Tuesday, January 14, 2025
The World Is Fine Except For People.
Solaris isn’t talking to me this morning. You see, Sol likes sleeping on top of me, typically on my shoulder or hip as I tend to be a side sleeper. Last night was no different. Normally, he approaches from the foot of the bed, finds a comfy spot, and snuggles in. Sol also gets up and wanders around the house during the night. Again, a very typical cat thing to do.
This morning’s problem occurred, though, when he was blocked from taking his normal route back to my shoulder. There were dogs in his way. Sol decided the best solution was to jump over Hamilton, which should have been fine, in theory. However, I was in the middle of a WWII-themed dream when all four sets of his claws hit my hip. My response was instinctive. Thinking that Nazis were attacking me, I yelled (for real), and sent poor Solaris flying into the bedroom wall.
If my scream woke anyone else, they haven’t said anything. Sol retreated to the relative safety of my desk chair. I got up and gave him hugs and he eventually came back to bed, settling back down on the same hip he’d attacked. That was at 4:10 this morning. The tone for the day has been set.
We’ve hit that point in the four-year cycle where a lot of people and businesses are making decisions and changing directions as government shifts. Like many states, Indiana has a new governor, an ardent supporter of Felonious Punk who will likely be eager to do the orange one’s bidding. Yet, it’s the new Lt. Governor that has everyone, including many Republicans, concerned. Starbucks now requires that one buy something before using their bathroom or hogging their wifi. There are far too many better places to get coffee, so the only people I see being negatively affected are those whose Depends are already at a breaking point. Amazon is ending its ‘Try Before You Buy’ option for Prime members. I never thought this was a good idea in the first place, as return costs were overwhelming the system. One can still return garments in the usual fashion, so I don’t see a significant number of people losing anything.
At the same time, I’m noticing that a number of people are planning to leave Meta and some other social media platforms. For many, the combination of a million-dollar donation to Felonious Punk’s inauguration and ending its fact-checking policies is too much to bear. I get it. In some ways, I ‘left’ Facebook over a year ago when I started posting my morning updates here so they wouldn’t get flagged. I still scroll through and look at your pictures and such, but I spend little consequential time there outside of when I’m taking a shit.
Here’s the problem with a wholesale departure from a platform: all that remains are the dregs of online society. The misinformation problem gets worse because there’s no one to call out or block those who share it. Good people leaving Meta platforms ultimately end up feeding the monster rather than hurting it in any noticeable way. I’ve already seen an increase in the number of Russia- or Iran-backed fake profiles. While I report and block them as fast as I see them, I know there are thousands more that I don’t see, and that’s a problem.
I also see more people falling for conspiracy theories that, if one looks at them with a modicum of reason, make no sense. I see you making statements like, “There’s too much that doesn’t make sense for some of those theories to not be true.” Really? That reminds me of people who still say they believe the myths of some holy book because science is too much for them to comprehend. Both attitudes are steeped in a willful ignorance that demonstrates a lack of critical thinking by people who have deluded themselves into thinking that they’re being thoughtful and critical.
No, I’m not leaving anything more than I already have. Seeing pictures of your babies and family adventures brightens the days when I have difficulty walking across the floor. There’s still good on social media, we have to curate it for ourselves.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department released Jack Smith’s report yesterday. You can read the whole thing for yourself. Short version: the orange one is guilty as hell and would be indicted if he weren’t about to be a sitting president, again. Therefore, I will, from this point forward, refer to him only as Felonious Punk. Everything he does, everything he says, needs to be couched in the knowledge that this individual knowingly and intentionally broke the law. I will also continue to point out that I’m not the one who re-elected his punk ass.
Now, I have to try and prepare myself for another round of stupidly cold weather. We have enough food, blankets, and clothing for everyone. My biggest concern is the safety of the kids while they’re on city buses. Tipper has already told me of one event where the bus was unable to avoid sliding into an intersection. The bus is still probably safer than a car, though. I wish I could trust the dogs to take themselves outside, but if you’ve met Hamilton you know that’s never going to be possible. Fortunately, he doesn’t like sub-zero windchill more than the rest of us.
Pour yourself another cup of coffee. The day is still young. Remember, life isn’t all that bad as long as you have enough medication.
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.
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