Month: September 2024

A Recycling Con?

I have been recycling for many years ever since my city started their program but in recent years many articles have made me think that I may be wasting my efforts….I wrote about it once before….

Recycle Or Not

California is suing Exxon for deceiving the public for decades….

California has just filed a blockbuster lawsuit against ExxonMobil, alleging that the industry giant has been lying for years about how easy it is to recycle plastic, reports the Guardian.

  • “For decades, ExxonMobil has been deceiving the public to convince us that plastic recycling could solve the plastic waste and pollution crisis when they clearly knew this wasn’t possible,” said state attorney general Rob Bonta. The suit is the culmination of a two-year state investigation.
  • The company is one of the world’s biggest manufacturers of substances used to make plastics, and the state blames it for “creating an environmental blight that has cost the state billions of dollars to clean,” per the Los Angeles Times. The suit seeks unspecified damages
  • The lawsuit asserts that the company has falsely promoted the claim that virtually all plastic is recyclable, even though the figure is estimated to be 5% or 6% in the US, per the Washington Post. Americans have continued buying plastic products deluded by this belief, asserts the suit, which specifically cites the “chasing arrows” logo on plastic products as being misleading to consumers.
  • In an interview with the New York Times, Bonta said the company’s “myth of recycling” had fueled the world’s plastic pollution. A consortium of environmental groups including the Sierra Club filed a similar lawsuit against ExxonMobil on Monday as well. The company had not responded publicly as of early Monday afternoon.

If you would like a more detailed analysis…..

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Monday sued oil giant ExxonMobil for allegedly deceiving the public about the recyclability of plastics so as to continue increasing production.

The 147-page lawsuit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, came following a yearslong investigation that environmental groups were hoping would lead to legal action. They widely celebrated Bonta’s move.

“This is the single most consequential lawsuit filed against the plastics industry for its persistent and continued lying about plastics recycling,” Judith Enck, founder of the advocacy group Beyond Plastics and a former senior Environmental Protection Agency official, said in a statement.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/california-sues-exxonmobil-plastics

What has happened to the processes that I have written about top neutralize plastic waste?

Answers are needed…..and soon.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

We Need Stricter Voting Laws

 

It is that time again….time to elect an president and it is that time again when the voter is attempted to be pushed aside in the name of preventing voter fraud.

Then there is Texas (it’s always Texas)…..

It seems that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton will do anything to prevent Texas from flipping for Kamala Harris—including preventing eligible citizens from registering to vote.*

Paxton threatened legal action against Bexar and Harris counties if they proceed with sending out mail-in voter registration forms, which the counties have proposed doing via third-party vendors. Paxton argues that it could encourage noncitizens to register to vote.

Paxton’s office announced Wednesday that he’d filed a lawsuit against Bexar County Commissioner Court after it approved a proposal that funds the production and mailing of voter registration forms “to unregistered voters in location(s) based on targeting agreed to by the county,” according to KENS-5. Paxton claimed the program was unlawful because it “could induce ineligible people—such as felons and noncitizens—to commit a crime by attempting to register to vote.”

https://newrepublic.com/post/185585/ken-paxton-threatens-sue-democrats-voter-registration

We cannot have those damn Democrats voting now can we?

A look into voting….I will keep this short and very simple….

Rampant voter fraud is a LIE perpetrated by Republicans….so do we need stricter voting laws?  (BTW most convicted fraudsters have been on the GOP side)

Nope. Not even close. Once again, this falls into the Lloyd Christmas category. Successful prosecutions of voter fraud cases barely amount to one one-hundredth of one percent of total votes cast in a single general election. In Ohio, for example, Secretary of State Jon Husted ballyhooed his war against fraud by nabbing a whopping 20 potential cases. 20 out of nearly six million votes cast in that state in 2012. The Bush Justice Department found that there were as few as 80 successful prosecutions of voter fraud cases out of hundreds of millions of votes cast since 2000. For this ratio of possible-fraud-to-votes-cast we’re told we need laws that make it more difficult to vote. By the way, some Republicans came right out and said it: this is all about electing Republicans.

