Too Weird to Believe

 You have got to be kidding me. I mean, you can't make stuff like this up. It's just too weird to believe. How desperate can some people be? You re-read the story, then you check the sources, and yes, it happened. It really did happen. Right here in good old Utah, United States of America. 

High school sports. It is like the most important thing that ever happens in the world. Millions upon millions of dollars are waged on high school sports, especially girls high school sports. (Just kidding)

It seems that a female high school athlete right here in good old "we love everybody" Utah (just kidding again) beat two other female high school athletes "by such a wide margin" that the two sets of defeated parents went to the school and complained that their daughters could not have been beat unless the winner was unfairly competing by being transgender. So the school officials checked the winners high school record and found she had always registered as female, and used female pronouns. Not good enough for the parents! No, Siree! There has to more to it. They called Utah High School Activities Association and demanded further investigation. So the USAA and the school went all the way back to the winner's kindergarten records and found that. . . wait for it. . . yes, the winner had always identified as female, and always used female pronouns. All of which they did, by the way, without ever informing the winner, or her parents, they were investigating the female athlete. 

I am struggling to find the right terms to describe these parents. Self-centered, privileged snobs that spend way too much time listening to fear-based infotainment radio and podcasts featuring blathering commentators doing their level worst to convince the public that "the left" is working to destroy "our way of life" even down to high school sports by forcing (according to some commentators) schools to allow transgender athletes to play girls sports. 

This has reached such a fever pitch in Utah that our legislature, always willing to write a law that will eventually be found unconstitutional, wrote and passed over the governor's veto a bill that outlaws transgender girls from playing in Utah high school sports. 

So, high school sports, by no fault of the students who play them with fever and zeal, has now become a football in the grand area of fear based politics, and fodder for talk radio commentators. 

What is this country becoming? 

Thanks for reading, as always, your comments are welcome. Click the pencil in the white box below. 

R. M. "Bob" Hartman

The Dialogue, Part 3

 I live in a reality based world.

In this reality, September 2, 1945 marked the official end of WWII, Harry Truman was President. Neil Armstrong walked onto the moon on July 21, 1969 when Richard Nixon was President.

Mabel McFiggin of Rochester New York received the first food stamps in 1939, which she redeemed at Joseph Mutolo's grocery store; Franklin Roosevelt was the President.

The Holocaust happened, as did Little Boy and Fat Man, all three in WWII. The United States Presidents were Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, respectively.

What do all of these statements have in common? They are FACTS. One of Webster's definitions of fact is: the quality of being actual. That's right, they all happened, regardless of the naysayers of any or all of the above. It doesn't matter who said it, or why it happened, or even if it should have happened, the fact is, all of the above happened. All the denial in the world cannot change reality.

Which brings us to the present day. More people were present at Barack Obama's inauguration than at Donald Trump's. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote in 2016, and Donald Trump won the Electoral College vote, which made him President. Donald Trump lost both the popular and Electoral College votes in 2020, which made Joe Biden President. Despite the counterclaims, lawsuits and recounts, the results still stand. There have been less the 50 proven cases of voter fraud relative to the 2020 election, and they are split about evenly.

I weigh more now than I did when I was 20. My car consumes gasoline; my truck loves diesel, and you cannot cross-fuel them.

Currently, it's raining right at my house, the leaves are green and the grass is growing.

All are FACTS: the quality of being actual.

It's reality.

Thank you for reading; as always, your thoughts, comments, and opinions are welcome. Please click on the pencil below and let me know what you think!

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

The Dialogue, Part 2

 Ok, let's talk about abortion. Put down the gun and pitchfork, let's just talk. Here's some facts: Abortion peaked in 1990 with 1.6 million abortions legally performed. In 2019 (the latest year complete data is available) the number was between 630,000 and 890,000, depending upon who you ask- the CDC or the Guttmaker Institute. Either way, the number is down 50%. The raw number is down, even as the population continues to increase. To me, that shows the effectiveness of sex education, the availability of contraceptives, and the involvement of both partners. That's all good news.

