I have opinions.  The three of you who read my blog know this.  I’m a Gemini so ask me about any possible subject and I’m going to have something to say about it. There are things I feel very strongly about.  There are things I believe in passionately, things I think are right. I believe in social justice and human liberation.  I also have strong opinions about entirely stupid shit.  I don’t believe men’s shorts should ever be above the knee.  I think it affronts my sensibilities to ever have to view a man’s thigh. See?  Stupid shit.  Guess what though?  I get to believe all that.  It’s my right to have both noble and trivial opinions.  Here’s my point…we all do.

However, I’ve noticed that if you happen to voice your opinion about anything people seem to think it’s ok to try to tell you why its bullshit.   What is it about people that just delights in telling other people how wrong they are?   I know that I am not going to have the same likes and dislikes as most people.  I may not understand how someone could like Bon Jovi, but if they like listening to tepid regurgitated arena rock, that’s their prerogative.  When people ask me what kind of music I listen to and I tell them, they just look at me blankly and nod.  We don’t have to all agree.  Where am I going with this?

Simple. Let people fucking enjoy shit without you inserting your opinion.  Y’all know I love the Twitter.  However, anytime someone posts about something they like there are folks who just cannot wait to shit on it.  Like Nicki Minaj?   Too fucking bad cause here comes the Cardi B stans to tell you how much she sucks.  You really enjoyed Black Panther? Let a thousand fanboys tell you why The Avengers was better. Like pineapple on your pizza? Gird your loins. Every single opinion is viewed as an invitation to a debate. You are suddenly challenged to defend your opinions like you’re stating an undeniable fact. I stated a political opinion and someone fucking asked me for citations.  Citations?? I’m not Tomi Lahren. ( I can read.)

Just stahhhhhpppp.  It’s okay for people to like things you don’t. Hell, millions of women love men and here I am not saying a fucking word.  You do not have to try to change the minds of people you disagree with.  It’s ok if we don’t all want to have the same experiences. It’s okay that we’re different. Really. It’s ok.  Each of us has our own path to walk.  We will all see and take in the world in profoundly different ways and that’s really wonderful when you think about it.  If we stopped to actually listen to each other’s opinions and maybe tried to understand just a little we’d be less defensive about our own.  Honestly, one of the happiest discoveries I ever made was that I could disagree with people and I didn’t have to tell them.  Letting go ofthat need to be right and point out their “wrongness”  was liberating. I get that people love what they love.  I do not need to insert my opinion into someone else’s reality.  It’s cool.  Everybody’s got their something…and I let them.

People in my family love guns. They fucking love them. My Dad has guns all over his house “just in case”. Other members of the fam have multiple guns, like 4 or 5. None of these people live in high crime areas. Almost all of my family lives in lily-white super safe suburbs/bedroom communities. There are no gangs, there are no drug dealers…they live in safety. They all have arsenals for “protection” though. What the fuck?

That may be the ostensive reason, but really they just love love guns. They go to shooting ranges and are often buying new and exciting firearms. My brother in law even loads/fills his own bullets. We had a family reunion and one of the family/bonding activities was shooting. They often post on social media about their trips to the gun range and how many rounds they’ve fired off. Guns are fun for the entire family!

Whatever gene determines one’s love of guns, I didn’t get it. We grew up in a rural area where guns were just a part of life. Gun safety and use were taught at a young age and having them around wasn’t a big deal. As kids, we knew we weren’t allowed to touch them and they were only for emergencies. Their only real use was hunting and protecting the livestock from predators. There wasn’t the focus then on protecting yourself from rampant crime. They weren’t something9 generally used for fun and hijinks, they were tools. I don’t remember there being this weird obsession with them and the Second Amendment. Hmmm…wonder why…

^{The National Rifle Association wasn’t a huge lobbying group when I was a kid. They had a magazine and you could take gun safety classes through them but they were legit low key. In the later 1970’s it started lobbying for gun rights after the Gun Control Act of 1968 was passed. The NRA, being funded by gun makers and not gun owners, began trying to control and limit legislation about guns. “After 1977, the organization expanded its membership by focusing heavily on political issues and forming coalitions with conservative politicians, most of them are Republicans.”}

So, now any attempt to alter or modify the laws around guns is fought tooth and nail by the gun lobby. They’ve convinced their followers to fight as well under the guise of the government taking their guns. Remember Charlton Heston’s “Pry my guns from my cold dead hands” comment. We used to have an assault weapons ban, which actually was effective. They didn’t kick anyone’s door in and take their gun…they just stopped selling new ones. if you already had one, well, you had one. It was effective at limiting the number of military grade weapons the public had. Thanks to the NRA, Congress let that ban lapse, and we all know how well that’s working out for our country.