That’s it. It’s of course foolish to think the Republicans will drop these lies and myths any time soon. But as long as various Republicans continue to repeat these transparently obvious falsehoods, they should expect that the rest of us will continue to think they’re either idiots or that they’re deliberately trying to deceive their own people — or maybe a little of both.

(huffpost.com)

Voting should be easier and hardly a herculean task…..all this crap is just to make it easy for the GOP to have their way with the system.

In my state you need ID to register then when you go to vote you present registration card and photo ID twice….this has worked well for decades and yet they, the GOP, expect massive voter fraud.  It is pure manure!

When it comes to voter info do not listen or read crap on-line….go to the registrars office and get your info first hand….that is if you are not too damn lazy.

Now get out and VOTE!

Be Smart!

Learn Stuff!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Those Awful Shootings

This is a re-post from my other blog, Daily Agitator, about the history we have with shootings, especially school shootings.

Just this past weekend a local high school had to cancel their homecoming dance because of a gun threat.

Every time there is a shooting the same lame statements are issued by politicians….for it is easier than actually doing something.

School Shootings: A Retrospective

When will this madness end?

A question every sane person should be asking.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Does Another ‘Shutdown” Loom?

It is that time again….time for the drama and theatrics to begin again for the approaching funding to keep the government up and running….in other words the threat of a ‘shutdown’ is coming.

Here we go again…..but this time it is a bit different….the Far Right is trying desperately to impose the policies of voter suppression under the guise of preventing voter fraud which is a non-starter because there has never been in massive voter fraud.

The U.S. House of Representatives rejected a GOP resolution that would have punted a fight over government funding until after the next president takes office and pushed through a noxious voter suppression measure backed by Republican nominee Donald Trump.

The final vote was 202-220, with 14 Republicans joining nearly every member of the House Democratic caucus in voting against the legislation. GOP opponents of the bill included far-right lawmakers who want to slash spending.

Reps. Jared Golden (D-Maine), Don Davis (D-N.C.), and Marie Gluesenkamp Perez (D-Wash.) broke with their party and backed the Republican continuing resolution, which would have largely extended government funding at current levels into March.

With Trump’s backing, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) agreed to attach to the continuing resolution the SAVE Act, legislation purportedly aimed at preventing noncitizens from voting—which is already illegal. Voting rights advocates have condemned the SAVE Act as an “unnecessary and dangerous” bill that would “make it harder for voters of color and naturalized citizens to register to vote.”

House Democrats said Wednesday that the failure of the GOP continuing resolution was an inevitable consequence of the party’s decision to push extremist spending bills instead of working on a bipartisan solution to government funding.

The government will shut down on October 1 unless Congress acts. Johnson said leading up to Wednesday’s vote that there is “no Plan B.”

https://www.commondreams.org/news/house-continuing-resolution

We are less than 10 days away from the spending deadline….will there be the usual confrontation and a deal struck hours before the deadline or will these twats get about doing what is necessary to keep this country moving?

I have no faith in either party to do what is right without the drama of a shutdown.

How about you?

Update:  As I was finishing this draft for today’s post I heard that the House came to a deal after all….

Congressional leaders announced an agreement Sunday on a short-term spending bill that will fund federal agencies for about three months, averting a possible partial government shutdown when the new budget year begins Oct. 1 and pushing final decisions until after the November election, the AP reports. Temporary spending bills generally fund agencies at current levels, but an additional $231 million was included to bolster the Secret Service after the two assassination attempts against Donald Trump, and additional money was added to aid with the presidential transition, among other things.

Lawmakers have struggled to get to this point as the current budget year winds to a close at month’s end. At the urging of the most conservative members of his conference, House Speaker Mike Johnson had linked temporary funding with a mandate that would have compelled states to require proof of citizenship when people register to vote. But Johnson abandoned that approach to reach an agreement, even as Trump insisted there should not be a stop-gap measure without the voting requirement. Bipartisan negotiations began in earnest shortly after that, with leadership agreeing to extend funding into mid-December. That gives the current Congress the ability to fashion a full-year spending bill after the Nov. 5 election, rather than push that responsibility to the next Congress and president.

