By SJ Otto

The vice president debate was not Earth shattering. Neither candidate screwed up badly. They both gave answers that occasionally had noting to do with the questions. This blog site is clearly anti-Trump and anti-Pence. So the question is not “who won?” The question is “did Kamala Harris do a good enough job?”

Both of these candidates were aggressive, but neither was as aggressive as Donald Trump in the last debate. This debate was not a “pig fest” as with the last one.

The biggest question was on the pandemic. Harris hammered away at the failures of the Trump administration. Mike Pence tried to defend Trump’s record and he did that about as well as he could.

One interesting subject was climate change. Harris hammered Pence on his boss’s anti-science stance. Pence tried to defend Trump on climate change. That was not easy since Trump’s stand on climate change has been terrible. At times it was nearly funny to hear Pence try and explain away Trump’s hideous stand on climate change. Harris brought up all the fires along the USwest coast and all the flooding and hurricanes out east.

Pence said “There were no more hurricanes this year than 100 years ago.” Not only was that wrong it was laughable. Pence said that Trump has dealt with climate change by “creating a strong clean market economy.” It wasn’t hard for Harris to counter with the obvious problems created by climate change.

In other issues Harris talked about the disrespectful way in which Trump has treated US troops. Pence took offence at the accusations that trump disrespected UStroops. He was very emphatic about that. Both argued over the wisdom of breaking off relations with Iran. Harris pointed out that such positions have made it less safe for US troops and other in that region. Plus Iranis now trying to build nuclear weapons. Pence pushed his imperialistic agenda of killing off various Iranian leaders and accusing Joe Biden of being hesitant to kill off people he accused of being “terrorist leaders.” There are few Republicans who will miss the chance to play “macho man” when it comes to foreign affairs.

Pence accused Harris and Biden of planning to repeal the whole Trump tax that he claimed lowered everyone’s taxes across the board. That is a lie. The taxes were mostly for wealthy people and corporations. Harris said that if Biden is elected they would repeal the taxes for the wealthy, but no more taxes for anyone making under $400,000.

Harris attacked Pence on China, claiming the so called trade war cost Americans jobs. Pence said that Democrats have more faith in Xi Jinping (习近平) China’s leader than in Trump.

Harris said of Trump, “He has betrayed our friends and embraced dictators.” As an example of a dictator she accused Trump of over looking Russia’s part in interfering in USelections.

So far there is a consensus that neither spectacular was said at the debate, by either candidate. And many folks said that this meant a win for Harris, since Trump is badly behind in the polls.

Pix byNBC News

Republicans are liars!

By SJ Otto

In today's mail I got a flyer for Sean Hatfield, who is running for Judge. He labeled James Thompson a socialist: "compare the candidates Judge Sean Hatfield.....Socialist James Thompson." I didn’t realize, until now, that Thompson was running for judge.

I know that Thompson does not consider himself to be a socialist. So how can this Republican call him a socialist if it is not factually correct? The flyer also says that Thompson has “Criminal History demonstrates Disrespect for the Law." I don't know what they base that statement on, but since they lied about his politics, I'll bet they also lied about his so called "criminal history."

Apparently it is OK for Republicans to lie about their opponents. I can remember when some one complained when I called some Republicans fascists. I don't remember what the objection to that was, but I sure don't feel bad about that now. If they can call a liberal Democrat (or even left of center, such as with Barbara Bolleir), Then I don't see any reason why I should feel bad about calling a Republican a fascist. One thing I will call them, and I think it is completely justified, is liars. They are liars and that is a fact.

Picture of the lying flyer

 By SJ Otto

When Republicans begin to lose a race, that is when they resort to name calling, lying libel and slander. The latest examples are the lies Republicans are sending out about Barbara Bollier, the candidate for US senate in Kansas. They claim she is an extremist on abortion and that she is also against the second amendment. And since they are tied in the polls, Republicans keep making more and more outrageous accusations against Bolleir.

A recent flyer I got in the mail says:

”Barbara

Bollier:

EXTREME ON ABORTION…

Voted AGAINST a 21-week

Later term abortion ban

..AND EXTREME ON GUN CONTROL

Wrote a bill making it easier for the government to seize your guns”

I have seen other ads that claim she wants abortion up to the time of birth and she wants the tax payers to pay for it. That is a complete lie. No political leader in office wants that. Also there is no way to get the tax payers to pay for abortion and nearly no politicians would support that either. 

As for the accusation that she wants to “seize guns,” that is also ridiculous. 

One reason the Republicans are so desperate to stop Bollier is that she has outspent them and she is neck and neck with her opponent, Roger Marshall, in the polls.  The Republicans fear that she may win the election. The Republicans are working hard to keep their majority in the Senate.

According to Vox:

“A Democrat hasn’t won a US Senate seat in Kansas since 1932. And yet, for the first time in decades, the ruby-red state is seeing a truly competitive Senate race.

With an open seat after longtime Sen. Pat Roberts (R) announced his retirement, polling of Democratic state Sen. Barbara Bollier and Republican Rep. Roger Marshall shows a tight contest. This summer, political experts in the state assumed the only way Democrats could make Kansas competitive was by running against controversial Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, who lost to Marshall in the August primary.

