Safety

We await the Supreme Court taking up the case on medication abortion, based on a lower court ruling that the drug mifepristone is not safe for women to use.

Of course, the drug is safe and everyone involved in the case knows it is safe. The case isn't really about safety, it's about a mnority religious belief being given precedence by conservative judges over facts and science on a medical issue. How can they get away with this?

I'm Just Ken

I don't know if I'll end up seeing the Barbie movie. I never had a Barbie doll ... I was more a stuffed animal kind of kid. But I do like this song from the film, I'm Just Ken, sung by Ryan Gosling.

"Gender ideology"

I saw in the news the other day that Carlos Santana said something bad about trans people: Carlos Santana deletes apology, posts cryptic poem following anti-trans rant. This made me sad because I had always liked him since high school.

Conservatives, from Republican politicians to Pope Francis (Pope Francis: Gender ideology is ‘one of the most dangerous ideological colonizations’ today), all seem to be obsessed with transgender people and what they like to call "gender ideology". Though the percentage of trangender people in the population is very low, the subject has become a political wedge issue and a religious bugaboo.

It's hard to argue with conservatives on this subject because they have opted out of critical thinking and instead have chosen to be loyal to a certain value-system team. But, I can't help anyway wanting to post what science has to say about gender identity, for those who still care about trying to figure out what corelates with reality.

Here's an article from the science journal Nature ... Sex Redefined

And here's a video from SciShow on the subject ...

These Guys

A vote for any Republican is a vote against a woman's right to choose.

Mug shot

There he is ... the 77 year old realty show host/rapist/tax cheat/failed dictator, resplendent in his hair dye and greasepaint, giving us the "through the eyebrows" stare. I think it's meant to be scary.

The Witcher

The latest show I've been watching on Netflix is The Witcher ...

a fantasy drama television series ... based on the book series of the same name by Polish writer Andrzej Sapkowski. Set on a fictional, medieval-inspired landmass known as the Continent, The Witcher explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia, Yennefer of Vengerberg and Princess Ciri. It stars Henry Cavill, Anya Chalotra, and Freya Allan.

I've wanted to see it for some time because I like the actor who portrays the main character - Henry Cavill - you may remember him as Superman in Man of Steel.

I'm pretty tired of medieval-themed tv shows, but while Game of Thrones was a cynical, gore-filled, rape-loving piece of garbage, I think this show will be way better. There's still a lot of violence, but the main character is basically a good guy and the women seem to be real-ish people (Game of Thrones's Treatment of Women Will Tarnish Its Legacy).

Here's a scene from the show (violence) showing Geralt (Cavill) and a friend on the way to rescue his young ward, Princess Cirilla, trying to pass by the evil soldiers of Nilfgaard without incident. But then he decides to help the woman and child in distress ...

The cult

-Victims of the Jonestown tragedy

It's time we stop expecting Republicans to come to their senses and choose a less insane candidate for president.

Trump Voters Trust Ex-President More Than Their Family and Friends: Poll

Former President Donald Trump's supporters say they hold him as a source of true information over their family, friends, and religious leaders, according to a new CBS News/YouGov poll out on Sunday ...

So when are we going to get to the Jonestown segment of the Trump show?

Hurricane

California doesn't normally get hurricanes. We don't ever even get just rain in the summer. So, this is weird. I cant help but wonder what Republicans tell themselves about all these extreme weather events, since apparently they aren't allowed to believe in climate change.

Abortion pill 2

You can't make this up. We're approaching Handmaid's Tale territory now.

Lahaina

For those who haven't ever visited Maui, this video I saw today shows Lahaina before the fire. So much lost.

Abortion pill

Restrictions on abortion pill mifepristone upheld by U.S. appeals court

It is appalling that "pro-life" nuts can second guess the doctors and scientists of the FDA on which drugs can be used and how they can be used by the American people. The hubris of a religious minority forcing their extremist beliefs down the throats of a whole country is breathtaking.

