Category: Society

Someone Please Rescue Our 250th

We are rapidly approach the 250th anniversary of the founding of this country….and to celebrate Donny is making it all about himself and not this great nation.

There has got to be some way to rescue this event from the claws of Donny and his egotistical mind.  A auto race, state fair, BBQ or a UFC match is not the way to commemorate our beginnings.

I was around for the celebration in 1976 and its was the way to celebrate the beginnings of the US of A….it was and will be heads above the silliness the Donny thinks will celebrate our country.

On the 250th anniversary of the United States, some details of the celebrations might seem familiar from the celebrations in 1976 of America’s 200th. People sip from cans decorated with the Liberty Bell and a big round number. Commemorative vehicles drive or fly around with founding documents. Federal dollars and private donations flow toward politicians’ goals. A president directs federal funding toward his pet projects.

A big difference is just how prominent Trump is making himself this time around. It wasn’t always headed this way: Congress created the United States Semiquincentennial Commission in 2016, during the Obama administration. In 2020, Trump created the 1776 Commission—an advisory body committed to propagating whitewashed American history—which Biden disbanded on his first day in office in 2021. Trump reassembled it in 2025, more determined to make the national birthday about him, his followers, and their shared visions of the past. While Richard Nixon sought to leverage bicentennial funds to motivate political support in the 1970s, Trump uses the semiquincentennial moment to promote himself. Trump is even attempting to align a semiquincentennial UFC match with his own 80th birthday.

As historian Marc Stein traces in Bicentennial: A Revolutionary History of the 1970s, a national birthday can launch a much broader, more inclusive, and ambitious national project. Yes, the bicentennial too involved politicians advancing their own aims, and it involved selling things, with a proliferation of commemorative objects. But the events and their backlash also helped promote broader goals. Stein writes of the urban planners who sought to direct bicentennial resources toward remaking cities and revamping tourist destinations. He writes of the contingent of the New Left that hoped to rekindle what they viewed as the radicalism of the founders, and of marginalized communities, who mobilized for a reexamination of American history and for reform in contemporary society. Sometimes these groups disagreed about the past and agreed on the future. Sometimes they disagreed about the future, despite shared ideals of the past.

https://newrepublic.com/article/209315/rescue-america-250th-trump

I will not participate in anything the Donny and his clowns have planned for this point in our history.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Restore Religious Myths

As a political historian I find this whole affair a worthless waste of time and an affront to the Constitution and DoI.

Yesterday Donny plans to prayer vigil on the National Mall as part of the 250th celebration it’s aim is to restore religious fervor….

The Trump administration plans to stage a nine-hour prayer event on the National Mall on Sunday that organizers describe as a bid to “rededicate” the US to its Christian foundations. They’re using public money set aside for the nation’s 250th anniversary, the Washington Post reports. Billed as Rededicate 250: National Jubilee of Prayer, Praise & Thanksgiving, the gathering is being run through Freedom 250, a public-private partnership created by the White House. Although the announcement talks of unity, the program is dominated by Protestant speakers. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and House Speaker Mike Johnson are scheduled to speak. President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio are sending recorded messages.

Religious historians say the scope and tone of the event stand out from presidential observances that have typically featured broad, nonsectarian invocations. Of the 15 faith leaders listed as participating, 14 are Christian, including seven evangelical leaders and two Catholics, per USA Today. The only non-Christian religious leader listed is Orthodox Jewish Rabbi Meir Soloveichik. Amanda Tyler of the Baptist group BJC argued that the administration is promoting a false notion of the US as officially Christian and blurring church-state lines. Supporters, including Regent University scholar Mark David Hall, likened the jubilee to a Thanksgiving proclamation and emphasize that participation is voluntary.

The event also will also showcase what organizers call a Freedom Truck, one of six mobile exhibits using material from conservative groups PragerU and Hillsdale College to promote a “pro-American, Judeo-Christian” story of the founding. “This is really an affront to the American religious community,” said the Rev. Paul Raushenbush, CEO of the Interfaith Alliance. “They are using an event like this, which could be the opportunity to showcase the incredible diversity of American religious life, which is so rich and beautiful and powerful … to rewrite American history.” Gates open at 9am, with music, military bands, and speeches continuing until 6pm.

