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Larry Middleton

@l78lancer

16 Mar

When historians look back at the 2020-2021 #COVID19 crisis, one of the conclusions that will probably be drawn is that the U.S. and most of the industrialized western world responded so poorly to the crisis because there was more worry about preserving business than people.

Instead of closing down and following strict measures to quickly mitigate the crisis and thus shorten the overall recovery, they tried to implement half-step measures to protect profits.

That made a public health crisis a political football, and made people less willing to be compliant with even minimal measures. That precipitated repeated cycles of infection spikes, hospitalizations, and deaths. It also largely backfired by also prolonging business reopening.

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Larry Middleton

@l78lancer

12 Mar

Hmmm...

Something has been clear for a long time that most Americans get, but conservatives don't. The ability to give is power, real power. Consequently, it's our ability to give as the richest country on earth that made us the most powerful country in the history of mankind.

Of course there must be expectations and reciprocity. But when you give, it's generally easier for others to give in return. When you have what they need, and you're fair and just, trust is established. Then they give what they have. Stability, loyalty, and confidence can exist.

Loyal, trustworthy friends are willing to sacrifice for their friends. That's how treaties are made, alliances are built, and partnerships last. Anyone with a true partnership or friendship knows this to be true.

Read 10 tweets

Larry Middleton

@l78lancer

12 Mar

I really need some help from my friends to make sense of this.

The idea of negotiating away issues and positions on voting rights is always fascinating, but not reasonable or rational. The constitution is clear: Voting is a right. So exactly how much voting rights are too much?

Why is it that the folks who aways wind up losing rights are the last people to receive them, fought the hardest for them, and still have no assurance of them? Who in white America is willing to compromise away any of their voting rights? Has that question ever even been asked?

If not, then why the hell is it reasonable for blacks and otber people of color to have ours traded away on the idaa of compromise with folks who have no intentions of right, fairness or honesty? Thus, idea of compromise on fundamental rights is lazy and intellectually dishonest.

Read 5 tweets

Larry Middleton

@l78lancer

11 Mar

The US lost more lives from #COVID19 in the three months before Biden was inaugurated that during the entire rest of the year before. The economy was in shambles. Trump did literally nothing but plan an insurrection after the election.

Now upon the passage of the relief bill, Trump wants credit for the addressing the crisis. And, McConnell is too anxious to lie and say that everything was rosy and the US was turning the corner before Biden got into office.

There is nothing that's too craven for republicans. They obviously live in a different United States, on a different planet earth, from the rest of us.

Read 4 tweets

Larry Middleton

@l78lancer

8 Mar

An example of institutionalized structural racism:

1. Laws exist in all 50 states making militia groups illegal. Yet they only people who are regularly policed, interrogated and harassed are groups like the Black Panther Party.

2. Racist white militia groups march with and and uniforms claiming to provide "security" and to "assist" police. Yet because those groups are illegal, how is anything that they do legal, let alone acceptable or tolerated?

3. Racist white militia groups come into black communities with guns for "enforcement" during peaceful protests. Yet the violence that occurs is almost uniformly instigated by militia members. Whereas, unarmed blacks are called rioters and dissidents for disrupting people meals.

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Larry Middleton

@l78lancer

2 Mar

Although I was a kid, I do vaguely recall the infighting and dissent with the democratic party between 1968 - 1972. From what I could tell, it was pretty bitter and acrimonious even to the mind of a kid who was more interested in Ultraman, Marine Boy, and Gun Smoke than politics.

Democrats managed to get it together, sort of, by 1976 to elect Carter. But, remnants of those struggles continue through today. Yet at no point do I remember republicans extending a hand to assist democrats in dealing with our political problem, or supporting us as we struggled.

On the contrary, the GOP exploited the opportunity at every turn. So Carter lost in 1980 and, just over a decade later, we had lost both congressional houses.

Read 13 tweets

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