Category: History

Constitution Day–17 September

I believe that this day should be a more important holiday than any of our others….this is the day the new US Constitution was approved….the day that America became a functioning entity.

I shall start with my opinion–While I believe the DoI was an important document that set the whole thing in motion….I also think that this document was a rehash of what Paine wrote in Common Sense….the approval of the Constitution set up the framework of a new country….and the as they say the st is history.

A few facts about Constitution Day…..

Constitution Day celebrates the signing of the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787.

What the Day Commemorates
  • The Signing: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention signed the foundational document in Philadelphia.
  • The Birth of Government: While July 4th marks independence, September 17th marks the creation of the federal government and framework of laws.
  • Citizenship: It is also known as Citizenship Day, recognizing all who have become U.S. citizens through birth or naturalization.
How It Is Observed
  • Education: Federally funded schools and colleges must hold educational programs about the U.S. Constitution.
  • Civic Reflection: Communities use the day to reflect on the rights, liberties, and responsibilities of American citizenship.
Independence Day
  • Date: Celebrated on July 4th.
  • Meaning: It marks the adoption of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, which stated that the American colonies were free from British rule.
  • Celebration: It is a major federal holiday with paid time off, parades, fireworks, and public gatherings.
Constitution Day
  • Date: Celebrated on September 17th.
  • Meaning: It marks the signing of the U.S. Constitution in 1787, which created the rules and system for the federal government.
  • Celebration: It is a federal observance, also known as Citizenship Day, but it does not include a federal day off work. Schools and government agencies hold educational programs about the Constitution.

How many people know what the 4th of July signifies?  How about the 17th of September?

This is an important day in the history of this country and should get much more attention than it does for without the Constitution Washington, after the war, would have returned to his plantation and oversaw his slaves and crops.

Another thing the debate around the Constitution was public….the Federalist Papers and the ‘Anti-Federalist Papers’ were printed for all to see and know what the delegates were doing….

(This is included for those that are interested enough to check it out)

https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/full-text

The Anti-Federalist Papers

The American public was privy to what both sides were aiming for with the new government.

When was the last time you got to see or read the real debate on an issue by the government…..today we get snippets from different sources that seldom tell the whole story.

These days the Constitution seems to mean very little to politicians and the population….it is used as some sort of dodge to action on some issue mostly not in the interest in the country or its people.

WE have ‘holidays’ for this person or that but the Constitution is not ever in the conversation and that is so sad that they people, especially students, are unaware of the importance of the document.

A few facts about the Constitution….

Constitution Day, also known as Citizenship Day, is an important federal observance in the United States. On September 17th each year, Americans commemorate the signing of the United States Constitution in 1787. This pivotal document laid the foundation for the nation’s democratic principles, rights, and freedoms. While Constitution Day primarily celebrates American history and citizenship, its significance transcends national borders and holds relevance in the international landscape.

Constitution Day’s historical roots can be traced back to the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, where delegates from the 13 American colonies gathered to address the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation. The convention, held from May 25 to September 17, 1787, resulted in the creation of the United States Constitution, a document designed to establish a more perfect union and safeguard individual rights.

The U.S. Constitution remains the oldest written national constitution still in use. It has withstood the test of time, serving as a beacon of democracy globally. It outlines the division of powers, ensuring that no single branch of government becomes too powerful, thereby preserving the democratic ideals upon which the nation was founded.

The Constitution’s Bill of Rights guarantees fundamental freedoms such as freedom of speech, religion, and the right to a fair trial. These rights have become a cornerstone of American society, shaping the nation’s identity and inspiring similar rights protections worldwide.

Constitution Day underscores the importance of the rule of law. It reinforces the notion that even the highest authorities in the land are bound by a set of rules and principles, fostering a culture of accountability and justice.

Now let me ask you….does any of that hold true today?

I say that the lack of the Constitution importance to America has been greatly ignored in all aspects of American life….and now we are paying for it.

We should be proud of the accomplishments of the Convention that gave birth to the Constitution instead we are too damn busy hating our neighbors because they do not adhere to some sick ideology.

