ShazzieB
ShazzieB's JournalYes, after that, she even got pregnant one more time!
She lost the pregnancy, I think around 4 or 5 months, no doubt because she was so damned old that trying to bear another child was bananacrackers. But even that's not all.....
They had a huge "memorial service" at their church for the kid (a girl they named Jubilee Shalom) that was the centerpiece of an episode of the show. Church packed full of people, lots of praying and weeping. It was.... bizarre.
No more pregnancies after that. I guess Mother Menopause finally stepped in and said, "Enough already!" 
*Disclaimer: I used to watch that show every now and then, because I found it entertaining, in a "Can you believe this freak show?" kind of way. Just happened to be "lucky" enough to catch the Jubilee memorial service episode. 
I don't understand why this was ever allowed in the first place.
I mean, since when is a political party allowed to bring in some random bunch of bozos and turn them loose with millions of ballots with NO transparency or oversight whatsoever? This makes absolutely NO. DAMNED. SENSE.
The longer this goes on, the more I'm getting the same surreal "Welcome to Bizarro World, where up is down and down is sideways" feeling that I had so often when Orange Voldemort was in power. 
I'm glad the judge "slapped down" the so called Cyber Ninjas, but what he ought to do is SHUT this down, at least until they cough up the documentation they've been ordered to produce.
This is absolutely nuts!!!!!!! 🤬
Hilarious! And omg, that gif!
The original photo was disturbing enough. With the "enhancements," it is now both funny and terrifying! 
Especially considering everything that's happened since then, and how much more horrible that piece of orange trash turned out to be than I ever even imagined back then. The four years he was in office now seem like a nightmare I've finally managed to wake up from. Or maybe a really bad acid trip.
Although, unlike either of those things, that four years actually really happened. 
I know one thing for sure: if he actually manages to try to run again, he must never, ever, ever be allowed to win. No matter what it takes. Our democracy would not survive. 
Hate is not the word I would us to describe how the GOP feels about ordinary Americans.
Hate is a passionate emotion. I don't see any passion there. I see complete and utter indifference to the needs, wishes, and desires of ordinary Americans. They just plain don't care.
I don't care nearly as much about her motives as I do about the effects of what she is doing.
No matter what LC's hidden agenda may be, I am happy to watch Kevin McCarthy and the rest of those disgusting insurrectionist douche nozzles writhe and squirm and fume and sputter while she stands firm about the need for a Jan. 6 commission. As long as she keeps holding their feet to the fire, I will cheer her on, no matter what her political ambitions may be or what a horrible human being her father is.
When she says, "If we minimize what happened on Jan. 6th and if we appease it, then we will be in a situation where every election cycle, you could potentially have another constitutional crisis. If you get into a situation where we don't guarantee a peaceful transfer of power, we won't have learned the lessons of Jan. 6," I am SO freaking here for that.
If someone does the right thing for less than perfect reasons, it's still the right thing, and I'm going to give them credit for that. Especially when they're standing up the leaders of their own party and telling them that, in effect, they are full of shit.
Who cares if she moved back to Wyoming just so she could run for office? I didn't hold it against Hillary Clinton when she and Bill moved to New York (a state neither of them had ever lived in before) so she could run for a New York Senate seat. Politicians do that stuff all the time. Why does it matter if she'd like to be a senator or even president someday? She's allowed to want that and to strategize accordingly, just like any other politician.
Yes, her father is horrible, but she's not him, and I think it's just possible that she doesn't share every single one of his heinous qualities. Even if she did, she's doing the right thing right now, and I think she's entitled to some respect for that. I don't have to think she's an angel or like her politics to say, "Way to go, Liz" in this particular instance.
If she does something horrible, I'll be right there to drag her for it. But right now, she's doing something I approve of. I'm not going to drag her just because she might possibly decide to do something horrible in the future.
O.M.G.
This: It's interesting that the victims in these situations - who are untrained and frightened - are always second-guessed, but the trained cops with the experience, guns and badges are given a pass, regardless what they do, because "they were in fear."
Wow. Holy crap. I'm almost embarrassed to say that I never actually thought about it from this exact angle, that OF COURSE the cops should be held to a higher standard, since they're the ones with the training.
