mntleo2
mntleo2's JournalNot only S Korea does this, we do too
...In the States it is big business to take kids and give them to anyone with designer curtains and a nice car in the driveway. In fact for each child taken and adopted there is a $10,000 award for doing it. The adoption business is very well financed by lucrative government and grants awarded "nonprofits." I have my own family damage they made with me and the child. They took the child from, the grandparents and lied about them, accusing them of abuse. There was no real investigation, no speaking to the people who were involved with the family, no real looking into the things that they should have been investigating and ignoring the facts ~ especially when it came to their anticipated $10,000 + bonuses. None, and the child was in a therapeutic childcare for the first 4 years who never saw a damn thing and recommended the child be adopted by them.. This childcare center was quite aware of kids who were abused, they kept watch and they found none. These people then adopted this kid to a couple who had just lost their own 2 year old child months earlier who drowned in their back yard pool! They had 4 little kids running around in the house with no supervision and they were still asleep in bed at 10am. What parent who is a decent parent raises up early, before the kids are up? Oh I know
Believe me until it happened so close to me I was shocked. I thought up to then that this part of child protection was a good thing. After all they were saving kids getting cigarette burn and beatings, right? But when I researched it thoroughly, I found some horrifying things. One sector of this population I was already working with; low income families and teens. Many of these teens on the street are lost to their own families, they are not heard when they try to report abuse and neglect even rape of a child. these kids are told lies about their parents and foster and adopted kids do not even know their parents, as well as their grandparents. See, these departments and non-profits do not get as much money if they actually see the fraud and abuse right in front of them. After alol they "vetted" these place ~ but to hell with the families who may want their children.
So it is not just Korea giving away kids. Whether taken as babies or older not having blood related family around them ~ and especially if they do not even share the race of these kids, We do it here too. In my state taken kids were subjected to physical abuse, denying of food and other needs. I heard all the time from kids that they try to talk to authorities about what they experience and unless "sex" was in the report well, they just go to hell ~ literally. I have even known parents whose kids that were taken and in foster care or adopted whose children are murdered and found buried in the homes' back yards. I am *not* making this up!
I've discovered so much more I have seen and believe me it is not pretty about our own country. I pity the immigration kids put in these foster homes, I worry about the "disappeared ones, who I suspect have been trafficked. But hey, these kids were placed in new homes with designer curtains by golly! I am not saying there aren't good homes out there, indeed I know of those too. the alarm is about who is vetting these people? Certainly not the CASA, who also gets massive government grants in exchange for their "work," many who have never had kids of their own. Not the CPS worker who already decides the birth family is bad, even the grandparents, while it is fine to place them with strangers they've "vetted"
Just sayin' ... Cat in Seattle
Unfortunately
...these taxes are only going to the poorest in this state. Oh no question that cigarettes make a lot of money ~ for the rich. Already the poor pays the highest proportion of their income in taxes, almost 20% of their meager income. So an average Social Security is about $9000 a year. Do the math. What in taxes are they already paying out of that? Almost $2000. that is beyond sinful, that is outright cruelty.
Yes the poor smoke. A lot. They work their butts off making ends meet, they pay and pay those regressive taxes and the price of staying barely above water is the fear, exhaustion, tears, smoking is one way they cope. . If you think piling more taxes on is somehow a will stop it? Addiction is a bitch, Love. It just makes it harder, puts more taxes on people who have already more than enough to pay. so IMO people should not get so hopped up with this.
Smokers have already been paying enough for the medical issues smoking brings. To a pack that costs almost $11.00, the pack itself costs less than $2.00. Once a day pack every day pays about $9.00 a pack X 30 days in a month = $270 a month. .that is almost a health insurance payment already..
So yay, they want to add more taxes, whoopie do! Meanwhile the rich pay zero for their yachts and jets, and if they paid what I paid, just, ONE of those tax deadbeats would balance our budget, just ONE! Boeing has not paid a red cent in my state in decades and they keep whining and threatening to leave our state if they do not get them. All of them if they paid what the poor pay would leave this state swimming in money that would pay those taxes you want to be paid. Me too, II am no tax deadbeat. I make a greater sacrifice than any other class.
Check out who pays taxes It is already frightening, but the reliance all the other classes rely on the poor to pay everybody else's way, well it makes me sick!
https://itep.org/whopays-7th-edition
Cat in Seattle ,
Oh and PeeEss: I do not smoke, but I did for 40 years. I got so sick I had to quit. But to tell you the truth that was the only way I was able to do it.