But so far, Bollier’s fundraising and polling are defying much of the conventional wisdom about Kansaspolitics. Bollier has out-fundraised Marshallby more than $5 million, the latest figures from OpenSecrets show.”

Republicans are fond of using both gun rights and anti-abortion as push button issues. There are a lot of Republicans who vote for those issues only. They ignore all the corruption and unfair support of the super wealthy over the common working man. They have tried to misquote Bollier and portray her as anti-gun. According to AP:

“Republican Roger Marshall is using out-of-context clips from Democrat Barbara Bollier’s ads in a television spot in which his campaign argues that she’s trying to hide liberal views from voters, suggesting the GOP doesn’t have the race for an open U.S. Senate seat locked down yet in normally safe Kansas.

But Bob Beatty, a Washburn University of Topeka political scientist, said his review of about 1,200 state political ads dating back more than 50 years indicates that Marshall’s move is a new tactic for Kansas.

“Of course it’s manipulative,” he said. Later, he added about viewers, “The vast majority aren’t really going to tune in to a narrator at the beginning.”

Bollier and her staff has charged Marshall with using her quotes out of context. Again from AP:

“The Marshall ad also cites a 2014 statement from Bollier to a local newspaper about gun issues to suggest she supports a ban on guns, with a clip of her saying, “I’ll work to ban them nationwide.”

Bollier spokeswoman Alexandra De Luca called that section of the ad “particularly egregious.”

The far right Kansas Republicans have just assumed that most Kansans support their ultra-rightwing policies. If Bollier wins it will be a kick in their pants and an eye opener that will tell them they are not as safe in Kansas as they have assumed over the years.

 By SJ Otto

Donald Trump and Joe Biden managed to have a more civil and respectable debate. It is hard to imagine that this debate will cause anyone to change their mind about who they will vote for next month. Both candidates clarified their positions on the issues.

To be honest, Trump did not do too badly. He had quick answers for every question. That is not to say that his answers were right. But for those who haven’t seriously followed the issues in this campaign, or for those who are still undecided in this very hotly contested and divisive campaign, Trump may have affected some voter’s choices.

Some memorable moments included Trump claiming he has done more for the black African American community than any other president since Abraham Lincoln.  

Fabiola Cineas writing for Voxnews differed with Trump’s statement:

“At last week’s NBC town hall event, President Donald Trump leaned in to the camera to recite a statement that has become a fixture of his reelection campaign: “I have done more for the African American community than any president with the exception of Abraham Lincoln.”

Over the past year, Trump has shouted this from the lectern at campaign rallies and from the balcony at the White House as a play to Black voters, a countermessage to his racist rhetoric. The phrase has morphed over time, starting in the fall of 2019 as something more restrained — “We’ve done more for African Americans in three years than the broken Washington establishment has done in more than 30 years” — and rising to the bold “No president has done more for our Black community” this year.

In June, Trump tweeted a similar statement bragging about what he has done for Black Americans. It came just days after George Floyd, a 46-year-old Black man, was killed by Minneapolispolice officers, setting off unrest and protests for Black lives across the country. He had not actually addressed the reason for millions of people marching in the streets: the institutional racism in policing.

The tone-deaf display continued earlier this month, when in his first address since announcing he had tested positive for the coronavirus, Trump confidently shouted the claim to hundreds of Black and Latinx voters standing on the White House South Lawn: “Nobody can dispute it. Nobody can dispute it. It’s true. Nobody can dispute it.” The very fact that the president encouraged Black people to assemble in his name just days after his diagnosis, forgoing social distancing and despite the devastation the virus has wrought on Black and Latinx communities, one could argue undermined his message.

While Trump may be confident in his claim of having done the most for Black Americans, his record begs to differ. He has repeatedly cited his efforts on criminal justice reform and the economy as the reasons he’s been the best president for Black America since Lincoln — who signed the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing enslaved people in the Confederacy, and clearing the way for the ratification of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery across the US — but rarely does Trump put his supposed “wins” in context. For example, Trump often tries to take credit for a decline in violent crime, though the downward trend predates him by many years.”

Biden didn’t miss a chance to hammer away at Trump. He mocked the claims.“Abraham Lincoln here is one of the most racist presidents we’ve had in modern history,”Biden said.“He pours fuel on every single racist fire.”

Another interesting topic was climate change. Trump claimed Biden’s plan to end fossil fuel use will cost workers their jobs. He also casually claimed that Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (or AOC as he called her) knew nothing about the climate. According to Yahoo News:

“Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.) delivered a signature Twitter takedown after she was name-checked by President Donald Trump over her climate policy during Thursday’s nationally televised presidential debate.

Ocasio-Cortez and her progressive House colleagues Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) were called out by the president in his debate with Democratic nominee Joe Biden in Nashville.

“You know who developed it? AOC plus three,” the president said of Biden’s climate plan.

“They know nothing about the climate. I mean she’s got a good line of stuff, but she knows nothing about the climate, and they’re all hopping through hoops for AOC plus three. Not a real plan. It costs $100 trillion.”

Trump has repeatedly conflated Biden’s plans to mitigate climate change with the set of policy proposals known as the Green New Deal, introduced by Ocasio-Cortez and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) in 2019. Biden has offered praise for it, but his own policy is different.

