ShazzieB
ShazzieB's JournalYeah, I know he was a very successful environmental lawyer.
He had a great career doing that, accomplished some things that really helped people. A lawyer doesn't have to be a scientist to litigate science-based cases successfully. He just has to know how to pick the right expert witnesses and use them effectively. RFK Jr was obviously good at doing those things.
Imo, it's a shame he didn't stick with environmental law, because he could have continued to do good things with it. Unfortunately, he got off track somewhere along the line, started falling down conspiracy theory rabbit holes, and ended up deciding vaccines are all toxic and unsafe. He's already influenced a lot of people to stop vaccinating their kids, and in the position Trump wants to appoint him to, he'd be a major menace to public health.
I don't care how many major law cases he's won; when it comes to vaccines, I think he's a dangerous crackpot, and according to what I've read, so do most public health experts, including Dr. Anthony Fauci, who has written about some of the problems caused by RFK Jr and others in the antivaxx movement during the efforts to get people to be vaccinated for covid. I can't give you an internet link, but it's in the last chapter of Fauci's book, On Call, which I have on my Kindle App.
I'm not a health care professional or a public health expert myself, just a scientifically literate layperson who has read widely on vaccines, the antivaxx movement, and related topics. I believe strongly that vaccines havee a vitally important role to play in protecting public health, and I am strongly opposed to all efforts to convince people to be suspicious of vaccines and/or to encourage parents not to vaccinate their children according to the schedule recommended by the vast majority of pediatricians.
I don't think RFK Jr is evil. From what I've read, he evidently believes the junk science he's pushing and thinks he's trying to help people. However, any good intentions he may have don't make him any less wrong or any less dangerous, and they definitely don't make him qualified to head up the Dept. of Health and Human Services.
How do I deactivate my Xitter account?
I decided to join the masses who have been rushing over to join bluesky. If anyone wants to find me over there, my username is @bluestatebeliever.bsky.social.
Next step: Kick Xitter and its evil overlord to the curb. Only I can't figure out how to do it.
I could Google, but I thought I'd rather ask my DU friends first. 
I saw a car with a Gadsen flag bumper sticker today.
You know, one of these things:
.
It caught my attention partly because it's very unusual to see any kind of bumper stickers on cars around here. I don't think I saw a single one during the entire 2024 election cycle, for any candidate. As a result, this one really jumped out at me.
I've been trying to figure out exactly what message this thing is intended to convey. I seem to recall seeing at least one of these flags on January 6.
Is this sticker a way of saying the car's owner is a Trumper without actually using the Orange One's name? If so, fuck that guy.
The freak out has begun!!!
MeidasTouch host Brett Meiselas reports on Trump supporters already suffering after voting for Donald Trump in the 2024 election. Please join me in wallowing in this Schadenfreude fest!
Visit https://meidastouch.com for more!
"Life must go on; I forget just why."
The title of this post is from a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay. It's been stuck in my head for the last few days, because it perfectly describes how I've been feeling. Here's the full text of the poem:
Lament
Listen, children:
Your father is dead.
From his old coats
I'll make you little jackets;
I'll make you little trousers
From his old pants.
There'll be in his pockets
Things he used to put there,
Keys and pennies
Covered with tobacco;
Dan shall have the pennies
To save in his bank;
Anne shall have the keys
To make a pretty noise with.
Life must go on,
And the dead be forgotten;
Life must go on,
Though good men die;
Anne, eat your breakfast;
Dan, take your medicine;
Life must go on;
I forget just why.
--- Edna St. Vincent Millay
This poem is about grief and about how a great loss is often followed by a feeling that nothing makes any sense anymore. You are shaken to your core, and yet the world continues to go about its business as if nothing has changed. How can that be, when your whole life has just been upended? That's how I feel right now.
Fortunately, I know from the personal experience of weathering past storms and grieving the deaths of parents, in laws, and siblings, that this state of mind is temporary. There's no way to know exactly how long it will last, but I know as sure as I'm sitting here that it will not last forever. I will wait it out and see it through, however long it takes. And then we'll see. Because life must go, even though, right now, I forget just why.
Trump's brain is QUICKLY getting worse, says psychologist
Doctor Harry Segal, clinical psychologist and Senior Lecturer in the Psychology Department at Cornell University as well as the Department of Psychiatry at Cornell Weill Medical School, joins David Pakman for a final discussion of the cognitive stakes of the Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris election.
