This is your trigger warning. If you are going to be bothered by my descriptions of what I believe America should look and feel like, please stop reading and come back next year when my topic may go back to music or scrapbooking or interesting tidbits. Please respect my space and DO NOT leave disinformation or inflammatory statements in the comments. It's my blog and I will delete them. Thanks for your cooperation.
B is for Benevolence over Bigotry.
Benevolence | Bigotry |
Kindness Good Will Charity Compassion Volunteering Social Conscience Generosity | Narrow Mindedness Prejudice Injustice Intolerance Racism Homophobia Discrimination |
Now I am not saying that ALL Democrats are perfect. And I am not saying that All Republicans are bigots. Let me make that clear. It just seems to me that the policies and laws that each party wants to make are so vastly different.
Take the new budget. Why in heaven would you want to take away funding from cancer research or giving food to children?
Does the color of one's skin or the fact that two men or women love each other change the fact that they are human beings?
Is it so hard to care about someone other than yourself? I just don't get it.
The basis for this year's A to Z has been taken from the speech that Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hakeem Jeffries, delivered on the opening of the 218th congress, which was the least productive congress in history up to that time. I'm not sure what's going to happen this year but we are not off to a good start!
Having a daughter who is married to another woman, any form of homophobia is deeply worrying for our family. There are some countries they would never be able to visit. Hopefully they won't have to add the USA to that list.
ReplyDeleteRight? Why should it make a difference to ANYONE who is married to who?
DeleteHi, Janet!
ReplyDeleteYesterday, April 1, 2025, was a good day for America, or at least a much better day. Surely, it was the best day for Democrats and the Trump-Musk resistance movement since the November election. The voters of Wisconsin made their voices heard, choosing by a wide margin the Democrat-backed liberal judge Susan Crawford for a seat on the state Supreme Court, thereby issuing a strong rebuke to Elon Musk, the richest man in the world. Musk had poured more than 20 million dollars into the race and made a spectacle of himself yet again by wearing a block of cheese on his head and handing out million dollar checks to voters in an unsuccessful attempt to buy the election for the Trump-endorsed Republican. Meanwhile, Democratic candidates in Florida races convincingly overperformed in ruby red districts. Last, but certainly not least, Cory Booker made us proud by standing on his feet for 25 hours and delivering his historic, record-breaking speech before the Senate on behalf of the American people. It was highly symbolic that Sen. Booker, an African American, broke the previous record for the longest Senate filibuster in history set by Strom Thurmond of South Carolina, whose objective in rambling for 24 hours was to prevent the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957.
As those three remarkable events unfolded on the same day, I felt proud to be an American and, for first time since the November election, hopeful that the Democratic Party can pick up the pieces and form a broad coalition that unites the middle class and the working class in a fight against a common foe - an authoritarian regime that benefits the billionaire oligarchy at the expense of everyone else.
As was the side by side list comparison you posted yesterday, today's seems like a no-brainer, You would think that anyone who calls himself an American would eagerly embrace the values in the Benevolence column and reject those in the Bigotry column. However, as discussed yesterday, the spin doctors of the far right propaganda machine are working overtime to brainwash the gullible masses into believing that bad is good, night is day and it's us against them. Democrats need to develop their own equally effective messaging apparatus so that we can reach those same people and give them the permission structure to break free from the cult of personality and identity politics.
First off, let me say a big thank you to you my friend for so eloquently adding to my post. I am hopeful that folks will read not only my remarks but also the insights shared by you. I was moved to tears by the final question Senator Schumer gave to Sen Booker and to see how emotionally charged he was.
DeleteTo be honest, I did not do a lot of prep work for this A to Z other than to identify the basic concepts. As I write them it seems that what is going on in the country is adding pieces for me to include. Thanks again my friend!
Clearly we're called to up our benevolence game in these challenging times. May all beings everywhere be safe, be happy, be free.
ReplyDeleteLet's hope that we can make it through this together.
DeleteI'm really looking out for ways to practice compassion and generosity in these times.
ReplyDeleteIt's heartbreaking to think of kids not getting food in school or the elderly not getting meals on wheels. So unnecessary.
ReplyDeleteThe sad thing is that Musk and Trump think they are benevolent. Their narcissistic manner can't make them see themselves as anything but because that would mean growth in their character. They are willingly stupid and the people whobtake that money, provided they are not helping sick family or the opposition are also stupid. I'm probably too blunt but I just watched John Cleese speak about this all. I love how eloquent Shady wrote about his thoughts.
ReplyDeleteYes, they try to tell themselves they are doing it for the "good of the people," but most of the time it turns out they are "the people." I appreciate Shady and his insights!
DeleteThank you, dear friend BB!
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