Biden appointed Ocasio-Cortez as co-chair of his climate policy task force earlier this year, which released a number of proposals in July that make no mention of the Green New Deal. His proposals include moving all electric power off fossil fuels by 2035, increasing energy efficiency by upgrading 4 million buildings and 2 million homes over four years, installing 500 million solar panels in the next five years and shifting major cities toward zero-emission public transportation options.”

To say that AOC knows nothing about the climate is a stretch. To develop the Green New Deal she had to know something about climate. And it doesn’t take much to believe that Trump knows very little about the climate and he cares even less about it. He cares about money and the economy. He ignores all information on our climate. He seems to ignore science all together.

Like all other issues, Trump has pretty much ruined our climate, our environment and he has taken needed benefits from poor people. In short he has been a disaster. For those of us who understand Trump’s agenda, we didn’t need a debate to determine that Trump is an empty headed ass hole. My opinion of him is the same now as before the debate. 

By SJ Otto

As I read the latest attack ad I received in the mail, I noticed a tactic the local Republicans use- that is, the use of a Bogeyman. In this case it was Nancy Pelosi. As the flyer said, “You wouldn’t vote for Nancy Pelosi. So why would you vote for Barbara Bollier?”

The Republicans seem to take it for granted that every Kansan hates Pelosi. They all hate her so much they can’t imagine anyone who actually wants to support Pelosi.

The have ads in the mail and on TV that seem to assume that no one likes Obamacare (Affordable Care Act). Also, every Kansan hates the idea of government control of our health care.[1]

For many Kansans private health care, the kind the Republicans, such as Roger Marshall,[2]believe so much in, has failed many them. If government control of health care brought down the price of health care or prescriptions, a lot of people would cheer it on. A lot of diabetics would like their insulin to become cheaper and affordable. They are willing to overlook such things as government control.

Because Kansashas been a conservative Republican state for so long, Republicans can’t imagine a state where Obamacare and Pelosi are not automatically hated by all Kansans.

Of course Republicans can always count on the two push button issues- guns and abortion. There are those Republicans who ONLY care about those two issues (one or both). They care nothing about any other issue.

 By SJ Otto

This coming Saturday will be October 31, 2020, which is known by most of us as Halloween. To Wiccans, other pagans and people like me, it is known as Samhain. At one time I studied the religion of Druidry. That was the religion of my ancestors, many of whom were Celts. Eventually Christianity came to Europeand my ancestors became Christians. I was raised Catholic, but I left that religion.

Druidsbelieved in many gods and reincarnation. But I have a hard time believing in any god or gods or any kind of after life. So after a year or so I turned back to a humanist belief- that is Epicureanism.

Still, I like to celebrate the old Druid holidays, such as Samhain/ Halloween and Winter Solstice/ Saturnalia/ Christmas.

I enjoy the holidays. They honor my ancestors who took these beliefs very seriously and they are fun. Outside of May Day- the international day of the working men and women, we Democratic Socialists don’t have a whole lot of traditional holidays. I like holidays, so as many other people, I will be celebrating this holiday. Unlike most years, I will not be attending parties and probably not handing out candy to trick or treaters due to the coven pandemic. That virus has taken a lot of fun out of this years holidays, so far most of them, including May Day, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, the Fourth of July, (the last three are not religious holidays and I don’t really celebrate Veterans Day) Halloween and yet to come are Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Christmas and New Years. All of these are being affected by the pandemic and that makes this year unique.

So only three of those holidays are celebrated by my ancestors, May Day (there is a religious version of that holiday Beltain) Halloween/ Samhain and Winter Solstice/ Saturnalia / Christmas.

So if nothing else I can decorate my house this year. I have carved two pumpkins for me and my wife, Cam. The tradition is to carve a pumpkin for each person who lives in the house. This is supposed to protect us from evil spirits. I have a few extra decorations just for the fun of it—a string of bats with lights in their eyes and a small Day of the Dead doll. Day of the Dead is like the Mexican version of Halloween.

So here are my pumpkins.

Here is my decorated home.

As far as blogs go, I like to post some fun and interesting musical videos. One is This is Halloweenfrom the movie The Nightmare Before Christmas. I also like the Ramones’ PetCemetery from the movie PetCemetery.

The weather this year has been very different from the usual weather we get. It snowed a few days ago. I can only remember one other Halloween when snow came before November.

 By SJ Otto

Tomorrow will be the last of a campaign that has lasted way too long already.

People are calling this election (2020) to be one of the most important elections of modern times. Some say it is the most importantelection in this country ever. There have been others similar to it. But I can’t remember when such a mean-spirited, brutish thug was sitting in the White house. Tomorrow will either make or break this country.

For a lot of people, especially those in the lower income bracket, this election will decide if they have a chance at getting health care. I can’t remember a time in my life where politicians and many voters were so hostile toward people who simply don’t make much income. Being poor in America today is a crime. And despite all the hostility, we have a Senate and the Republican Party that refuses to allow the minimum wage to increase.

