Subj : Love the 4th To : Rebecca Marie From : Lee Lofaso Date : Sat Aug 06 2022 02:02:36 Hello Rebecca, AT>> what?") Those guys are destroying America. Do you live in a gated AT>> community? If you do, then I get why you're asking this question. RM> I do not live in a gated community. I actually was raised in a household RM> that RM> included my grandmother, my grandfather, my mother and three uncles. (If you RM> guessed that I am Hispanic, then you got it in one. ) My grampa died RM> when I was 9 and my mom became the sole provider for the six of us. A provider, and a survivor. A helluva combination. RM> My grandpa always said "Republicans only help rich people, they don't care RM> about us." I've seeny nothing in the past 40 years that makes me think he RM> was wrong. Did you believe him at the time? Or did you think it was just one of his stories, like a fairy tale some grandparents tell their grandkids at bedtime? RM> I've worked my way up from those humble beginnings. I went to college, RM> earned a Bachelor and Masters degree in Computer Science, and have put RM> together a pretty good career. My spouse I are almost finished raising RM> three kids (18, 16 1and 4). We live in an ordinary house in the suburbs. We RM> are firmly middle class. Congratulations on becoming one of the few who succeeded in getting at least out of the dregs, no matter how many favors asked or granted. RM> Over my 50+ years, I've had times where I didn't have any food to eat for a RM> couple of days. I made certain my kids don't have to experience that. Our RM> family is never hungry, we always have money to make our mortgage payment. RM> We thad to ake out a PLUS loan to send our oldest to college this fall. Oh, c'mon. Get real. Like most other folks in this great country of ours you are one paycheck away from being homeless. But thank goodness for SNAP, Section 8 housing, social security, medicare, expanded medicaid, and all that other good stuff, you and your family can make it. RM> In other words, I've lived in a number of economic categories, from below RM> the RM> poverty line to the middle class. And I still have not seen anything that RM> disproves my grandfather's belief. Relax. Things are looking up. Roe v Wade has been overturned. Now it is a crime for women to be pregnant. Along with her health care provider. But only if they get rid of the baby. Whether on purpose, or by having a miscarriage. After all, abortion is murder. RM> The Republican party doesn't care about the poor. (I would add the middle RM> class to that, too.) The Republican party cares about the rich. You don't really mean that. The Republican Party are the Owners. They have a vested interest in human labor. That is what they own. How to make a profit from that human labor is what all Owners seek. And then to make more profit. And more. And more. And more. See how that works? Buy low. Sell high. This country was founded by White Supremacists, so that should come as no surprise. Just read the US Constitution, and it is obvious. But how many folks have actually read it, and given the words written any thought? The Framers of the Constitution were all white men of privilege, with each and every one of them having a vested interest in protecting their own property, which included real people in bondage. For fifty of the first sixty years of our Republic, twelve presidents owned slaves as part of their property. And what did "The Great Emancipator" Abraham Lincoln do about it? Nothing. Blacks were not recognized as human until after Lincoln was dead and buried, with the 13th Amendment having been passed and ratified, along with the 14th Amendment and the 15th Amendment. Took a few more decades before women were finally granted the right to vote - by the 19th Amendment. I find it both comical, and truly sad, that before every sporting contest a song is sung (or played) in honor of one of the most famous white racists of all time. Ending his first stanza with a question. Oh. Maybe you forgot. Or didn't listen very hard. So here's a reminder. A White Supremacist to the core, and a lawyer at that. Just listen to the last line of the first stanza of his famous poem, set to the music of a British drinking song - "O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave?" Now, if you want the answer to Francis Scott Key's question, please read his third stanza. It is truly sickening, frightening and disgusting. And yet, we stand at attention, facing the flag, and proudly sing it. What patriotic sons of bitches white folks can be. And suckers folks of other races can be, especially those who are Black. Today's Republicans are even worse than yesterday's Republicans. There are no more John McCains, as those folks disappeared with his death, to the glee of Donald J. Trump. Well, Liz Cheney might be an exception. But her Republican colleagues are set to show her the door very soon. And that other Republican on the J6 Select Committee has already said he has had enough, and will be walking out on his own. So that is what we have today. The "Owners" (Republicans) and those who are owned (everybody else). For Life, Lee -- Everybody Loves Our Buns --- MesNews/1.08.05.00-gb * Origin: news://eljaco.se:4119 (2:203/2) .