Tag: UniteBlue

45’s America Feels Like an Umbrella Stroller

Posted on by lauraanneayres

New parents purchase something around 6 months or so called an “Umbrella Stroller.” This is the transition from the bulky, heavy Big Daddy Stroller, a.k.a. the “carseat-in-the-stroller” stroller, to an “easier” stroller – the Umbrella Stroller.

Here’s the difference between the two, and I think it’s apropos to what is being felt/thought by a great many people in this nation right now.

In the Big Daddy Stroller, we both feel safe – Parent and Baby. Baby knows that Parent is in charge. Baby knows that if something bad happens, Parent is on it. Parent handles the burden of the weight and gravity/gravitas of the stroller – making all the necessary adjustments to ease the stroller through tight spots, being able to pick up the weight of the stroller with or without Baby in it, assuring Baby that life in the stroller is okay, visually negotiating with other Parents to make sure we are sharing the space, keeping an eye on impending dangers for Baby, etc. This is no joke. This is how Baby and Parent work in this Stroller.

In the Umbrella Stroller, only an idiot Parent feels safe and no Baby would feel safe. Baby sees everything…except Parent. Parent can’t see Baby. There is a detachment that is uncomfortable, anxiety-inducing. Baby wonders if Parent is present? Is Parent still on top of all of Baby’s needs? Baby is seeing things that scare the never-ending-stream-of-poo out of Baby and where is Parent? Pushing the Umbrella Stroller…or on Twitter? Parent is trying to use the cheaply manufactured, piece-of-poo wheels to get Baby out of a massive pothole in the road as Baby is quietly wondering “why did MY Parent lead me this way in this cheap stroller” while pooing him/herself.

See, the Umbrella Stroller is a few things. A) It’s lighter. B) It’s cheaper. C) It comes in bright blue fabric with sea creatures. D) It is simple. Exciting and “better.” Great.

The Big Daddy Stroller is also a few things. A) It’s heavy as all get out. B) It’s costs an arm and a leg (and a mortgage). C) It doesn’t care how it looks (much like the Parent pushing it), and D) It went through 3 decades of R&D…TO MAKE SURE IT DIDN’T KILL THE BABY. IT IS A TANK DESIGNED TO TAKE OUT A GRANNY ON A LARK.

The nation of my birth is now an Umbrella Stroller. I, for one, am terrified as the Baby. I do not feel I have a Parent pushing my Big Daddy Stroller, as I always have. I don’t have a Parent that values my security and welfare over ease of weight and/or financial milieu. I have never known life with an Umbrella Stroller administration. Neither have you. As much as we can say about past White House (Pres., VP, Staff) administrations, we’ve never known this. I am worried about A) my piece-of-poo Umbrella Stroller and B) the Parent pushing it. Aren’t you?

We are seeing things as the “Baby” that should scare us. Our faces should have collective fear, but…guess what? Our “Parent” is too busy Tweeting, using the Office of the President of the United States to conduct unfair business deals, and making a mockery of this country to notice our faces.

So, what are you doing? As the baby (lowercase intentional), you don’t have a lot of options. We are all locked into the Umbrella Stroller now because we have a 2-party system and the Electoral College. But, you can use your voice.

  1. Cry your head off – call every representative. Did you vote for Trump? Tell them you made a mistake.
  2. Shake the stroller – donate money to Democrats. Why? Because you’ll get back in the Big Daddy stroller! Dems are trying to save your healthcare, your AIR, your paycheck. Usually vote red? SHAKE IT UP.
  3. Break out – go find a new Parent. Do you like John McCain? Okay. Write to him. Donate to him. Chris Murphy fan? Castro brothers? Write to them. Donate to them. Get the ball rolling in a positive direction. Elizabeth Warren speaking to you? GET OUT YOUR CHECKBOOK AND DONATE TO EMILY’S LIST. Go in a different direction.

For God’s sake, do something. You might be the “Baby” in this scenario and we are all in an Umbrella Stroller…but, a crying baby is one of the loudest noises in the world.

USE YOUR VOICE.

Attention Fox News viewers: From YOUR Founding Fathers – Lose Your Freedoms, Lose Your Liberty

Posted on by lauraanneayres

Everything quoted in this post has been cross-checked and one of those citations is EITHER in parenthesis OR the entire quote is a multi-cited search result.

We all know the genesis of our Constitution. We know what brought our Founding Fathers over the pond, and we know they wanted to make certain the colonies had a different political, economic, and social framework and a different version of liberty.

The Bill of Rights they crafted is a rather crucial part of that goal. Oddly enough, it is even more important in 2017 than it was then. They were protecting us. From whom? From what? Well, listen to them.

For example, when we do not have the Freedoms of Speech AND the Press, we face a fear of dear Patrick…

(Patrick Henry) The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them. The most iniquitous plots may be carried on against their liberty and happiness. (http://www.constitution.org/rc/rat_va_07.htm)

Losing those freedoms might allow one group to destroy our liberty and happiness. Scary. But, hey…Patty was an anti-federalist. Those guys were always paranoid. Or…?

(James Madison) The accumulation of all powers legislative, executive and judiciary in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, and whether hereditary, self appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny. (http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/v1ch10s14.html)

Nope. JimMadDog would have had FEDERALIST4EVER tattooed on his bicep, if possible. He was neither an anti-federalist nor was he paranoid. Neither was Patty. None of them were.

Without enumerating the freedoms we should enjoy, they would have left us susceptible to losing…

(Benjamin Franklin) Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech. (http://www.ala.org/offices/oif/ifissues/issuesrelatedlinks/quotations)

Liberty. That is right. Without those freedoms, we would lose liberty. So, that is what they were protecting us from, my fellow Americans. They did not want us to lose our very liberty. Liberty – freedom from the control of a despot, tyrant, madman, etc. Imagine for one moment what they were trying to do. Now, read this: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/320485-spicer-trump-has-healthy-respect-for-free-press and this: http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/24/politics/jake-tapper-white-house-trump-unamerican-cnntv/

I tried to find coverage on Fox News. There was very little. This is the coverage: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/02/24/media-outlets-accuse-white-house-blocking-certain-press-from-covering-event.html Notice certain words like “claiming.” It’s sort of like being pregnant – you are or you aren’t. They were barred. I suppose there are arguments regarding “why,” but is that the point?

This is our national warning sign. These articles are our “rising sea level.” We still have time.

But, not much. Because, in short, here is what happens in the immortal words of our Founding Fathers when we don’t keep our eye on the liberty ball:

Patrick Henry – Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect every one who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. Whenever you give up that force, you are inevitably ruined. (http://www.westillholdthesetruths.org/quotes/47/guard-with-jealous-attention-the-public)

James Wilson – Without liberty, law loses its nature and its name, and becomes oppression. Without law, liberty also loses its nature and its name, and becomes licentiousness. (https://www.billofrightsinstitute.org/founding-documents/founders-quotes/)

John Madison – But a Constitution of Government once changed from Freedom, can never be restored. Liberty, once lost, is lost forever. When the People once surrender their share in the Legislature, and their Right of defending the Limitations upon the Government, and of resisting every Encroachment upon them, they can never regain it. (http://www.masshist.org/digitaladams/archive/doc?id=L17750707ja&numrecs=104&archive=letter&hi=on&mode=&query=Liberty%252C%2520once%2520lost%252C%2520is%2520lost%2520forever.&queryid=&rec=15&start=11&tag=text

Don’t lose focus.