The bad news, in my opinion, is all of this talk about "right to life" and "protecting unborn children" that comes from the mouths of Republican politicians is so much bull byproduct as to make one puke. The Republicans are no more interested in right to life than they can fly; if you want evidence look at all the attempts to destroy the Affordable Care Act. You are likely to suffer greatly from the lack of medication or die a from easily preventable disease if you don't have insurance. Review the Republican efforts to keep the minimum wage artificially low; if you can't afford to buy food and pay the rent, well, that's too bad for you. If you are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Services (thank you for your service), only 1 Republican Senator (Marco Rubio-FL) has your back-all the rest are against the Honoring Our PACT Act, relative to the damage caused by burn pits. Right to life, indeed. One plan discussed by Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) would cut benefits to Social Security by 1/3, raise the eligibility age, and threaten Social Security with defunding every five years. Mitch McConnell (R-KY) fearing the wrath of Senior Citizen Voters, took that page out of the bill.

Right To Life?

I'll skip the fine print and go right to the heart of the matter: in 2022, there have been 218 mass shootings, with a sad total of 221 dead and 831 wounded but survived. This data covers January 1, 2022 to May 29, 2022, and include the shooter if wounded or killed. Congress moans, prays, and sends condolences; but nothing of value happens. Congress could act, but no, this is not abortion we are talking about here. It's only 221 living people -you know, the ones already born- dead because Congress won't do it's part.

My point? Abortion is not a right to life matter for the hypocritical morons in Congress; it is much more important than that. It is a control issue; the mostly white, mostly male congress demands to control what a woman does, or does not do, with her own body. Please don't bother to mention religion in reference to this issue, the 1st Amendment to the Constitution takes that off the table. Don't try to tell me that a woman cannot be responsible for her own choices; women are no more or less responsible actors that males.

No, it is a control issue; and as long as the voters elect these same sad Republican congressmen hypocrites, they will continue to demand control over a woman's body, and the right to make her own choices. Now that Roe vs Wade is in danger of being overturned, the choice of our Congressmen will become more important than ever.

Personally, I don't want Congressmen hypocrites making decisions for my wife, children, and grandchildren. They are smart enough to make their own decisions.

Thank you for reading; as always, your comments, thoughts and opinions are welcome. Please click on the pencil below to make a comment.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

The Dialogue, Part 1

 In our lives there are times, events, and phenomena which, while we may understand why they occur, cannot be reconciled with any aspect of truth or even reality. They are of such magnitude and depth that comprehension is impossible.

Events like these destroy our underlying beliefs in a number of ways; the shattering of norms, of concepts of human dignity and compassion; an abrupt changing in the rules of law we have come to accept and adopt as human rights.

Perhaps it is our own fault, for we have come to believe and trust in an America where right prevails over might; where the individual matters; where we celebrate freedom of thought and action (violence towards others not included).

America's system of government, slow, laborious, and time-consuming as it is, works as well or better than any other; yet it is a relative newcomer to the world stage. If it is viewed on a timeline progressing towards Jefferson's "more perfect union", we can see progress; not so much on a daily or even yearly basis, but as an overall effort, moving inexorably toward a time and place where all mankind will be equal, one toward another.

Our current elected officials, on every level of government, are failing us; the violence, hatred, and fear consume every news cycle, the senseless killing continues unabated. No, there is no one size fits all, one bill will fix everything solution; the problems are of great magnitude and will require great statesmen to begin the process of correction.

With minute exception, "our" elected senators and congressmen are not ours, they are owned lock, stock, and opinion by the despicably wealthy donors they have courted. This, in and of itself, is more than adequate reason to void the Supreme Court's ruling on Citizens United; an action that can only be undertaken by Congress itself. But, that is a discussion I will hold for another post.

The murder of 21 human beings in Uvalde, Texas has brought out the best, I suppose, in our public leaders. They have all offered sympathy, condolences, prayers, and tears. But, and it is a big BUTT, that is all they are going to do. Until such time as voters make Senators, Representatives and Governors feel the danger of not moving gun control forward, nothing will change.

