Wednesday, January 15, 2025
You Can Die If You Want To.
Zero. As I type this morning, that’s how many degrees of warmth we have in Indianapolis. Zero. Granted, the US still uses the Fahrenheit scale so we’re not talking about absolute zero, in which case I would have kept the kids home from school and the dogs would just have to hold everything until later this morning. As it is, I made sure children were well-layered, capped, and gloved before they walked out the door with what I hope is sufficient warning about the amount of ice everywhere.
G has a visit to the state house scheduled for today, something to do with entrepreneurship and economics. I’m hoping his trip is interesting and educational. If not, be sure that his review will be more scathing than anything I might write. The child has no filter and is not shy about expressing his viewpoint. The same goes for a couple of his school friends. I’m not sure the airheads in the state legislature are ready for what’s about to hit them this morning.
Like many states, Indiana does most of its law-making during the first two months of each year. There simply isn’t enough going on to justify longer terms in most states, and governors always have the ability to call a special session if an emergency pops up. So far, there are 503 bills introduced to the state senate and 519 bills in the state house. If that sounds like a lot, don’t worry too much. In previous years, fewer than fifty bills actually make it to the governor’s desk for signing. Some are combined, but most are dropped because they are, in a word, stupid.
For example, Senate Bill 364 and House Bill 1335 both lack any understanding of real-world science. The bill “Prohibits a person who has the intent of affecting the intensity of sunlight, temperature, or weather from discharging a chemical or apparatus into the atmosphere, except in certain circumstances.” That’s right, folks, they’re outlawing chemtrails and weather manipulation machines because Indiana science education has failed that badly.
Senate Bill 35 requires that “each school corporation, charter school, and state accredited nonpublic elementary school to include print handwriting, cursive handwriting, and spelling in its curriculum.” Because, you know, this generation does so much handwriting.
Here’s a fun one. Senate Bill 11 proposes that “a social media operator [to] restrict a minor user’s access to social media without first obtaining verifiable parental consent for the minor user. Defines a “minor user” as an individual who is less than 16 years of age. Establishes a civil cause of action to allow a parent or legal guardian of a minor user who accesses social media without verifiable parental consent to bring a suit against the social media operator. Allows any person to bring an action for injunctive relief against a social media operator if the social media operator fails to implement a verifiable parental consent method. Allows the attorney general to: (1) bring an action against a social media operator that fails to implement a verifiable parental consent method; and (2) issue a civil investigative demand if the attorney general has reasonable cause to believe that any person is engaged in a violation. Creates a civil cause of action if a minor user is subject to social media bullying.” I get that online bullying is a problem, but this isn’t the answer.
House Bill 1170 eliminates gun-free safe zones. Heaven forbid there be anywhere that Second Amendment nut jobs can’t get to you.
House Bill 1008 wants to adjust the Indiana/Illinois state line. Damn good thing we don’t border Greenland.
Senate Bill 286 makes it illegal to wear a mask at a public assembly. Let’s all just get sick and die.
House Bill 1231 requires the display of the Ten Commandments in all schools. Because iron-age mythology makes more sense than science education.
There’s plenty more to read through if you have absolutely nothing better to do with your day. The greater majority of bills are housekeeping details that keep everything funded and running. Most bills won’t see the light of day, especially if they encounter any serious pushback.
One bill I was surprised to see but wholly support is House Bill 1011 which would allow for end-of-life options. Specifically, “Allows individuals with a terminal illness who meet certain requirements to make a request to an attending provider for medication that the individual may self-administer to bring about death. Specifies requirements a provider must meet in order to prescribe the medication to a patient. Prohibits an insurer from denying payment of benefits under a life insurance policy based upon a suicide clause in the life insurance policy if the death of the insured individual is the result of medical aid in dying.” Given the state’s stance on abortion, I don’t expect this bill to make it out of committee, if it even gets that far.
Right-to-die legislation makes far too much sense for an aging population where up to 4 in 10 people could develop dementia after 55. Anyone who has witnessed a loved one slowly, painfully, withering away, not knowing where or who they are, understands the level of mercy this type of legislation shows. Republicans don’t understand compassion or mercy, though, and they’re sorely lacking in common sense, so don’t expect this one to hit the governor’s desk.
I can’t overemphasize that most of the bills proposed in this state legislature or anywhere else will ever actually come up for a vote in any form. State legislators like to act all big and grandiose as they introduce their insipid little bills, but rarely does anyone actually give a shit. For that matter, rarely does anyone even know who they are. I’ve often wondered if someone could walk into the chamber wearing a suit with a flag lapel pin and just start talking. Would anyone know the fucking difference?
States are likely to become the front line of the Felonious Punk’s agenda because it will be easier to pass ridiculous legislation in state houses than it is at the federal level. State legislators tend to be an empty-headed sanctimonious lot that relishes any attempt to garner favor at a federal level. Watching them genuflect to a convicted felon and rapist makes me want to puke.
Meanwhile, LA is still on fire and celebrities don’t want you to forget about them. There are photo ops everywhere.
What matters most is that we all are warm and safe and that there’s more coffee in the pot.