In a letter to Republican colleagues, Johnson said the budget measure would be “very narrow, bare-bones” and include “only the extensions that are absolutely necessary.” “While this is not the solution any of us prefer, it is the most prudent path forward under the present circumstances,” Johnson wrote. “As history has taught and current polling affirms, shutting the government down less than 40 days from a fateful election would be an act of political malpractice.” House Democratic leader Hakeem Jeffries said Democrats would evaluate the bill in its entirety before this week’s vote, but with the agreement, “Congress is now on a bipartisan path to avoid a government shutdown that would hurt everyday Americans.”

Why was it without the drama this time?

They have an election to try and scuttle so they did not need the diversion of the spending bill to cope with.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Keep Peter Away From Hoover

Today is the first day of Autumn, but you would not know it if you live in the deep South….and it is Sue’s birthday.

Another Sunday and another post (weird sh*t from Chuq’s Mind) ….there is always something that catches my eye or send my brain into search mode….today it was something I read and remember those days clearly.

An old putdown that has real-life implications.

When I was in school we had a ‘nerd’ (for lack of a better description) and he was the butt of many a joke he was so awkward that girls would avoid him in the halls….one of the cruelest jokes was that he was so lonely that his date to the prom would be his mom’s Hoover (a vacuum brand).

But did you know there was a study done back in the 1980s about trying to get orally satisfied by a vacuum?

No?

Well that is why I am here.

The things one can find in the scientific literature never cease to amaze. For example, researchers have reported the existence of radiation-consuming fungi near Chernobyl’s ruined nuclear reactor. They’ve described the surprising history of a parasitic plant found only near Chicago. And they’ve documented numerous cases of penile injury caused by masturbation with vacuum cleaners.

Yes, you read that last one correctly.

The most recently reported instance was in 2017, when Italian doctors recorded their efforts to fix a 61-year-old man’s ruptured penis after he “vigorously” masturbated with a vacuum cleaner. Luckily for the man, they were successful.

In 1992, a different team of doctors also triumphantly repaired skin lesions and urethral lacerations to a man’s member in the wake of a similar sexual bout. Strangely enough, that instance also occurred in Italy… That might say that Italian men really enjoy their vacuum cleaners. It could also simply say that they are willing to admit it.

That latter hypothesis might be the correct one.

While practicing at the prestigious Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, urologist Ralph C. Benson was surprised at the number of penile injuries he witnessed which were caused by vacuum masturbation.

https://www.realclearscience.com/blog/2021/01/28/the_dangers_of_masturbating_with_a_vacuum_cleaner_657673.html

This is a WordPress blog you might like to read, if interested that is….

Hoover damn! A brief look at sexual injury by vacuum cleaners

The moral of this tale is to hire a hooker and stay away from the Hoover.

I seem to find the weirdest sh*t.

I hope you found today’s post entertaining.

Please try to enjoy your Sunday (but not with a Hoover) and as always….Be well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

IST Saturday News Dump–21Sep24

Welcome to my Saturday briefing….

Personal–not much happened that I want to share right now.

Locally–Weather has been rather cool for September and there is no storms lurking in the Gulf just waiting to ravish the Coast…..but the cooler temps will soon be replaced with heat and humidity….it was a nice respite for awhile.

Now for the important stuff.

Let’s begin with RFK, Jr…..we know all about him putting a dead bear cub in Central Park did you hear about is other outing with a dead animal?

It seems he found a dead whale on the beach and decided to cut-off its head for ‘study’…..but was any of that legal?

Picture the scene: you’re out walking when an almighty smell catches your attention. A whale has died and washed ashore. Do you:

  1. Cut its head off, I’m not one to turn down a knick-knack
  2. Leave it be, nature’s best left well alone
  3. Consult the internet: am I allowed to keep dead animals?