I believe that this country will continue to sink further into chaos until we all embrace the tenets set forth by the Constitution and that will be a disaster.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Labor Day–2026

+++Note:  I have been ordered by my daughter to grill some bison burgers with blue cheese so I shall be a bit busy and this will be my only post today for I want to spend time with my daughter and granddaughter.+++

It is the first Monday of September and the BBQ grills will be fired up and massive amounts of beet will be consumed….but what part of that celebrates American labor….just sounds like an excuse for a party.

Instead of honoring our workers the day is dedicated to how much beer can be drunk and still make it to work tomorrow.

Some ask why September and not the International Day of the Worker, 01May?

Let’s look at a little history…..a short not long winded dissertation….

Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September because the Central Labor Union chose that time for its early street parades in New York City, and the date stuck.

Origins of the September Date
  • First Parade: The Central Labor Union hosted a massive worker march in New York City on Tuesday, September 5, 1882. [1, 2]
  • State Adoption: The September date proved popular. By 1884, the Knights of Labor urged other states to hold celebrations on the first Monday of September.
  • Good Weather: September offered pleasant weather for outdoor parades, picnics, and speeches compared to the harsh winter or spring months.
Why Not May Day?
  • International Workers’ Day: Many countries around the world celebrate workers on May 1 (May Day) to commemorate the 1886 Haymarket Affair in Chicago.
  • Political Distance: U.S. politicians avoided May 1 because they did not want to associate the national holiday with radical political groups, socialists, and anarchists
Making it Official
  • National Law: President Grover Cleveland signed a law in 1894 making the first Monday in September an official federal holiday.
  • Pullman Strike: This push came shortly after federal troops broke up a violent railroad strike in Chicago, leading the government to quickly appease the American workforce with a peaceful September date.

There you have a short history of the day….that is all fascinating I am sure but why can’t we wear white after Labor Day?

There are three hypotheses about the origins of the “no white after Labor Day” directive. The first theory, disagreed upon by many, is based on class distinction in the early 1900s. Although white clothing was clearly an upper class luxury, after the Civil War it became harder to distinguish women coming from old money or new money. The higher class ladies then made inane fashion rules to weed out those who were “out of place.”

The second theory speaks to a more practical approach by pointing out that Memorial Day and Labor Day bracketed the summer season, and therefore lighter, summery, white clothes were no longer needed.

The last theory has to do with popular fashion magazines, who may have begun promoting fall clothing after Labor Day, and the trend was picked up.

That was absolutely useless information….but at least it still has Labor Day feel about it.

But for more information about the real Labor Day….after all it is an important day and its history should be remembered….these two were from a decade ago….

Brief History Of Labor Day

Then a little history from my past on this Labor Day….

Industrial Workers of the World (I.W.W.)

But if you still anxious for more information on Labor Day and its history…..

https://www.bustle.com/articles/180203-the-history-of-labor-day-is-fascinating-and-worth-remembering

I was once asked why I was a union organizer….I have always thought the workers were treated shabbily when it come of compensation for their hard work….

CEO compensation at top U.S. firms has surged by approximately 1,094% since 1978, vastly outpacing the 26% growth of typical worker pay over the same period.

  • Long-Term Growth: According to data from the Economic Policy Institute, top CEO compensation grew by 1,094% from 1978 to 2024, while a typical worker’s pay grew by only 26%.
  • The 1960s vs. Today: In 1965, CEOs at major U.S. companies made about 21 times the salary of a typical worker. By 2024, that ratio reached 281-to-1.

And that discrepancy is why I went into organizing.

But being in Mississippi, which hates unions, it was difficult to organize….one workplace where I was working the boss found out and threatened to fire everyone involved….and he could get away with it because Mississippi is a right to work state and the companies are protected from any attempts to unionize.

I retired from union work in 2000 but I am still in touch with the union and give my help wherever I can.

Enough for today….we are suppose to enjoy the day off and I do not want to be a downer.

I hope everyone enjoys their day off and as always….Be Well and Be Safe….

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Remember The Falklands?

In my reading I come across some stories that make me scratch my head and laugh…..and this one caught my eye.

The Falkland Islands….this is for those too young to know what the Hell I am talking about….this is a nutshell look….

The Falklands War was a 74-day undeclared conflict in 1982 between Argentina and the United Kingdom over the sovereignty of the Falkland Islands and South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.

