Morning Update: 08/13/24
How well do you know your kids? As parents, we want to think that we know our kids pretty well. We’ve taught them what to do in different situations and we’ve seen how they’ve reacted to surprise and change. Yet, all that can disappear in a moment when you get a text from the school saying, “Your child is marked present to school, but absent from advisory. Please talk with them about following their assigned schedule.” That hit my phone at 12:15 yesterday afternoon. Fortunately, I was awake and able to respond quickly.
“Why are you marked absent from advisory?” I messaged her. Sure, they’re not supposed to have their phones out at school, but I assumed that if she was skipping for some reason she would at least take her phone with her.
What was eventually revealed was that one of her friends, the one that took her to the far Saturday night, had gotten sick. Part of her message said, “…I had to watch him literally empty his stomach which was literally only water. I was scared for him.” We chatted briefly and soon after that I got a call from her support coach. She confirmed Tipper’s account and said that Tipper’s level of empathy left her exhausted. The coach recommended we pick her up. Unfortunately, Kat was booked and, of course, I had no way to go get her. Kat gave her permission to leave early and ride the bus home.
When she got home, I gave her a big hug, she cried a bit, and then she went to lie down.
Yeah, this is our child. We’re proud of her. And while her absence will be probably unexcused, her continuing education in caring about other people is just as important. Her empathy is immense and learning how to respond in a caring and appropriate way is more important than immersive Spanish.
Situations like this, however, are why I’m infuriated that women don’t have complete autonomy over their own bodies. The Associated Press ran a story yesterday about how hospital emergency rooms are turning women away despite federal law requiring them to be treated because of punitive state laws promising severe penalties, including long jail sentences if they end a pregnancy for any reason. This is the direct result of allowing Republicans to be in charge of anything. This also emphasizes why it is just as important to vote for Democrats down ballot as well as at the federal level.
We’re at this point where doctors and hospital administrators are afraid to do their jobs because we were lazy at the ballot and let Republicans win. We’re okay with autonomous cars, autonomous volocopters, and autonomous robots, but not autonomous women? As much as we can’t let Republicans grab control of Congress and the White House, we must wrestle control of state houses away from them as well. At the state level, dangerous plans such as Project 2025 are more likely to be successfully implemented. States are more likely to gut education systems, prohibit the teaching of critical race theory, eliminate DEI programs, ban books, limit or eliminate medical funding for poor and elderly people, cut or eliminate food assistance programs, and generally make the world a less tolerable place to live.
I find it interesting that both presidential candidates and President Biden support cutting taxes on tips, but no one’s talking about the fact that the minimum wage for servers remains at the bottom of the barrel where their work is being exploited by restaurant owners. Perhaps we’d rather have a nation where teens are so hopeless and angry that they don helmets and bulletproof vests and then randomly stab people.
The US stands at a tipping point. How we vote in this fall’s election will drastically shape the future and no one is going to be more affected than our children. What happens if empaths like Tipper help a trans friend get the gender-affirming medical care they need? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens if schools provide a safe space for LGBTQ+ students? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens if the rules requiring overtime pay are gone? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens if water becomes undrinkable? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens when people lose the right to organize at work? That’s on the ballot this fall. What happens when 48 million women lose access to contraception? That’s on the ballot this fall.
Are you beginning to get the picture? This year’s election is much more than winning the White House, which we must do. We have to win at the state and local level as well. Otherwise, living conditions in the US will inevitably suffer. Labor shortages will become common. Safety at every level will decline. More police violence as training programs are cut. Less aid for small businesses after a weather disaster. It’s all on the ballot this year.
Yes, there’s a lot of other news this morning, including the disastrous interview between Elon Musk and the Orange Felon. But you know what? Almost every issue comes down to how you vote this fall. Israel/Gaza. Russia/Ukraine. Global warming. Space exploration. Almost every corner of the globe is going to feel the effects of your vote.
Let’s not let up on the focus on this election. Even when the news seems positive, we must continue pushing all the way through November. Remember, a week before the 2016 election, polls held a 93% certainty that Hillary Clinton was going to win. We see how horribly that turned out. Apathy is a killer. We must keep up the pressure and make sure everyone votes.
We have great kids. Let’s not give them a shitty country.
Monday Morning Update: 11/04/24
I am not okay. You may want to take anything I say with a grain of salt and double-check my sources. I’ve already had to delete a post and a couple of Facebook messages this morning. I apologize if anyone was offended. Yes, I’m sober. I’ve had a headache for the past four days, though, and have moments where I completely lose track of reality. Yes, I sent a message to my doctor this morning. No, I don’t expect it to help. The best thing for me to do is keep to myself and not post anything stupid.
Kat will be back at the house this afternoon. She misses the kids (maybe me). The cats are still going to be an issue, though. She was shaving yesterday and accidentally brushed her finger across the blade. The resulting cut, though small, took an hour to stop bleeding. In my opinion, she needs to be wrapped in soft foam. Bubble wrap is useless because the cats like to play with that. She’s still planning on trying to take a couple of clients on Thursday and possibly Friday. If she sees someone on Friday afternoon, G will be there in case there’s a problem. I don’t know about Thursday, though.