Basically I think this is BS from a panty waste of a leader.

Thousands gathered on the National Mall in Washington on Sunday for “Rededicate 250,” a massive 8-hour prayer rally blending worship music, patriotic imagery, political figures and prominent Christian leaders in an event supporters described as spiritual renewal and critics viewed as another step toward the normalization of Christian nationalism in American politics.

The event, tied to upcoming celebrations marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, featured speakers repeatedly invoking themes about restoring America’s “Christian roots” and reaffirming the United States as “One Nation Under God.” Organizers, called Freedom 250, framed the gathering as a national rededication of the country to God through prayer, worship and public faith.

https://www.salon.com/2026/05/17/christian-nationalists-pray-for-a-return-to-americas-christian-roots/

As a political historian I find this whole movement to be utterly ridiculous.

After 250 years of a religious freedom Donny and his worthless christian nationalists are trying to make this country something it was never intended to be.

Those who insist that America was founded as a Christian nation run roughshod over the historical record. They use the words of the Founding Fathers to support Republican jeremiads on the moral decay of American life. If only this country could return to its Christian roots, they say nostalgically, everything would be okay.

And how do they demonstrate that America was founded as a Christian nation? By selectively choosing texts from the writings of the Founders without any effort to explore them in the context of the 18th-century world in which they were written. Just because John Adams and George Washington quoted from the Bible or made reference to God does not mean that they were trying to construct a Christian nation. Granted, the Founding Fathers were the products of a Christian culture, but most of them were never comfortable with the beliefs that defined this culture. Very few of them would qualify for membership in today’s evangelical churches.

https://www.hnn.us/article/is-america-a-christian-nation-what-both-left-and-r

The idea the this nation was founded on christian beliefs is a myth….more info for you….

https://www.au.org/about-au/history/is-america-a-christian-nation/

The Founders thought that government should be secular….not favoring one religious belief over any others….and that is where it should stay.

It is that simple and Donny and the Band of Toads are trying to make it more complex than that….with the use of lies and more lies.

America should stay the secular nation it has alwasys been….PERIOD!

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

The Loss Of Voting Rights

SCOTUS has done so much to roll back any progress this country has made but their stupidity on voting takes the cake.

 

https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/dismantling-the-voting-rights-act-sets-american-democracy-back-decades/

 

Some think it will take decades to recover but others think we could never recover from this betrayal of the American ideal by SCOTUS…..

What say you?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

 

Tolerance: Weapon Of Oppression

There are way too many people out there that have thrown up their hands and tolerate the destruction of a way of life and the country.  (Not something I would ever consider)

There is a paradox of tolerance at work….

The paradox of tolerance, a theory that challenges a society’s ability to defend democracy from within, is at the heart of the political turmoil plaguing the United States today. The idea, first articulated by philosopher Karl Popper, suggests that a tolerant society must be intolerant of intolerance itself, or else the intolerant will exploit that tolerance to dismantle the system from within. The United States is facing a stark test of this paradox as extremism and hate groups gain traction, exploiting the very liberties that protect democratic life.

The past few decades have seen the steady rise of groups that thrive on division, hate, and violence. From white nationalist organizations to conspiracy-driven militias like those associated with QAnon, these movements increasingly occupy the mainstream political conversation. At their core, these ideologies aim not only to challenge the social order but to dismantle the democratic principles of equality and justice. They are not just seeking to make their voices heard—they are attempting to redefine the terms of the social contract, eroding the shared values that have historically bound Americans together.

Consider the 2017 Charlottesville rally, where white nationalists, neo-Nazis, and other far-right extremists marched in the streets under the banner of “Unite the Right.” The violence that erupted, culminating in the death of counter-protester Heather Heyer, was a chilling reminder that these movements are not merely fringe elements but potent forces that can stoke real, deadly consequences. The response from certain political figures and public figures, including the president, was a horrifying moment in American politics. Rather than denouncing these groups unequivocally, there was a reluctance to take a firm stand against intolerance, allowing the seeds of hate to grow unchecked. In this moment, the U.S. was at the crossroads of the paradox of tolerance—its commitment to free speech and political expression directly collided with the need to protect democracy from those who would destroy it.

