Buddhism Rant

I'm cranky, I'm bitchy, I'm feeling overwhelmed and undervalued. However you want to phrase it.

That being said, I have been doing the best that I can (with my stressed out and chaotic life) to follow the tenants and let it go. But:

I work at a job I HAVE to, not that I WANT to in order to support my family. This means that I cannot get away from some toxic situations (classism) and I have to work in a job that does not fulfill my passions.

I have a lot on my plate and work every day to not complain to everyone all of the freaking time, though it really feels like I do (sorry to friends).

Classism is when you are at work and people who are above you ignore you or treat you like a second class citizen because of how much you get paid. Doesn't always happen and it can be VERY insidious.

So here is where my Buddhism rant comes in. Buddhism is all about accepting your emotions and finding your center. But the monks who talk about this are living their life as monks. I can tell you that around 80% of the people in my very large building would love to do something other then what they are doing, but cannot because they have to support their families in this feudalistic/capitalist society.

I want to be able to buy my kids ice cream on Fridays and have yarn to knit. I want to be able to pay bills.

Would I rather quit my job and be a therapist? Fuck yeah! But I cannot support 4 people on 38k. Oh but wait, that must be my fault right?

I'll just put my Queen Irritable hat on for the day and look forward to when I can relax and knit while watching Netflix and cuddling with my kids.

This week of hell needs to end.

 

Plea to Hillary Clinton to Build Bridges

Okay, so I have made no bones that I support Bernie in this race. But I am not blind and do see that it is unlikely he will win the race at the convention and be the Democratic Candidate.

That being said, let me tell you what I worry about.

The Bernie movement is so popular, and picking up more steam, because the things that Bernie is saying resonate so strongly with so many. I actually believe that what he says resonates with many that are voting for Clinton as well, they just do not believe that he can get what he says he wants to do done. Considering how badly Obama has been blocked by the Republicans for the past 8 years, I can really understand that concern.

But the problems that the Bernie movement want to solve will not go away just because the crazy-ass Republicans (and remind me that I never want to even pass through southern states ever again, really Oklahoma, South Carolina, and Alabama?) block everything with their do-nothing campaign. Instead, we need to actually work on these things.

Free college, and forgiving all college debt, single-payer health care system, going more forcefully after the rich to pay their fair share of taxes.. These are all very important, and I believe doable.

Here is what I want to see from you, Hillary Clinton, I want to see you

• Make super-nice with Bernie and his followers.
• Openly acknowledge that all of the things that Bernie wants to get done are worth trying for in a systematic way that you are 100% behind.
• Ask Bernie to please be your Vice President.

These three things will make it more likely to pull the Bernie voters to your side. I even think you should offer a place in your cabinet for Jill Stein to help her work on the environmental issues strongly.

I understand #bernieorbust but I am more strongly #nevertrump and think that this is the path we need to take to not allow Trump to destroy our country and run us into World War III (I think Putin is drooling at the thought of another big war and the ability to blame the USA for it).

Please Hillary Clinton, consider my suggestions and let's start building bridges. Some people are never going to support you but let's gather all the folks together to fight against Trump, because that is so important.

Understand that you may claim to be progressive, but you are not progressive enough.

Sincerely yours,
A USA Liberal Woman

Common Fucking Courtesy

You know what I'm sick of?

  People being inconsiderate of others.

  At work, working together to be aware of when people take lunches, and not going during a time frame another does without notice, way to piss someone off.

  Driving on the highway like a fucking race-car driver. Use your directional and slow the hell down!

  Telling people who we should love. Love is love, people. If they are adults, stay out of it.

  Saying "thank you" and "your welcome".

  A little common kindness. If someone is not feeling good, why not help them and not ignore them, you selfish fucking assholes.

  Teach your kids to be nice to others. If your kid is being a little shit and throwing rocks, I sure as fuck should not be the one to have to step in. If it was my kid, shit would go down and at least grounding would occur.

   No, if a car is unlocked, a locker not locked up or a purse is sitting out in the open, NO you are not fucking given a free right to steal their money or credit cards. That is called morality, stupid ass.

  No, a baby is not a silver lining of an abortion, shut your mouth.

  No, I should not be voting someone because she is a woman and I'm a woman. Does that mean that men should be voting for men? WTF?

   I am not a fucking helicopter mom because I'm watching my kids out in public. It is because I know what the fuck can happen and I don't want anything to happen to my precious angels.