  • Territorial Dispute: Argentina claimed the islands (which they call Islas Malvinas) based on proximity to South America and a supposed inheritance from the Spanish Crown in the early 19th century. Britain had asserted permanent rule since 1833 and emphasized the right to self-determination of the local population, who wished to remain British.
  • Political Divert: In late 1981, a military junta led by General Leopoldo Galtieri took power in Argentina amid severe economic unrest and sought to use a popular nationalist campaign to unite the public behind the regime.
  • Perceived Weakness: Argentina misjudged British resolve, interpreting recent Royal Navy budget cuts and the withdrawal of patrol vessels as a sign that the UK would not fight to defend the remote archipelago.
    • The Invasion (2–3 April 1982): Argentine forces launched an amphibious invasion of the Falkland Islands, quickly subduing the small local Royal Marine garrison, and followed up by occupying South Georgia. [1, 2]
    • The Surrender (14 June 1982): British troops fought their way across harsh terrain to retake Port Stanley, forcing the Argentine garrison to surrender and restoring British control.British Task Force Response (5 April 1982): Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s government dispatched a powerful naval task force 8,000 miles south to the combat zone. Military Engagements: Fought across air, land, and sea, the war featured significant losses including the sinking of the Argentine cruiser ARA General Belgrano and the destruction of the British destroyer HMS Sheffield by Exocet missiles.
“I would expect the UK to receive special attention because it has so much potential,” the US official told the publication. “We will therefore continue efforts to incentivise and enable the UK to step up in a major way.”

They said that changing America’s stance on the UK’s claim to the Falklands, which the US president has previously considered, was a possibility.

https://www.the-independent.com/news/uk/home-news/us-uk-falkland-islands-defence-budget-trump-burnham-b3041416.html

What a an asshat!

I use to think that Donny was a loud-mouth with half a functioning brain and now I think his brain is screwed in his ass and the escaping gas makes his mouth move.

Oh that is right he is an author and game shoe host who better to lead the country than that?

This illustrates what an out of touch clown Donny truly is.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

An ‘Influencer’ Under Every Rock

These days there is an influencer for whatever you have on your mind….make-up, dating, fashion, politics, porn, etc etc ….the whole genre have made millionaires out of lazy dickwads that become famous for the shoe they wear….what has our world become….a better question is where did all this begin?

Now there is a question that is right up my historical alley.

To begin influencers have been around for over 200 years….that’s right 2 centuries….

https://theconversation.com/the-worlds-first-influencers-were-french-and-they-emerged-after-the-revolution-286859

There you have it.

DAMN!  I love history.

But wait!  For those that want to be famous for doing nothing, an influencer, there is hope on the horizon…..

Ask a teen what they want to be when they grow up, and there’s a fair chance being an influencer is on their list. Digital media and the people who star in it have been cultural mainstays for teens’ entire lives, so creating social media, video, or podcast content seems a natural, albeit nontraditional, career path. Now they can earn a college degree in that very field. Arizona State University recently launched a new bachelor’s degree in content creation, reports the AP, offered through its Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication. The curriculum overlaps with that of ASU’s mass communication and media studies degree, with the major departure being a slate of specialized electives on podcasting, studio production and on-camera presence.

ASU’s announcement was met with swift criticism from many sides—from people who feel content creation is not a legitimate profession to those who question the value of a college degree in launching a social media career. But the ASU program is not the first of its kind. Many higher education institutions have started offering classes focused on the burgeoning content creation industry over the past few years, and several have certificate or minor programs. Syracuse University, Quinnipiac University, and Colorado State University offer minors, and St. Bonaventure University announced a content creation major last winter.

To Brooke Erin Duffy, a communication professor at Cornell University, these college programs represent an inflection point. Over the past year, Duffy said, institutions in education and beyond have been acknowledging content creation as a viable career path—even if the term “influencer” itself hits a nerve. The image of a prototypical influencer, Duffy said, is usually a “young girl who is snapping selfies and just reaping in tremendous rewards for seemingly not doing anything.” But that’s not the reality for many content creators, who are working on media production, audience retention strategies, brand partnerships, and business relationships associated with their online presence. “It is a time-consuming, labor-intensive job that often doesn’t pay well—at least in the beginning,” Duffy said. “But a lot of that gets concealed behind … this assumption that it’s a dream job.”

Content creator and actor Sammy Cristerna graduated from Arizona State University this spring with a degree in sociology and political science, but said he “absolutely” would have taken classes in the content creation program and considered the major if it had been available. The courses, Cristerna said, would have been useful in learning how to negotiate brand deals, maximize monetization opportunities, and cultivate and keep an audience. Some of those skills can be self-taught through experience, he added. Still, “it’s nice to have that formal education.” The one thing Cristerna said he isn’t sure will translate in the classroom is personality. To connect on camera, a person needs to have “good energy,” he said. “That’s hard to teach.”

There you now you can become famous for actually nothing.

Sadly this trend of influencers will be with us for a lot longer….it is not a fad it has become a way of life…..something every internet nerd has dreams of becoming.

Sadly I will let knowledge influence my thinking not some pimply face twat with a cute hair-do.

Anything to add?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

That Pesky Waterway

Since I am an old fart and dearly love history and using it show that not much changes over the years….I thought yet another lesson for those that are young and may not be aware of any similarities.

Most by now are familiar with our mash-up with Iran and that the waterway in this conflict, Strait of Hormuz, is a vital route for that flow of black gold….the sticking point is who will control this vital trade route.

Been there before.

The year is 1956, Ike was president and Israel was at war with it’s neighbors (sound familiar)….and it began….

The Israelis struck first on October 29, 1956. Two days later, British and French military forces joined them. Originally, forces from the three countries were set to strike at once, but the British and French troops were delayed.

…

The response of President Dwight Eisenhower and his administration was measured. It warned the Soviets that reckless talk of nuclear conflict would only make matters worse, and cautioned Khrushchev to refrain from direct intervention in the conflict.

However, Eisenhower and Secretary of State John Foster Dulles also issued stern warnings to the French, British and Israelis to give up their campaign and withdraw from Egyptian soil. Eisenhower was upset with the British in particular for not keeping the United States informed about their intentions.

The United States threatened all three nations with economic sanctions if they persisted in their attack. The threats did their work: British and French forces withdrew by December, and Israel finally bowed to U.S. pressure, relinquishing control over the canal to Egypt, which reopened the Suez Canal canal in March 1957.

(history.com)

This all rings similar to the Strait thing that Donny is trying hard to control….without much success….

The Suez crisis provides the clearest example. In 1956, Egypt’s president, Gamal Abdel Nasser, nationalized the Suez Canal Company, displacing the British- and French-controlled corporation that had operated one of the world’s most important commercial arteries. Britain and France regarded nationalization not merely as an economic injury but as a strategic humiliation and, together with Israel, invaded Egypt.

President Dwight Eisenhower refused to support them. After rejecting the Anglo-French invasion, Eisenhower’s administration did not make restoration of British or international ownership a condition for accepting Egypt’s continued administration of the canal. Instead, Washington opposed the invasion and pressed for a diplomatic arrangement that would preserve international access. The applicable legal regime emphasized the canal’s free use by ships of all countries on equal terms, while leaving Egypt responsible for administering and defending the waterway.

Egyptian control was not the same as unrestricted Egyptian discretion. The distinction was crucial. Washington could accept Egyptian sovereignty over the canal while insisting that sovereignty be exercised within rules guaranteeing nondiscriminatory passage. The overriding American interest was not which flag flew over the canal authority, but whether the canal remained open under internationally accepted rules.

A crucial detail that should not be overlooked: Egypt at the time was not an American ally, whereas France and the UK were. Indeed, Egypt was at the time closely aligned with the Soviet Union though not formally allied with Moscow. Washington nevertheless accepted continued Egyptian administration of the canal rather than seeking to reverse nationalization, provided freedom of navigation was preserved.

https://original.antiwar.com/trita-parsi/2026/08/05/before-hormuz-there-was-suez-what-trump-can-learn-from-eisenhower/

Donny needs to open that aging mind to reality….as if….

But nope he decided to do what he always does….act like a buffoon…..

President Trump apparently has a new target for American expansion: one of the world’s most strategic shipping chokepoints. Speaking on Long Island on Friday, the president said, “Pretty soon, I will be declaring the Hormuz Strait a territory of the United States,” even though the narrow waterway between Iran and Oman is not under US sovereignty. He offered no explanation for how Washington could claim ownership of the passage, which is bordered by Iran to the north and Oman to the south, the Hill reports. He also claimed Iran “is being very badly defeated” at the moment, USA Today reports.

