Not Disappeared, Yet

So, not quite a year since my last post. I hope everyone’s having a good year, though with the convicted orange buffoon ruining the country, I suspect not everyone is. Still, it’s a worthy wish, and I lay it on you, hopeful that you’re getting by.

In honor of the convicted orange buffoon ruining the country, I sent the following message to both my Senators (in spite of them voting for Rubio) and my Representative:

Topic: Other

Subject: Action to save the United States



Message Text:


Unfortunately, "Save the United States" is not one of the suggested Topics, hence I chose Other.

When Trump decides he's actually king instead of just raping and pillaging, what are you going to do about it?

My vote may not matter then, but without some useful definitive action, I'll be looking elsewhere.

Your personal vendettas don't seem to carry much weight when the government is being dismantled like White Stadium in Boston. Or the World Trade Center on 9-11. You do recall those things, and I hope you can see the parallel. Except for first responders rushing in to help. Not much of that going on.

I'll be watching with hope, though Democrats haven't covered themselves with glory in the past month. Look at the confirmed Cabinet positions for my proof.

Thank you for listening and taking some action.

 So far, auto-responses from two of the three, consistent with other messages I've sent. While I do have two nickels to rub together, I don't have enough money to be noticed in the political quagmire Citizens United has bequeathed us, and push comes to shove, my wife and kids can use those nickels to get away (assuming that fits their plans, too).

Without money to make a difference, Ben Cohen of The Daily Banter suggests writing congresss critters to protest what's going on, so I'm trying that approach. Feel free to follow along, if you will. Perhaps President's Day will once again be something to celebrate. Or maybe we'll all hang the flag upside down on Flag Day.

Hello and yeah, been a while. How about a political rant?

This is close to the text of an open letter I sent to President Joe Biden, Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey and Representative Stephen Lynch, relating my opinions of Louis DeJoy. There are some minor differences between this and the ones sent through the various contact forms, mainly for the President, since that one has (apparently) a 1500 character limit on its messages. At least they don't (yet) use the abysmal captcha asking you to pick photos of dog crap to post.
 

Dear ;

I am aware of many of the problems facing the country and the government as well as the Government. However, when I read this headline and the article on cnn.com the other day,
Postmaster General announces 10-year plan including longer mail delivery times and cuts to post office hours
By Kristen Holmes, Liz Stark and Devan Cole, CNN
Updated: Tue, 23 Mar 2021 18:50:32 GMT
Source: CNN

my first thought was how stupid is Louis DeJoy? He doesn’t need ten years to do that; he’s been doing a brill job since he was installed to do just exactly that.

Then, I realized that it’s the death of a thousand cuts. He figures, over ten years, we won't notice. He’s planning the demise of the Postal Service as a useful organization; one that can therefore be wiped off the face of America, replaced by DeJoy’s Message Service™ (Only a 50% increase in rates [today] over that useless entity that can’t even buy gas powered vehicles to keep our economy strong!”

I have a personal issue with DeJoy’s improved service from the end of 2020, though based on news reports I am one of a great number, and my issue is petty in the grand scheme of things. And it’s a first world problem; the package was finally delivered. Attached below is the image of the USPS Tracking Results which show this package required two plus weeks and visits to Brockton,MA; White Plains, NY; Jersey City, NJ (five times); Kearney, NJ, and Springfield MA to make the trip from Mountainside, NJ to our home in Stoughton, MA. I’d have to say Mr. DeJoy is doing a bang-up job!

If your desire is to have the postal service vanish and all its equipment, etc., trashed the way DeJoy had sorting machines sold for scrap (I don’t think he actually had them sold, just disassembled them and discarded the pieces in parking lots.) during the run-up to the elections last year; and a substantial fraction of the employees trashed along with the equipment (’cause so many are gurls, you know, and not only that, they’re not pure-blooded European descendants, and what does a good ’Murrican company need with those?), then keep Louis DeJoy in his position, where he can continue to follow trump’s orders to get rid of that blight on good American Capitalism.

In other words, do the right thing:
One: Eliminate the need for the Postal Service to self-fund its future pension needs til beyond the date when the climate has destroyed even the most ardent nay-sayer.
Two: Get rid of the person who wants to kill you. In case you’re keeping score, that would be Louis DeJoy.

Thanks for your attention and concern.

 

Your thoughts and opinions are welcome.

Fair Warning: A Political Post, on Syria

An open letter to my Senators and Representative concerning the upcoming vote on President Obama's request for military action in Syria.

Dear Senator/Representative;
As one of your constituents, I'd like to inform you of my position vis a vis President Obama's plan to punish Bashar al-Assad for his alleged use of chemical weapons.


While the tragedy of the almost 1500 Syrian citizens cannot be denied, I doubt that those involved really discriminate between Sarin and incendiary bombs or gunfire. The hundred thousand plus other Syrian (and other) dead should have roused an equal outrage. Since they have not, I'm left to think the President would have me believe that the treaty -- to which Syria and other MidEastern countries are not signatories -- ranks higher than the offense to common human decency that the other killings fill us with.


That's a common enough argument, I suppose. I am confident in President Obama's record for doing what he says, and the record gives me confidence as well that, given authorization, he will not allow events to overcome him and us.


If you will read my suggestion: Listen carefully to every briefing. Discover the mission's goal, its definition and how we may recognize it. Discover the disengagement process. More importantly, find out what happens when the plan fails and chemical weapons are again used, because to me, it seems certain that they will be. I am not as confident as Secretary Kerry that the rebels are lily white in this matter, and our actions may well embolden them to attempt to frame al-Assad, intent on putting America in the position where we must increase our involvement to "punish" his "continuing" evil.


Understanding the goal is crucial, I believe, since I think none of the parties in the civil war particularly like America; President Obama and Secretary Kerry have the unenviable job of picking the least worst, and no matter what we do, I see a fundamentalist regime in Syria's near future, as much as I believe in secular government. The goal should be limited, clearly defined, and in your opinion if you vote Yea, achievable. It should be a better outcome for Syria and for the world than declining to act as the President believes necessary.


Similarly, you must believe if you vote Yea that the consequences of both success and failure are accurately described, and acceptable. Also, they must be more acceptable to the country than those of voting Nay, preventing the President and the United States from additional involvement.


Personally, I don't believe that intervention is a wise move. I believe our moral outrage is sadly misplaced. I'm not convinced al-Assad is the only culprit. I'm sure that our action will play into the hands of those in America who would have us at war for their profit, and I'm as certain as can be that without a full-fledged intervention, our actions will vanish like smoke. Except in the history books.


However, I also believe that the President, the Secretary and you as my representative, have more detailed, accurate and comprehensive information than I. I ask you to use that information to make the best decision you can on this crucial matter.

No matter how you feel about this, please take a few minutes to inform your Senators and Representative of your views. That's the way it works. And of course, vote when the time comes.

If you don't know your Congress-critters' email addresses, check this web page. 

Comments welcome.