“You want me to stop being racist? How about instead, I double down, on record?” …Ugh.

US news agency AP again clarifies tweet advising that writing 'the French' is 'dehumanizing'

The Associated Press stylebook on Thursday advised against the use of 'general and often dehumanizing ‘the’ labels such as the poor, the mentally ill, the French, the disabled.'

Man, that was something. After the original tweet was published, everyone showed their racism. Can you imagine if this was, say, 1864, and someone issued a statement asking people to stop using the n word to refer to Black people? And instead, everyone doubled down, on record?

Link: https://www.lemonde.fr/en/united-states/article/2023/01/27/us-news-agency-ap-advises-against-writing-the-french-a-dehumanizing-generalization_6013310_133.html

Discussing the possibility of a permanent homeless camp for the unhoused

Someone mentioned this article (published 2019) recently on Nextdoor and said we should be considering the idea of a homeless camp where the unhoused could set up tents permanently. The article talks about how people would be able to come and go as they please, how they would provide a space in a large tent for people who choose not to bring their own tent, how there would be food provided by an existing homeless nonprofit, and how they could have a permanent police patrol to help control violence. However, they proposed setting it up 13 miles southeast of Downtown. This is my reply:

In theory, something like this could work. However…13 miles southeast of Downtown? How about multiple mini-homeless camps throughout the city instead? It doesn’t make sense to force someone to make that journey with all their belongings. There have to be other places we can make this work. Even if we chose, for example, the streets that our homeless shelters are on. Give everyone amnesty that camps nearby, within a block or so. That way everyone will have access to food, showers, and emergency shelter if they need it. 🤷🏼‍♀️ If one block isn’t enough, then maybe let people have a space to camp out on a first-come, first-serve basis? That will serve the purpose of keeping the encampments contained and allow people to choose to bring their kids, etc. to spots in the city away from the area.

The death penalty is unethical in all circumstances except the most extreme of circumstances---where there is no other option that will ensure the safety of a country's citizens, like on an island nation without a proper jail cell.

The clemency request focuses on several issues, including McLaughlin's traumatic childhood and mental health issues, which the jury never heard in her trial. A foster parent rubbed feces in her face when she was a toddler and her adoptive father used a stun gun on her, according to the clemency petition. It says she suffers from depression and attempted suicide multiple times.

Attorneys submitted an application for executive clemency to the governor on Dec. 12, asking Parson to commute McLaughlin's sentence to life and noting that she was not given the death penalty in a trial by jury. When the jury deadlocked on punishment during her trial, a St. Louis county judge instead determined McLaughlin's sentence. As the application states, Missouri is one of only two U.S. states, along with Indiana, that allow trial judges to impose death penalty sentences in the event of a deadlocked jury.

What I wrote in the "comment" section when signing:

The death penalty is unethical in all circumstances except the most extreme of circumstances---where there is no other option that will ensure the safety of a country's citizens, like on an island nation without a proper jail cell. In this case, it's unnecessary and meant to "punish" the offender instead of carrying out the goal of a government keeping its citizens safe. It's cruel and barbaric, and we should have moved past it by now as a society. Please consider granting clemency. Keeping the offender locked up for the rest of their life serves the purpose of keeping innocent people safe without letting an emotional desire for violent retribution get in the way of a well-run government/juicidial system. Thank you for your time.

Link to petition: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/stop-the-execution-of-amber-mclaughlin-in-missouri

Article with more information on the case: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/missouri-execution-amber-mclaughlin-first-openly-transgender-woman-death-row/

Retroactively changed the formatting of some recent posts

I retroactively changed the formatting of some recent posts because it sometimes looks better in my new layout to put more vertical space between the title and the text. If I end up keeping this layout for a while, the extra space will probably stay; if not, these posts will probably be differently-formatted until I remember to go back and fix them.

When MAGA dies out or when Texas secedes (whichever comes first), let's vote for a UBI (Universal Basic Income, or free money for every American)

 

Please don't tell me this is another stupid joke about socialism.

Okay, so let's never attempt to make the world a better place ever again. 

As long as we wait until this MAGA thing dies out or Texas secedes (whichever comes first), a UBI (Universal Basic Income, or free money for every American) will do good things for our country in the long run, and for the world by setting a good example and starting a worldwide movement that will one day make it to the poorest countries.