So, you might ask, why won't voters make congressmen take action? Three words, alphabetically:

Abortion

God

Guns

These three immovable planks of the Republican party are the great dog whistles of our times. The mere mention of any of the holy trinity of politics will rile up the base; get them out and voting, not for any one candidate in particular, but against "them;" the ones who will put an abortion clinic on every corner, abolish all religion, and take away your guns. The Republican party has been very adapt at focusing American voters on fear, without ever using the word; they provide on our television screen, a dismal picture of the future if we elect "them."

Short of the reversal of Citizen's United, it will take a strong, principled, self-funded Republican to stand up to the gun lobbies millions and do the hard work demanded to pass meaningful gun control regulation in the United States of America. Frankly, I don't see Congress wiling to take on Citizen's United in the near future; and I am not holding out for a true statesman to come forward from the Republican party.

The most demanding work in politics is always left to the American voter, that is, you and I. Only by studious attention to detail and records, can we filter out the good from the spoils. We must decide what we want America to look like, not only to the world, but to our children and grandchildren and then act in accordance to our decisions. We must decide how many more human beings we want sacrificed on the alter of "gun rights"; how many more lives we can afford to lose as a poor example to the world of American Greatness, as an example of democracy at work.

Thank you for reading; as always, your comments, opinions, and thoughts are welcome. Click on the pencil below to leave a comments.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

Book Banning in Utah

 "I think we know the things that are most egregious" said Rep. Ken Ivory, R-West Jordan (Utah), as he introduced at bill in the Utah Legislature to ban any books containing pornographic or indecent content from Utah schools, both in the library and classroom. 

Wow, just Wow. Where to begin? Well, Mr. Ivory (I don't like to use the term representative for someone who only represents his own interests), who is the "we" you speak of so knowingly? It's obvious you are not referring to educators on the legislative committee that have degrees in such matters, like the former teacher, Rep. Elizabeth Weight D-West Valley City; or the associate professor Rep. Karen Kwan D-Murray; they both voted against your bill. By "we", are you referencing the leaders of the LDS church? Or is "we" the legislative simpletons like yourself you do not understand the value of an educated, diversified culture? 

Are you going to ban Shakespeare, Chaucer and Freud? What about Dickens and Twain? 

Mr, Ivory, you have a law degree from California Western University. Certainly you know the ill effects of book banning (see Germany, 1930-1945) and the failure of prohibiting access (see the 18th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution); I therefore cannot in all fairness assign your sponsorship of this bill to ignorance. (Although I did refer to you as a simpleton in my second paragraph.) I can only deduce you are pandering to the uneducated, frightened but vocal minority of citizens (see Utah Parents United) who want to put this country back to the 1950's, a time of repression, segregation, and discrimination. 

The United States of America has come a long way since then; one might even say we are starting to grow up as a country. We are learning the value of diversification in our culture and our population. We cannot, however, say we have been even remotely successful in reaching the American ideal of equal rights and equal responsibility under the law. The materials discussed in the books you seek to ban are not evil, nor do these ideas require censorship by the government. If parents do not want their children to read these books, fine, then let them guide their own children away from them.  

Don't even pretend you are doing this for the good of the children. If you were truly looking out for our students, you would support increased funding for public education, smaller classrooms, and more well-paid teachers. Reality? You are doing this to grovel in front of the right-wing donors who fund your elections. 

It's not a pretty sight. 

Thank you for reading! Your comments are always welcome, and please share this blog with those that might find it of interest. 

Have an opposing view? Those comments are welcome also. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

The books Utah Parents United are trying to ban include the following: 

The Bluest Eye, Toni Morrison; Gender Queer, Maia Kobabe; Beyond Magenta, Susan Kuklin; l8r,g8r, Lauren Myracle; Lawn Boy, Jonathan Evison; Lolita, Vladimir Nabokov; Monday's Not Coming, Tiffany Jackson; The Opposite of Innocent, Sonya Sones; and Out of Darkness, Ashley Hope Perez

A Macro Kind of Guy

 I've always been a big-picture type of person, you know, the type that looks at a subject like education as being more than just teachers and students in a school. 

To me, being pro something means you are in favor of it, whole-heartedly.  For example, being pro-education means you want the best education for the greatest number of people possible, so they can succeed and contribute to society in the greatest conceivable way. 

