Motley Moose – Archive

Since 2008 – Progress Through Politics

Archive for July 2013

Why I Vote For Democrats: The Civil Rights Act of 1964

On July 2, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson, Democrat, signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964.



President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1964

The act outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion or national origin and gave the federal courts jurisdiction over enforcement, taking it out of the state courts where justice was uneven at best.

The Civil Rights Act had political ramifications as well. Its adoption caused a mass exodus of angry racists from the Democratic Party in the old south to the Republican Party. And the politics borne of hatred of The Other gave the not so Grand Old Party the presidency for 28 out of the next 40 years.  

The Daily F Bomb, Tuesday 7/2/13

Interrogatories

Have you ever seen a UFO?

It’s National Anisette Day. Are you a lover or hater of licorice flavors?

Do you shop at Wal-Mart? Why?

Do you listen to the radio? If so, what do you listen to?

Two celebs are in the news for their recent slurs – Paula Deen for her racial slurs and Alec Baldwin for tweeting a homophobic slur. Do you think these two should be treated equally in the media and by the public? (h/t to Jim Beaver for the question)

The Twitter Emitter

Stand With Texas Women Rally – lots of pictures

I went to the rally at the Texas Capitol today. Wow. It was just amazing. People came from all over the state. We filled the whole south lawn — all the way down to the street, and it’s a big lawn. And it was noon on a Monday in Texas. I’ve got lots of pictures

It’s About Damn Time.

As you know, the Defense of Marriage Act finally fell, having been struck down by the Supreme Court and relegated to the heap of shitty things that never should have existed in the first place.

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For bigots, this means that an army of hairy men in assless leather chaps are coming to devour their succulent mullet-spawn.  For all else, it means that the United States is one step closer to living up it’s self-evident but expressly stated ideal: all Americans are created equal, and that they are endowed with certain unalienable Rights — Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.  For LGBT Federal employees, it also provides for deserved–but long denied–benefits.  

Words

“What’s the better human invention: words or music?” Floja Roja’s question in Friday’s “The Daily F Bomb” diary spurred a number of answers. Most people said “words” but didn’t explain why.

Whether written or spoken, why are words so essential to us? Words explain, they shine, they bind us together and tear us apart. They tell the stories of the ages, into the past and into the future.

Words mean more than what is set down on paper. It takes the human voice to infuse them with shades of deeper meaning. ~ Maya Angelou

What an astonishing thing a book is. It’s a flat object made from a tree with flexible parts on which are imprinted lots of funny dark squiggles. But one glance at it and you’re inside the mind of another person, maybe somebody dead for thousands of years. Across the millennia, an author is speaking clearly and silently inside your head, directly to you. Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic. ~ Carl Sagan

As noted above by Angelou, meaning may be created by tone of voice. Consider, for example, the ways a person might state “John Boehner is a strong leader.” They may sound earnest; they may sound sarcastic. Their tone of voice lets us know their intent.

The specific platform of delivery can provide information for us, too. If we know a “news” item was published by the Onion, we expect it to be tongue in cheek, even if otherwise it is completely believable.

The Daily F Bomb, Monday 7/1/13

Happy Monday, Bomberinos! Happy July! Happy birthday to my late older brother, Scott. Happy second half of the year!

Interrogatories

Are you now, or were you ever a smoker? If you are an ex-smoker, what prompted you to quit? How long did it take, and how long has it been?

How old were you when you saw your first adult themed (not porn) film in a theater?

What’s a belief that you hold that is out of the mainstream?

If you suddenly had a massive financial windfall, would you want to keep it secret, or let everyone know?

The Twitter Emitter

Motley Monday Check in and Mooselaneous Musings

Good morning Motley Meese! Hope your weekend was lovely. Remember to let your peeps know where you are!


  PLEASE Do Not Recommend the check-in diary! 

        Recs on the weather jar comment are still welcome.

Here’s today’s Motley Monday Shot of the Week, ttaken at Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs. This tree has something to say about survival under difficult conditions…

Garden of the Gods (49 of 59)

All The News: Half-Year Sunday

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A few protestors in Egypt, photo credit here.  

Massive Protests Hit Egypt

MATT BRADLEY And REEM ABDELLATIF, Wall Street Journal

Egyptians took to the streets on Sunday for nationwide protests against President Mohammed Morsi, presenting a massive popular opposition that rivaled the size of demonstrations that toppled President Hosni Mubarak more than two years ago.

By early evening, legions of protesters had crowded into Cairo’s Tahrir Square and filled several city blocks in front of Ittihadiya Palace, the president’s main residence, demanding that Mr. Morsi step down and call early elections.

In most protest areas, the atmosphere was ebullient. Families walked with children in tow, some with their faces painted, munching on snacks and waving Egyptian flags. Passing motorists honked their horns, lending a festival aspect to the marches despite weeks of concern over the potential for violence.

H/T to @hrana – This is only the smallest slice of news about a very large event.  Some of the tweets look grim.  

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