Sunday, January 19, 2025
Calculating The Risks.
There are risks to almost everything we do. Have I had enough sleep or too much? Are these clothes too heavy or too light for the weather outside? Am I drinking too much coffee (NEVER!)? Am I taking too much medicine? Is the unknown person who just hit my DMs real or a bot? One of life’s greatest challenges is that we don’t know what we don’t know. There are moments when the best option we have is to fuck around and find out. This morning is one of those moments.
Last week I was about to walk into the kitchen when I saw Tipper standing there in her furry costume, oversized monster head and all. I paused, unsure of what was going on. She began to dance. She danced for about 15 seconds, then ran over and turned off the video on her phone. She was on TikTok. While I might consider our small, cramped kitchen an inappropriate space for any picture, Tipper was having a blast interacting with her friends.
Tipper isn’t awake yet (no surprise there), so I don’t know how she’s going to respond to finding out that her favorite app isn’t working this morning. I don’t expect a great deal of anguish on her part because she has other sources of communication open and she’s not afraid to use them. All of them. At the same time. For her generation, apps are a fluid space. When one goes down, two or three more pop up to take its place.
What’s interesting is that TikTok is being shut down over a perceived risk that China is using the tool to skim off personal information. China has denied the allegations while First Amendment advocates claim that free speech dominates over a risk that might not be real. Yet, there’s something we don’t know that has caused two administrations, Congress, and the United States Supreme Court to support banning the app. We’re not getting the full picture, one that apparently scares the shit out of those who are in the know. So, we’re banning the use of the app, just to be safe. The risks are too high.
Of course, not everyone agrees, which is acceptable. One person on Blue Sky lamented that it seems strange to worry about the risk of Chinese spies when we’re letting the devil himself into the Oval Office. While I can certainly appreciate that view, my instinct tells me that the government is making the right move. China is not to be trusted. They’ve never been trustworthy at any point in my lifetime. Regardless of the trade between them and the rest of the world, China has repeatedly proven that every move they make has behind it the intention to dominate on a political level. The risk is likely more severe than anyone outside China’s Communist Party knows.
And there’s another risk raised by the New York Times. What if no one misses TikTok? After all, it’s not like the app is out there saving lives. The videos are more silly than informational. Most creators are kids having fun with their friends. So, what happens if they just shrug off the blackout and move on to a completely different interest? It’s a question that can’t be answered until they all start waking up this morning.
The TikTok ban seems irrelevant when compared to some other risks. Guard troops will wear a special patch at Trump’s inauguration to make it clear they aren’t police. Noting that a) every law enforcement branch seems to be wearing camo these days, and b) Far-right actors have shown open hostility toward police in the past, the National Guard wants to make sure that genuinely stupid people can tell the difference between Guard troops and police at the inauguration. The risk is real. Many extreme supporters of Felonious Punk are violent and even more of them are really, really, really, really stupid.
Moving the inauguration indoors to the very Capitol rotunda that some of the same people stormed four years ago creates more risks. Judges allow some Capitol riot defendants to return to DC for the Felon’s inauguration. At the same time, that doesn’t mean they’ll be able to get inside the Capitol as space for the event is quite limited. How will they respond to being left out in the cold? One has to acknowledge the risk, but at the same time, one would expect the risk to be mitigated by their support for the incoming president. We’ll just have to see how it goes, won’t we?
Here’s another risk that probably isn’t getting sufficient attention: It’s not clear who will lead the Pentagon when the Felon takes office. What happens then? There currently is no appointee to lead the Defense Department. A significant number of people are stepping down tomorrow and that institution built on chain-of-command strategies isn’t going to know who’s in charge. Who has the final say on things? Who’s going to take responsibility if something goes wrong? Can the military respond appropriately should there be an attack?
Of course, there’s a backup plan and a backup plan to the backup plan. However, anyone who’s been in the military will be quick to tell you that such plans get set aside when politics comes into play. For all its rules and regulations, the Pentagon is mired deeply in both internal and external politics. The fight for who gets to call the shots has been present for generations, even causing disasters on the battlefield. We can hope that our enemies are not ready to take advantage of this obvious weakness, but all the hoping in the world doesn’t make anyone any safer.
The biggest risk of all? If you live in the continental United States, your pipes could burst this week. Subzero temperatures will blanket the US starting early Monday morning and carrying through at least Wednesday. Such a severe cold puts the nation’s plumbing at risk no matter how much insulation one has. Yes, there are things one can do, such as leaving faucets running constantly for the next three days, but that, in turn, creates other risks as well. In our house, we have a number of cats who would rather drink the water running from the tap than from their water bowl. That increases the risks of things being knocked off the counter and breaking.
No one is immune from risk. Even if you don’t have cats rushing up to your kitchen sink, simply stepping outside and breathing the cold air puts one at risk. Heaters carry risks. Thermal clothes have risks. There’s no escaping the fact that our lives have a lot of risks and there’s not a lot we can do about any of it.
And now I’m hearing cats in the empty bathtub. Cats with zoomies are a risk.
My personal plan is to watch where I step and drink more coffee. Beyond that, whatever happens, happens.
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