Which is why I think of pro-life in a variety of delineations. For example, a truly pro-life senator would work to rein in exorbitantly high drug prices so all Americans could enjoy the life-improving effects they provide. As a side note, this would also improve his standing with the voters. 

A for-real pro life congressman would stand up and say, "Enough is Enough," and work to enact and enforce gun control measures, because being pro-life means not getting shot up in a shopping mall. The lives he saves with this effort could vote for him in gratitude. 

The House and Senate, working together on a pro-life stance, would increase Head Start and SNAP benefits, programs designed to give less fortunate children a better shot at succeeding in life. When those children grow up, they can talk about the positive life-changing effect those programs had on them as youth. 

The direct correlation between education and a better life is well-proven. How great would it be if the pro-life Senators and Congressmen came together and improved the funding for all levels of education, even so far as providing free community colleges? It sounds like a win-win to me, the building and construction trades are begging for trained employees, and those jobs provide good pay and benefits. It would indeed improve life and provide a way out of poverty for so many people! 

And yes, pro-life does mean providing world class pre-natal and maternity benefits to women, regardless of martial status. It also means providing them a path to adoption or safe, unfettered access to abortion if desired; no government intervention is required, because the woman's life and future are also an integral part of "life." 

I'm looking forward to your comments and opinions! Thanks for reading.

R.M. "Bob" Hartman

   

 

824,000. Who's next?

 I consider myself to be a patriot; although I am not one of those flying a tattered flag from the back of my pick up truck. Fortunate indeed are those individuals who were born in the United States, or have become American citizens, for we have rights and freedoms that are indeed the object of admiration and even jealousy from those throughout the world whom are not so fortunate. While America does have it's problems, and they are many, we also have the ability to solve those problems when we cooperate on solutions instead of aggravation. 

Nothing positive is gained when we grab our flags and scream at each other in the name of freedom; following false prophets down rabbit holes only ends one way: you are tired, dirty and worse off than before.  Our country is gripped by a political, moral, and social malaise, magnificently complicated by the strident voices of a very vocal but ignorant few who willingly replace facts with fiction; reality with alternative universes, social responsibility with political desires.

There have been numerous times in our history when the needs of the nation overrode the desires of the individual; you might consider the sacrifices endured by Americans during the Second World War as an example. You may have wanted to exercise your freedom by driving across the country to visit Aunt Mabel, but the needs of our war machine for gasoline, steel, and rubber denied you this "freedom." 

More than 824,000 citizens of the United States of America have died from Covid-19 in less than 2 years. That is more than the number of Americans killed in all international wars since our country gained it's freedom in 1776. It is a greater number than were killed by the Spanish Flu in 1918-1919. 

824,000 patriotic, voting, loving Americans. Grandparents, uncles, aunts, moms and dads, sisters and brothers. Fellow students, co-workers, the family in the next pew at church. The friend that always had a joke, the one that fixed your car. Your child. Your spouse. They are all dead.

Yet, you stand there and tell me you are a patriot, and you have rights and freedoms; that the evil government can't mandate a vaccine because "freedumb" and all that. You tell me it is against your children's constitutional rights to have to wear a mask in school. I cannot fathom how you have managed to twist saving lives into a rant on Democrat vs. Republican, right-wing vs. left-wing, but I have to hand it to you, you did it. I have been told to my (masked) face, real patriots don't wear masks. Seriously!  

Yes, in America, we have rights and freedoms; as I wrote earlier, they are the envy of the world. Those rights and freedoms, great and magnificent as they are, come with duties. Those duties are not to be neglected for limelight; rather they are to be undertaken whatsoever the cost.  

Our duty now is as clear as Grandmother's crystal glasses. Roll up our sleeves, and get vaccinated. If you have been vaccinated, get the booster. If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your family, for your grandparents, your neighbor, the family in the corner house down the street. 

The President of the United States must speak nicely, but I am not held to such a position, so here it is:

Just roll up your damn sleeve and get the shot. You can bitch and moan about it all the next week for all I care. Man up, Cowboy up, whatever you want to say, just do it. Cut the C**p and do it! The life you save may be your own.

Thanks for reading; your comments are always welcome. 

R.M. "Bob" Hartman