Guitars

- Jimmy Page

I feel that I should be posting about Trump being indicted in Georgia, and I will later, but for now I have a strange compulsion to post about my favorite guitar solos. Blame Morning Joe, where the subject caame up this morning as I was washing dishes. I'm no expert, but here are some guitar bits that I especially lie ...

Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Stairway To Heaven ...



Eagles, Don Felder and Joe Walsh, Hotel California (acoustic) ...



Santana, Carlos Santana, Black Magic Woman ...



Eric Clapton, Cocaine ...



Heart, Roger Fisher, Crazy On You ...



Moody Blues, Justin Hayward, Never Comes The Day ...

66%

Discussed at the end of Meet the Press today was the subject of the recent vote in Ohio, in which those who were for reproductive rights voted down a plan to make it harder to add a constitutional amendment (to enshrine abortion rights). The 'no' voters won with 57% of the vote, even though Ohio is a red state ... a lot of Republicans voted 'no'.

The anti-abortion movement would have us believe that most voters are against women's reproductive rights, but that is not true, of course. What's even more interesting is that not even all Republicans are "pro-life". As shown on the Data Download portion of Meet the Press, only 66% of Republicans are actually anti-abortion, and when you look closer, most of those ... 80% ... are what you would call Trump voters (MAGA Republicans). The extremists in their party.

Liar

When I see/hear people supporting Trump, I just don't get it. You only need to listen to him talk for a few minutes to know with certainty what kind of person he is. An example I heard this morning - Trump at a rally, talking to his zombie horde ...

"Crooked Joe now wants the thug prosecuter, this deranged guy, to file a court order taking away my first amendment rights so that I can't speak. So listen to this: we don't want you to speak about rhe case. When we say I can't talk ... I will talk about it, I will. They're not taking away my first amendment rights."

Crooked Joe ... from the first word, Trump is lying about Biden, calling him a crook

now wants the thug prosecuter ... Trump is lying about Biden controlling DOJ special counsel Jack Snith, when Biden has kept a distance from the DOJ and its prosecutions. In fact, it was Trump, when president, who was constantly trying to get his DOJ to prosecute his perceived enemies

this deranged guy ... Trump is telling his cult members that the man prosecuting him is deranged - another lie

a court order taking away my first amendment rights ... there is no court order taking away Trump's first amendment rights. Like any indicted defendant, he is not supposed to talk specifically about the sensitive information he gains from the DOJ in discovery, information about witnesses, for example, so that his crazed follwers will not decide to go off and, you know, kill them

I will talk about it, I will ... he's trying to portray himself as both a victim and a brave hero who will stand against the evil Democrat machine, despite the odds, all to protect his base. What he is doing in actuality is challenging the judge, seeing how far he can push her, how much he can get away with. Later today the judge will decide what exactly Trump should not talk about, and what he can. We'll see how defiant he is then, when he may end up in jail for disregarding what she decides.

How can any decent person support this liar?

Update: Judge Chutkan says Trump’s right to free speech in January 6 case is ‘not absolute’

Maui

So terrible.

I visited Hawaii and Maui once in 1981 with my grandmother, mother, and sister. Here's my mother, my grandmother, and me arriving in Hawaii ...

We spent some time in Lahaina, Maui, visiting Haleakalā volcano, and the Great Amida Buddha statue at the Jodo Mission. Here's me and the Buddha ...

How can anyone want to vote for the climate-change-denying Republicans?

Ohio 2

Before we who are pro-choice get too happy about Ohio and other states, we need to realize that the religious extremists who championed the Dobbs decision are not done with us yet.

Not satisfied with returning the decision about abortion to the states, allowing the people in the states to decide, they want to reinterpret Dobbs as imposing a total abortion ban on the whole country. An example is a disturbing article from the conservative First Things titled "Life After Dobbs" (sorry - can't seem to attach a link).

Political pundits find it hard to understand why Republicans don't cut their losses on the abortion issue, knowing they will lose voters. What they fail to understand is that the pro-life movement is not made up of pragmatists, but of religious fanatics. Those fanatics cannot be reasoned with or bargained with, and they will not stop, ever, until they have their way.