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Barabbas was a Revolutionary
...He was resisting Roman rule, he was standing up and violently resisting the Roman government, a rebel against this occupying, corrupt government. Any common Jewish folk, while they know being disobedient was basically hopeless against this powerful tyranny, they also may have had admiration for any ballsy defiance. Our modern resistance believes using anything violent as being wrong. But in Jesus' day violence was perhaps a necessity as an organized war would have been the main way to stop the occupation. However it was also considered an impossible way, even if the entire country stood against them. It was the way to massive slaughter with little conscience by the Romans as it might be considered violently standing up to the Romans was like using sticks and stones against a powerful and brutal well armed army. .IMO this is why the crowd chose Barabbas as he would have been admired for his courage and outrageous resistance.
While I am for non-violence almost in any instance, I have heard the Nobel Prize winning Archbishop Tutu for his take on how effective was the use of non-violent resistance. He was criticized for supporting the Tutsi as they had used violent resistance. His response was that Apartheid was basically like trying to use nonviolent resistance against the Nazis. He said if that method had been used by the non-resisters they would have just been mowed down with no conscience by the Germans. He said why it worked in India was because the British had at least a little conscience about how being brutal would look to the world.
These common people had no idea who Jesus was, even his followers were not sure about who he was. They lived in a brutal world where lives could be lost with the flick of a ruler's hand. They had a lot of kooks who claimed to be chosen by God, their very Sanhedrin was in bed with the Romans, they were corrupt as well, they profited well from being being "the voice of Yahweh" in attempts to save their people from the slaughter that could have happened.
This president's rule and utter corrupt ways that he is part of, has pardoned people who were *not* like Barabbas. They are like the Roman thugs who raped, stole, and murdered these people and anyone they ruled. These Magat thugs have little or no love for us like the Romans and their own leader.
Just sayin;'
Cat in Seattle
Oh thank-you, thank-you, thank-you!!!!!
I have been mulling over this whole thing and considering writing something about it. AOC is no fool and she knows what she is doing. That proposal can sit on the shelf for all that matter, but it is still sitting there to be taken down and acted upon at any time. Furthermore, she will be supported by two powerful senators, Whitehouse and Durbin, along with others in both the House and the Senate.
And look People, maybe we should look at this in a positive light with these SCOTUS goons Right now President Biden also enjoys immunity,, Just think about how he could use it. I'm pretty sure he would not do anything about it, he is an honorable man. But the very threat to tRump and his goons means they are also vulnerable now, they are sitting ducks with Biden. I wonder how much sleep they are losing to consider this possibility. At this time they are prancing around thinking they have "won" something, but they are blind as bats.
Speaking of old bats, MTG, and her nimrods are hanging on a wall pooping mounds of putrid crap, again, thinking they "won" when in fact this ruling is not just about tRump, it is about ALL of them also.
So you go girl, Ms AOC. You rule!
My 2 cents,
Cat in Seattle
Funny Story Meeting Robert Heinlein and Wife
OK So the first Star Trek convention was in Seattle, November 8th 1975. My brother-in-law had bought tickets for my sister and I to go to the banquet. Sulu was there, and i am not sure whatever other characters were there. I was just dazzled to occupy the same space. The convention at that time was small and mainly Trekkies like me who, as a teenager, had loved them since the beginning of Star Trek.
ANYWAYS ... my sister and I were placed at the same table where the Heinleins sat, I was seated next to Mrs Heinlein. Everybody was chatting and enjoying the banquet. Then Mrs Heinlein turned to me and asked me if I had read his books. That is where the troubles began.
The truth was I had stopped reading Heinlein, although in many ways I knew he was an amazing author. But I had become an feminist and just thought he was too sexist for my sister and me. Do you know that throughout Heinlein's work,100s of his books and short stories, he made sure they all connected with one another in some way? I am sure he was invited because Star trek had re-created The Trouble with Tribbles, one of his very funny short stories about a cute pet tribble that someone had brought onto the ship. It began to multiply and multiply, until they were everywhere on the ship, etc.
So when she asked me if I read him, I opened my mouth to politely say I had, which was true. But my sister jumped in and said, "Oh we don't read him anymore. Mr Heinlein was sitting next to my sister, talking to someone else, but he stopped talking turning to me, intensely focusing his attention on me. He asked, "Why don't you read my books anymore?"
(sigh) Now I had to tell him the truth. So I told him the reason was that his female characters had no depths, they just had big boobs. I said, that having this rather useless crew member who did not do anything was a waste of space on a ship where every crew member should have important lifesaving work to do. I explained that the way I saw it, space ships were small, everybody on one of those ships had to have more of an important purpose than having big boobs.