It’s an interesting question that’s come to – ahem – a head in recent times as it’s been reported that Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is being investigated for allegedly keeping some dead whale. According to NBC News, the act was brought to light by a 2012 article in which his daughter Kathleen Kennedy spoke of how they’d tied it to the family car with bungee cables, and RFK Jr. isn’t impressed by the response.

“I received a letter from the National Marine Fisheries Institute saying that they were investigating me for collecting a whale specimen 20 years ago,” he said during a campaign event for former President Donald Trump. “This is all about the weaponization of our government against political opponents.”

https://www.iflscience.com/can-you-keep-dead-animals-you-find-heres-what-the-rules-say-75992

Not if you did anything illegal.

Speaking of those lawbreakers.  We all read or heard about the billionaires that went to space for a walk among the stars….could they be breaking international law?

Polaris Dawn made history, becoming the first-ever private citizens to conduct a spacewalk. But they may have made history with another first; the first-ever livestream of a space crime. 

In 1967, 111 countries around the world signed up to the Outer Space Treaty, which governs everything in space exploration from who is responsible for space junk, to who owns Neil Armstrong’s Moon poops. According to Tomasso Sgobba, executive director of the Netherlands-based International Association for the Advancement of Space Safety, the private Polaris Dawn mission may fall foul of one part of the treaty.

“This is a mission which violates Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty,” Sgobba told Al Jazeera. “It’s a well-known issue, which of course has a history.”

The part of the law that the mission may fall outside of relates to activities in space conducted by non-governmental agencies, such as private missions, which were not a thing when the treaty was first created.

https://www.iflscience.com/did-everybody-just-watch-a-live-stream-of-billionaires-breaking-space-law-75925

Food for thought….

Dementia is on the rise could there be a way to curb that stat?

Consuming foods and drinks particularly high in flavonoids – such as berries, tea, dark chocolate and, yes, red wine – could potentially safeguard your brain in older age, with researchers linking these plant-based antioxidants with lowering the risk of developing dementia.

Recently there has been a revival in the debate of red wine and its health benefits versus its negative aspects – it is, after all, alcohol, which has clear detrimental impacts on health. However, if you choose to imbibe, there are worse options than a tipple high in flavonoids.

https://newatlas.com/health-wellbeing/red-wine-berries-tea-dementia/

Then there is a super nutritious lettuce arriving….

Thanks to scientists in Spain, a more nutrient-dense—and visually striking—lettuce may soon be used as a tool against vitamin deficiencies. New Atlas reports that the Research Institute for Plant Molecular and Cellular Biology (IBMCP) genetically engineered a new type of “golden lettuce” with 30 times more nutrients than the common leafy greens. The results were published in The Plant Journal.

The secret to the vegetable’s healthy profile and golden hue is beta carotene. The pigment gives red, orange, and yellow vegetables—such as carrots—their distinct shades. Humans can convert it into vitamin A, which promotes cell growth, immune function, fetal development, and vision.

Altering the plant’s structure wasn’t easy. To make it produce more beta carotene, scientists had to alter the cytosol (the fluid in leaf cells) without interrupting photosynthesis, which uses chlorophyll (green pigmentation) to create energy. They also modified the lettuce’s leaf cells to store extra beta carotene without damaging the plant. 

https://www.mentalfloss.com/posts/golden-lettuce-boosts-nutrition

Good news for those of us that enjoy a good salad from time to time.

More bad news because of something that many think is not a problem…extreme weather…..

Nearly three-quarters of the global population will experience significant and rapid changes in temperatures and rainfall in the next 20 years, according to a new analysis – a stark warning for many people living across the world. The only way to avoid this is to drastically cut greenhouse gas emissions.

The subject of climate change remains controversial despite the abundant evidence showing that we are currently entering conditions that have not been seen in millennia. It is true that nature and society are accustomed to certain amounts of variation and regional change at different timescales, but changes that occur faster than expected can have devastating impacts.

A key example of this is the record-breaking (or melting) heatwave in the North America in 2021 that was deemed impossible without climate change. 