I will go on to predict that this election will be the beginning of a long political struggle and not the end of it. Our two candidates represent two solid political currents in the US. Donald Trump represents the far right political agenda of the Republican Party. This agenda is way past what the Republicans wanted in the past. Every four years Republicans looked for new ways to attack the left and people who are not at the top of the economic ladder.

Then there is Joe Biden. He beat out Bernie Sanders to pursue a centrist agenda, one that refuses to really change much of anything. As with the over all Democratic Party the idea has been to run campaigns that offer little if any change and a promise not to change very much of the status quo.

In the past Republicans often opposed progressive change, but did not insist on their own change. They were often content to preserve the status quo. Today the entire Republican Party seems intent on pushing a massive privatization agenda. This agenda includes rolling back all kinds of political norms. They want to end Abortion in the US once and for all. They oppose any changes to the USmedical system, which depends on the use of insurance companies and big pharma. All attempts to change that system are opposed at all times.

I really think the centrist Democrats are reaching their historical finish. With the election and success of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC) and her squad, we may see more and more democratic socialist and progressives get elected in the near future. As people realize the advantages of left political positions, we may see people get tire of the old dragged out centrist positions. 

On Foreign policy Biden and his centrists fully support a Republican style imperialist foreign policy of total US control of all countries in the world. The majority of the Democratic Party fully supports this policy. It is one of the few issues that both Republicans and Democrats fully agree on.

Much of the Republican agenda is du to the Tea Party, a few years ago. The movement captured the Republican Party and ran off a lot of the moderates.

Now the opposite may be happening in the Democratic Party.

Democratic Socialists of America have won some seats in the New York area and they are allied with some progressive politicians.

I have noticed a lot of progressive Democrats running here in SedgwickCountyand in parts of Kansas. Laura Lombard is running in the 4th district in the US House of Representatives and Sarah Lopez is running for the Sedgwick County Commission, to name a few. We are having more and more progressive candidates running for office here in Kansas. We all need to get out and vote tomorrow. We may not win anything, but we should at least try to improve the political landscape here in Kansasand across the US.

Pix from CafePress Anti-Republican Yard Sign

 By SJ Otto

Finally, the Donald Trump show[1]is over. He may not go easy and peacefully, but his time as president is up and everyone but him knows it. I think he is the first president in my own personal history that did not call and congratulate Joe Biden on his win. The nastiest elections I can remember, besides this one, was the Richard Nixon –George McGovern campaign, 1972. McGovern called Nixon and congratulated him on his win, even though at one point during the campaign McGovern called him a would-be ‘king’ who was power hungry.

I like what David Brooks said about this election: “Yup, I wanted a grand rebuke, too. I wanted Donald trump demolished by 10 points.” I couldn’t have said it better. He goes on to say that elections are educational. He also points out how bad the Democrats did elsewhere.

Trump was a right-wing brute—a thug, whose bluntness made him popular with some working class people. He was a $billionaire and yet many of his supporters were very working class. It seemed to be his attitude they liked. He called them like he saw them. Many times I’ve heard his supporters say “he talks like I do.” He was unrefined and his followers liked it. As I see it, Trump’s working class appeal was an illusion. He had nothing in common with working people. He had the same red neck opinions as some working class people—a kind of “pull yourself up by the bootstrap and if you can’t- suffer the consequences. But he did nothing to help out the workers. He and his allied in Congress couldn’t even agree on stimulus checks to help out working class people during the coronavirus pandemic.

Biden on the other hand won because he is not Trump. Progressives across the country came together and worked hard to get rid of trump—a racist, misogynist, anti-woman and xenophobic bigot. The campaign was a lot more anti-Trump rather than pro-Biden. My brother John Otto disliked Biden so bad he refused to vote for him. He told me “he promised to do nothing more than sit back on his ass.” During the Democratic primary it was Elisabeth Warren who accused the Democrats of campaigning on what they couldn’t do rather than supporting actual changes, such as health care for all. In fact all the centrists, such as Biden, just laughed at the idea of health care for all.

So far Biden has promised to tackle the Coven 19 pandemic and he said he plans to revive Obamacare (Affordable Care Act). Obamacare had a lot of problems. Many of us would like to see the entire system ripped out and replaced with a sing payer system. But that is not on the table right now.   

So far Democrats did terrible in the Senate and House. They lost seats in the House and gained nothing in the Senate, although some extra counting and recounting may change things. Over the last 20 years the Democrats have perfected the ability to lose elections. At times they have lost some easy to win elections. I’m sure a lot of people will tell them to move to the center or political right. The Democrats have moved as far right as they can go. A lot of people were begging for a “good ol’ fashion Democrat to run against Trump” rather than that radical socialist Bernie Sanders and all his allies. That is why they all got Biden elected. He has toppled Trump. But a struggle lies ahead for the Democratic Party and it will be a battle between centrist and a coalition of progressives and socialists.

So this election does not represent the end for me, but a beginning of intense struggle.  

Pix by Mother Jones, Kamala Harris Endorsed Joe Biden This Morning – Mother Jones

---

[1]https://www.amazon.com/Front-Row-at-Trump-Show/dp/1524745626.