Heinlein stared hard at me as i was wishing the seat I was in would just swallow me whole. Then he said, "Promise me you will read my next book, OK?" I told him I would.
A year or more went by and his next book was called, "The Cat Who Walked Through Walls." I obediently bought the book and began to read it as i promised. But the first chapter sent me into gales of laughter, I could not believe what I was reading. One of the main characters was a woman and yeah she still had those big boobs. But she was an engineer, dammit!
My 2 cents, Cat in Seattle
Monthly Payment
I am a long time member of your news site, almost since your beginning (I believe I was also on your all text forum in the middle nineties). I left you for awhile because to be honest, your speech rules were too much for me as you will not allow anything you deem "attacks" whenever someone disagrees with an elected or a Democratic candidate. I could not see how there would be any way to hear any critical questions, it is only (hate to say it) a very Republican rule about never ever speaking in opposition of any Democratic people. I have been a Democratic voter for all my adult life (over 52 years, I turned 18 when the voting age was changed from 21 to 18). In that time I have seen some things that need to be addressed that are not.
I am a member of The Poor People's Campaign, Repairers Of The Breech, and while most of us are Democrats, we have some major issues that need to be addressed by the Democratic Party. This is for the over 40 million poor, seniors, immigrants, indigenous, people of color, low wage workers, and low income kids that are just not addressed.
But they need to be addressed. Because if you could get even half of this group to vote for every Democratic candidate, they would ALL win by a landslide. We already know that less than 20% of actual voters vote even in the 4 year cycle, so the addition of this huge block of low income Americans would push everything over to the Democratic people. But you need to be there for us, or we are going to vote for the worst candidates, or worse not vote at all because we feel disenfranchised by the so-called "People's Party. "
If you want those of us who are on fixed incomes to give out of our meager incomes, then perhaps you need to allow POLITE and accurate debates, not just speak to the choir.
Just sayin' ...
Cat in Seattle, long time social justice advocate
Institution on Taxation and Economic Policy
If you REALLY want to know where your tax dollars are going this website, which has been around for at least a couple decades, this is the place you may want to check out. https://itep.org//
It goes state by state and breaks down who is paying taxes, who is not paying taxes and take in account corporate as well as groups of individual taxes by economic class.
Incidentally, according to the ITEP, in every single state the poorest of the poor make the greatest sacrifice in paying their taxes. So NOBODY should be upset that they "pay too much" because all other classes are living off the poor and their families in order not to pay as much themselves so they do not pay as much unless they are from the least among us. In my state (Washington), the poor pay about 14% of their incomes in taxes, but the poorest among us pay upwards of 15-19% of their income in taxes. Meanwhile one of our residents, one of the richest men in the world, Bill Gates, pays less than 4% of his $biilions. If he were to pay the percentage a welfare mom pays in our state, his fairly paid taxes alone would raise our state completely out of debt ~ and he is but one of three of the richest men in the world in my state.
Check your state out here: https://itep.org/whopays-7th-edition/. To show I am not making any of this up check out my state here, which is the most regressive taxed population in the nation; https://itep.org/whopays/washington-who-pays-7th-edition/ . Boeing pays ZERO taxes here, as they have not paid a single dime in decades, the same with the Nordstroms.
So if you are from the upper classes, stop feeling sorry for yourselves. Your local poorest always makes a greater sacrifice for your state than you ever thought.
Just my 2 cents. Cat in Seattle
The Problem is ...
...there is no other place to stay except on the street ~ and being unhoused is being criminalized.
All of the following are reasons, often a combination, to become homeless: High rents, low housing availability, low wages, having kids, high childcare costs (even with the barely funded kind), house fires (yes this is a thing where even with "insurance" the housing scarcity is so bad, families are left bereft), serious illness, job injuries, and even reformed former felons.
Look I do not dare say why or I will be banned here, but suffice it to say this all began with Welfare DEFormed in the mid 1990s. And it was not just some heartless conservatives, a huge number of libs also hated the poor. (dare I say, I was here then) even on this forum, pure hatred.
Listen: Poverty is an INISTITUTION. Definition of institution is from Websters: "...an organization, establishment, foundation, society, or the like, devoted to the promotion of a particular cause or program, especially one of a public, educational, or charitable character..." Hear that again, it is an "establishment," meaning it is well wedged into our societies so we have little or no reason to actually abolish it. Even though the greatest sages in the world knew that abolishing poverty is something that could be done indeed it is possible.
Many hate to admit it but all classes, depend upon the poor for their needs, their jobs, their costs. From the medical fields, social services, financial institutions, especially non-profits, these all depend on homeless "wittle baybees" for their own comforts, affordable living, and their incomes. Why would they want to abolish poverty then?
