tue, 08/16/2016 - 10:49pm

    Ramona, I notice that at Crooks and Liars that you show this blog cross-posted at Ramona's Voices but not at Dag. 


    by A Guy Called LULU on Tue, 08/16/2016 - 9:16pm

    That's because they're not keen on more than one cross-posting.  I have links to both on my own web page.


    by Ramona on Tue, 08/16/2016 - 10:05pm

    I see. I gave it some thought because I have considered commenting at a few other sites and including a cross-posting at Dag to possibly draw in some new blood. Any thoughts?


    by A Guy Called LULU on Tue, 08/16/2016 - 11:39pm

    Hi Lulu, posting links to dag is always welcome. Janicket, who splashed right in and made herself at home here, came in through a link to Doc's post on another blog.

    Social media is also great. I believe that Danny came in through a Facebook share.


    by Michael Wolraich on Wed, 08/17/2016 - 9:49am

    This is laughable and tragic at the same time. Donald Trump certainly is a long way from perfect, and yes he is a blowhard and certainly can use fact checkers to slip him a couple of index cards so he doesn't sound like a blathering moron that gets swept up in the moment and spouts indefensible sound bytes that makes him spend the next dozen news cycles to attempt a recovery. He is not a politician. 

    Your Pollyanna musings of the Honorable Democratic Party makes me want to curl up in the fetal position and cry. Put down the crack pipe, take Debbie Wasserman Schultz's hand and take a real inventory of what they are. They sabotage their own candidates, but lack the guts to do it in the open. They have to be exposed by foreign whistle-blowers. At least the opposition of the GOP has the minerals to overtly and unabashedly  state their disdain in the open.

    Face it- Bush left Obama a big steamy pile- no doubt about it. But 8 years to figure it out with overt lies along the way and failure to take responsibility has put this country that you are ashamed of in serious peril. Ask the people in Baton Rouge that basically had to shame him into visiting them- to basically force him to care about them because he didn't need to leave his golf course vacation on the which apparently takes priority over the second worst natural disaster since Katrina with death, destruction and broken dreams.His vacation ends Sunday. But fear not, he is going to fit them in on Tuesday. He has doubled the debt, turned this country that you are ashamed of into a laughing stock and put us all in peril for the sake of his legacy. What has improved in 8 years? Health Care ain't it. We would have been better off giving the uninsured $150K apiece to handle their premiums and would have covered twice as many people. Education? Uhh uhh. Home ownership? Sorry? Social cohesion? Try again. New business start ups? There are more closed than are opening in the first time in almost 100 years. Bi-Partisan unity. Ouch!! Fixing The V.A . ? Not even close. Domestic and global terrorism? Read the papers. Curtailing Illegal drug traffic from Mexico? Nope- actually 125 Americans  A DAY- one every 5 hours dies from heroin or Heroin/Fentanyl overdoses. That matches the death rate of the 1995 Aids epidemic before treatment solutions were developed. All lives matter, wouldn't you agree?

    I am not even going to go into the antics of Hillary. She can run, but what is the use? Facts are facts. As bad as Trump is, at least he is someone that doesn't need the money and is putting himself out there to at least try to make a change in this broken system the we have devolved to. That goes for all 3 parties. Maybe one of these days the Independents will figure out how to break into the mainstream to offer more than just two candidates that are racing to the bottom and that the voters don't trust or respect.

    At least Trump can't be bought. Ramona- that is the only candidate since Ralph Nader that you can say that about. If the forces that control the email bombs that keep invading Camp Clinton keep hailing, and they will more than likely get worse as we draw closer to Election Day, you might see The Donald sworn in next January and the White House will be redecorated in gold leaf with a casino in the West Wing.  

    But I would guess that your shame would be so over the top by then, that you will have packed your bags, and returned to Lah-Lah Land to join the flock of blind sheep that you call your cohorts,  which is where you must be from to actually believe that misguided drivel that you so eloquently laid out in your article.

    Good luck with reality. You will need all of the help you can get. If you are truly ashamed of this country, with all of its problems I would say stay if you wish or pack up and go if you wish. It is a free country. But I would bet that if you did leave our borders, that you would not settle in a country where if you were kidnapped by your new government that only sees you as an American National, as of this very day when the Democratic White House and State Department admitted that the $400,000,000 American Taxpayer dollars were in fact tied to the release of the hostages that were taken by Iran.

    Great job! Congrats on the legacy that now EVERY "expat", soldier, Americans that works abroad  has a great big bulls eye with a huge dollar sign on it. So be careful. ISIS might just only be the JV team, but they are in over 30 countries and trying really hard to be just the Varsity Team. Hey - you could ask the families in your travels broad who have had family members beheaded, drowned, burned or worse to see if they have reached that goal yet.

    Don't forget to write!

     

     

     

      


    by Sam (not verified) on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 1:58am

    Sure, Louisiana is Obama's Katrina, with a whole $30 million worth of damage.

    Donald Trump, the TV reality show carny paid some tens of millions a year to act like an idiot asks CNN for $5 million to appear in a debate can't be bought.

    LMAO


    by PeraclesPlease on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 8:10am

    Wow, so many uninformed statements, so little time.  Trump can be bought with flattery AND/OR money.  Why else would he say he was donating to Veterans, but only do it months later when he was called out for keeping the money himself?  Why else would he brag about Putin thinking he's so smart?  

    The $400,000,000 was Iranian money that we had frozen; to suggest that it was our tax-paid dollars shows a profound lack of facts.   Even if it were tax money, at least Trump shouldn't mind since he most likely hasn't contributed for several years.  I know, I know, I am jumping to conclusions, but he invites this by hiding behind an audit to refuse releasing any taxes ever.  

    As to Louisiana, our President has a professional in charge of the work there.  Did Bush with Katrina? Hint: no.  A presidential visit diverts important resources, and is ultimately a photo-op (if he goes) or a lack of concern (if he doesn't go).  The adult in the room is once again, Barack Obama.  Trump is temperamentally still at around the 6th grade level.  Putin would play him like a violin.  Fortunately we will not have to deal with that possibility.

    when you talk about Hillary's "antics" I assume you mean her policy positions that will help the middle class and many below that on the economic scale.  Or her vow to protect Social Security and MEDICARE.  Or maybe you mean her plans to broaden the ACA and get control of Big Pharma's power.  Or the fact that leaders all over the world respect her, as they scratch their heads wondering how the USA could have a fool like Trump even under consideration for the presidency.  The President of France says Trump makes him wretch  the French may be snobs, but I don't blame them for not wanting to deal with an uncouth bull-shitter.

    Donald has made one speech in which he didn't sound as much like an idiot and the bar for him is so low that the MSM is drooling about it.  He is a crude buffoon.  When did you ever hear a Presidential candidate continuously curse in speeches?  He is base at his core and truly ignorant.  But you go ahead Sam, and vote for him.  

    Don't give it another thought.


    by CVille Dem on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 8:47am

    Leave?  Like hell I will!  I'm here for the long fight.  You might want to go back and read what I wrote.  I didn't say I was ashamed of my country, I said I was offended.  But it's hard to take anyone seriously who can find even an itty bitty thing to admire about Donald Trump.

    Looking forward to our first female president.  Can't wait.  Happy it's Hillary, too.  But you wouldn't understand.

    I'm fine with that.


    by Ramona on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 9:07pm

    "Trump can't be bought". That's a laugh!

    He owes hundreds of millions and is kept afloat by Chinese and Russian bank loans.

    That's why he is the only Presidential candidate in history to keep his tax returns secret.


    by NCD on Sat, 08/20/2016 - 9:38pm