Roughly one-fifth of global oil and gas moves through the Strait of Hormuz, now closed amid a six-month war between the US and Iran that has driven up energy prices. Trump has repeatedly asserted that the US “controls” the strait and has twice ordered a naval blockade there, insisting on American primacy over oil shipments. “No ships get through unless we want them to,” he claimed Friday. Iran has rejected those assertions; its Persian Gulf Strait Authority wrote on X this week that whoever claims ownership “does not change the reality: the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked and will not be reopened until Iran’s conditions are accepted.” Al Jazeera‘s take is that Trump is “overstating” the amount of US control over the strait.

What an arrogant ass.

In case you want to know….the peace deal runs out today….

Oil tankers are staying put as a US-Iran ceasefire runs out of time. Shipping through the Strait of Hormuz, which handles roughly 20% of the world’s oil, slowed sharply over the weekend ahead of Monday’s expiration of a 60-day truce, with no replacement deal in sight, reports CNBC. Only five cargo ships sailed through on Saturday and none on Sunday, down from 31 a week earlier, according to Reuters. Overall traffic is off about 90% from prewar levels.

As for the peace talks, a senior US official describes the situation as “static” to Politico. Key sticking points include Iran’s demand for compensation and the logistics of how ships will transit the strait when the war is over. Iran’s foreign minister said there is currently “not anything like a ceasefire” and no direct talks with Washington, though Qatar and Pakistan are relaying messages. The war of words has continued: President Trump last week suggested he might declare the strait US territory, while an Iranian deputy foreign minister responded that it will remain under Iran’s control.

What will our Dear Donny do?

This is good stuff for us that like to blog.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Some Thoughts On Israel

You guys know that I am a political history buff….so I feel it necessary to include a bit of history from time to time….thanx for indulging me.

We will start with 1948 and Truman….

In 1948, with war raging in Palestine, Harry Truman found himself trapped.

On one side were Zionist lobbyists and the president’s domestic political advisers, who were urging him to support the establishment of a Jewish state in as much of Palestine as possible. On the other were his top foreign policy and national security officials, led by the secretary of state, George C Marshall. Their unanimous recommendation was to prevent the establishment of a Jewish state, which they believed would trigger war in the Middle East and endanger the future of US relations with the Arab and Muslim world.

…

In the mid-1940s, Marshall pushed quietly but steadily against the Zionist movement’s proposals to establish a Jewish state in Palestine. He was concerned that American support would open opportunities for the Soviet Union to exploit Arab anger, put Middle Eastern oil supplies at risk in the event of a war between the Soviet Union and the United States, and require the deployment of unavailable American troops to prevent bloodshed and instability in Palestine. These were, indeed, the strongly held views of virtually all of Truman’s most important military and foreign policy advisers.

Truman was personally and deeply moved by the suffering of Jewish survivors of the Nazi “Final Solution”, but also irritated by and at times furious with the constant hectoring to which he was subjected by campaigners for recognition of a Jewish state in Palestine, including the World Zionist Organization and a host of other Jewish delegations, friends and politicians. Despite his personal exasperation, he could not ignore them. Coming in an election year that would pit him against Governor Thomas Dewey of New York, pressures from the Zionist lobby forced him into an excruciating and embarrassing position.

With Palestine engulfed by civil war, Arab states threatening to invade and the last British soldiers about to leave the country, Truman called a meeting of his top advisers on 12 May 1948. According to Marshall’s own account of the meeting, he warned Truman against adopting the policy strongly advanced by Clark Clifford, his main political adviser, to recognize the state of Israel before it was established.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/ng-interactive/2026/aug/02/pro-israel-lobby-presidents

As you can see not everyone was thrilled with the idea of Israel….but things worked out in Israel’s favor.

Now fast forward to the modern day….

The US holds states responsible for their supposed actions, Asad of Syria, Chavez of Venezuela to mention only a few and yet Israel can do as they please with impunity matters not what it is…..killings Americans, devastating Gaza with death and destruction, terrorizing the West Bank, etc. etc.

Why can’t we hold Israel accountable for their actions in Gaza?

The easy answer is money and the media…..

The UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry released the report on June 23. Titled “The Essence of Childhood Has Been Destroyed,” it was the first to focus on crimes and violations against Palestinian children in Gaza and the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Vijay Prashad at CounterPunch called it an “accusation of extraordinary gravity.” In 100-pages, the investigation documents Israeli security forces’ direct killing, degrading, and inhumane treatment of Palestinian children, including sexual and gender-based violence and torture. The report also documents the destruction of schools and civilian infrastructure and amounts to a gruesome compendium of how Israel is destroying Palestinian childhood and denying the Palestinian people a future and self-determination. As the human rights lawyer Srinivasan Muralidhar, who chaired the UN commission and led the press conference that announced its findings, bluntly summarized, “By targeting children, Israel is attacking the very capacity of the Palestinian people to exist.” This is genocide.

The UN report flatly contradicted the claims made by President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace that conditions in Gaza were improving. The UN report stated that the amount of available aid is woefully inadequate to meet the needs of hungry, wounded people, living in appalling conditions, who are being squeezed into 30 percent of what was once the Gaza Strip. The UN report further noted the admission of one Israeli soldier: “It feels like a game. You can sit in some basement of a house, safe, with your helmet off, scratching your balls, half-dressed, and kill Palestinians.”

https://www.counterpunch.org/2026/08/11/why-cant-we-hold-israel-accountable-for-its-genocide-in-gaza-its-the-media/

The damage done to Palestinian children is just one aspect of Israel’s conflict but there are so many more….

It is time to get this dark money out of our system…..probably not gonna happen considering how deep that well is but it should be attempted.

I Read, I Write, You Know

‘lego ergo scribo”

Remembering USS Liberty

Every year I post on the dastardly attack by Israel on the US Naval ship, USS Liberty…..I would like to now post on one of the survivors of that attack that is died.

On Friday, July 31, 2026, Lieutenant Commander James M. Ennes, Jr., US Navy, ret., slipped his cable and unfurled his sails. With the Great Pilot at the helm, he set a course to his final home port.

LCDR Ennes, then Lieutenant Ennes, was serving aboard the USS Liberty (AGTR-5) when, on June 8, 1967, Israeli forces began a combined aerial and naval assault, lasting over an hour, that killed 34 Americans and wounded more than 170 others. LCDR Ennes was seriously wounded in the attack. The official record indicates that Navy medical staff expected him to remain on medical leave for seven months as he recovered from multiple shrapnel wounds and multiple fractures of his left femur. LCDR Ennes did recover sufficiently to serve in the Navy as a cryptologic officer until his retirement in 1978.

On the day of the attack, the Liberty was repeatedly reconnoitered by Israeli military aircraft over the span of several daylight hours and positively identified as an American ship flying the American flag. The Liberty never approached closer than thirty-eight nautical miles to the Israeli coast. Nevertheless while steaming in clear weather and calm seas in international waters of the Mediterranean Sea northwest of the Egyptian city of al-ʿArīsh, the Liberty came under repeated aerial attack by Israeli forces at approximately 2 PM, local time, followed by an assault by Israeli motor torpedo boats.

https://original.antiwar.com/michelle_kinnucan/2026/08/09/remembering-lcdr-james-ennes-of-the-uss-liberty-1933-2026/

As long as I breathe I will post on the murderous actions of Israel against Americans (that many seem to have forgotten)….not me.

May LCDR Ennes rest in peace….

I Read, I Write, You KNow

“lego ergo scribo”

His Coming Was Foreseen

This is a post I wrote 10 years ago about the coming of Donny into our lives.

A decade ago my granddaughter and I spent a lot of time together and I introduced her to my world of books and thought….none of which she uses much now that she has grown up and got her own values and desires.

Swiss political thinker Rousseau predicted the rise of Donny, well not by name but rather by personality….

How Rousseau Predicted Trump

It is a real shame that we cannot look to our past and see the problems that we are making for our future.

What once was old is new again….and that can be said for a lot of things these days.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Those Swing Voters

As we draw ever closer to the general election the bane of our system will be reported heavily, at least it is my belief, that of the ‘swing voter’….

Who are these mystical voters that both parties want on their side?

A swing voter is an individual who does not consistently support one political party and whose voting behavior can vary from election to election. These voters are often seen as crucial in determining the outcome of elections, as their choices can significantly influence the results. Swing voters may change their allegiance based on various factors, including candidates’ policies, campaign strategies, and current events.