Such extreme events can have various impacts. For instance, heatwaves can lead to heat stress and deaths of both people and animals;` they can also damage ecosystems, lower agricultural yields, disrupt transportation, and even impact power plant cooling systems.

https://www.iflscience.com/extreme-weather-increases-could-impact-70-percent-of-worlds-population-in-next-20-years-75979

I experienced the damage for the last two years my veggies growing do not produce like they use to in the past.

If you are a person that enjoys a day at the zoo with all the wildlife then you have a chance to view animals at home….

Nature lovers can now check in on their favorite zoo animals without leaving the comfort of home. Zoolife gives users access to webcams streaming from 13 different zoos, aquariums, and wildlife sanctuaries across North America.

The website claims to be “the world’s first online zoo.” In addition to the convenience factor, Zoolife offers interactive features that make it possible to observe and appreciate animals in new ways. Visitors can zoom the webcam close enough to see a tiger’s whiskers, or move its position to explore a capybara’s habitat.

Because taking pictures and videos are an essential part of any zoo experience, the site lets users save clips and images from its livestreams. To recreate the social aspect, people can even chat and connect with fellow animal lovers in the community feed. There are also opportunities to tune in to behind-the-scenes chats with zookeepers.

Penguins, orangutans, otters, and brown bears are just some of the animals that are available to view online 24/7. To access webcams from each of Zoolife’s 13 partners—which includes the Toronto Zoo, the Lincoln Park Zoo, and Clearwater Marine Aquarium—users pay $10 a month or $60 a year for a subscription.

(mentalfloss.com)

I admit those baby animals are just too cute for words.

That should be about it for this Saturday.

Enjoy your day off and as always…..Be well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

 

Twice In Just Weeks

The media and some pundits have been making a big deal out of the fact that Trump has had to endure two assassination attempts in mere weeks….unprecedented, right?

And that opens it up for me to drop some history on these people.

Think back to 1975….if you can possibly do that without hurting yourself……the President is Gerald Ford and he had to deal with two attempts in the month of September….

In September 1975, the nation was stunned when President Gerald Ford survived two assassination attempts within just 17 days, both occurring in California and both carried out by women.

While unsuccessful, the shootings highlighted the social and political tensions in a country still reeling from the Vietnam War and the Watergate scandal. The year before, Ford had unexpectedly become president when Richard Nixon resigned. Before that he had been appointed to the vice presidency when Spiro Agnew had resigned.

“Ford had come into office under a great wave of popularity, which he enjoyed for the first month—until September 8, 1974, when he pardoned Richard Nixon,” says Mirelle Luecke, supervisor curator for the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan. “Ford “[He] struggled with his popularity ratings after that. The country was also facing the end of the Vietnam War and massive inflation, so it was a time of a lot of change and a lot of difficulty.”

At first, the two assassination attempts against Ford seemed as if they might turn the clock back to the dark days of the 1960s, when the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy convulsed American politics, according to Ken Hughes, a historian with the University of Virginia’s Miller Center. 

“But Ford survived both attempts on his life without so much a scratch, so the assassination attempts did no lasting damage,” he says. “The buzzword was ‘decompression.’ After years of tumult and controversy, the pressure was finally off.” 

https://www.history.com/news/gerald-ford-assassination-attempts-1975-lessons

You see poor little Trump is not the only presidential candidate to suffer with assassination attempts.

I love some history!

So get over it and move on to the real important stuff in this election.

Class Dismissed!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Remigration?

WTF?

We are well aware that the GOP and its mouthpiece, Trump, have this burning desire to punish people with brown skin and his newest intent has people scratching their heads….

What has them confused?  The term ‘remigration’.

Donald Trump took to Truth Social to elaborate on how he would “end the migrant invasion of America.” The candidate for president—who has repeatedly vowed to conduct the largest mass deportation campaign in US history—exhumed the usual laundry list: He would “stop all migrant flights,” do away with the Biden administration’s Customs and Border Protection mobile app, and halt refugee resettlement. None of these proposals are new or surprising coming from the Trump campaign.

