I recently took a break from the news–it started as an intention to cleanse my mind and emotional well-being prior to and during our recent vacation. I enjoyed the break so much that I found it difficult to mentally ‘gird’ myself to join the ranks of the well-informed. Yet, the world continued to turn during my blissfully ignorant sabbatical.
This post reflects the format from Stephen Colbert’s Late Show segment of random disconnected items, which he titles ‘Meanwhile’
Meanwhile…. Republicans are determined to overturn Roe v. Wade, as part of its all-out offensive on the war against women. Unbelievably, a rapist may have more rights than his impregnated victim in these states. The offensive might just work given the current Supreme Court composition. If the intent is to actually reduce unwanted pregnancies, there are mountains of data demonstrating more effective, non-punitive techniques, such as easy-to-obtain birth control and sex education.
I utterly reject the term ‘pro-life’ for anyone who does not actively support (financially and otherwise) policies and programs that ensure adequate food, housing, health care, and freedom from gun violence for all children and their parents.
Meanwhile… There have been more serial shootings, and more civilian heroes have died while protecting others. We are the most heavily armed nation in the world already and we are also the country in which an innocent person is the most likely, by a large margin, to die from gun violence. Yet, NRA advocates, and their bought-and-paid for politicians, continue to espouse the ridiculous notion that MORE guns are the answer; completely dismissing the glaring evidence from countries that do have common-sense gun control and a citizenry that is relatively safe from gun violence.
Meanwhile.… Mitch McConnell sits on all bills passed by the Democratic controlled House, refusing to bring them to a vote in the Senate. Mitch’s sole focus is partisan gamesmanship; he continues to thwart the intended function of Congress–to debate and enact legislation that benefits and protects the American people. He is an odious and hideous man.
Meanwhile… this Administration continues to stiff-arm Congress by disregarding and disdaining subpoenas for information and testimony. These subpoenas are a vehicle to provide transparency and accountability across the branches of government. However, T and his cronies now sit in the driver’s seat for all three branches, The President’s Administration, the Senate and (so very sad) the Supreme Court. This puts them in a position to either honor or display contempt for the due process that is intended to prevent any branch from running roughshod over each other or the laws of the land. This Administration is now emboldened in their flagrant disdain for anything that stands in the way of their obscene quest to endlessly enrich and empower themselves.
Meanwhile... a heavily redacted version of the Mueller report was published. Mueller recently gave a statement recently that his team could NOT charge a sitting President with a crime; but they did not find that no crime was committed. This kind of hair-splitting and ‘waffling’ allows for enough doubt of culpability that it can (and has) been interpreted as exoneration, even though that doesn’t appear to have been the intent.
Meanwhile...summer is almost here: we went to a Brewer game, the grand-girls had another birthday, my son received a degree in accounting, daughter #2 has a new boyfriend, and Serena is rocking another controversial outfit at the French Open. In other words, life continues to unfold… and I need to remind myself to enjoy every moment, even if the news continues to be ugly.