Image dump to help us survive the next few days... [Edit]
EDIT: The last 2 pics got cut off when I posted. (They were there in the preview, goshdarnit!) I'm editing to add them in again.
...and however long it takes to count all the votes after that.
I have pulled together a few things that I have found uplifting without being too soppy. I hope you enjoy them
Take some time to savor simple pleasures.
And above all else...
My daughter's happy news!
I got a text from my daughter a little while ago saying that her boyfriend/partner has proposed, and her dad and I are delighted! No idea what their plans are for actually getting married; I didn't ask because it really doesn't matter. They will do whatever they want to do when and how they want to do it, and we will be happy to share it with them. I'm just thrilled because her dad and I are both crazy about her fiance and are looking forward to bring able to call him our son in law.
They've been together for several years now, living together for a little over 4 years, and he has been SO good for her that we can't help but love him. If there were ever 2 people who seem to be made for each other, it's them. It may seem a little old-fashioned to be so excited about them making it "legal," but I am, for reasons I can't really explain. I've been hoping for this for a while, and I am over the moon about it! 🥰😍😊😁❤❤❤
Permit approved for Kamala Harris speech at Ellipse, 20K expected to attend
I was wondering about the schedule for Tuesday's speech, so I went looking and found this.
WASHINGTON (DC News Now) — The National Park Service (NPS) has approved a permit for Vice President Kamala Harris to give a speech on Tuesday on the Ellipse in Washington, D.C., just south of the White House.
The permit, which NPS issued on Saturday, states that the event, described as a “First Amendment activity: Political Speech,” is expected to draw 20,000 attendees, despite the previous permit application citing a predicted crowd of around 7,500.
The approved permit also notes that the crowd may overflow from the Ellipse into the Northeast quadrant of the Washington Monument grounds. The rally site will open to the public at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, and the event program will begin at around 7:15 p.m.
Preparations for the event began on Saturday morning, as workers began to set up the stage, tents and flooring. The setup is expected to continue through Tuesday.
Read more: https://www.dcnewsnow.com/news/local-news/washington-dc/permit-approved-for-kamala-harris-speech-at-ellipse-20k-expected-to-attend/
Encounter with an immigrant 🌞
I just had a lovely experience that I would like to share. I just got a ClearCaptions* phone, and the technician came today to set it up and show me how to use it. He was a young black man with a noticeable foreign accent (possibly Haitian, although I couldn't swear to it).
While he was working on the phone, I decided there was something I wanted to say to him. When he finished and was heading for the door, after thanking him for his help, I added (paraphrasing), "I can tell you're not originally from this country, and I just want to say welcome, and let you know that there are many of us who are deeply ashamed of the man who is running for president and is saying so many terrible things about immigrants."
I could tell he knew exactly what I was talking about, and when I finished, he held out his arms, and we shared a big hug! I could tell he was genuinely moved by what I said, and I was deeply moved by his response.
After he left, I was thinking about the whole thing, and it dawned on me that I had actually made that little speech partially for selfish reasons. I really am ashamed of the things Trump says about immigrants, and I wanted to disassociate myself from him and the bile he is spewing.
I also wanted that man to know that many, many Americans feel as I do and are NOT like Trump. I definitely succeeded in that respect, but I was (perhaps foolishly) not prepared for such a heartfelt reaction. I feel like I may have made a real difference in the life of another human being today, and that realization makes me feel both proud and humbled.
I just wanted to share this, NOT to blow my own horn, but because this experience has made me appreciate how a small action or a kind word can make much more of a difference than we might imagine. I'm really grateful to have had this opportunity, and I'm going to try to be alert for more opportunities like this from now on.
It would be lovely if that man goes home tonight to his family and tells them about the nice white lady who welcomed him to this country instead of treating him like an interloper, but whether he does or not, I know I made a difference in his day, and that, my friends, is an amazing feeling!
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*You may have see the commercials on TV; it's a phone for hearing impaired people that provides captions of what is being said. I encourage anyone with a hearing loss that makes it hard to understand what people are saying to look into it. It's 100% free, paid for by a fund that the telecommunication companies are all required to pay into. You can find all the information here: https://clearcaptions.com/
Profile Information
Name: SharonGender: Female
Hometown: Chicago area, IL
Home country: USA
Member since: Tue Mar 26, 2013, 03:18 AM
Number of posts: 19,054