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SCOTUS Temporary Hold on TG Case
I’m very disappointed that SCOTUS temporarily put on hold a brief from a lower court that allowed a transgender student to use a bathroom that conformed with his gender. This was the first time that the Supreme Court has ruled on transgender rights. As one would expect, Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Sonia Sotomayor, and Elena Kagan, the liberal wing of the court, would have upheld the lower court’s ruling and granted the student the right to use the bathroom that conformed to his gender. Justice Stephen Breyer, who usually votes with them, joined with the four conservative members this time, saying in a one-sentence explanation that he was doing so out of courtesy to preserve the status quo until SCOTUS could consider the matter more fully. This is only temporary, of course. The court WILL have to decide the issue, one way or another, since states are suing the federal government over Obama’s directive that transgender students be allowed to use the bathroom of their choice.
Here’s my take on the whole bathroom controversy. Stop gendering bathrooms. Period. Make them all clean, private, safe places with no open urinals and problem solved. I’ve been in places that only provide one restroom for patrons, and this has not been a problem. No children have been molested, nor women accosted. Bathrooms serve a function; work on improving that, and get the public’s mind out of the gutter!
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Rigged Elections?
I want to comment about Trump’s paranoiac remark that upcoming election could very well be rigged. He is clearly setting the stage for a voter revolt, should he lose. Now, Republican talk about rigged elections is standard fare, part and parcel of Conservative lore. But this is putting the process at risk, for I do not think that Trump will do as previous candidates have done in the past, as for example when Gore lost and his supporters booed, he calmed them as he asked that they support his opponent as the elected President. Rather, I have heard his supports warn of more that civil unrest, of actual uprising and violence. The U. S. could potentially face the sort of disturbance seen in Europe after an election, something we have never before seen. This, because of the clever machinations of a slick sociopathic demagogue.
As to the actual content of his remark, yes, the election might well BE rigged! The Federal Courts are doing their best to address that, however! States which have enacted highly discriminatory voter identification laws have been having them stricken-Kansas, North Dakota, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and Texas. These laws would have affected those voters most likely to vote AGAINST Trump-the poor, Latinos, African Americans, and other minorities-and it is precisely these voters, along with women, against whom the system has traditionally been rigged. For voters in Trump’s demographic swath not to counted is extremely improbable, despite his delusions. But, then again, Trump has never let reality get in the way of a good story.
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Illness Is A Selfish Bitch
I completely missed the DNC. I hate that, b/c it was so very different from the RNC in tone, not to mention that history was made, with the first ever nomination of a woman for candidate President of a major party! The Democratic party has such amazing women to offer for role models: Elizabeth Warren, Michele Obama, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and, of course, Hillary Rodham Clinton. If I were female or had daughters, I would definitely be a Democrat! (I AM a Democrat, should it not be obvious by now.) I have watched some of the memorable speeches by the Obamas, Khirza Khan, and Hillary Clinton. Such a contrast with the doom and gloom reality show that was the RNC.
Now, on to the theme of this entry. I’ve been struggling with some health issues that sap my energy. On good days I can read the news and follow what going on. think critically, and write. On bad days I can barely sit up. Unfortunately last week was a bad week. And sickness, I’ve found, is a demanding selfish bitch. I was doing well to take out the whippet. Books went unread. Dust gathered in corners. Laundry piled in the hamper. You get the picture.
I’ve appointments with specialists. Cardio and gastro are being investigated. I expect cardio to be given a fairly clean bill of health, while something is definitely amiss with gastro. Depending on the results from all the tests I’m undergoing, a move might be the offing. While I love my little town, if I can’t work, then I’ll say goodbye, thanks for all the fish (grin), and go early to live with my friend.