Basically it is a voter without party allegiance….put still buys into the two party thing hook line and sinker.

I bring this up because of an article about swing voters I recently read….this is from a poll taken before the present day mid terms….

Swing voters view the Republican Party more favorably than the Democratic Party heading into the 2026 midterm elections, yet they still favor Democratic congressional candidates by a double-digit margin, according to a new Data for Progress poll.

The findings capture a central paradox of the midterm landscape. While swing voters remain skeptical of both parties, dissatisfaction with President Donald Trump and the Republican-controlled Congress appears to be driving them toward Democratic candidates despite their unfavorable view of the Democratic Party.

Democrats have grown increasingly optimistic about retaking the House as Trump’s approval rating has slipped amid concerns over inflation, the cost of living and the fallout from the U.S.–Iran conflict. Historically, the president’s party tends to lose seats in midterm elections, giving Democrats an additional structural advantage.

Even so, the survey suggests voters may be willing to elect Democrats without embracing the party itself.

https://knewz.com/swing-voter-view-republicans-more-favorably-than-democrats/

This early poll may sound good for the Dems but is it good for the nation?

To me this is basically saying….anyone but Trump….and that is not a good way to vote.

There is one bright spot, for now, and that is the rise of Progressives….if only they can keep pressure up there may be some hope for the mid terms after all.

Ten years ago this country and the voters were bitter and of course I had something to say back then….

We Have Seen This Bitterness Before

And in the end the voter will select the wrong people yet again and this nightmare will just keep going.

But that brings up another question….has the US ever had a free and fair elections?

This is an article written on the Level website and a bit of a history lesson….(com’on you knew there had to be some history in there, right?)

I’ve heard the term “free and fair elections” thrown about recently, and I’m not sure they’ve ever been a thing. To determine whether America has ever had free and fair elections, we must establish what those elections are. Americans generally define free and fair elections as those in which every eligible voter can cast a ballot without coercion, and all ballots are counted accurately under rules applied equally to everyone. That’s the baseline.

When concession or certification is contested without evidence, Americans perceive the election as less “fair,” even if the mechanics were sound. The question in the title asks if America has ever had such an election. Will the next major election, the 2026 midterms, be free and fair? President Donald Trump seems to think not and, in a nationally televised speech, has laid the groundwork for contesting the results if they aren’t to his liking.

…

America has never had free and fair elections. The Supreme Court often acts to limit the voting freedoms Congress attempted to enact. The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments have all been gutted, rendering them less useful than intended. Racism, even when proven, is permitted unless intent is proven as well. Gerrymandering ignores the will of the people, replacing it with the will of the Party. Politicians are working to make voting harder, rather than easier. The mail-in-vote may go the way of the dinosaur. America could do better, but both major parties still prioritize winning elections over reflecting the will of the people.

https://www.levelman.com/has-america-ever-had-free-and-fair-elections/

Voting should be one of the easiest things to do in American life and yet some want to make it harder than ever….

What say you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

American Socialism–Redux

This is a continuing series that I offer on the post from IST past that cover this hot bed issue of socialism.

With the success and the possibilities of more success on the horizon the fearmongering machine of the GOP has once again started the long sleeping BS about socialism.

First let’s ask….what is a socialist?  A simple enough question yet the answers are anything but simple….

Gertrude Stein famously wrote, “A rose is a rose is a rose is a rose,” meaning everyone knows what a rose is. The same cannot be said of a Socialist.

There are many Democratic politicians who proudly call themselves Socialists or Democratic Socialists, and there are many adversaries who brand those individuals as Socialists. Both sides use the same word, but the word means very different things to the two sides.

https://thefulcrum.us/democracy/socialism-vs-democratic-socialism

Now with that out of the way let’s move on….

Fifteen years ago I posted a history of American socialism and I thought might be helpful for those scratching their heads about the Left turn the voters are trying.

 

American Socialism–A History Lesson

Just my small attempt to show that all the monsters that the Right is predicting is pure fantasy….but if you still want horrors then look at what Trump and his corrupt band of bandits have done to this nation.

We are so much better than Donny and his thugs.

Let’s prove it to ourselves and the world.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”