This just in: For fun, I thought I would make a list of things that either surprise me or not.

1. I am not surprised when a Lab that I’ve never met runs up to me like I’m its long-lost friend.
2. I would be surprised if any Republican took a stand in support of human rights.
3. I am surprised when my luggage shows up at the airport carousel.
4. I am not surprised when every day it seems like Trump has committed some crime that would land the average American in jail for a lifetime.
5. I would be surprised if Trump was ever charged with a crime, found guilty, and spent time in jail.
6. I am surprised when a double-stuffed breakfast croissant sandwich at Burger King tastes even better than I expect.
7. I am not surprised that Republicans complain about things without having a solution to any problem.
8. I would be surprised if I ever hit a long drive at the golf course and it stayed in my fairway.
9. I am surprised that Putin seems to be making one blunder after another with regards to the war in Ukraine.
10. I am not surprised that one Trump associate after another is found to be a criminal.
11. I would be surprised if Tesla stock does not double by the first month of 2024.
12. I am surprised that at age 64, I love Rockwall climbing; something I only started earlier this year.
13. I am not surprised that people willingly believe things that they know are not true simply because they want them to be true.
14. I would be surprised if organized religion could exist in a world where people couldn’t profit from it.
15. I am surprised that Italy has elected a Fascist government.
16. I’m not surprised that the UK is suffering economically after exiting the EU.
17. I would be surprised if Popeye’s somehow figured out how to make their chicken even better.
18. I am surprised when I can find my Hertz rental car at the Birmingham airport when they hide these things like Easter eggs in a giant car garage.
19. I am not surprised that people expose their biggest fears by openly displaying anger.
20. I would be surprised if California finally had a wet winter.
21. I’m surprised by how many elected officials are bad at math, science and economics but are experts at manipulating public opinion.
22. I am not surprised that Republicans in the House voted against a measure that would keep January 6th from happening again.
23. I would be surprised if Texans and Floridians realized that their governors are embarrassing their states.

Time to catch my flight.

And…save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim

This just in: Today, I want to talk about how Republicans put lipstick on a pig in hopes of making is seem less…pig-like.

The First Amendment guarantees the right to free speech.

What the First Amendments does not do it allow you to yell “Fire” in a crowded theater when there is no fire. This is because you will be causing a panic in which people can be injured.

In other words, you can’t use your right to free speech in a way that is willfully and avoidably harmful to others. (I’m not a lawyer but this is how I interpret this.)

In the same way, you can’t stand in the middle of the street holding a sign that says, “Detour. Turn right here.” When people turn right they drive straight off of a cliff.

Seems pretty obvious.

But, we are allowed to go online and tell people, falsely, that a politician is a pedophile. People read this and decide to take the law into their own hands. They take action against something that is not true; action that results in injury to another.

Trump can incite a crowd to riot and kill and we act like it’s not a big deal. “He has a right to say whatever he wants.” Wrong.

All of this Fake News that we find from Republicans and on outlets like Fox news is inspiring violence. It does so willfully and avoidably. It is no different from yelling “Fire” in a theater.

Another example…

In Iran, morality police arrested a young woman for not wear her headdress appropriately. She later died of a supposed “heart attack.”

Iran’s “morality policy” have nothing to do with morals. They have everything to do will suppressing women and mandating strict adherence to the religious beliefs of their leaders. In short, its all about control to maintain power.

In the United States, we don’t have “morality policy.” Instead, we have “republicans.”

Republicans plan on arresting young women, and those that support them, if they fail to comply with the religious beliefs of the party. Anti-abortion laws are not “pro-life”. They are about suppressing women and imposing their personal beliefs in magic on others.

By the way, “Pro-Choice” means I want you to decide what to do with your body and I want to decide what to do with my body. “Anti-Abortion” means, I want to decide what to do with my body and I want to decide what to do with your body.

You can put lipstick on gun rights. You can put lipstick on voter suppression. You can put lipstick on unlimited campaign finances.

A pig with lipstick is not less pig-ish. It’s just a pig with lipstick.

Time to save the world.

Up, up and away…

Jim