 By SJ Otto

Here in SedgwickCounty, in the State of Kansas, we may have come out ahead in one election. At first it seemed that Right-wing Republican Michael O’Donnell had beaten Sarah Lopez, the Democrat, on election night. Lopez had worked hard at her election and she is very progressive.  But as absentee ballots, mail in ballots and early voting began to trickle in, Lopez had pulled ahead.

O’Donnell had already promised he would resign if he won. So the only thing to be gain by him winning was that the Republicans could pick his replacement if he won over Lopez.

According to KWCH:

“Following further counting of votes cast in SedgwickCounty, unofficial results from Friday (Nov. 6) show Democratic challenger Sarah Lopez ahead of incumbent Republican Michael O’Donnell by 125 votes, 16,237 to 16,112 in the race for District 2 of the Sedgwick County Commission.

This comes as the Sedgwick County Election Office continues its count of advance and provisional ballots. Lopez was behind in the race on election night, but did not concede. Once final votes are in, Lopez has said she’ll ask for a recount.

O’Donnell, currently holding the office representing Sedgwick County Commission District 2 said he will resign if elected to another term. Several leaders in SedgwickCounty called for O’Donnell’s resignation for his involvement in a false attack ad against Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple and his efforts to frame others for being behind the ad.?

And according to the Hays Post:

“Three members of the Sedgwick County Commission on Sunday (posted Oct. 26) denounced Republican colleague Michael O’Donnell after the Wichita Eagle published a secret recording of O’Donnell, a Wichita city councilman and a Kansas House member plotting to deceive the public about their role in a false campaign video accusing a Democratic candidate for mayor of sexual harassment.”

So once again, after other accusations of wrong doing, O’Donnell has finally agreed to step down after he has been accused of wrong doing. So now we have a chance of having a decent progressive on the Sedgwick County Commission.

And so, for the fun of it, I have composed this ditty:

Sing along with Steve ♪

By me, SJ Otto and sung to the tune of “Old McDonald”

Mike O’Donnell had a farm

E I, G I Joe

And on the farm he had drunk kids, E I, G I Joe

With a drunk kid here and a drunk kid there, throwin’ up pukin’ up every where a drunk kid,

Mike O’Donnell had a farm

E I, G I Joe ♪

And on the farm he had a bribe,

E I, G I Joe♬

With a C-note here and a C-note there, here and there everywhere a high note♪

Mike O’Donnell had a farm

E I, GI Joe ♬

And on that farm he smeared a foe, E I, GI Joe

An election campaign he dearly stole, E I, GI Joe

With a lie right here and a fib right there, here a lie, there a lie- not a truth could be found,

Mike O’Donnell had a farm

E I, GI Joe

From Veterans for Peace:

Over one hundred years ago the world celebrated peace as a universal principle. The first World War had just ended and nations mourning their dead collectively called for an end to all wars.  Armistice Day was born and was designated as “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated."

After World War II, the U.S. Congress decided to rebrand November 11 as Veterans Day. Honoring the warrior quickly morphed into honoring the military and glorifying war. Armistice Day was flipped from a day for peace into a day for displays of militarism.

Veterans For Peace has taken the lead in lifting up the original intention of November 11th – as a day for peace. As veterans we know that a day that celebrates peace, not war, is the best way to honor the sacrifices of veterans. We want generations after us to never know the destruction war has wrought on people and the earth.

Veterans For Peace has been celebrating Armistice Day almost since the organization's inception, with a few chapters doing yearly events. Since 2008, with the passing of an official Veterans For Peace resolution, it became a VFP national effort. Each year, chapters across the country "Reclaim Armistice Day" by pushing the celebration of peace into the national conversation on Veterans Day.

Veterans For Peace is calling on everyone to stand up for peace this Armistice Day. More than ever, the world faces a critical moment. Tensions are heightened around the world and the U.S. is engaged militarily in multiple countries, without an end in sight.  Here at home we have seen the increasing militarization of our police forces and brutal crackdowns on dissent and people’s uprisings against state power. We must press our government to end reckless military interventions that endanger the entire world. We must build a culture of peace.

This year, Armistice Day celebrations will look a little different than in past years. Many of our chapters are hosting virtual actions instead of gathering in person. If you’re not sure how to arrange something like that, please email our membership coordinator at membership@veteransforpeace.org. 

We have compiled a list of COVID-safe actions for you to take this year. We are asking VFP members to do what they can to keep the conversation going around peace and Armistice Day. Please let us know what you have planned by filling out this form. 

Check out our 2019 Re-Cap

By SJ Otto

For most people, the real news on November 3^rd was that Joe Biden beat Donald Trump. That is not that hard to believe since Trump is a thug, a right-wing troll, who had no manners, was mean and nasty and presented a lot of people with few reasons to vote for him. But besides the presidential election, there were other contested races. All in all, the Democrats lost seats in the House—not enough to lose their majority, but enough to let them know that they were not able to hold on the seats they had, or even to gain any seats. They had a chance of winning some seats in the senate and if they won enough they could win back control of the senate. But they didn’t win any seats. In fact many Republicans were celebrating that they won way more elections than they lost. They lost the presidency, but they did well everywhere else. According to AP:

“The election scrambled seats in the House and Senate but ultimately left Congress much like it began, deeply split as voters resisted big changes despite the heated race at the top of the ticket for the White House.