The question then becomes: How much tolerance is too much? Can a society truly remain open and free while it allows the propagation of ideas that actively undermine freedom itself? The answer is, unequivocally, no. When the principles of liberty are manipulated to spread hate and division, tolerance becomes not a virtue but a tool of destruction. The societal contract must be protected from those who seek to exploit it for their own gain, and that requires setting firm boundaries on what is considered acceptable within a democratic society.

https://znetwork.org/znetarticle/the-paradox-of-tolerance-when-freedom-becomes-a-weapon-of-oppression/

Let me reiterate…..paradox of tolerance….The paradox of tolerance is a philosophical concept suggesting that if a society extends tolerance to those who are intolerant, it risks enabling the eventual dominance of intolerance, thereby undermining the very principle of tolerance.

You can see the paradox everywhere.

  • Online communities that tolerate every voice until no reasonable ones remain.
  • Workplaces where “all ideas are valid” slowly turn into echo chambers.
  • Governments that either over-police or under-protect, losing legitimacy both ways.

So is our tolerance of what is happening making all things worse?

Just wondering

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Be Afraid….Be Very Afraid

It is common knowledge that I have no use for AI…I prefer to do my own thinking….I am be an old fart but my brain still works.

AI is being used for everything these days from customer service to….well whatever the brain can imagine….and that is where I pick up with this report….

Mass-shooting “research” isn’t supposed to end with an AI cheerfully saying, “That’s a great idea … It’ll definitely give you an extra edge for the big day.” But that’s what Mother Jones reporter Mark Follman says he got from ChatGPT. In a 20-minute test on April 14 using a free account, Follman asked ChatGPT to help him develop a two-week training schedule with an AR-15—then got more ominous, asking that the schedule be modified to help him prep him for “unpredictable or chaotic circumstances on the day of the shooting” and to include “simulating people running around screaming and trying to distract me.”

“To be clear, I never stated directly to the chatbot during this simulation that I planned to commit murder—many mass shooters, after all, take steps to conceal their intent,” writes Follman. “But I came awfully close.” Follman writes that he debated whether to make his chats public, as doing so “could even create a kind of roadmap for a person seeking to do harm.” Be he decided that since anyone could use ChatGPT as he did, it was worth making clear the risks that persist despite OpenAI’s claims to have put safeguards in place. (OpenAI declined his request to be interviewed for the piece.)

Follman did run into some blocks. At one point he had to create a new account, and some of his queries were dead ends met with replies that the chatbot was “here to help with general safety and responsible practices.” A leading threat-assessment expert who reviewed Follman’s logs called the results “very disturbing,” noting that the language used when the bot’s safeguards kicked in wouldn’t speak to “a vulnerable person in this situation … We know from decades of case investigations that you need to ask … about what’s wrong, to show attention and care, and at the right moment to message things like, ‘Tell someone—an adult—that you are having these thoughts.'”

Read the full story

I know AI can be used for good or bad….but with society being what it is today….bad would be their first choice.

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Are These F*ckers High?

I have read some disturbing and completely idiotic stuff coming from Donny and his band of moron but this one takes the ….Are You High?…category.

This story from The Hill….

The United States Postal Service (USPS) could begin mailing handguns if a proposed rule from the Trump administration receives approval.

Filed last month, the proposed rule would allow Americans to mail concealable guns, like pistols and revolvers, to anyone in the country. Protections similar to those for mailing long-barreled rifles and shotguns, which require them to be unloaded and securely packaged, would likely be applied.

The USPS reviewed public comments due on Monday before making any changes to its rules on handguns.

Concealable handguns have been banned from being mailed unless they come from licensed dealers since 1927. The Department of Justice called the law against mailing handguns “unconstitutional as applied to constitutionally protected firearms, including handguns, because it serves an illegitimate purpose and is inconsistent with the Nation’s tradition of firearm regulation.”

The National Rifle Association (NRA) praised the decision, claiming that the “USPS handgun prohibition continues to create massive and needless headaches for law-abiding gun owners.”