  Do not make comments or ask a new mother if she breastfeeds, it's none of your fucking business, no matter how red the babies cheeks are.

   This isn't about political correctiveness. I think Republicans invented that so that they didn't have to be nice to people and can stay narrow-minded. Do Unto Others As You Would Have Done Unto You. Even the Lord's Prayer talks forgiveness. Argh, I don't know. Seriously, this country needs some common fucking courtesy.

 

Bernie or Bust Crap

Listen, I get you don't like Hillary. She's a run of the mill democrat without a great history of sticking to what she says she will do and is to close to the rich that fund her.

That being said.

If my hero, Bernie Sanders, loses the nomination to her (and he really may), I will vote for her.

You know why?

Because #NEVERTRUMP.

Seriously.

Sitting out and not taking a stand against Trump by (yes I know) voting for Hillary is as good as voting for Trump and that is something I do not understand.

Hey, I get it. I am as progressive as they come. I'm a tree-hugging gal who wants this country to help it's citizens fight the 1%'ers who want to turn the rest of us 99% into a serfdom. I totally love Bernie and everything he stands for.

  But I will NOT shoot myself in the ass and end up with Trump in the house.

  So please, do not shoot yourself in the ass.

  If Hillary ends up with the nomination, just vote for her.

Again #nevertrump and #feelingthebern.

Later gaters.

Delivering Results - Democratic Campaign

To be honest, this was not meant to be an attack on Hillary Clinton. I do respect her experience as well as Bernie's. But after last night's debate I keep thinking about what she said, delivering results.

Hillary has always been moderate, and for most of my life, as an upstate New Yorker, that was okay. I voted for her both times she ran for Senator, and was okay with how she did, though she was nothing fantastic or progressive. Just the run of the mill moderate.

Bernie is someone that I wasn't hugely aware of until 2012. To be honest, I'm not sure how I became aware of him. I probably received an email and it spoke about progressivism and I researched him a little and subscribed to his email list out of Vermont, though I lived in New York.

What bothers me is the phrase "delivering results" because the only thing that Hillary Clinton is trying to do with that phrase, is make progressivism impossible as the democratic and republican party wants to keep a tight control on the status quo. To keep free college impossible, though we had it 50 years ago in NYS though state universities. She seems to want to keep this country in a bubble of moderation that is easy and safe and not challenging.

  I want this country to be challenged. I want us to have higher wages not just for the poor, but for everyone. Whenever she talks about jobs, it is always about technology jobs. Where was she for NYS when human services jobs (that requires Bachelors and Master's degrees) are paying $30k in wages? What is a comfortable wage for each part of this country? And if you work 40 hours a week, no matter what the job, you should be able to have health insurance, a car, a house, and your bills paid as well as a little left over to pay into the economy in goods. That is the American dream isn't it? We want to retire at some point and have less debt!

  Perhaps the reason why we have so much credit card debt is because we want to have a little fun and enjoy our lives a little. We work so hard to just pay for bills and have so little left over, not to mention very little savings for a rainy day. Of course, this short-sightedness is not a positive thing, but if we live paycheck to paycheck, is it so much surprise that our spending is similar?

   We need to reteach our children and our society to look long-term. To actually think about our children, and our retirement, and that rainy day. But how can we when we can BARELY pay our bills working full time? And how is that my fault? Why isn't that the corporations fault for keeping paychecks low so they can pocket more at the top? Why isn't this the governments fault for not keeping control of prices? Does milk really need to be $3-4 a gallon? If so, why?

  So rather than complaining and hating on Bernie, who has been forming progressive groups since the 80's and involved in civil rights issues since the 60's, why don't we question why Hillary isn't more willing to attack issues we need dealt with right now? Why isn't she listening to the swelling of support that Bernie is getting. We need real progressive work to happen, not more moderate.

  Listen, if Hillary wins the democratic nomination, I will vote for her. But until that date, I will pray that Bernie wins. I am a liberal, progressive, that wants the best for me and my children, you and your children and everyone.

Follow the History Lesson in Giving and Taking Rights Away

This morning I was listening to the story on the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged v. Burwell Supreme Court Case that will make it's arguments today in court. And as a human being, I adore what the Sister's are accomplishing at their homes, but am disgusted with what this, and the other cases they are encompassed with, are trying to do.