More from the L.A. Times: Editorial: When will Republicans get the message that people want their abortion rights?

Ohio

Voters in Ohio reject GOP-backed proposal that would have made it tougher to protect abortion rights

As in Kansas, the conservative religious minority working against women's reproductive rights has failed. A democracy is about majority rule, even in the Red state of Ohio, where most women (and people in general) are pro-choice.

The rapist

Judge says E Jean Carroll allegation Trump raped her is ‘substantially true’ in court dismissal

Yep, the Republican party is solidly behind a convicted rapist. How do they look their children in the face?

John Lauro

Today on Meet the Press - Trump's latest lawyer, John Lauro, representing him in the Jan 6 case. I'm only half way through listening to him and already I'm overwhelmed with rage, disgust, and a kind of helpless despair.

Why? Because the lawyer is a liar who is going on tv to "flood the zone with sh*t" and confuse persuadable voters.

Because this strategy isn't about facts of law, of course. This strategy is about getting Trump (or another Republican) elected in 2024, so that Trump can make his convition disappear.

The level of cynacism, hypocrisy, and moral bankruptcy on the part of Trump and his henchmen makes me feel sick. Even worse - the knowledge that almost half the country would be quite happy living under a Trump dictatorship.

Donald Trump's lawyer claims efforts to overturn 2020 election were only 'aspirational,' not criminal>a?

Slitting throats

Slitting throats, says this "pro-life" would-be president of the United States. This is who you are, Republicans. I would argue that this is who you've always been, at least in my lifetime. Only difference - now you're just letting it all hang out. You must be so proud.

Pope in Portugal

The Pope's in Portugal for the church's World Youth Day summit, and Francis met with some victims of clergy sex abuse there, because ...

A report this year concluded that at least 4,815 children had been abused in Portugal and that the Church had sought "systematically" to conceal the issue. - BBC

The meeting with the Pope took place with just a few vitims and was, as it always is, kept secret as to what was said/done. There's just one time I'm aware of where one of the victims taking part in a secret meeting with the Pope actually broke the silence. From the Irish Times ...

Irish abuse victim tells Pope she wants Cardinal Brady removed

Clerical child abuse survivor Marie Kane (43) has asked Pope Francis to remove Cardinal Seán Brady as Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland due to his handling of a clerical child abuse inquiry in 1975 ....

“It’s a big thing with me that there are still members of the hierarchy there who were involved in the cover-up. I feel personally they (Church) cannot contemplate any change happening, there will be no success” as long as such people remained in place, she told The Irish Times today.

During a meeting in the Vatican, she told Pope Francis that “cover-up is still happening and you have the power to make these changes.” There were others besides Cardinal Brady, she said, but “I didn’t want to go into a litany.”

Pope Francis responded that “it was difficult to make these changes,” ..

Pope Francis has done nothing to ameliorate the clergy sex abuse problem. Nothing. He refuses to apply a world-wide standard of reporting to police of sex abuse by priests and other church workers ... Pope mandates reporting of sex abuse to church, not police. He refuses to extradite pedophile priests and bishops hiding out at the Vatican ... Vatican Tells Poles It Won’t Extradite Archbishop Accused of Pedophilia. Pope Francis refuses to consider married priests. He refuses to consider women priests. The list goes on

There are exceptions, but overall, the Pope and the church cannot and will not be held accountable for clergy sex abuse. And Catholics just keep on being Catholic. I guess the only children that matter are the "unborn".

Indicted!

Special Counsel Jack Smith speaks briefly about the indictment against Trump for Jan. 6 ...



More from Rachel Maddow ......



Some think this is a sad day because a former president has been indicted for trying to become a dictator. I think it's a great day, because it shows that no one is above the law in America, not even a wealthy ex-president cult-leader.

More: Trump is facing his most important indictment yet — and nearly insurmountable odds at trial