Selina Bliss for AZ LD 1

 

Environment- George Carlin

George Carlin in 1992

The WAR on Ukraine - Open Letter to President Putin

Yes, President Putin, it is a WAR. There are no Nazis infiltrating Ukraine - the ONLY infiltration of Ukraine is by Russian soldiers and mercenaries hired to do your dirty work. You have labeled the West as fascist - yet it is Russia who has invaded a sovereign country, unprovoked, and THAT is why the West has come to the aid of the Ukrainian people. The only fascist action going on is the Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine. Then the Russian propaganda machine is running rampant in Russia in an attempt to convince the people of Russia that your presence there is another cleansing of Nazism - which is clearly a lie. If it were true, the Ukrainian people would not be fleeing their cities, no they would be welcoming the Russian troops as the German people did when Russian forces entered Berlin at the end of World War II. There are NO welcoming crowds - the Ukrainian people HATE what YOU are doing to their country.

You're Not From Around Here - Are You

Pet Peeve Time

OK, this is a local pet peeve of mine. I live in Arizona and we have a LOT of transplants from other states, primarily California. I don't know how many times per day I come to an intersection to turn left and there is someone waiting to turn left in front of me (and or in front of several others) and they are NOT IN THE INTERSECTION! 

OK, not a huge deal here - and perhaps an opportunity to learn the virtue of patience - but for informational purposes, and perhaps to reduce frustration and maybe some road-rage for other drivers, let me clarify - (unless otherwise posted) IT IS LEGAL IN ARIZONA TO ENTER THE INTERSECTION FOR A LEFT TURN! Well, provided the intersection is not controlled by a left-turn arrow - in which case, we are all stuck waiting for the red arrow to go away. Some intersections have a green arrow that goes away, and no red arrow follows - in which case, IT IS LEGAL IN ARIZONA TO ENTER THE INTERSECTION FOR A LEFT TURN!

Why the frustration? 

Because generally if that lead car enters the intersection, 1) they can make the turn quicker if they are already out there, and 2) usually more than one car can get into the intersection (beyond the crosswalk and/or line of demarkation) so when the light changes, those cars which have entered the intersection can now legally make their left turn - thus clearing the intersection of at least one to two cars - speeding up everyone's day by a couple minutes. If you have not entered the intersection before the light turns yellow - at this point you CANNOT enter (legally) and make your left turn - so you are stuck there and likely at least one other driver behind you.

I believe it is illegal in California to enter the intersection (going to look this one up to be sure) so it becomes rather obvious who the transplants are when they sit outside the intersection.

(A few minutes later) - OK, it appears I am wrong! It is LEGAL in California too! If you are IN the intersection before the light turns red, you are OK - just like in Arizona, it is illegal to enter the intersection after it turns red. https://www.nbccomedyplayground.com/can-you-be-in-the-intersection-when-the-light-turns-red-california/ 

This is LEGAL - car 1 is legally in the intersection, car 2 must wait for the intersection to clear enough to allow room, or wait for the next light:

AND - if the intersection is large enough, and cars are small enough, the following is LEGAL for the first two cars - the third needs to wait for the intersection to clear or for the next light:

OK, I have vented. 

Federal Judge Blocks Vaccine Mandate

Well, it's only temporary - and limited to 10 states (Arizona, my state, is not one of those 10).

See article:  https://www.cbsnews.com/news/covid-19-vaccine-mandate-health-care-workers-blocked-federal-judge/ 

In August of 2020, it is recorded:

The idea, according to Fauci, was impossible.

“If someone refuses the vaccine in the general public, then there's nothing you can do about that. You cannot force someone to take a vaccine," he said at the time.

Yet, now we have mandates. I, personally, am not an anti-vaxer, I have been vaccinated for COVID-19, but the government should not be mandating the vaccine - especially to those who have already had COVID-19.

Biden Takes "Swift" Action on New Covid Variant

So touts a report from FoxNews (see video below) along with several other countries, this "swift" action is being taken. A new "highly contagious mutation" of COVID 19, named "Omicron," is spreading throughout South Africa, so President Biden has ordered travel restrictions from that region - effective Monday, November 29th. Today is Friday, November 26th - so WHY WAIT? Essentially all who want to leave that region have 3 days to leave, and if infected - bring the new variant with them! Could someone explain to me the logic in waiting and giving them time to leave the countries being affected? It seems if you're trying to lock them down, do it NOW - not give them time to figure out how to get out and spread the variant! 

This kind of makes me want to say, "Come on, man!"

Your comments are welcome...

Juneteenth Recognized

 

What is Juneteenth?

Juneteenth is the day that Union soldiers, under the command of Major General Gordon Granger, rode into Galveston, Texas to announce to still enslaved African Americans that the war is over, they are free (Holland, 2019).

When Did Juneteenth Begin?

On June 19^th, 1865 when the Union soldiers announced in Galveston, TX, this is the day marked in Galveston as “Freedom Day” – and local celebrations began in 1866. It spread to other cities, slowly. Most Americans over the age of 30 (as of this writing) had never heard of this holiday until a series called Atlanta, on the FX network, made brief mention in the first few minutes of one of the shows of the first season (Ali, 2018). June 19^th would be first declared a state holiday in Texas on June 7, 1979 – since then 42 other states and the District of Columbia have declared the holiday (Gates, 2013).

It Is Official!

On June 17, 2021, President Biden signed a bill declaring Juneteenth (June 19th) to be a federal holiday.

References

Ali, R. (2018). Yes, Juneteenth is a real holiday. Yahoo! Entertainment. https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/atlanta-yes-juneteenth-real-holiday-033628451.html

Gates, H. L. (2013). What is Juneteenth? The Root. https://www.theroot.com/what-is-juneteenth-1790896900

Holland, J. J. (2019). When did Juneteenth celebrations begin? Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. https://www.post-gazette.com/life/lifestyle/2019/06/14/Juneteenth-history-end-of-slavery-Galveston-Texas-Civil-War/stories/201906150020#:~:text=A%20holiday%20that%20is%20spreading%20across%20the%20U.S.,Civil%20War%20had%20ended%20and%20they%20were%20free

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