So let's start go with some history:

1) 1964:  Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, you cannot discriminate in hiring based on age, sex, religion, national origin, race or color, disability or genetic status. This means that these places, such as the Little Sisters Home, cannot specifically hire based on their religious beliefs. Because of this, they should not be able to discriminate and force their religious beliefs on those they hire (in theory).

2) 1993: Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993, the government (specifically the government) cannot substantially burden a person's exercise of religion. This is specific to the government, not to corporations (though at this time corporation are NOT considered persons, this is pre-Citizens United).

3) 2010: Citizens United v. FEC (Link 1 and Link 2). This created 2 problems and is argued as one of the most recent standing causes of corporations to be able to act as persons and be protected as such, even though they are not persons at all and are incorporated in order to protect the individuals persons who own them in the first place, ironically.

4) 2014: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc., which is really the precursor to today's case that is being argued that I will get to in a minute. This 5-4 decision to uphold Hobby Lobby's right as a for-profit religious corporation (how the hell does that work exactly? Even I am having problems finding actual evidence of how a corporation can be religious and for-profit. And a corporation that is all for making money seems to fly into the face of religious standings so that just baffles me but is a post for another day.)

This decision was made specifically off of the backs of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) but yet seems to fly into the face of the Civil Rights Act (CRA). When do corporate rights count as more important than individual rights? Especially when it comes to corporations? Over and over we can find reason in history to protect the individual from big business, and this seems to be another example of this. Why else do we have labor laws? Civil Right laws? Do you really think that big businesses were all for these things and didn't fight them?

5) 2016: Priest for Life v. Dept of H.&HS, Link 2. NPR's title highlights my problem with this beautifully. "Birth Control At The Supreme Court: Does Free Coverage Violate Religious Freedom?"

I hate to use a wiki link, but this lays it out pretty neatly in terms of the Contraceptive Mandate for the USA, including links. What it means, just as it is outlined in the NPR article, is that once the organization opts out of paying or covering birth control, individuals who work for them can still get birth control through the insurance, but paid for and organized by the government. No hand or dollar of the employer touches the birth control coverage, thus covering their disagreement with covering it. But this is apparently not enough, and as with Hobby Lobby, they are arguing that that shouldn't even exist.

The only worry that I have here is the precedent that the Hobby Lobby case created, though I have some suspicion that the case may be tied 4-4.


Wrapping it up:

Again, I make no bones that if a woman wants to be on birth control, she should have affordable access to it. And if you cannot discriminate in hiring practices, you should not be able to force your religious beliefs on your employees. In this case the government hands these organizations a comfortable out that they are just not comfortable ENOUGH with. I do believe that all of these acts and supreme court cases add up to be a continual attack on the citizens of the united states.

  I try to respect religious organizations, I truly do. And many of them do fantastic works, I will not deny it. But science trumps mysticism.

We could even flip this around and really scare the evangalists. What if these organizations were run by Scientologists who refused to pay for psychotropic medication? Or Jehovah Witnesses and refused to pay for blood transfusions? It's the same idea.

Stop shoving your stuff down everyone else's throats, accept the hand the government offered and move on. This is not a high road.

Bernie Takes Michigan

I have never made it a secret that I support Bernie as our next president, and have been a fan of his for a few years now. Being from upstate NY, stuff that happens in Vermont isn't all that far from me, so it's not a huge slide to hear about it.

  Having always considered myself more of a green party/independent kind of person, I still am registered as a Democrat for elections for this very reason. For when someone like Bernie Sanders runs for office.

  No, I have no illusions that if Democrats do not take back the majority of seats in both the House and Senate in DC, they will continue their Koch fueled goal to obstruct everything that interferes with their views of free market and protecting their assets, regardless of what it does to the economy longterm, the environment, or the people of the United States outside of their small circle view (for more information on this, check out Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right by Jane Mayer).

  But one thing I do have, that Trump followers do not seem to have, is hope. I have hope that we can turn it around and make this country a place where we take care of each other. Where college is affordable and available, where healthcare is universal, where trickle down theory stays in the history books (not in policy), where the rich pay taxes just like the rest of us (not get out of paying taxes due to loopholes as they donate to their favorite radical right not-for-profits). You can read more about Bernie on the issues here:  "On the Issues"

  The great thing about what happened in Michigan, is that it shows how misleading the polls can be. Do not let the polls keep you from getting out and voting or feeling as if your vote won't matter. If nothing else has been demonstrated this year thus far, it is that every single vote really does matter (even with the super delegates being pain in the asses).

  Keep your head up! #feelthebern