Monday February 15, 2021
As we witnessed on the impeachment vote 43 Senators voted not to impeach. Most of them were from western states with small populations. The dog catcher of Los Angeles County probably gets more votes than all of them combined, and therein lies the problem. Bill Maher has repeatedly pointed out that within a decade the vast majority of the population will live in 16 states. That means the senators from states with very small populations will have undue influence over the country. Look at Montana, big place, big sky, two Senators, one Congressional representative.
Combine this with the fact that most of the rural areas are staunchly not Democrat. I hesitate to say Republican because of the transformation of that party. It’s not so much a transformation as a coming out of the closet. They were always pro-big business, anti little guy, Fascist, combined with a “Christian” ethos, whatever that means. It’s just that now it’s out in the open, as is their anti-gay (even though a lot are), anti-abortion (even though they don’t hesitate to get one), racist agendas.
Inflaming this situation is the fact that most of the rural TV and radio stations have been bought up by conservative media groups, which force their agenda onto the air waves. This radicalizes the already conservative outlook of that population.
And so we get the vote in the Senate on impeachment that we got. Interestingly, eleven of the 43 senators who voted against this impeachment voted for the impeachment of Bill Clinton. The Clinton impeachment was a political hit job. This was not. (Or perhaps you want to say they are opposed to blow jobs (even though they get them) but for insurrection and the downfall of democracy.
There is no mending our divide. Not unless some fundamental changes are made to our society which I doubt will happen.
One) the media needs to be made more even handed, especially in rural areas. If you are spewing lies constantly you must be held to account. I don’t know how you do that.
Two) the Senate needs to reflect the population of the United States more evenly. I don’t know how you do that.
Three) We need to either free up representatives both in the House and Senate to be able to cross party lines, or we need to impose term limits to get the fools out.
Hopefully, those who brought about this insurrection will be hunted down and brought to justice. This includes those in the House and Senate who aided and abetted the insurrectionists. I like the idea of a truth commission. I’d like to hear from some of the insurrections who said they were there because Trump told them to be there. I’d like to hear how they feel now that he has thrown them under the bus and rolled over them with a steam roller?
Q’anon must be stamped out. How you do that I don’t know.
As must many of the hate groups, militias, and other wacko organizations.
You can have your beliefs. You should not be permitted to express them on airwaves. I know this is radical. I’d like to see it applied to religions and I’d like to see church property taxed too. Nothing like having to pay to bring about change. Look at Fox, they all of a sudden decided a big mouth conspiracy spewing lying talk show host wasn’t worth having now that they are being sued for $2.7 billion.
I’m tired of it. Tired of the silliness of Rand Paul and Ted Cruz and Josh Hawley and that idiot Q’Anon woman. Please, Mitch McConnell don’t lecture me about how the House managers didn’t do this or that and if only they had done X Y or Z – then what? You still wouldn’t have voted any other way.
In other news, we got our power back after the ice storm which besieged us for two or three days. Doesn’t take much to reduce one to looking like a refuge.
Never Forget!
Forget what? Is the question.
I gotta go.
PS The look from the head of our road yesterday afternoon.
Wow, that genny was timelessly needed!