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Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label democracy. Show all posts

Saturday, July 4, 2026

Fighting for freedom

  

Continental Army’s North Carolina Brigade marching through Philadelphia on Aug. 25, 1777
This is a great drawing of the American Revolution, showing women and children in the wagon, taking their parts in the conflict.




This 250 year long experiment in democracy by a republic called the United States of America is not doing so well at this time.

Whether it shall long endure has become a question in many people's minds. In the months until the November election there are strange and awful possibilities to be thrown at the world from the current authoritarian clown.

We shall see...

Me visiting my second son and his family in Atlanta for the Fourth sometime in the  early 2000s. This year he and his family will be in Philadelphia at a World Cup Soccer game!


The frequent and well populated demonstrations show that many many Americans are opposed to the actions coming from the White House.



What is the United States of America? See Rebecca Solnit's article in The Guardian.

that article link is worth reading!





Monday, June 8, 2026

The Blue Ridge Mountains plus democracy

 




by Shelley Hale flame azalea Carver Gap on the Appalachian Trail





This is what professional photographers produce!

I might have prettier photos, but I missed seeing these blooms at their peak. 


The recent anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protest, where it became known to the world that Chinese students knew what democracy meant, and they wanted it. I'll never forget learning that the roll of film with this photo had to be smuggled out in a journalist's underwear.

These are frequently on Jeopardy questions and answers.






When my voice stops with death,
my heart will keep talking to you.
~ Rabindranath Tagore


And sharing John Anvilcloud’s blog post yesterday of beautiful shots of poppies!




Monday, November 11, 2024

In memory of those who died

... so that we might have freedom. And those who died of other causes while serving in the armed forces. 

I drive by the Veterans Cemetery almost 3 times a week. This last Thursday I saw all the markers had flags flying over them in honor of Veterans Day today.



And Veterans day also gives me a chance to wish that no armed persons die from any conflicts between nations any more. May we  somehow have peace.

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https://fb.watch/vLeJceGTAu/  Just a bit of cello music for your enjoyment.

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Today's quote:

Once and for all / the idea of glorious victories / won by the glorious army / must be wiped out / Neither side is glorious / On either side they're just frightened men messing their pants / and they all want the same thing / Not to lie under the earth / but to walk upon it / without crutches. 

-Peter Weiss, writer, artist, and filmmaker (1916-1982)


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Just saying, this is not what I think, but is what my GOP relations do think. Thus it shows how they were convinced that our constitution was threatened by those wanting to have a democracy. These are grown people who studied the same kinds of classes about US History and Civilization that I did in high school. (That's not likely to happen to the next generation however)

I kid you not.


by Georgia O'Keeffe

Sunday, October 20, 2024

A President-to-be's birthday

 Happy birthday Vice President Kamala Harris. Born in Oakland CA in 1964.

NOT a photo of baby Kamala, but just a reminder of how small and vulnerable we all are at birth.

I just read the Wikipedia article (with lots of references) about Kamala's life. The talking points usually just give this or that detail, and I wanted to piece together how she came to be where she is on this 60th birthday, running for President of the US in an election in 2 weeks.

Here's the link, if you're lazy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamala_Harris


I watch several news programs, as well as read the news links on line. This election is as tight as ever there was, but I have hopes that she will win. Our democracy depends upon it.


Today's quote:

Victoria Woodhull once wrote, “Let women issue a declaration of independence sexually, and absolutely refuse to cohabit with men until they are acknowledged as equals in everything, and the victory would be won in a single week.” First woman to run for Presidency in 1872

Wednesday, August 14, 2024

Closer to home.

 Is North Carolina being played by Elon Musk and the PAC he's behind for Trump?

Here's an article (August 7, 2024)  about state agencies investigating this.

  Multiple state agencies are looking into...


On Facebook a few weeks ago, there was a clarification that certain links to supposedly register you to vote, were fake. They only collected your information. I'm always glad when smart Facebook readers catch these things.


That's the action  that is being investigated by the following:

“North Carolina law makes it a crime for someone to fail to submit a voter’s registration form if that person has told a voter that they would be submitting the voter’s registration form,” elections board spokesman Pat Gannon said.

 America PAC is backed by Tesla Chief Executive Elon Musk, who tops the Forbes list of world billionaires, as well as several other wealthy tech industry insiders. The group didn’t provide a statement when reached for comment.

Gannon said the elections board itself doesn’t have the power to file criminal charges but could refer the case for prosecution, depending on what its investigation discovers.

 The North Carolina Department of Justice is also looking into America PAC but has yet to begin a formal investigation, a spokeswoman for Attorney General Josh Stein confirmed this week.

Stein, a Democrat, is running for governor this year. The state elections board is also led by a Democratic majority. And the complaint into America PAC and its pro-Trump activities that kicked off the investigation was filed by a Democratic activist from western North Carolina, David Wheeler (who leads a liberal PAC called American Muckrakers)

 

So I say again, watch the puppet masters of the Republican party...among whom are many billionaires looking out for their interests. Are there puppet masters in the Democratic party? I imagine so, but the thrust of their campaign is to retain the constitutionally designed democratic republic that we currently have... i.e. democracy.

Remember the cliche' "Follow the Money."

Incidentally, tRump will be appearing in Asheville NC today. Downtown has closed lots of roads near the convention center. Considering Asheville is known to be a liberal blue town, I'm quite certain lots of MAGA folks from around the county will appear. Of course I'll stay away!

But I do hope the Blue Wave people have a counter-demonstration outside the talk! And I can't wait to see what our local news shows. On the local news last night, the local Democratic headquarters said they are not planning any demonstration. The news still showed a clip from the last time tRump came to Asheville, there were angry protestors going against each other. The city of Asheville says nobody has asked for a permit to have a demonstration.

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And another footnote, I watched CBS's Sunday evening show "Sixty Minutes" finally last night, and there were some interview clips with Biden. Biden quoted Trump at one point. And the show cut away from the interviewer completely with a "correction that Trump made to that quote later." This smacks of how our news is so bent due to Trump's minion's heavy hands. I shouted at my TV! Incidentally, (loving that word) I don't know if the splice was done by CBS or by local TV editors...anything is possible.

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And today is also the anniversary of Social Security! Thank you Frances Perkins! (See Letters from an American today!)



Today's quote:

In an earlier stage of our development most human groups held to a tribal ethic. Members of the tribe were protected, but people of other tribes could be robbed or killed as one pleased. Gradually the circle of protection expanded, but as recently as 150 years ago we did not include blacks. So African human beings could be captured, shipped to America, and sold. In Australia white settlers regarded Aborigines as a pest and hunted them down, much as kangaroos are hunted down today. Just as we have progressed beyond the blatantly racist ethic of the era of slavery and colonialism, so we must now progress beyond the speciesist ethic of the era of factory farming, of the use of animals as mere research tools, of whaling, seal hunting, kangaroo slaughter, and the destruction of wilderness. We must take the final step in expanding the circle of ethics. -Peter Singer, philosopher and professor of bioethics (b. 6 Jul 1946)

Friday, January 12, 2024

So you want to do something about keeping democracy alive?

 Before voting, people have to be on the ballots, and here are some who are wanting to run for Congress, and will support gun control laws...from the Gifford PAC.


Whether or not you want to contribute in this way, keep an eye on these people, find ways to encourage their campaigns in whatever way you can, and of course, if you happen to live in their states, you know what to do!






Paid For By Giffords PAC; not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. www.Giffords.org


Today's quote:

Gratefulness draws on the best of the human spirit in all of us. It renews and refreshes us, and best of all it is contagious.

AMY EDELSTEIN