Home Gay News How Was Your Week, Darling? Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s Swan Songs, and Boomers

How Was Your Week, Darling? Amy Coney Barrett, Trump’s Swan Songs, and Boomers

by Ken Darling

The Handmaid’s Puppeteers

“Watching these extreme-right, male Republicans posture and preen as feminists advocating for a “‘strong, independent woman,’ as if this self-described handmaid had any qualifications to be on the Supreme Court—she has been a judge for all of three years—besides her professed allegiance to a far-right agenda shows a level of cynicism and reactionary power politics that is shocking even in this era of Trumpian authoritarianism.

“These men are using this woman to take the United States back to the days of ‘barefoot and pregnant’ and make the U.S. Constitution subservient to the truly extremist doctrines of far-right Christianity on not only abortion but also fundamental civil rights, marriage and the role of government in healthcare. She is a tool and they are her master.”

——–

That Song Is Tired. Play Another.

“I was going to repost Trump’s little ditty about Columbus Day and the ‘radical left’ with one of my characteristic commentaries about his opportunistic race-baiting, one-dimensional thinking and reactionary tendencies. But, ya know what, I just don’t care anymore. He is a worthless tube of shit on his way to prison then the dustbin of history and I, for one, am done listening to him and his putrid defenders.

“Vote then imprison! We can skip the gnashing of teeth.”

——–

The Historical, Now-Ignored Progressiveness of Baby Boomers

“Where did this notion arise among Millennials that Baby Boomers are conservative? The Boomers gave us rock and pot and the Summer of 68. They marched against the Vietnam War and for voting rights. They broke down racial and class barriers to elite colleges. They created the modern women’s and gay right’s movements. They rebelled against their parents—the real conservatives.

“Of course not all Boomers were liberals or pot heads, but that is the dominant stereotype of that generation, not this ‘Progressive change = Communism’ meme that so many 30-somethings seem to think is real.

“If you look at voting patterns, Boomers and Millennials—and I’m neither—break down pretty much identically, with just about the same proportion of Democrats, Republicans and Independents, even Greens. As a generation, both are about the same size, 70-75 million.

“Yes, today’s Boomers are a little bit more conservative than Millennials—they have a few more Republicans and a few fewer Democrats—but the difference is marginal. And when Boomers were the age of Millennials, they where much more progressive than the Millennial generation is today or ever was.

“The difference, of course, is that Boomers vote and Millennials don’t, so Millennials feel like they have little power relative to their generational clout. And they don’t. But that is hardly Boomers fault.

“If you want high-speed, cross-country trains—or any social change—stop blaming your parents and start voting. It’s getting old. And so are you.”

——–

DEFUND THE POLICE (UNIONS)

“A $14 million cut to the MPD is making the chief push the alarm button and causing Minneapolis council members to wring their hands. That $14 million is nothing compared to the disability, retirement and legal costs the City faces for its most expensive liability by far: The police union.

“Police unions mean skyrocketing costs, no accountability, lower levels of policing, no reform, and laying off the best officers while keeping the worst. Yet no one is talking about it, not seriously, not in any way that will lead to change. Why? Because the Democratic Party in Minnesota is a wholly owned subsidiary of the public employee unions. Every insider understands this fundamental political fact but no one seriously talks about it, let alone challenges it, because that’s how real power works.

“If you think Police Union Boss and Big Trump Man Bob Kroll and the most liberal DFL elected officials in Minnesota are enemies, you are mistaken. When it comes to this critical issue — the only one that really matters — they are 100percent in agreement and all the fighting between them is essentially theater, a distraction.

“But here we are fretting about an amount of money that won’t even begin to pay the legal costs of the George Floyd case nor put even a small dent in the disability costs the City has incurred from 2020 claims alone nor fund even one year’s growth in the skyrocketing pension costs that are at the heart of everything police do.”

The Gay Goods is dedicated to engaging with a range of opinions and viewpoints. To share yours, email [email protected] or comment below.

Related Articles

Leave a Comment