A Good-bye and a Search for a Rant...

R.I.P. Ralphie May, Comedian/Actor/Husband/Daddy
On Friday, Ralphie May was found unresponsive in a private residence in Las Vegas, NV.  The cause of his death was cardiac arrest after a short battle with pneumonia.

The world is a better place for having him.  He made his mark from the first time he stepped on stage and never stopped rocking the world. 

My condolences to his wife, Lahna, and their two young children, April and August, as well as to his family, friends, colleagues and community.  There will never be another like him.   



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The Rant...(meh)
Let me tell you a couple somethings quickly. 

1.  I am not a politically charged person.  (I have been trying to stay on top of what is happening in the news, but sometimes ... meh.  Besides the
     current POTUS, FLOTUS and regime are just too easy of targets.)
2.  I am not an overtly, outwardly expressive person when it comes to things which are based on opinion. I tend to have a 'live and let live'
     mentality about life and all of her topics.  If we have different opinions about anything,  so be it.
3.  I am a you do you kind of person.  If you don't want an abortion/gun/butt plug/same sex marriage/omnipotent deity, then don't.  However, don't
     be an asshole to someone one who does.  Don't want a same sex marriage, DON'T HAVE ONE!  Don't want a gun, DON'T BUY ONE!  Don't want an
     abortion,...you get the point.  But don't stop me and tell me that I am less than you because I happen to be a same-sex married Catholic with a
     9mm on my hip, a butt plug up my ass while walking into Planned Parenthood for my 2 o'clock D&C appointment.  

As a friend of my recently stated (on public access radio, no less) - You Know Who You Are ;)

---

y 
Now that you have been warned.  I am trying to get more involved in my community and environment instead of just floating around with my head in the pollution.  What I have decided to do in this post is to choose one topic from the headlines and express my opinions on said headline. I will post a link to the headline/article that grabbed my attention so you can offer me your opinion or can hold a conversation with me if you think I have misinterpreted anything.  Don't attack, just talk.  After all, we are supposed to be adults.  You big doody head. ;)

The article I have found is...

AG Jeff Sessions weakens anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people with religious liberty directive
By Denis Slattery
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Updated: Friday, October 6, 2017, 7:10 PM


Some bullet points I pulled from the article to talk about:
*  Attorney General Jeff Sessions issued a government-wide guidance that could override many anti-discrimination protections for LGBT people and others.
*  The directive comes one day after Sessions reversed an Obama-era policy that explicitly said transgender workers were protected under employment discrimination laws.
*  religious employers are entitled to only hire workers whose beliefs and conduct are “consistent with the employers’ religious beliefs” and that some legal principles extend “not just to individuals, but also to organizations, associations, and at least some for-profit corporations.”
*  “The Trump administration is forcing women to pay for their boss’ religious beliefs,” 

Let's talk folks.  Remember, if you disagree or think that I am misinformed please feel free to talk about it.  Don't attack, don't be rude and don't be a dick.  We are trying to learn and grow together not find out who has the biggest wienie.

Bullet Point 1:

The "government-wide guidance" AG Sessions has issued instructed "federal agencies" to take exponential reaches to make sure any agency that feels their "religious freedoms are being violated" because "no one should be forced to choose to living out his or her faith and complying with the law."

Okay, someone tell me if I'm not wrapping my brain around this right, please.  

Sessions is saying if any one feels their 'religious rights' are being threatened (i.e. Kim Davis, Rowan County, KY) said agency has the right to find an any means necessary path to make sure Adam and Steve can't live happily ever after.  While at the same time, they are telling little miss fertile Myrtle she can't have birth control to stop her from having a child she can't afford to take care of without becoming a burden on the state because she wasn't allowed to purchase birth control through her employer's insurance plan, because the employer is "Christian" and believes all babies are a gift from 'God' and are meant to be here regardless of the circumstances of the pregnancy (i.e. incest, rape, etc.) or the ability of the parent(s) to take care of said child.

How close am I?

My opinion here is keep your nose out of the bodies of people that are not you.  You have no right to tell a woman/man/trans/etc.  what they can do with their bodies or their lives.  But the fuck out.  Keep your personal 'religious' agenda to yourself.

Bullet Point 2:

The directive comes one day after Sessions reversed an Obama-era policy that explicitly said transgender workers were protected under employment discrimination laws.

I'll admit I had to dig a little deeper on this one to understand what exactly was being said her.  Sessions took away the law that protected trans people from discrimination based on 5 classifications (race, color, religion, sex and national origin) because he says the original 1964 law does not specify 'gender identity' as a stipulating factor and during Obama's administration the addition to the addendum was an overreach by the Justice Department (who sounds like they are quivering in their booties).  Then Sessions went on to say he doesn't 'condone the mistreatment on the basis of gender identity', but this reversal shows neither he, nor his office or CIC, are interested in protecting people from discrimination because said people are not societally, sexually 'normal'.  

Still good?

So, rich, white, cis-gender men and women are afraid the trans people are going to start an uprising if they get equal pay, equal treatment and equal access to medications which will allow them to live happier and healthier perhaps avoiding an episode of "Going Postal Today".  Unreal.

Bullet Point 3

religious employers are entitled to only hire workers whose beliefs and conduct are “consistent with the employers’ religious beliefs” and that some legal principles extend “not just to individuals, but also to organizations, associations, and at least some for-profit corporations.”

Basically, what I'm reading here is that someone got butt hurt in an interview and decided to be a douchebag.  They made a huge deal over some religious-right owned company telling them they weren't right for the company because they worshiped a ... tomato versus their god. (Which, of course, was the one true god. Smh. Oye.)

Not even going to entertain this.  Get over yourselves.  There are thousands of companies out there to work for stop listening Rev. Uncle Jim John tell you your bad because Cthulhu told you to apply last week.

Bullet Point 4

“The Trump administration is forcing women to pay for their boss’ religious beliefs,” 

So, what the fuck has actually changed?  Women have been paying for someone's hang up in one way or another since the beginning of time.  Why is this any different?  Because a small glimpse of light was shown for a minute moment in time.  I can't even.


Well, outside of name calling and gnashing teeth that's about all I got.  I'm not sure how many of the collective votes went to the current POTUS simply because of the "What's the Worst That Could Happen?" mentality, but evidently if you aren't in the club you're a pariah.

Well you know what...