I mean, I think I'm pretty good at not always looking for a justification for the cops. I definitely don't ever assume these things are justified; if anything, I tend to go in the opposite direction. I figured out a while back that there are a hell of a lot of cops who seem to operate on the assumption that all poc are automatically super dangerous and threatening, regardless of the individual's age or other personal characteristics or circumstances. I see that as being the basis for the vast majority of these shootings, and I know how mesed up that is. But I never thought about the training angle and that being a reason why we have the right to hold the cops to a higher standard. Bingo. I'm so glad you pointed that out.
The more I think about it, the more I think the training that cops are getting must be lacking in a lot of areas. There doesn't seem to be enough emphasis placed on learning how to de-escalate tense situations or developing good communication skills or actually LISTENING to what people are trying to tell you. A lot of cops don't seem to be able to even be able to recognize when they are dealing with someone who is so terrified they literally can't think straight. They definitely don't seem to be aware that poc are more than likely to be very afraid of them (for very sound and real reasons), let alone realize that certain behaviors (like shouting confusing orders in an angry and threatening way) is a lousy way to deal with someone in that frame of mind.
That is just some of the stuff they should getting a lot more training on, based on the behavior a lot of them demonstrate. And don't get me started on how badly they need to be trained on how to recognize their own unconscious biases (which we ALL have) and be aware of how those things can influence their behavior without their even realizing it.
THIS.
Thisthisthisthisthisthisthis.
This is the crux of the matter right here. I am convinced that this unconscious assumption that all all black people, regardless of their age and other physical characteristics, are highly dangerous and possess superhuman strength is at the root of why so many cops seem ready to go from O to lethal force in the blink of an eye. That's why I never assume a shooting like this was justified based on a few frames of a video.
I'm not saying this shooting wasn't justified. It MAY OR MAY NOT have been justified. We don't have all the facts yet. And given the track record of cops in this country killing poc unnecessarily, I am dismayed by the vehemence with which some people here are defending his actions. I'm not surprised that some think it was a justified shooting, but I am dismayed to see so many people in a forum for democrats and progressives ready to attack and insult those who think it might possibly be debatable.
I am SO sick of this shit. 🤬
"It’s like swaths of the US have been gaslit into believing that lethal force is the correct response to just about anything."
I think it's more like there are way too many cops in the US who seem to operate on the assumption that ALL poc, regardless of age or other physical characteristics, are raging, murderous hellbeasts who are always up to no good and can only be controlled by the use of total, full on lethal force. 
It's disgusting and infuriating nd ludicrous, and it has GOT to stop. Until and unless it does, black people will not be able to safely walk the streets of this country. 
Be that as it may..
"Florida is the top travel destination in the world, relying on tourism to drive its economy more than any other state." https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/011316/floridas-economy-6-industries-driving-gdp-growth.asp
"Tourism is key to Florida’s competitiveness. The truth is that visitors to Florida help 'pay the bills' and help ensure Floridians don’t pay a personal income tax. Florida’s tourism industry brings in more than $6 billion in state taxes, and more than $5 billion in local taxes which in turn helps fund schools, improve healthcare and support other government services." https://www.flchamber.com/tourism-is-key-to-floridas-competitiveness/
Yes, Florida has a diverse economy, but tourism is a very big part of it. As a resident of the state, you may not be personally dependent on the "grace of visitors" in a direct way, but it's impacting your well-being and that of the state as a whole in many more ways than you realize.
Sad but true. 🙁
Although I can truthfully say that I had some hope, I didn't dare get my hopes too high.
Everything about this trial screamed !!!!!GUILTY!!!!! to me, from the prosecution's powerful parade of knowledgeable and credible witnesses to the lackluster and unconvincing defense. But I know better than to assume that a jury will reach what seems to me to be the obviously correct verdict, especially when the murder victim is a black man and the defendant is a white cop.
In this case, I hoped he would be convicted of something, but guilty on all 3 counts? THAT was a wonderful and very welcome surprise! 
Profile Information
Name: SharonGender: Female
Hometown: Chicago area, IL
Home country: USA
Member since: Tue Mar 26, 2013, 04:18 AM
Number of posts: 16,389