Blinded by the Light

We just returned from “Blinded by the Light,” a new release featuring a Pakistani family in Britain.  The father is traditional, but the son wants to be a writer.  Conflict ensues.  The movie is set in the 1980s, and the son gets much of his inspiration from Bruce Springsteen songs.

This was a period in Britain of “Paki-bashing” and marches by white supremacists.  At one point the son tells his father that in America they don’t care where you are from.

It is an excellent movie, even if it got a few things wrong.

Joe Walsh

Tea Party hack and right-wing radio host Joe Walsh has announced he will run against Donald Trump in the Republican primaries.  Walsh is an ass who often made racist comments.  He even mocked the Sandy Hook parents.  When in Congress he was one of its nastiest members.  He is a major contributor to the lack of civility in our political life.

Nonetheless, there are some differences between him and Trump.  First of all, like some other Tea Party types, he is concerned about the deficit.  Secondly, he apologizes.  He told an MSNBC commentator that during his broadcasts he said things about his opponents that were “horrible” and he was sorry for that.

Finally, he is not a complete idiot.  

P.S.:  I don’t understand why we just don’t nuke Hurricane Dorian and put an end to it.  I thought Trump said that would work.

When Everything Changed

When I graduated from Palmerton High School in 1960, the girls in our class had very few options.  They could become nurses, teachers, secretaries, or housewives.  Many of them went to college, but they did not go to law school or medical school.  That was what boys did.

Gays and lesbians had to hide their sexual preferences.  Stewardesses were fired if they were married.  One airline ran an Executive Special in which only men were allowed to fly, although their cigars were lit and their drinks were served by slim “stews.”

It was possible for women to be doctors and lawyers, of course, but the schools had quotas for women.  The firm that hired Sandra Day O’Connor, the first woman on the U.S. Supreme Court, assumed she was applying for a secretarial position.  There were no female governors.  Female senators or representatives were anomalies.  

The Civil Rights movement was dominated by men.  The space program was dominated by men.  Sports was dominated by men.

Somehow in the space of about 25 years a great deal changed.  We can measure progress in two ways.  We can look back and compare today to back then.  Or we can look at were we are now and see the disparities that still exist.  I am fully aware of many of those disparities.  However, sometimes it is inspiring to look at battles won.  

I just finished When Everything Changed, a book by New York Times columnist Gail Collins.  She writes about women who battled on college campuses, in boardrooms, in the military, in sports, in government agencies, and in daily life to improve the lot of women.  The stories are inspiring and often anger inducing.  If you have a teenager, boy or girl, it would be a good thing if they read the book.

I should warn you that it was written in 2010, so there is nothing about the Clinton-Trump race or the “me too” movement.  We are not done with this.

Vote no on "Marsy's Law"

Doyle Heffley’s latest newsletter mentions that he is working to eliminate property taxes.  Just like in previous years.  The man is truly relentless.

He also writes about “Marcy’s law,” a proposed amendment to the Pennsylvania Constitution concerning victims’ rights.  It would let victims know about proceedings in courts and allow them to be heard in pleas and sentencing procedures.  It passed with no dissenting votes in the legislature.

We now get to vote on whether we want it in the Constitution.  While I have no objection to the law, it does not belong in the Constitution.  This is not a constitutional issue.  It is a matter for legislation.  If the bill contains something we would like to fix down the road, a simple legislative act won’t be enough.  We would again need to amend the Constitution.  Did you ever read the Pennsylvania Constitution?  Neither did I.  It’s a chock full of stuff like this.

The Constitution should be reserved for the institutional rules of government.  It is not for simple bills.  Legislators know that.  So why was it passed unanimously?  Because no one wants to appear to be against victims’ rights.  An opponent might use that no vote in the next campaign. 

Do the right thing.  Vote no in November.

Our interconnected world

If you don’t think so, wait until the Amazon jungle is completely burned.

Collecting signatures in Nesquehoning

On Saturday afternoon I sat at a table with Denise from the organization Fair Districts to gather support for an independent citizens’ commission to draw the legislative districts in Pennsylvania.  Two bills, both with Republican and Democratic co-sponsors, are before the Pennsylvania legislature, but we still don’t have a majority of legislators in favor.

Fair Districts is trying to educate citizens about the bad results of gerrymandering and gain support for the bills.

I was pleased that most people had heard of or knew about gerrymandering.  We collected a large number of signatures in support of the bills.  There were the usual “I don’t want anything to do with politics” people, but there were also people who pulled out their wallets or opened their purses to give us money.  (We were not taking any money.)

The store that permitted us to do this was Redners.  If you live in that area, please shop there.  So many stores, especially the large chains, will not let you get anywhere near with a tabling effort, even if it is non-partisan.

A bilingual story

A Pennsylvania Dutch farmer is walking through his field when he sees a guy drinking from his pond, scooping up water with his hand.  The farmer says, “Trinken sie nicht das wasser, die kuhe und die schweinie haben in ihr geschissen.”

The guy shouts back, “I’m a Trump supporter and this is America.  I don’t understand your gibberish.  Speak English, you moron."

The farmer says, “Use two hands; you’ll get more."

Thanks to my friend Bill for this one.  I don’t speak Penna. Dutch very well; I hope I spelled it right.