It’s an outcome that dampens Democratic demands for a bold new agenda, emboldens Republicans and almost ensures partisan gridlock regardless of who wins the presidency. Or perhaps, as some say, it provides a rare opening for modest across-the-aisle cooperation.”

When we overlook the presidency, the Democrats had a terrible night. But it wasn’t a bad night for all the Democrats. The so called“Squad” all won re-election and they won by a landslide. On top of that, some other Democrats, many who are members of the Democratic Socialist of America and a few Democrats considered progressives won seats. According to In These Times:

“But demo­c­ra­t­ic social­ism, pop­u­lar­ized by near-pres­i­den­tial nom­i­nee Bernie Sanders (I‑Vt.), had a much bet­ter night. The Demo­c­ra­t­ic Social­ists of Amer­i­ca (DSA), an orga­ni­za­tion that boasts near­ly 80,000 mem­bers nation­wide, endorsed 29 candidates and 11 ballot initiatives, winning 20 and 8 respectively. There are now demo­c­ra­t­ic social­ist cau­cus­es in 15 state­hous­es, includ­ing Mon­tana.”

So while the so called centrist Democrats lost in record numbers, progressive managed to move ahead. They didn’t win all their races, they did win some. So far the progressive wing of the Democrats and the DSA faction, it was a good night. They moved ahead, even if it was somewhat slow.

She made the mistake of trying to push the idea that a centrist Democrat needs to work with Republicans. As with the rest of the nation there is deep hostility in the Republican Party. In fact they have had their own factional disputes with far to the right politicians who have links to racist organizations and positions. They have moved as far to the right as DSA has moved the Democratic Party to the left. From Flipboard:

“One could argue that these two camps represent different factions of the Republican Party, motivated by different ideological visions for the party or representing different interest groups competing for influence. But that’s not exactly right. In some ways, it makes more sense to see these as almost completely different Republican parties. The Republican Party of 2012 — the one that nominated Mitt Romney for president and recommended moderation and embrace of immigrants after his loss— bears staggeringly little similarity to the Republican Party of 2020.

The GOP of the Reagan/Bush era, ranging from 1980 to 2008, broadly embraced economic conservatism (low taxes, reduced business regulation) and international engagement (robust trade, willingness to use force abroad) as governing philosophies. It also was generally a party that embraced democratic values —acknowledging the legitimacy of its opponents, demonstrating some forbearance in the use of its powers, supporting democratic elections, and so forth….

…..Economic conservatives preached fiscal responsibility under Democratic administrations while running up record deficits when they were in power. Party demagogues such as Newt Gingrich smeared opponents and employed extreme tactics in governing. The party often looked the other way at bigotry in its own ranks, and its candidates sometimes used dog whistles to procure the white racist vote. And the party tirelessly fought internally over immigration, individual liberties and other key issues. But for the most part, it was a party that adhered to democratic values. Its internal fights played out in nomination contests and its fights with others played out in free and fair elections. (And the party even deposed Gingrich as House speaker.)”

Instead of looking like she wanted to work so hard with Republicans, she should have hit hard back at them. We saw how angry Republicans were and they were against any kind of cooperation or compromise with the Presidency of Barack Obama.  It is clear that the Republican majority treat the Democratic Party as the enemy. Bollier should have pushed the idea that she was NOT in favour of confiscating people’s guns.

On the bright side of Kansaselection night, was the winning of a progressive Hispanic woman, Sarah Lopez, who finally won her campaign against Sedgwick County Commissioner Michael O’Donnell, who has been forced to resign. If he had won the election, he would have had the right to help find replacements for his seat. Instead it will go to Lopez. There are now two Democrats, considered to be among the progressives, who have been working on their campaigns for years. All their work has paid off.       

What is good news for the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is that progressives are winning, while centrist are not. The logical thinking has been that it will take a centrist, rather than a socialist, to beat Trump and other Republican legislatures and various politicians. It may have worked against Trump, but it has not been true in other elections. The centrist seem to believe they can win by not being a Republican. They raise no issues and make few promises. During the presidential primary the centrist talked more about what they CAN’T do rather than what CAN be done as the more progressives tried to do. The progressive wins, along with the wins of socialist, prove that many people will listen to a candidate who tries to make logical change.

 By SJ Otto

It is almost time for the fake holiday of Black Friday. I find the whole ordeal annoying. However, when it comes to writing a blog article, I’m nearly getting to anticipate it with glee. It is an annoying event—an orgy of corporate and capitalist greed, along with gift selling and buying. The whole thing is somewhat silly and ridiculous. Therefore I kind of enjoy writing about it. Unlike years passed we have the Coronavirus to deal with. Smart people will stay home and shop by mail. Some folks may buy less than usual which means the corporations that depend on this holiday for their profits may lose out. I always like it when corporations lose out.

Usually the stupidity starts the day after Thanksgiving. People traditionally get up at the crack of dawn and go to stores to get really cheap merchandise. Some of it is for themselves and some for gifts.