But one part of the GOP nominee’s weekend post stood out. “[We will] return Kamala’s illegal migrants to their home countries (also known as remigration),” Trump wrote. Former White House senior adviser Stephen Miller reposted it, saying “THE TRUMP PLAN TO END THE INVASION OF SMALL TOWN AMERICA: REMIGRATION!”

What did Trump and Miller mean by “remigration”? Even seasoned immigration policy analysts had to look the term up:

Donald Trump speaks at an outdoor podium, wearing a dark blazer and a red tie, against a section of unfinished border wall on the southern border, under an American flag.

Former President Donald Trump speaks during a visit to an unfinished section of border wall.Eric Gay/AP

Fight disinformation: Sign up for the free Mother Jones Daily newsletter and follow the news that matters.

 

Over the weekend, Donald Trump took to Truth Social to elaborate on how he would “end the migrant invasion of America.” The candidate for president—who has repeatedly vowed to conduct the largest mass deportation campaign in US history—exhumed the usual laundry list: He would “stop all migrant flights,” do away with the Biden administration’s Customs and Border Protection mobile app, and halt refugee resettlement. None of these proposals are new or surprising coming from the Trump campaign.

But one part of the GOP nominee’s weekend post stood out. “[We will] return Kamala’s illegal migrants to their home countries (also known as remigration),” Trump wrote. Former White House senior adviser Stephen Miller reposted it, saying “THE TRUMP PLAN TO END THE INVASION OF SMALL TOWN AMERICA: REMIGRATION!”

What did Trump and Miller mean by “remigration”? Even seasoned immigration policy analysts had to look the term up:

“Remigration,” as a 2019 article about the rise of extreme anti-immigrant language in Europe from the Associated Press explains, is the “chilling notion of returning immigrants to their native lands in what amounts to a soft-style ethnic cleansing.” The word stands in for a policy that entails the forced repatriation or mass expulsion of non–ethnically European immigrants and their descendants, regardless of citizenship. With little fanfare, Trump seems to be hinting at bringing an even more radical idea into his immigration proposals (to Miller’s all-capped cheers) that goes further than the mass deportation of the undocumented population.

Trump Just Introduced a New, Dangerous Immigration Proposal

I still do not see how the major issues that the GOP embraces will improve American’s daily lives.

Anything to add?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

JD Souther R.I.P.

Sad news today a musician from my youth in the 60s has died.

As an old fart my musical taste ran to the folk singer side of things in the beginning….Joni Mitchell, Peter, Paul and Mary, Dylan, et al….JD Souther was one of those voices that I will always remember because it was so soulful.

When we listen to music, we tend not to look past the name of the artist and the name of the song. That means there can be an assortment of people who worked on the track whose contributions may evade you. It’s not uncommon to have songwriters help out on a track, shaping a hit that is somebody out there’s favorite of all time. In the case of JD Souther, he had credits on a bunch that can be considered all-timers, especially if you’re a fan of the monumental American rock band the Eagles. But sadly, he is now no longer with us…

Establishing himself as a Southern California songwriting legend, JD collaborated with the aforementioned Eagles as well as the likes of Linda Ronstadt and James Taylor. He was also a solo artist, best known for the track You’re Only Lonely.

After forming the band Longbranch Pennywhistle in the ’60s, one of its members Glenn Frey went on to form the Eagles in 1971. JD may not have come aboard as an official band member, but that doesn’t mean his impact on the group wasn’t important.

He worked on some of the band’s tracks including James Dean, Best Of My Love, and New Kid In Town. His songwriting also contributed to the classic song Heartache Tonight, which became a significant hit and cemented the band as rock titans.

He produced Linda’s fourth album, Don’t Cry Now, credited as a writer on a handful of the songs, and then there’s his work on James’ Her Town, Too.

Evidence of his creativity and passion for music was evident throughout that time, as he was also in the Souther-Hillman-Furay Band; this was made up of the Byrds’ Chris Hillman and Poco’s Richie Furay.

