Vanilla TV - Sand Creek

 

I was watching Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman last night (I missed the whole show when it was on prime time, and I thought I'd give it a chance because I like Jane Seymour.) and was beyond dismayed at the way they glossed over Chivington's massacre at Sand Creek.  I think it might have gotten two sentences in the script.

I was frankly surprised Chivington was mentioned at all, and I will give DQMW's writers credit for that.  But they could have at least mentioned how Chivington and over 650 US troops deliberately waited for the warriors of the village to leave on a hunting trip – leaving only women, children, babies, and the very elderly men to fend for themselves. As soon as the village was virtually unprotected, Chivington charged in, murdered and mutilated every last woman, child, baby, and old man.

But that wasn't enough. They mutilated them – even made change purses out of women and girl's genitalia.

And Sand Creek was only one of a multitude of such massacres that made up the genocide perpetrated on the nations and tribes of Native Americans by Europeans who have gradually poisoned, chopped up, drilled, mined, and overpopulated the beautiful country they stole away from them.

But I guess such prime-time atrocity might have made American – that is, white American – audiences somewhat uncomfortable. It might have disturbed the heroic American mythology that has replaced actual American history in white American minds.

And after all this bloody, barbaric history, whites have the unmitigated gall to even whisper the words "cancel culture". 

 

War Strategy - I'm learning...

About no-fly zones over Ukraine: Bad idea. At first I didn't understand why, but then I listened to experienced strategists and others who explained it. No-fly zone over Ukraine is created by NATO. Russia ignores it. Russian planes get shot down by NATO member country, who created no-fly zone. World War III. And Putin has no freaking conscience whatsoever. If he gets pissed enough, he'll launch. Because that's how he rolls. A better answer is for Ukraine to declare their own no-fly zone. Putin attacked them. If they shoot down Russian planes, they are already at war, and it is not NATO attacking Russian planes, who is not at war with Russia. What we can do is supply Ukraine with anti-aircraft weaponry - and so can all the rest of Europe. Make sure they have supplies, water, and weaponry. 

When a nuclear armed world power is the aggressor in an unjust war, there are no no-brainer moves. It's complicated. Like Lindsey Graham's tweet about taking Putin out. I wholeheartedly agreed with his statement. But a US senator publicly calling for the assassination of a world leader is bad in two ways: 1- Putin will now be made invisible and security around him will be tripled. 2 - Putin will use Graham's statement to justify his actions to his people: "The West/US is trying to kill me. They want me dead because I am trying to de-Nazify Ukraine." We know that's complete BS, but the Russian people, under martial law and their communication with the outside world ultra-controlled by a rabid, paranoid dictator, only have one side of the story - Putin's.

Fortunately, we have a president who is level-headed and has decades of experience in foreign policy. He also has no conflicts of interest where Putin is concerned, as the former 'president' did. If Ukraine were part of NATO, I doubt Putin would have chanced this war. He's a coward. Not to mention batshit crazy. That's another complication.

For members of our government who think making threats to sound tough and rile up their voter bases is a wise move I'd like to quote  an old adage from previous wars: "Loose lips sink ships." Meaning, keep your mouths shut before you get people killed.

 

Suck it up, Israel. No protecting Russian politicians and oligarchs.

Israel's Holocaust Museum asked the US not to sanction Roman Abramovich, a Russian oligarch and politician with close ties to Putin, because he donates to the museum. He knew in advance about Putin's plans for Ukraine.

So we're supposed protect him and his government's slaughter because it might impact Israel?

That sound a little twisted to you? Because it sure as hell does to me.

Once again, money is more important that innocent life. What colossal hypocrisy coming from people who should be the very first in line to protect Ukraine from tyranny! Who should be the first to sacrifice to prevent another extermination. Who knew in advance what was coming and did absolutely nothing to stop it. But then, what can you expect from a people who have invaded another country and oppressed its people for over half a century?

While the rest of the world leaders supported them. 

And the more I learn the more I am inclined to say, "Boo hoo, Israel. Suck it up. Find another billionaire who doesn't make his money from the slaughter of innocents." 

I looked up Abramovich. He's a billionaire who made his fortune by wheeling and dealing property after the fall of the Soviet Union. And he's starting the same thing now that Russia is in dire financial straits thanks to Putin's cruel unprovoked attack on the Ukrainian people. 

He's selling his soccer club (before it's rendered worthless) and donating to proceeds to the children victimized by the attack on Ukraine. An attack he knew about in advance because of his close ties to Putin.

There's no philanthropy here. He's selling the club to cover his ass. The soccer club is pocket change. He's an opportunist. He doesn't give a tinker's damn about Ukrainian children, only himself and his money.

I hope the dead children, slaughtered by Putin in their homes, come back to haunt every politician who didn't have the guts to stand for Ukraine before all the death and destruction started.

Why weren't economic sanctions put into place before homes were bombed? Why?

Because it wasn't cost efficient, right?

That's civilization? That's humanity?

It's bullshit. Pure and simple.

