Global Warming Brings February Flowers

Outside the Loveland, CO main library today.

Catch 22

"In an extraordinarily rare move, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) interrupted Warren’s speech in a near-empty chamber, as debate on Sessions’s nomination heads toward a Wednesday evening vote, and said that she had breached Senate rules by reading past statements against Sessions from figures such as the late senator Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) and the late Coretta Scott King."
-Washington Post

"I will not be silent about a nominee for AG who has made derogatory & racist comments that have no place in our justice system."

— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) February 8, 2017



Republicans vote to rebuke Senator Elizabeth Warren for reading a letter written by Coretta King that was critical of Jeff Sessions, Trump's nominee for Atty General. The obscure rule was passed in 1902 after one US Senator attacked another US Senator. Talk about overkill and a direct attempt by the Republican majority to silence any dissent presented by anyone, including a sitting US Senator.

What is happening in these hearing made me think of Chicago mayor Richard J. Daley's quote during the Police Riot at the 1968 Democratic Convention, "The police are not here to create disorder, they're here to preserve disorder."

I think the Republican leadership in Congress is not only there to create disorder, they are there to preserve disorder in order to get what they want.

In the past, long, long, ago, the Republican leadership in Congress believed as Confucius taught, "In his dealings with the world the gentleman is neither for or against anything. Rather he is on the side of what is moral."

These are bad times for a Party that has lost it's way and no longer represents the ideas they expound on their web page:

"We reaffirm the Constitution’s fundamental principles: limited government, separation of powers, individual liberty, and the rule of law. We denounce bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, ethnic prejudice, and religious intolerance. Therefore, we oppose discrimination based on race, sex, religion, creed, disability, or national origin and support statutes to end such discrimination. As the Party of Abraham Lincoln, we must continue to foster solutions to America’s difficult challenges when it comes to race relations today. We continue to encourage equality for all citizens and access to the American Dream. Merit and hard work should determine advancement in our society, so we reject unfair preferences, quotas, and set-asides as forms of discrimination. Our ranks include Americans from every faith and tradition, and we respect the right of each American to follow his or her deeply held beliefs."

This from a party who has a racist as it's nominee for Atty. General, who confirmed a nominee for Secretary of Education who is unqualified, who said nothing as Donald Trump banned American citizens of the Muslim faith from reentering the country, who said nothing when Donald Trump said that his power as president was greater than that of any of the other branches of the government, and who has attempted to stifle anyone who exercises their right to freedom of speech under the Constitution.

The Republican Party has lost it's moral compass. Hell, they didn't loose it, they threw it away and never looked back.

What Fresh Hell Is This?

-Dorothy Parker

Leaked Draft of Trump’s Religious Freedom Order Reveals Sweeping Plans to Legalize Discrimination

The four-page draft order, a copy of which is currently circulating among federal staff and advocacy organizations, construes religious organizations so broadly that it covers “any organization, including closely held for-profit corporations,” and protects “religious freedom” in every walk of life: “when providing social services, education, or healthcare; earning a living, seeking a job, or employing others; receiving government grants or contracts; or otherwise participating in the marketplace, the public square, or interfacing with Federal, State or local governments.”'
THE NATIONAL

Most Americans do not approve of Sharia Laws (Laws based on religious beliefs.) or the countries, like Iran, that govern under them. In fact it terrifies them. But they do not seem to have any problem with Sharia Laws if they are based on Christian religious beliefs. These same people will tell you they love the Constitution, this country, the American Flag and what it it stand for. Do you know what that makes those American? Lying hypocrites.

“Give Me Your Tired, Your Poor, Your Huddled Masses Yearning To Breathe Free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”
-Emma Lazarus’ sonnet, New Colossus (1883)

Adam Zyglis, The Buffalo News.

An Open Letter To My State Representative Steven Humphrey

Dear Representative Humphrey,

I woke-up this morning to the news that your Colorado Freedom of Conscience Protection Act has died in committee. I was saddened and confused by this as the law would have only protected the religious rights of every citizen of Colorado.