This is a prelude to the Christmas season, with another month or more, of shopping for gifts for family members and friends. People spend a ridiculous amount of money on people who will probably never appreciate all the money, time and effort it took to buy all these gifts. Christmas is supposed to be a holiday celebrating the birth of a poor god-man, Jesus Christ. The actual holiday was started over many thousands of years ago, to celebrate the Winter Solstice. Often it honoured different gods in different countries, such as Saturnalia, which celebrates a Roman God. Most of the traditions—Christmas tree, Santa Claus figure, mistletoe, gift giving was incorporated in these earlier holidays. It has always mystified me as to why an orgy of commercialism and selling stuff has anything to do with a religion that emphasises helping out poor people. After 2,000 years, the holiday seems to have lost its original meaning.  

The Coronavirus will make this holiday season different. We won’t know for sure until it gets here. The problem is many stores are already promoting their own versions of Black Friday. So the buying season has already begun although it will really crank up after Thanksgiving. Already we are seeing commercials on TV with Christmas decorations. So far many people, the season has begun. For everyone else who pays attention, the crass commercial orgy begins next week after thanksgiving.

Pix by Drunk Santa Claus Stock Illustrations – 374 Drunk Santa Claus Stock Illustrations, Vectors & Clipart - Dreamstime and Drunk Santa (@RealDrunkSanta) | Twitter.

 We now have this commentary by a source close to President Donald Trump.

Pix by Donald Trump - CNBC

SJ Otto

President Donald Trump may seem stupid, but at times he is dangerously clever. His latest trick is to find all kinds of ways to sabotage the future presidency of Joe Biden before it begins. He is doing all kinds of things to make it hard for Biden to transition into his own political agenda. According to a New York Times article:

“Mr. Trump has spent the last two weeks hunkered down in the White House, raging about a “stolen” election and refusing to accept the reality of his loss. But in other ways he is acting as if he knows he will be departing soon, and showing none of the deference that presidents traditionally give their successors in their final days in office.”

The article said he is trying to sabotage Biden on “issues of war, the environment, criminal justice, trade, the economy and more, President Trump and top administration officials are doing what they can to make changing direction more difficult.”

The article went on to say that his is just about the first time an outgoing president has tried to make it more difficult for an income president. In the past Republicans have tried to be helpful:

“It is one final norm shattered by Mr. Trump — and a stark contrast to the last Republican president who handed over power to a Democrat.

Former president George W. Bush consciously left it to his successor, Barack Obama, to decide how to rescue the auto industry and whether to approve Afghan troop increases. And when Congress demanded negotiations over the bank bailouts, Mr. Bush stepped aside and let Mr. Obama cut a deal with lawmakers even before he was inaugurated.”

“During the past four years Mr. Trump has not spent much time thinking about policy, but he has shown a penchant for striking back at his adversaries. And with his encouragement, top officials are racing against the clock to withdraw troops from Afghanistan, secure oil drilling leases in Alaska, punish China, carry out executions and thwart any plans Mr. Biden might have to reestablish the Iran nuclear deal….

….They are upping tension in Iran, which could lead to a confrontation. The economy is tanking and they are not doing anything about unemployment benefits,” he said.”

 And they are rushing to get as many “Trump supporting” judges and other as they can:

“They are filling vacancies on scientific panels, pushing to complete rules that weaken environmental standards, nominating judges and rushing their confirmations through the Senate, and trying to eliminate health care regulations that have been in place for years.”

It is hard to imagine a more despicable president or human being. He is leaving damage to the environment and hurting a lot of people over health care, unemployment and other benefits needed by those harmed by the pandemic. It is hard to believe so many working class people really saw this man as being on their side when he has done so much damage.

On foreign policy there is one bright spot. He is removing troops from Afghanistan. But he is bringing us closer to war with Iran. His belligerence toward Iran has never made any sense. Now he is trying to cement a policy that may lead to a war that most of us don’t want.

His damage will take years to fix. We can only hope that Karma will catch up with this man. His legacy needs to be obliterated. If there is any justice in the universe, Trump will get his comeuppance. But I am not convinced such things really happen.

Trump will go down in history as the worst ass hole to ever sit in the White House. He has cornered the market on being a belligerent, mean spirited, nasty ass hole. His agenda has been one of corporate corruption and greed. Almost everything he has done has made it really hard for his fellow human beings to survive in this country. He is so nasty tempered and vindictive he makes former President Richard Nixon seem like a saint. 

Pix by CafePress, TRUMP: President Asshole Tile Coaster.

By SJ Otto 

Thanksgiving will be this Thursday. Last year I wrote an article on Thanksgiving. That is a holiday that is supposed to go back to when the pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock in the 17th century. Native American Indians and white settlers from Europe came together to celebrate a difficult year. But the actual holiday we celebrate today was OFFICIALLY declared, By Congress and the President in 1941. Between that one year with the Pilgrims and Indians and 1941, there have been many Thanksgiving celebrations. They were especially popular after the Civil War. For a look at what we eat today, this is from Mental Floss:

“When Bradford's journals were reprinted in 1856 after being lost for at least half a century, they found a receptive audience with advocates who wanted Thanksgiving turned into a national holiday. Since Bradford wrote of how the colonists had hunted wild turkeys during the autumn of 1621 and since turkey is a uniquely North American (and scrumptious) bird, it gained traction as the Thanksgiving meal of choice for Americans after Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863.”