 

The article that inspired this rant: 

Why is Putin Bounty Free?

Putin is free to place a bounty on the head of an honorable, courageous leader like Zelensky and his family. They are being hunted by assassins – because the Ukrainian president had the temerity to stand up for his country and his people and say, "No Mr. Putin. Ukraine is a sovereign nation and it's happy, peaceful people don't want to become puppets for Russia."

He said no to Putin, so Putin bombed Ukrainian men, women, and children in their homes, businesses and schools.

Why is Putin not the one with a price on his head? Why is his family safe and sound? Why is he not at the very least, jailed? He is a mass murderer, and if he's not stopped – by any means necessary – he will become a genocidal murderer.

So what is the world waiting for? He's a killer of innocents, evading law enforcement. He's armed. He's obviously dangerous. Why isn't he being apprehended? If he was some drug dealer in the streets murdering children he'd have been arrested – if not shot down if he resisted arrest – by now. Does the fact that he's Russian government make him any less a deranged killer? Any less a criminal?

Why is there no bounty on his head? Why is he not being hunted down like the monster he is?

This is a disgrace. Arrest this monster, shackle his ass, and march him off to prison with hard labor for the rest of his miserable life. 

Better yet, ship him into the middle of Kyiv and see how long he lasts.  

Using Hair to Discriminate

 

I remember when schools disallowed Afros. For all the same reasons that they now disallow braids, cornrows, and other black hairstyles. Everything from unsanitary to unkempt, and it's all bs. What's the difference between a black braid and a white braid? Zip. Hair is hair. As long as it's clean (and netted or covered where appropriate in healthcare/food industry settings) hairstyle should be left up to the individual. And humiliating young people by cutting off their braids in front of gymnasiums full of people before they're allowed to play on a team is cruel. Period. So is pulling a 6-year-old kid out of class and confining him in a principal's office for weeks because he wanted to wear braids. When I researched the dress codes of that school, they hadn't changed since the 1970s. Collar length hair for boys, but the girls can have any length they want. It's discriminatory against all men, but particularly black and Native American men. 

For that matter, all of these nonsensical dress codes designed decades ago need to be dropped – in schools, in sports, in the workplace, determining what genders should look like. What students should look like. What employees should look like. What athletes should look like. It's time we lose all this judgmental, racist, appearance-obsessed, conformity triviality and get down to the serious business of learning what it takes to repair our world because frankly, hairdos ain't the problem. 

Dear McDonald's: I'm Sick of Black Employees Being Fired For Wearing Protective Styles (msn.com)

Psychiatric Vetting of Candidates Should Be Required

 Psychiatric Vetting of Candidates Should Be Required

Representative Paul Gosar created a violent video about murdering his political opponents - and posted it. He has been censured for it, and there is actually opposition to the action, saying that censuring will be used to remove power from anyone in Congress taking an unpopular stand on issues.

There's a huge difference between publishing a violent video and defending an unpopular political stand. And in this case, it's doubtful that censuring him is enough, particularly after the violent insurrection of January 6th.

Violent tendencies like this cannot be ignored. Red flags indicating future unlawful and violent intentions from members of the GOP have to be taken seriously, because there are obviously radicalized members of our society who take it to heart and are willing to commit violent acts against anyone opposing the party of Trump.

Psychiatric evaluations should be part of the vetting process for candidates seeking public office - any public office, from the presidency right on down to town councils. Many Americans would be alive today if only Trump had been evaluated before being allowed to run for office. Same with Ted Cruz and Marjorie Taylor Greene - I mean, come on - Jewish space lasers?

Our society is complicated and difficult to govern. It's not safe to have these unscrupulous, and in some cases, seriously deranged individuals in power. This isn't even a political issue - it's an issue of mental health. It's an issue of an obscene abuse of power by individuals who are well beyond lacking compassion, but who lack conscience as well.

If we vet candidates better before they have a chance to gain power, Americans will be safer, our democracy will be safer, and our public servants will be free to concentrate on their jobs without threats from truly disturbed opponents fixated on their own power.

Let's Be Careful About Accusing Americans

 

Let's be careful when talking about "America". Like: America doesn't care. Because that's not true. The HALF of America that is MAGA cult doesn't care, and still doesn't. They were told not to wear masks. They were told to go ahead and go to church, have parties, go on spring break, and ignore the warnings by the CDC, WHO, Dr. Fauci, and other medical experts. And after superhuman efforts to come up with a vaccine, they were told to avoid it in favor of quackery. The other half of America that hasn't been brainwashed and radicalized by a deranged fake president cares intensely. We also cared about civil rights, the environment, modern lynching of black people, and the battering of our country's constitution. And we showed it by protesting all of the deranged behavior coming from our government - both by taking to the streets and by voting the fake, seditious president and his crime family out of the White House. So, let's be careful about including sane Americans in headlines about mass murder.

 

www.salon.com/2021/11/18/and-his-regime-committed--or-at-least-condoned--mass-murder-america-just-doesnt-care/

Trump and his regime committed — or at least condoned — mass murder. America just doesn't care