Free Speech

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  • Free speech is not hate speech.
  • Hate speech is not free speech.

Free speech is a core value we support and uphold. But what is not and should not be protected and upheld is speech that infringes or promotes the denial of life, liberty and happiness of others.

Hate speech promoting or advocating violence is not and should not be protected. Calling neo nazis ‘very fine people’ is not good. Clearly!

I have said and thought that people will die because of 45. I had this thought a long time ago. My new thought is that many more will die because a direction has been set. A tone that will take a long time to quell and quiet.

Just remember that hate speech, support of hate speech, the failure to denounce hate speech and those that provide a voice and safe haven for promotion of hate speech is not good. Blood is on the hands of the people profiting from and allowing hate speech to continue. Blood is on the hands of those Republican politicians who have allowed those advocating violence towards others to be legitimate. Crazy anti-American values have no place in the public, the government or politics. Clearly!

Apoplectic

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Apoplectic describes a state of such extreme anger that one cannot speak and has difficulty processing or expressing this anger. This can happen when we feel overwhelmed and not in control.

  • A very good remedy is the good old ‘time out’. Take a break from the location, person or source of the stress. Separation is a good strategy, it works.
  • If a break or separation is not possible then an alternative may be take ten breaths. Preferably nasal inhalation’s and exhalations, slow enough to have a calming effect. Like a power nap, but more like a mini meditation.
  • Exercise can create and then release tension. It can also allow time to mentally process.
  • I like to write it down, organizing thoughts, then letting it go.
  • And why not do all of these! What is the worst thing that happens?

If your emotions reach apoplectic levels, try these techniques. There are so many things that can get you into this state these days. Watch out for it.

Sociopath Traits

  • Lack of empathy
  • Difficult relationship
  • Manipulative
  • Deceitful dishonest
  • Callous
  • Hostility in self and see it in others
  • Irresponsible
  • Impulsive
  • Risky behavior

POTUS comes to mind when I see this list. Eight for eight if you ask me.

  • How to Deal With a Sociopath
    • Keep emotions in check
    • Don’t show intimidation
    • Don’t buy into their stories
    • Turn conversation back on them
    • Opt for online communication
    • Build mental strength

    We got a couple of years of dealing with this. And just over a year to go. Let’s practice some of the coping strategies and preserve our sanity.

    Bittersweet Symphony

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    Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony this life trying to make ends meet, you’re a slave to the money then you die

    I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down

    You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah.

    No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change, but I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold.

    But I’m a million different people from one day to the next

    I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

    Well I never pray, but tonight I’m on my knees, yeah

    I need to hear some sounds that recognize the pain in me, yeah

    I let the melody shine, let it cleanse my mind, I feel free now

    But the airwaves are clean and there’s nobody singing to me now

    No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change, but I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold

    And I’m a million different people from one day to the next

    I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

    Cause it’s a bittersweet symphony this life

    Trying to make ends meet, trying to find some money then you die

    I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down

    You know the one that takes you to the places where all the veins meet, yeah

    No change, I can’t change, I can’t change, I can’t change, but I’m here in my mold, I am here in my mold.

    But I’m a million different people from one day to the next

    I can’t change my mold, no, no, no, no, no, no, no

    It’s just sex and violence melody and silence (I’ll take you down the only road I’ve ever been down)

    (It’s just sex and violence melody and silence)Been down(Ever been down)

    Lyrics by the Verve

    Ban Them

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    1. Ban military style assault weapons and high capacity magazines
    2. Ban hate speech and hate crime
    3. Make shooters anonymous

    The easiest and therefore the first thing to do is never publish the name and photos of mass shooters and other violent perpetrators. You don’t have to be 100%, just try to be. It is the right thing to do. The shooters should not be celebrated in anyway.

    Maybe the next hardest thing to do is ban hate speech. With the will of the people and the unified leadership this can be accomplished without legislation. Again, you do not need to be 100%, and you will never get total agreement from everyone. But we can eliminate the worst and most obvious hate speech. Especially the online variety, this should be easy to do with the online sources of hate speech.

    Eliminating assault weapons will be the most difficult, but not impossible task. It may take time and there will be much debate. But without this action, super deadly weapons will be too available.

