St Patrick's Day special.

 

Today was St Patrick's Day. A day on which my fellow Americans make up silly names for themselves and put on a green shirt and get blotto. We won't talk about how this country perpetuates negative Irish stereotypes. The Fightin' Irishman, "A couple of stout Irish girls to do the heavy work around the house." and Trooper Thorn Sean Thornton. We have heavier lifting to do. Heavier lifting like "The Kung-Flu" and the fact that Asian-Americans get treated like punching bags and nobody tries to stop it. So go on and poke fun at me and my ancestors, drink beer with green food color in it. Just stop shooting Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Mmmk ?

The Good Ole Days, more dream than real.

 (Cross posted from my Facebook account) 

Do you long for the Good Old Days ? 

        Feeling Nostalgic for the "good old days" of the 50s and early 60s? Yeah, that's probably because our higher taxes and stronger union protections made it possible for you to get a good paying job right out of high school and be able to support a family on it. But then you tossed all that in the garbage by voting for a string of men who cut taxes on the richest Americans and then told you it was your fault you weren't making enough money. Of course, you got tired of hearing it was your fault for not making enough money, so then they started telling you it was "The Illegals" who were taking your jobs. And the Foreigners. They tried to train you to hate those people, and many of you did. When all the while, it was you who voted for Reagan, GHW Bush, W Bush and now Trump, who sold you down the river. You bought into the conservative mumbo-jumbo , the hate-mongering and fear-mongering, and now you're seeing your progeny get hammered by the tool you thought would make YOUR life better. Well, has it ? Your children, the so-called Millenials, have an average of 37000 in student loan debt -- debt they accrued because successive waves of conservatives have all but wiped out grants, and seen to it that college tuition has skyrocketed. Your children, those self-same Millenials everyone loves to complain about, are stuck in jobs with few benefits and all too often are "full time availability with part time hours" or trick hours where they work 39 hours a week so their employer doesn't have to pay their insurance or retirement benefits. Oh sure, they might get a 401k . . . for company stock, which could collapse at any moment. Further, said millenials have had their retirement age pushed from 62 to 65 to 67 and it'll be 69 or 70 soon. Oh, but their social security will be means-tested so that the conservatives can call it "Welfare" and then cut it. But don't worry, YOUR Medicaid won't be cut. and YOUR SSRI won't be cut. But what about the rest of us ?

It was not Ronald Reagan, GHW Bush or GW Bush, it wasn't the 230-odd republican/Tea-Party/Libertarian-Conservatives in the House of Representatives or the 52 in the Senate who killed The American Dream, it was you who voted for all those men. You bought into their line of bullshit, and now you have to own it. The good news is, you do not have to let things lie. You don't have to stay in the bed you made, you can get up and re-make it. But you won't get there by voting for more of the same. You won't get there by putting more conservatives in office. You will only continue to revoke the generations of social progress that led up to your being able to have the jobs you had, and that your children and grandchildren need.

Harry, Megan and Oprah.

 I've been seeing a lot of weirdly supportive photo memes being passed around regarding HRH the Duke of Sussex in the wake of this recent interview with Oprah Winfrey. 

I hold no brief regarding Mr & Mrs Windsor. I don't hate them, don't love them. I'm sure they're fine people. At the same time, I don't much care if Harry's Grandmother feels put upon by all this. The news media in The United States are saying that there is a war between Megan & Harry and the rest of the Royal family. Well, I have to say: No. there will be no war. Or well, such war as there is will be allegations in the tabloids that the Royals are this and that kind of evil and the Royals for their part will simply sit back and take it, because they have to. It's part of their responsibility, to be the target of the public's japes and jeers as well as their applause and adulation. It is, to them, merely the price of doing business. There's been a lot of Jibber-Jabber going back and forth about how Young Harry was "Forced" to join the British military (the Royal Marine Commandos.). He was not "Forced" any more than his brother was forced to join the Navy or their father. Because, serving in the military is for them part of their obligation. Maybe not officially or by legality, but it is so.  I append here my reaction post from Facebook.
 

Someone posted this photo meme in which the creator listed a bunch of things young Henry has either done or had foisted on him by the Royal family. This is my reply.

Except his family have said he is still family, Oprah interview or no. No one is calling him a traitor except fucking Piers Morgan and who gives a rat's ass what that dickhead thinks. I don't know anyone who has ignored injured war veterans, except maybe the American VA hospital system. I'm sure Duke Harry is a great fellow, probably could have played center half for his rugger team, and probably likes a beer with the lads. By the way, until this year,(and who knows, perhaps he still will.) he received a sinecure from his family. Part of the responsibility of being a member of the royal family is serving in the military, which Harry and William have both done, and done well. But don't deceive yourself. HRH The Duke of Sussex grew up in luxury that would make your head spin. You cannot tell me that The Duchess of Sussex didn't know what she was getting into by marrying the Duke. She went into it with both eyes open and if she never thought there might be rough spots then she had her eyes closed and her fingers in her ears. Understand please : I do not hold any special brief against Mr and Mrs Windsor, and I wish them every happiness in whatever life they elect to have. But that election is theirs, and it is a thing very, very few other people are permitted to make. Most of us are born poor and remain poor throughout our lives. We get through our lives as best we can. I do not bear any ill will toward Mr Windsor, but I also don't owe him anything. 

I included a particular note, because the meme creator included a photo of then 12 year old Harry in his mourning suit, ready to walk behind his mother's hearse to the gravesite : 

Oh, and walking behind the Princess' hearse at the funeral was their duty as Royals. But it is also considered a privilege to be permitted to do so. I was so privileged as to be one of my Grandmother's Pall Bearers, and as hard as it was I wouldn't have traded places with anyone else for any sum of money. Some things are awful to do, but must be done, and done with quiet pride. The young Princes were in fact commanded to walk behind their mother's hearse, but did so because their grandfather offered to walk with them. The party consisted of Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince William, Earl Spencer (Diana's Brother), Prince Harry and Prince Charles, the Prince of Wales. https://honey.nine.com.au/.../772a033d-7f9e-4b4c-a5d1...