Tributes are already surfacing fast online, with fans sharing the music that helped make his a name that will never fade.

“JD Souther gave us so many memorable songs,” one tearfully wrote on X.

“Just received the devastating news that American folk singer JD Souther has passed away,” another was shocked to tweet. “He was the greatest songwriter from those shores and Only Lonely – without a doubt, the greatest single ever from America. RIP legend.”

Other posts have remembered him as a “songwriting legend” and a “great talent.”

“One of my most cherished and admired songwriters,” one mourned, with another adding: “Had the honor to hear JD Souther last Saturday in Sellersville Pa. RIP to a master of music.”

(celebritytidbit.com)

May he Rest In Peace.

His music for those that are not familiar with Souther’s body of work.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Weaponization Of Words

I have been watching and writing about our politics for many many years, more than I care to count, and in those years I have watched the weaponizing of words in the campaigns and beyond….it has gone from thinly veiled innuendoes to the hate-speak of today.

This election seems to be heavy on the accusations….

Divisive rhetoric — such as labeling immigrants as “invaders” or “criminals,” using inflammatory language like “enemy of the people” to describe the media, dehumanizing speech that refers to people of certain ethnicities as “animals,” and outright racism — is becoming all too familiar. This way of politicking isn’t just a betrayal of democratic principles and American ideals. The toxic talk we’re experiencing is a clear and present danger to our social contract.

The consequences of this kind of rhetoric are severe. Look at the recent rise in hate crimes and discrimination against ethnic groups. It creates a toxic environment in which fear and anger run the show, clouding our judgment and leading us to destruction. It tears at the seams that bind us together, threatening to rip us apart. Most damaging, it poisons our political discourse, preventing us from discussing critical issues honestly, finding common ground and working towards solutions that benefit all Americans. But the danger goes even further.

When leaders use rhetoric that demonizes, scapegoats and dehumanizes, they’re not just dividing the people; they’re actively undermining the foundations of our country. They’re saying some lives and rights matter less than others. They’re violating the sacred principle of equality that is the bedrock of our democracy.

Disrespectful discourse isn’t just anti-democratic; it’s the opposite of healthy citizenship and basic human decency. It’s a poison that infects our society, corrupting the ideals of liberty, equality and justice we hold so dear. This “toxic rhetoric” refers to language that incites hatred, fear and discrimination, and it’s a system in which some are elevated at the expense of others, leading to injustice and inequality. Marginalized groups are inevitably the target of hatred, violence and oppression. We bear the brunt of this toxic rhetoric, suffering the consequences of a society that has lost its way.

https://thefulcrum.us/bridging-common-ground/divisive-political-rhetoric

The hatred, if we call it that, has gotten to the point of no return it seems….

Sorry to say the Trump is the master of this hate-speak…..

“No president has ever spoken like that before,” President Joe Biden said of former President Donald Trump during their June 27, 2024, debate. He was referring to Trump’s suggestion of seeking political retribution, a part of the projected image that won Trump the Republican nomination and presidency in 2016—one that is on display again in the current presidential election campaign.

A UCLA working paper, “Donald Trump’s Words,” explores the distinctiveness of the Republican presidential nominee’s rhetoric and places it in a broader historical perspective. The study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, is co-authored by UCLA department of political science graduate student Nikita Savin and Daniel Treisman, a UCLA political science professor and a research associate with NBER.

Savin and Treisman analyzed transcripts of 99 Trump speeches from April 2015 to June 2024—focusing on political rallies and mass meetings aimed at the general public and speeches to , political conferences and labor unions—then compared them to speeches made by other major politicians past and present, including all American main party since 2008, and foreign dictators.

https://phys.org/news/2024-08-tracks-donald-trump-weaponization-words.html

Common decency has left the room….it has been on its way out for some time and now it has totally exited the campaigns.

At what point do we allow this divisiveness to continue?  After all we are all Americans and as such should treat our opponents with some civility.

Does this weaponization really need to be part of our political system?

Please share any thoughts.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”