This when the narrative around guns changed and we got such pithy slogans as “Only a good guy with a gun can stop a bad guy with a gun” Suddenly crime became a huge issue. Now, we’ve always had crime and levels tend to remain somewhat static and statistically, most of us won’t be victims of violent crime. but the propaganda of the Right made it seem like shit was just out of control. We need guns to protect ourselves from the marauding bands of super-predators out to do us harm. There has always been a racial element to this narrative of uncontrolled crime. The NRA has used the fear of black and brown criminals to fuel gun purchases by white American who really don’t need them.
You heard me. The vast majority don’t need a gun. There are exceptions of course, but the average American…nope. Of all the people you know with guns…how many have actually ever used one effectively to protect themselves? I would gather very few. Again, statistics point out how very rare that is. Most folks never shoot their guns anywhere other than a range. So you have this hugely dangerous deadly tool your never going to use that makes you and your household inherently less safe.


For example;
People who report “firearm access” are at twice the risk of homicide and more than three times the risk of suicide compared to those who do not own or have access to firearms.
The vast majority of accidental firearm deaths among children are related to child access to firearms — either self-inflicted or at the hands of another child.
More than 75 percent of first and second graders know where their parents keep their firearms and 36 percent admitted handling the weapons, contradicting their parents’ reports
Fun for the whole family. Guns in your home do not make you safer. Study after study after study proves this out yet we still cling to the idea that they do. Because the NRA and it’s proponents have sold you that lie…as they sell you the guns that reinforce it. We have vastly more guns and more gun deaths than any other country in the world. The makers of guns have created a mythos and entire culture around their products that keeps you buying them. Y’all are being played.
** Opinions are mine and I’m not going to argue about this shit. You can think I’m wrong and I can think you’re a crazy gun nut. MURICA!

Hey kids, did you know Oprah’s a Nazi? How about the child sex ring run by Hillary Clinton? Did you hear about that one? She also had Clinton aid Vince Foster murdered because he “knew too much”.  Had you heard that vaccines cause autism?  Climate change?  Nope, not real.  It’s a hoax invented by the Chinese to hobble American greatness.  I’m sure you’ve heard about the “thousands and thousands” of Muslims who took to the streets to celebrate 9/11. I mean, we all saw that on the news.  I’m sure you’ve heard of some of this.  The one thing all of these facts have in common is they’re absolutely provably false.  This is fake news.

There are hundreds of websites and “news sites” devoted to such outlandish stories.  It’s a wackateria of false information.  There is a crazy story or conspiracy theory for every subject  You can pick and choose facts that back up any crazy notion you have. Illuminati, with an added helping of Beyonce, running the world?  You can find it.  There is supposedly a largely invisible planet called Nibiru that’s going to destroy the Earth. Need info? Plenty of it out there.  Sen.Ted Cruz’s Dad helped assassinate President Kennedy.   What about President Obama?  Not only was he NOT born in the USA but he’s Muslim!  Go look on online, there’s proof!

I love the Internet.  I’m an introvert so it brings the world right into my home.  I can get all the entertainment and information I need at my fingertips.  I can watch movies, read books, and take classes without leaving the house.  Here I am writing a blog, thanks, Internet!  It’s given anyone with access to a computer a voice.  You can communicate your thoughts to the entire world in an instant. This is fabulous, especially for marginalized people who’s voices are seldom heard.  It’s also given any nut job with a half-ass theory about anything an outlet to put it out in a public forum.  The issue is that we seem to treat all the information on the web as being equal and it’s not.  Everyone has a right to believe what they want and to voice their opinions.  Every opinion is valid.  The problem is that an opinion being valid doesn’t make it true.