    We may never eliminate them, but you make it much more difficult to get and to have them. That’s the goal. Not perfection, but the laws and attitudes are there for public safety and the greater good.

    Time to stop sending thoughts and prayers. These do nothing to fix this problem of mass shootings in the US.

    Leaders and politicians sending thoughts and prayers is the worst response to repeated mass shootings. Innocent victims and their families deserve more. We are not helpless and ignorant of the solutions. We are just confused by gun lobbies, the NRA, gun nuts, fear mongers and corrupt politicians.

    Do Something

    In Dayton, Ohio a politician was shouted down by chants of “Do something”. After suffering the trauma of a mass shooting we don’t need talk and sympathy from ineffectual leaders. People are demanding action. It remains to be seen if they are heard and heeded or just ignored, as usual.

    You would think that the pain and suffering of innocent victims would cut through politics. But the Republican party’s embrace of white supremacists and the gun lobby is too extreme. A price for this will be paid.

    Powerful Feelings

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    Fear, joy, shame, pride, sadness, love, hate, anger, excitement and calm serenity. We feel these in our minds and our bodies. They can make us act and say things that affect those around us. We can be conscious of our feelings and this is called emotional intelligence.

    If we ignore or suppress our feelings we become unhappy. If we acknowledge and process them successfully we are happy. How does one process successfully? We must identify the root cause or source of negative feelings and avoid them. We must identify the root cause or source of positive feelings and cultivate them.

    Hopefully we conclude that the things we avoid and the things we cultivate do no harm to those around us. Our feelings are important and maybe just as important are the feelings of those around us. And knowing this is another level of emotional intelligence.

    Stories We Tell

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    Humans are profoundly different from all other species on the planet. How? We cooperate in large numbers. Animals cooperate in large numbers as well. But there is a limit to the size of these cooperative groups. Maybe hundreds. Animal groups also only cooperate on objective and real life goals like food, housing and care of the young.

    People cooperate in the thousands and beyond. We share stories beyond the objective and the real life. We share stories from our imagination. We share beliefs in ideas. These common imaginary ideas guide our behaviors and allow us to cooperate with others we never met.

    We cooperate and do great things. We cooperate and do the most terrible things. Our imagination and the stories we believe are the most wonderful and the most dangerous force on the planet.

    Money is a shared story. A powerful, universal and maybe the most stupid story we tell. When we value money so highly, it’s concentration and our hoarding instinct is inevitable.

    Computers, robots and artificial intelligence will make huge numbers of humans useless.

    What is the next story? What will people do for work and money? We need a new story.

    Mass Shootings

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    Mass shootings in the US since recent Trump era by date, city, body count and shooter gender and age.

    6/16/15 Trump campaign begins

    • 7/16/15 Chattanooga 5 dead M24
    • 10/1/15 Roseburg 9 dead M26
    • 12/2/15 San Bernardino 14 dead M28
    • 6/12/16 Orlando 49 dead M30
    • 9/23/16 Burlington 5 dead M20
    • 1/6/17 Fort Lauderdale 5 dead M26

    1/20/17 Trump inauguration

    • 6/5/17 Orlando 5 dead M45
    • 10/1/17 Las Vegas 58 dead M64
    • 11/5/17 Sutherland Springs 26 dead M26
    • 2/14/17 Parkland 17 dead M19
    • 5/18/18 Santa Fe 10 dead M17
    • 6/28/18 Annapolis 5 dead M38
    • 10/27/18 Pittsburgh 11 dead M46
    • 11/7/18 Thousand Oaks 12 dead M40
    • 2/15/19 Aurora 5 dead M45
    • 5/31/19 Virginia Beach 12 dead M40
    • 8/3/19 El Paso 20 dead M20
    • 8/4/19 Dayton 9 dead M21
    • 18 shootings
    • 277 dead, average 15 dead per shooting
    • All male
    • Average age 31
    • Mostly white shooters
    • Mostly motivated by white supremacy, omnipotent control, infamy, notoriety

    Acceptance of hate speech and easy access to guns, that’s the problem! Any talk, laws or actions that do not directly curb those two factors are a waste of time. When will we learn?