The USPS reviewed public comments due on Monday before making any changes to its rules on handguns.

The National Rifle Association (NRA) praised the decision, claiming that the “USPS handgun prohibition continues to create massive and needless headaches for law-abiding gun owners.”

Attorneys general from around two dozen states sent a letter on Monday urging the USPS to withdraw the proposed rule. They argued that the proposal would make it easier for felons to access handguns.

Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford (D) is among those state attorneys general pushing back on the proposed rule, saying that the proposed rule would “make it easier for criminals and abusers to access firearms,” calling it a “slap in the face to gun violence survivors and law enforcement.”

“We cannot ignore the dangerous consequences of this proposed rule, which could open the door for prohibited individuals to obtain weapons without background checks or regard for state firearms laws,” California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) said in a statement. “This irresponsible loophole blatantly disregards public safety and would create a direct strain on state resources.”

Everytown for Gun Safety president John Feinblatt told The Associated Press that the proposed rule would turn the USPS into a “gun trafficking pipeline” for illegal weapons, “while stripping law enforcement of the tools they need to prevent and investigate gun crime.”

The NRA’s executive director for its Institute of Legislative Action John Commerford told the AP that thanks to the Trump administration, “USPS will finally allow these firearms to be shipped under the same commonsense safety conditions as rifles and shotguns.”

(thehill.com)

Who decides who is ”law abiding”?

What’s next from this admin a book of instruction on the proper use of a gun at mass shootings?

This is pour insanity….but what can we expect from the group holding all the power?

Thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

Political Hacks Are Butt Hurt

I make no bones about it that I think that SCOTUS is nothing more than a group of political hacks that are doing partisan work and in the process destroying what is left of this nation.

Then and when you need confirmation of their partisan crap Chief Justice had to go and whine about our perception of the court.

Chief Justice John Roberts wants Americans to know he doesn’t see the Supreme Court the way some critics might. Speaking Wednesday at a legal conference in Hershey, Pa., Roberts said many people wrongly believe the justices are “political actors” choosing outcomes based on policy preferences rather than legal analysis, NBC News reports. “I think they view us as truly political actors, which I don’t think is an accurate understanding of what we do,” he said. He was responding to a question about what the public most misunderstands regarding the high court, Politico reports.

Roberts, part of the court’s 6-3 conservative majority that has shifted federal law rightward on issues including abortion, guns, and voting rights, didn’t address any specific cases. But he stressed that the court is often obligated to hand down decisions that are disliked, saying rulings are “based on our best effort to figure out what the Constitution means and how it applies.” He acknowledged that the public is free to criticize the court’s work, while urging that critiques target decisions, not individual judges, warning personal attacks are “not appropriate” and can lead to “very serious problems,” especially amid heightened security concerns. He also did not mention President Trump, who himself has been among critics of the court at times, CNN reports.

Seriously?

This POS is saying this crap without laughing?

Our criticism can lead to ‘very serious problems’?  Really thanx to the Roberts court we already ass deep in serious problems and they can thank themselves for all the problems…..Citizens United, abortion rulings, education rulings, allowing insider trading by politicians, gutted voting rights etc etc….

Roberts and his happy band of hacks have turned the court into a partisan political arm of government.

I have no sympathy for Roberts and his fragile feelings.

If he wants us to stop hating them then I propose he and his partisan dipsticks retire to Mar-A-Lago and let the country move forward for with them it will stand still and then start in reverse.

Any thoughts?

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”

A Re-Post From Calico Jack

One of my blogging buddies writes some interesting stuff and this one is in-depth look and should be shared with the blogosphere.

Plus I love the “I Think’ logo….gotta have a t-shirt with that on it….

John Madden Explains Trump’s 2024 Victory (And What Democrats Need To Do About It)

I think the Dems are nowhere near saving this country from the chaos that Donny has created….but sadly we will just have to wait and see if they have a plan (I mean a real plan not some vague bullshit from their tiny minds).

I enjoy Jack’s writings hopefully you will find it as interesting as I do.

I Read, I Write, You Know

“lego ergo scribo”