There are millions of unprovable theories out there presented as facts.  “Fake News”  We’ve all heard the term. We’ve all stumbled down rabbit holes of internet conspiracy theories, ( Do NOT Google Beyonce Illuminati theories )  Most reasonable people see these for what they are.  They understand the difference between some ranting nut job screaming about “Lizard People” (google it!) and an outlet like CNN.  I would like to think that the average American is able to discern between the insane ramblings and real news.  Well…

One of 45’s favorite things to say any time he’s criticized by the media is that it’s “Fake News”. This happens almost daily as he’s the president and it’s legitimate news when he does shit. Quite often, he does or says stupid shit because he’s an imbecile.He’s an inveterate liar who doesn’t seem to ever think prior to talking. When his dumbass actions are reported he screams “Fake News”.  He sees news outlets as being out to get him because they report on what he does.  Because he is a super smart stable genius it must be a conspiracy by the fake news to make him look bad.  The news Establishment is out to get him.  I mean really…it’s obvious bullshit, right?

Remember those times I’ve talked about how gullible and suggestible Americans are?  The internet has not necessarily been a good thing for truth in America.  A lot of people believe what the read on websites.  If they see something that jibes with their worldviews and beliefs they’ll accept it as truth. How many times has someone you know said “I read somewhere…” and then spouted off the craziest shit you’ve ever heard?  You know it happens all the time. When nothing is true, everything is true.  Legitimate news and facts become opinion because nothing is true anymore.  Even if you can prove it people will deny or disbelieve it.  Trump is on tape saying “Grab them by the pussy”.  WE HEARD YOU!  He says now that it’s fake news and he never said that.  In our world of fluid and unstable truths, there are people who believe him. That’s the America we live in now.

“believe them the first time.” – Maya Angelou

Fire and The Fury a new book about our national disgrace Donald Trump is selling like hotcakes.  Oh, the headlines!  Oh, the shocking facts revealed!  Every magazine and website touting it’s “bombshell” claims. “Click here to read the 10 biggest shockers from the explosive new book!”  Supposedly, this bestseller is full of “insider” information about 45 and his administration.  People are shocked and amazed by the revelations. Really? Really?  Reeeaaallllllyyyyy?  Let’s look at a couple of these new and shocking facts.

Donald Trump is an idiot.  His underlings make comments and talk openly about his lack of intellect. There have been numerous leaks mentioning this.  He’s semi-literate at best and spends hours and hours watching television.  His briefings have to be given to him verbally as he can’t focus long enough to read anything written. The grammar he uses in his speeches sits at slightly below the 6th-grade level. He’s a moron. He always has been, just listen to any speech he’s ever made. This is not new information.  I don’t need to buy a book to learn that Donald Trump is an imbecile.  I have Twitter.

Ivanka is more like his wife than daughter

“Melania Trump often keeping a low profile, White House staffers refer to first daughter Ivanka Trump as her father’s ‘real wife”  Wish I could say I’m surprised about this one. Is anyone? We’ve all been skeeved the fuck out by 45’s weird obsession with his daughter. Yes, yes…they’re very close, she’s his closest adviser, blah blah.  Look, my Dad loves me and has never once commented on my tits or how sexy I am. (and I am!) How many jokes are out there about this? They are endless. Again, nothing new here.

His Weird Ass Hair

Quell surprise!!  He’s covering up a bald spot. WHO KNEW?? I had no fucking idea. This information alone is worth the cost of the book!

He Didn’t Want To Be President

He and his entire team didn’t think he would win. ( Join the club, folks ) He was as shocked at the outcome as the rest of us. The Trump Team, like most of us, underestimated the teeth numbing racist stupidity of the American populace. Add a huge heaping scoop of entrenched misogyny and you get the most improbable presidential result ever. ” Trump reassured Melania that he would not win the election. On election night, when it became clear that he would win, “Melania was in tears—and not of joy.”  Oh, Honey, you were not alone.

So, nothing to see here…keep it moving, folks.  We don’t need a book pointing out how awful Donald Trump is.  We have years and years of his own comments and actions that have made this abundantly clear.  What’s disturbing to me about this book is its tabloid forced shockingness (look, I made a word!)  It’s like a large frame “In Touch Weekly” article. It’s advertised as a shocking bombshell expose full of titillation and scandal!  It’s being packaged as entertainment. That’s what makes me itch. It’s focusing on the president of the United States as a media figure rather than a politician.   We’re viewing Trump through the lens of celebrity.  It gives him a leeway and acceptability he would not have if we were holding him to the standards of other elected officials.  We’ve let him off the hook because he’s that famous guy from the TV.  “Fire and the Fury” does nothing to change that.