Tipper spent the weekend with friends. I’m amazed that they’re willing to travel an hour to pick her up. She says she had “the best fucking time ever.” I told her to watch her language. They’re all furries, and, as a group, walked through their small town while wearing furry heads. No one bothered them and one person even stopped them to show off their pictures of a furry convention. She also came back with a robotic skeleton on her right arm. It’s a good thing she goes to a school that doesn’t mind. I’m sure that one day in the future she’s going to walk in with a full sleeve done. The trip was exhausting apparently. She came home and crashed. I didn’t see her again until this morning.
G is headed to the Purdue University campus at Ft. Wayne this morning for a field trip. I’m rather curious as to why they would consider Ft. Wayne when there are closer options. He has a set of questions to ask and is looking forward to trying out the food. He’s growing up fast and I fear I’m going to blink and he’ll be off to college. He spent much of yesterday playing with his new sewing machine. I’m now the proud owner of two small pouches. make of felt. He’s not pleased with them, but I think they’re rather impressive. No, I have no idea what this kid is going to do with his life. I’m pretty sure it will be impressive, though.
There have been some server issues with the website overnight. I woke up to go to the restroom a little after 3:00 and discovered multiple messages about the site not being accessible. When I sat down and tried to troubleshoot the problem, I got no response. That always makes me so happy [sarcasm]. After trying a couple of things, I finally bit the bullet and opened a support ticket. I hate doing that. Problems are usually small and something I could have fixed on my end. I feel stupid when that happens. This time, though, it was an issue that required technicians to fix. Everything should be up and running now.
The crushing news this morning is the death of long-time music producer Quincy Jones. This hurts in ways I can’t express. As long as I’ve been alive, Quincy Jones has been making music. I was still in grade school when I first heard his name. I’ve spent hours studying the music he produced, finding the special, subtle touches that made his records exceptional. As he’s become less active in recent years, I firmly believe his absence is a significant part of why contemporary music doesn’t have the hold of music he produced in the 60s-90s. The music industry can never be the same without him.
Tornadoes were a problem in Oklahoma over the weekend. Storms hit the greater Oklahoma City area, encompassing everything from the University of Oklahoma campus at Norman to pretty much everything eastward along I-40. The town of Choctaw took a pretty good hit and I’m told the tiny town of Hannah (pop. 102) was pretty much blown off the map. Miraculously, as of this morning, there are no deaths reported. While tornadoes can occur at any time of the year, we mostly associate them with spring weather patterns. A November storm this strong is still rare, but we’ve seen more of them in the last few years. Climate change, anyone?
To ensure accuracy, I’m going to lift this next part directly from the Associated Press: “The trial of eight people in Paris on terrorism charges started on Monday over the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty, who was killed by an Islamic extremist after showing caricatures of Islam’s prophet to his middle school students for a lesson on freedom of expression.
Paty’s shocking death left an imprint on France, and several schools are now named after him. Paty was killed outside his school near Paris on Oct. 16, 2020, by an 18-year-old Russian of Chechen origin, who was shot to death by police.”
This is what happens when religion is out of control. This is why making sure we DO NOT elect Christian Nationalists is important. Don’t think for a second that these extremists wouldn’t do similar things here. They’re dangers to all of society and need to be stopped.
The New York Times is following conversations on the Telegram app where right-wing groups are already beginning to organize as they plan to take action in response to tomorrow’s election. Fueling this danger is the Republican nominee himself who now says he ‘shouldn’t have left’ the White House. His rhetoric over the past week has grown dark and brooding. There’s trouble brewing and law enforcement is largely helpless to try and stop it. This could get very nasty over the next few days.
As you look around the various news sites today, you’re going to see a number of variously-angled articles on what to watch during tomorrow’s election. Let me give you my own list:
For perhaps the first time in my life, I’m not looking forward to voting tomorrow. I will, but I won’t feel good about it. The weather forecast predicts rain. The lines will be long. I’ll have to stand the entire time. I worry whether my vote will be counted, or if it will matter. I’m a Blue voter in a historically Red state. I’m used to being disappointed, but this time the consequences could be a matter of life or death for too many people I care about. The ACLU of Indiana has published this notice:
For help at the polls, or if you believe your rights have been violated, the quickest way to get help is by calling the non-partisan Election Protection Hotline at 1-866-OUR-VOTE (Spanish: 1-888-839-8682), or texting MYVOTE to 866-687-8683.
If you witness what you feel is voter intimidation, which is highly possible this year, the ACLU has the following recommendations:
Your rights
Examples of voter intimidation
What to do if you experience voter intimidation
I don’t see how I can make the matter any more clear. This could be the vote of your life. This vote could save your life. YOU HAVE TO VOTE. Staying home or voting for a third party guarantees an outcome you will not like, and yes, this time there will be consequences that affect you.
My head is hurting so badly now I quite literally can’t see straight. I’m eating breakfast, taking my meds, turning off the lights, and going to bed. Don’t @ me. Don’t call me. Don’t text me.
Just fucking vote!
Share this:
Like this: