ravan

To my US readers:

Today we witnessed an attempted coup by Trump supporters, instigated by Trump himself, supported inside Congress by Hawley, Cruz, and others. At the very least they are white supremacist terrorists.

This should not get swept under the rug like so much of Trump's other misdeeds and corruption.

This needs to be prosecuted as the sedition and insurrection it is. It is just as treasonous as the secessionists of the old confederate states. It needs to be squashed, and squashed hard.

I'm a nobody. I don't hold any office, I don't have lots of money.

But I am a US citizen, and I demand that Congress, the FBI, and the Secret Service do whatever they need to to bring these traitors to justice.

What can we do?

1. Start with demanding that Fox News be removed from your cable service for "material support of terrorism".
2. Do Not vote for any of the treasonous GOP for any office, not even dog catcher. As long as the GOP embraces Trumpism, even if not in name, reject them utterly.
3. Do not patronize MAGA businesses. Starve the beast.
4. Cut ties with your MAGA relatives. I know it's hard, but this shit has to have consequences, even for the footsoldiers.
5. Demand that your elected representatives denounce this, and if necessary, resign from the GOP..
6. For the duration of the pandemic, observe all public health directives and CDC guidelines. Starve Covid of victims.
7. If you can afford it, give to progressive/reformist causes, including the ACLU.
8. Stay aware of both local and national politics. Be aware of the shenanigans being pulled in your name.

It's not a lot, but every little bit counts.

We need to pull together, or they'll try to pick us off one by one.

Even if they defeat this now, unless it has heavy consequences we won't be rid of MAGAt "Y'all Queda" terror until they have no support and no place to hide.

So a Christian Fundamentalist committed a major act of terrorism in Norway, and people are acting all shocked, like they can't believe it. Guess what, folks? Right Wing Christian Fundamentalists, especially Dominionists, are just as terroristic in nature as Al Queda and their ilk. It's perfectly acceptable in their world view to "Kill a 'Commie' for Christ" or a gay, Muslim, woman, liberal, jew, black, etc. Who the hell do you think started the Crusades, anyway? It wasn't the Muslims, folks! Who did the Inquisition?

Right wing Christian fundamentalist extremism has been glossed over, passed off as the work of "lone wolves", or "fringe groups" that "aren't really Christian". Guess what? They go to "Christian" churches, wear crosses, read bibles, pray to Jesus, etc. They are just as "Christian" as the Muslim terrorists are Muslim. You don't get to say they "aren't really" members of the dominant religion in the Western world.

You say that if the Muslims don't stop the Muslim terrorists, then they are complicit. Well, guess what, folks, that sword cuts both ways: If average peaceful Christians don't stop Christian terrorists, they are just as complicit as average peaceful Muslims are in Muslim terror.

If you think it's not a problem, do a few google searches on words like "steeplejacking" and "dominionism". Check out SPLC and their right wing watch. White Militant Right Wing Christian groups are very, very popular. A lot of them are behind the Tea Party, and call them selves "Libertarian", too.

I feel sorry for the people in Norway, with their peace shattered by something within their own society. Let's hope they're smarter about how they deal with it than we were.

Dr George Tiller was gunned down in the lobby of his church by an anti-abortion terrorist today.

Yes, we have domestic terrorism. Operation Rescue, and their lunatic fringe followers, are exactly that. Same as the radical anti-gay bigots, the white supremacists, or the anti-government nutjobs. I really wish that the government would take them as seriously as they do Muslim Jihadists. The Christian Taliban deserves to be watched and arrested for their plots as much, if not more so, than the few Muslim extremists in this country.

I recommend that people who want to "do something" donate to either Planned Parenthood (protecting doctors and clinics is expensive) or the ACLU in memory of Dr. Tiller.

Practical Chemistry.

Well, now they've gone too far - the "official" word is:

NO LIQUIDS OR GELS OF ANY KIND WILL BE PERMITTED IN CARRY-ON BAGGAGE. ITEMS MUST BE IN CHECKED BAGGAGE. This includes all beverages, shampoo, suntan lotion, creams, tooth paste, hair gel, and other items of similar consistency.

Well, until they stop this silliness, I won't be flying unless absolutely, vitally neccessary.

No liquids, not even stuff you bought after being screened? That's just fucking ridiculous, and senseless! No soap, no hand sanitizer, no contact lense solution, no OTC cough medicine? Great, just perfect for helping to spread a pandemic!! Shit, it's already detrimental to the health of frequent business travellers who take precautions. Contact lense wearers will have to switch to their backup glasses, because airplane air is dry.

All this because because some boobs got caught plotting something in the UK?? Something as cockamamie as a liquid explosives and components to be assembled in the air?

"The terrorists planned to carry the components of the bombs, including liquid explosive ingredients and detonating devices, disguised as beverages, electronic devices or other common objects," (Chertoff) said.

and

Peter Neumann, director of the Centre for Defence Studies at London's King's College university, said the plan seemed similar to a 1995 plan to blow up 11 planes using nitroglycerine mixed in contact lens solution and a battery powered detonator.

Oh, brother, what a crock! Please, someone get a real chemist involved in this! Your odds of being able to successfully assemble and detonate a 'mix as you blow' explosive is really, really small. Most explosives have at least one really noxious smelling ingredient, and it would be noticed.

They now want us to drink only airline beverages, eat only airline (joke) food? I don't wanna be sick! That crap is made from cheapest, most unhealthy ingredients they can find, or is contaminated. Plus, they insist on pouring your drink, instead of giving you an unopened can. Their diet sodas are often left out in the sun to cook and go bad. Dehydration is already a risk and a contributor to airplane illness, in addition to low oxygen in recycled air, low humidity that puts a strain on the respiratory tract, and pesticide residues from systematic sprayings.

Scripts only enough for the flight, but in original prescription bottles? Where the fuck am I supposed to store the rest, when I buy them in a 3 month supply?

Britain wants people to check laptops, cell phones, backpacks, books and keys as well? Are they nuts? That's the essentials of life in the air, especially on transatlantic flights!

Sorry, guys, but just fuck off! Really. It's bad enough that you're treated like a probable criminal already for just wanting to board an airplane, but this is nuts.

As I have said before, if you truly want to 'secure' all of the passengers, you have them strip, submit to a body cavity search, don diapers and paper jumpsuits, put their airline boarding pass in a pouch around their necks, and strap them into their seats. You then take all of their stuff and put it on a different, cargo only, plane. But no one would accept that.

This crap won't fly either. Really:
1) No one in their right mind is going to check a $2,000 laptop when baggage is only covered to a total of $1,000.
2) If they lose my luggage, and I check my cell phone, I can't even call someone to let them know I've arrived!
3) If they lose my luggage, I'm then without any medication, and for some people that can be life threatening!
4) I always take a change of clothes and a few days' essentials in my carry-on. No backup now? No way!

The only way I could consider flying is if it's:
a) a short flight, or one with several layovers so I can eat and drink,
b) I can ship my valuables and medications ahead of me to a reliable location,
c) I can take sufficient sedatives, vitamins, and nutrtion in advance so that I can survive the flight without getting sick or homicidal,
d) absolutely essential that I get there faster than driving or train.

I'm glad I don't own any airline stock right now. Homeland (in)Security has made it worthless. Thanks George, for saddling us with their stupidity. Clinton and 'Jackboot Janet' Reno were bad enough, but this is just crap.

For business travel this would be a nightmare. The only people that would be happy are the airline concessionaires (phones, food, drink, and sundries), overnight shippers, and baggage thieves.

EDIT: BTW, you are more likely to die from an auto accident than from a terrorist attack - even if you live in Israel. This shit is getting stupider by the minute.

Are we at war? Does this justify increasing reduction of civil liberties? The answer to both is "no". Here's why: ( cut to appease the bandwidth ghods )