The big difference this year is the Coronavirus. People are being advised not to go to large family gatherings. I know I won’t. It will just be my wife, Cam Gentry, my brother John Otto and me. Some people will take the advice and others will not. I have just read about a woman in South Dakota who is determined not to wear a mask or do any thing to disrupt her life by the pandemic. She is planning to have 20 relatives and/ or friends over for the Thanksgiving Holiday. They are not going to let that virus interfere with their traditional holiday. Some of them may die if they catch that disease, but they are not going to let a little death stop them.

This is an unusual year. As usual, we need a good traditional Thanksgiving song:

For a look at the politically incorrect ideas behind this holiday see Humans are Free.

Alien Sex Fiend - Stuff The Turkey

 By SJ Otto

It amazes me that these rugged individualists can’t be bothered to wear a mask, but many of these people have never complained when they had to take drug tests to get a job.

They can’t be bothered to wear a mask. It is someone trying to control them, according to some. Some people refuse to wear a mask, claiming it violates their rights as an American and it is an attempt by the government to control them. At least that is what I have heard.

From Brookings:

“In our attempt to address this important question, we find that the number one reason given by Americans who are not wearing a mask is that it is their right as an American to not have to do so. This is an important finding that suggests the core principal of individualism in American culture is leading to significant health consequences across the country…

….In an effort to understand why some Americans are resisting this nearly universally recognized infection reduction approach, we asked respondents in this wave why they choose to not wear a mask. As reflected in the figure below, we find that 40% of Americans who do not wear a mask say this is because it is “their right as an American to not wear a mask.” This modal response was followed by Americans who say they do not wear a mask “because it is uncomfortable” at 24%. The data reveals that a combined 64% of Americans believe that their right to not have to be inconvenienced by wearing a mask or scarf over their face is more important than reducing the probability of getting sick or infecting others.”

It wasn’t that long ago that The Idiot Factor ran an article called: “JeffersonCounty, MO health board, protesters oppose mask mandate despite the rising death toll.” The article logged some of the complaints people had to having to wear a mask. One of the most troubling reasons was: “"I'm not responsible for anybody's health, safety or well-being but my own, so I'm not wearing a mask,” Keith Fisher said.”

This person is so selfish he does not care if he spreads that virus around and kills people. According to him he is simply not responsible.

So that brings us back to drug testing. The difference is that no one dies from refusing to take a drug test. And what can bring more government control over a person (or corporate control—done by an employer) that testing his/ her urine to see what they do on their time off of work?

A number of times I have heard people say, when asked how they felt about drug testing: “Oh I don’t mind that. I don’t take drugs.” Taking drugs is not the problem. I have had to take such a test before for getting and keeping a job. At times I had to make an appointment, go into a rest room, and pee in a little cup. It seemed humiliating and all for the purpose of just getting or keeping a job.

“Know your rights as an applicant if a potential employer requires a drug test:”

“Legal Limits on Drug Testing

Her article also warns of some of the privacy issues and violation of rights when a person takes a drug test. The article lists a few examples of things an employee should be aware of:

• “Disability discrimination claims. An applicant who is taking medication for a disability is protected from discrimination by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Some prescribed medications turn up on drug tests, and some drugs that would otherwise be illegal (such as opiates) are legitimately prescribed for certain conditions. If an applicant is turned down because of a positive drug test, and the applicant's medication was legally prescribed for a disability, the company could be liable.

• Other discrimination claims. If a company singles out certain groups of applicants—for example, by race or disability—for drug testing, it could face a discrimination claim. If testing is allowed, it may be fine for the employer to single out certain job classifications for testing (for example, those that are safety-sensitive), but the employer should test all applicants for those positions.

• Violation of state-required procedures. Although virtually all states allow applicant drug testing, many states impose procedural and other requirements. For example, some states allow a drug test only after the applicant has received an offer of employment conditioned on passing the test. A number of states require employers that test to provide written notice or indicate in their job postings that testing is required. In a unique twist, Utah allows applicant testing only if company management also submits to periodic testing. To find out the rules in your state, select it from the list at our Testing at Work page.
• Invasion of privacy. Even if drug testing is allowed, applicant privacy may be violated in the way the test is conducted. For example, requiring an applicant to take a urine test or disrobe in someone else's presence may well be a violation of privacy.”

Opposition to drug testing does not come from the right-wing rugged individualists who presently oppose wearing a mask. Almost all opposition to drug testing comes from left oriented groups, such as the American Civil Liberties Union ACLU. So I have to wonder why a simple mask, which we know can stop the spread of a very deadly virus, a disease that can make a person miserable even if it does not kill him or her, is such a dangerous violation of a person’s rights. On the other hand, these same rugged individualists have allowed and even endorsed the use of drug testing for employment.

Once again I am amazed at the stupidity of certain conservative kinds of people. Opposition to a mask is idiotic and it is non-sense.

Pix by Love Your Neighbor, Wear a Mask! – Wisconsin Council of Churches

Each year I try to provide some Christmas ditties that help people get a little humor and satire to enjoy the happy holidays we enjoy so much in the US. So here is a favorite of mine:

-SJ Otto