Here is a sad example. Goodwill Industries. They supposedly "train" low income people and felons for employment. Did you know that they fought with $millions in court so they only had to pay $.17 (that is 17 CENTS) an hour? Do you know they get in donations and sales about $68,000 per client, but spend less than $6000 per client?
Nobody ever thinks to ask, "Hey there, what is happening to the other $62,000?" Well I have asked and it isn't pretty. But again I do not dare say where it goes because well,telling the truth is not always wanted. Just say a whole lot of upper classes benefit, using them for tax breaks, for their own professional employments, for the disabled funding given, and sadly even other low income people find it the few places they can afford to get their clothing and household goods, and even the garbage collectors make money off them.
I am saying the reasons are huge and no simple or workable solutions are available. However it is important to raise the consciences of those who prefer to keep their lack of knowledge in order to pretend not to see their own dependencies. They are not bad, just clueless, and yeah they WANT to stay that way but who wouldn't if they actually saw their part in this imposed misery? However again sunshine on The Truth is all it could take for most, for those with a decent consciences.
Those in deep poverty do know the truth ~ but they are never heard. How can anyone hate an institution when it is deeply embedded in their own lives? Until the institution is hated we will continue to place the unhoused in motels...
Just sayin' ...
Cat in Seattle ~ Poverty Scholar and Member of The Poor People's Campaign
I have been proud to be one all my life
...but there were times that I was shunned by other so-called "liberals" who mocked and basically spit on what being a liberal meant to me. They were buying into the neo-liberal way during the Reagan era to today. You have no idea how many so-called "liberals" mock me when I say I am an FDR liberal, a real Democrat who stands for the least among us, believes in just and fair policies, supports parents raising the next generation, supports a living wage, and the rights for all to search out the place where they belong in this country.
For instance, I used to belong to Acorn, whose mission was to registered voters before that bow tied ignorant *uck-her killed it with his lies. Because hey, we can't have people of color, low income parents and their families, actually benefit from the laws this Constitution and USC for those of us believe that all people are equal. Why that might edge out the white man, because it is not spoken about, but they are quickly becoming a minority since they are in the process of killing off minority and feminine voices in every way they can.
Furthermore, hate to say it, but there was not much of an outcry by so-called "liberals." when Acorn went down the toilet or for the taking down of many of the policies, unions (who basically killed themselves off, take it from me, I was raised by old Wobblys), yes I watched it in the '90s while being sick to my stomach as to what unions did to themselves.
I am sorry to be such a downer but being liberal is a R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-B-I-L-T-Y not just some slogan to wave around. It is *not* easy being a real liberal. I have been one for over 45 years, like Bernie was shunned, who really IS a liberal. So there are times you have to stand strong and be brave enough to be an FDR liberal, even when times try to tell you not to be, that you are wrong. But that is not hard when you realize you cannot stand by and be silent, being a liberal is about standing for what is good, not just caring for one's own self, to hell with anyone else like conservatives do.
In short instead of running away from the truth about how the few left are true liberals, waving signs only to each other, learn from your history and then change it to respect what courage it takes to be one.
There! I said it!
Cat in Seattle
I am in love with Korean Videos
Who else? And what have you seen?
In my opinion they are excellent with detective stories, Their "villains" are well done they can be crazy scary. They are really good about showing both sides of a character. You often learn something else while watching them. For instance, if the character is a chef, you will watch him/her make delicious dishes. Their fantasies are well done and not like anything you would see on American made videos. They can very funny. Their love stories are heartwarming. Just do not be surprised at some of their endings, they can be actually surprising. Do not worry, almost all of them are subtitled and if you miss something you can always turn it back to see if you heard right or missed something.
Here are some of the ones I love, but I think they just scratch the surface;
Mr Sunshine
Bulgasi
Abyss
Extraordinary Attorney Woo
It's OK Not To Be OK
Stranger
Something In The rain
The King
The Good Detective
Alchemy For The Soul ~ OMG it is so good
I am starting Dr Cha, like it so far.
Uncanny Counter
Hotel DeLuna ~ OMG so good
I have noticed the Netflix have the most Korean videos. There are other networks but not near so many. My grandkids tease me because I have gotten to like subtitles so much, that even if the video is in English. I now like them on for the same reasons I run them back for Korean subtitles. Watching Koreans flicks is good exercise of opening my world. It has made me more interested in foreign films, so I have also branched out in other languages.
So yeah, anyone else have some good suggestions?
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Member since: 2002Number of posts: 2,589