As Christian I would have no longer have to do business with Lesbians, Gays, Bisexuals, or Transgender people since The Holy Book says that, "Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination." Of course those words are in the Old Testament and not the New Testament which means Jesus never said them, he said things like, "Love thy neighbor" and "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” But those other words are in The Holy Book so this makes my actions righteous.

As a Jew I would have no longer have to do business with any menstruating woman as the Torah says menstruating women are unclean for seven days. Of course, as a Christian I would have been able to do the same thing as the Torah is really the Old Testament and a part of The Holy Book. In fact, since I cannot really tell whether or not a woman is menstruating, I would not have done business with any women all.

As a Hindu I would have no longer have to do business with anyone wearing leather shoes, clothing, a watch with a leather strap, or anyone carrying a leather bag, suitcase or briefcase as cows are sacred to me. I would also not have done business with anyone who walked into my business eating a McDonald's hamburger.

As a Druid I would no longer have to do business with anyone who puts up a Christmas tree as trees are sacred to me. I would have also had the right not to do business with anyone who puts up a fake Christmas tree since that person would only be mocking my beliefs.

As a worshiper of the Ngen I would no longer have to do business with anyone who defiles nature. Woe to you who treat nature with no respect and molest the animals with in it. There are not many of us Ngen worshipers but those of us will probably be working for the Parks Service. I wouldn't want to be you on the day I work the entry gate at Rocky Mountain National Park. If you try to come in the west entrance, you will be stuck in a line of vehicles that reaches back to Granby.

As for the supposed negative effects to our economy that opponents of this law presented, how many gay or lesbian or bisexual or transgender or female or leather wearing or McDonald's hamburger eating or Christmas tree puter- uppers or nature defiling tourists really come to Colorado to ski, visit the parks or attend conventions? Not that many, I'll bet!

What the people who are against this law do not realize is that passing it would have helped end terrorism and improved our relationship with the Islamic States. Once the Islamic people learned that we had passed a religion based law, just like one of their Sharia Laws, they would have known that we as a people are righteous.

Allah, I mean, God be with you,

Colleen Shannon


PS Since President Trump will soon be closing down all social media to prevent people from criticizing him I will be sending you a copy of this letter by snail mail.
C


Link to Denver Post article, Religious freedom bill dies in Colorado House.

Women's March- Denver January 21, 2017

Be not deceived. Revolutions do not go backward.
-Abraham Lincoln

View of people streaming into Civic Center Park before the march. Photo taken from 22nd floor of the old Hilton Hotel building.

View of people on 16th St. heading toward Broadway St., then on into Civic Center Park- from the 14th floor of the old Hilton Hotel building.

Start of the march at 15th St. and Cleveland Place.

Signs, signs, everywhere signs.

More signs and people- including men, women and children.

Nasty woman marching.

Pink hats and Dr. King.

More hats and signs.

At 14th St and Temont Place with view of other marchers heading up 15th Street. You can also see Trinity Church way down on Broadway and 18th Street.

The crowd behind me toward the end of the march.

My sister Maura and me at W. Colfax and 14th St. just getting ready to turn onto Banock St. Two block away from the end of the march

Denver Post's photo of Civic Center. The post figured 100,000 people came to march. Only 40,000 people were expected.

My sister Maura and I were not the only Shannon sisters to march. Our sister Tara marched in Los Angeles and took along a photo of our mother taken back when she was protesting for Civil Rights in the 1960s.

It was exhausting. It was invigorating. It was a start. We are the future and the future is now.

Inauguration Day 2017

I'll Be There

 Women's March on Denver website.

Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

Six to eight inches of snow on the ground by the time we woke up today. Got it all shoveled off the driveway, backyard patio, and the sidewalks. My husband even snowblowed the sidewalks in front of the houses on either side of us. Then we took the dogs for a couple laps around the neighborhood. Had to walk in the street because everyone is just getting out to clean their walkway so we talked to neighbors we have never really met before. It was a fun morning.

Happy New Year, 2017!

I'm not fooled by the innocence symbolized by the angel children. I know the bats represent what it is really going to be like in this country this year. If you look closely at the face of the angel riding the closest bat on the left, you can see that he or she knows it, too. Fasten you seat-belts, little children, it's going to be a bumpy year.