The Altar of the Gun God - by Danielle P Smith

The Altar of the Gun God by Danielle P Smith 

March 23, 2021

After yet another mass shooting

And so more bodies are laid at the altar for the God of Guns, Weapons, & Warfare, the true idol of this country. This God hides behind a document created by long deceased men who couldn't conceive of what their primitive man-made god of wood and metal would become. 

This "right" to own weapons of death is more precious than the lives on its bloody altar. They will sacrifice their own, as many as it takes, if it means they can still worship at the altar of their perceived protector. 

What fools be these mortals who willingly protect their killers, thinking themselves free. Their God whispers, spitting blood in their ears, "If they take me away, you will die. No compromise. No middle ground." The blood seeps into their brain, covers their eyes and they see red, everyone an enemy, forever at war. 

We shall not have Peace while War prances upon the graves laid out before it as sacrifice. Too arrogant to change, we shall bring about our own demise and there will be no one left to mourn. 

The body count is ticked out on the wall, a wall covered in red since time began. We don't see the writing on the wall. We just continue to add to it, as if we are powerless to stop it. Another. Another. Another. How it has always been. How it will always be. 

The God demands sacrifice eternal, but it's long past time to kill the God. The God that controls us, warps us, needs us, makes us kill ourselves. If we lay down weapons, the God cannot survive. This God is dangerous to worship but powerless without us, if only we tried.

Nebraska Governor Lies about Marijuana

Context: Nebraska Governor says Marijuana will kill your kids. Same governor who wanted to bring in illegal drugs for prisoner executions.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/543076-nebraska-governor-slams-push-for-marijuana-legalization-itll-kill-your 

https://www.aclunebraska.org/en/campaigns/tinkering-machinery-death 

 

Greetings, Governor P. Ricketts,

You once again embarrass the state of Nebraska, this time by saying "marijuana will kill your kids". What IS guaranteed to kill kids is YOU and your pursuit to purchase illegal drugs for capital punishment, wasting taxpayer money. You claim to be pro-life, and say God is your judge, but you are quite fine with deciding to kill other human beings. 

Your hypocrisy aside, your statement about medical marijuana is baseless and an outright lie with NO data or statistics to prove it or make it even any bit credible. The fact that you say it doesn't make it true. Just as if a person said "P. Ricketts is a public servant who puts the public first" - it doesn't make it true and it is NOT true because data and facts can be brought up to disprove this. Facts like "P. Ricketts lies about the dangers of marijuana." 

A public servant should not lie.

A public servant should not make false claims.

A public servant should not be doing things in his own best interests.

In case you are unaware, marijuana is a natural plant. If you believe in God as you claim, God put that plant here with a purpose. That purpose is pain relief and many Nebraskans, especially those with terminal diseases, can use this to improve their lives, or make their last days more comfortable. It can also prevent people from developing opiate addictions. And, as an agricultural state, Nebraska could most definitely benefit from marijuana as a crop, so you are denying potential income to farmers. 

The fact that you are opposed to medical marijuana AND deny others from having access to it or making a decision for themselves is proof that you are not putting the public first. You are treating Nebraskans like they are your children who have to do as you say, instead of adults who YOU are to serve. 

I believe that you are likely responsible for the unjustified death of the Medical Marijuana petition. You denied the people of Nebraska the opportunity to decide for themselves. I don't have facts to prove this, but you know the truth.

Why are you so afraid? Are you afraid that decriminalizing marijuana would decrease the prison population? That maybe you'd have less people to dehumanize in the penal system? Or kill? Would you profit less from prisons that had less prisoners? Shouldn't we WANT prisons to have less people? To prove that we are rehabilitating people and preparing them for re-entry into society? Doesn't that indicate you don't have the public in mind, but your own profits?

All I know is that I can't trust my governor to the tell the truth. I can't trust my governor to put the people first. I again ask you to step down from public office because you prove time and again you are not a public servant that puts the public first. 

Disappointed as always, 

X

Nebraska Governor Fearful of Teaching Children About Their Bodies

Context: Nebraska Governor Pete Ricketts (Republican) put out a press release against updates to Nebraska Health Education updates that aim to teach children about their bodies, gender identities, and how to identify unwanted touch etc. He included the instruction for parents to read the update proposals and contact about this issue, most likely with the assumption that fearful parents would be appalled by the idea of educating children. 

https://www.1011now.com/2021/03/12/gov-ricketts-wants-proposed-sex-education-standards-scrapped-calls-some-updates-age-inappropriate/ 

The new sex education and health standards can be viewed by clicking here. The public can submit formal comments by emailing nde.standardsinput@nebraska.gov.

I wrote a thank you to those who would update the standards:

To Whom It May Concern, 

I am not a parent, but I am a taxpayer and an aunt to 10 children, at least one of whom has told us of her transgender status. After being directed to your pdf of updates and given your email by our fear-mongering governor, I wanted to advise you I applaud the updates to Nebraska's Health Education Standards.

As you know, it is crucial to teach children at an early age about how to be aware of different genders and identifications as well as to have control over their bodies and understand what to do about inappropriate and unwanted touch or attention. It's never too early because abusers aren't waiting for a certain age, and our governor proves not all children are living with safe or well-informed adults. This kind of information can prevent children from abuse and even suicide and is well worth pursuing despite fearful attacks you may be receiving. 

It is disheartening that an elected public servant is trying to motivate people based upon fear, miseducation and hatred of others. This only proves the need for this instruction. I thank you for trying to advance Nebraska Health Education to be truthful, inclusive, proactive, and progressive. Children need to have actual facts and information as our own governor makes it evident there are people (parents/guardians) who are unwilling or unfit to have truthful conversations with youth that need answers. 

Again, thank you for your updates to the Health Education system for Nebraska. I wanted to reach out and be a positive voice to tell you that you are doing the right thing by being truthful, inclusive, and proactive. This is what is needed to protect and empower future generations.

Best of luck

Sincerely,

X

 I also wrote an email to PRicketts telling him that he is unfit, something I get to do way too often.

Greetings, Gov. P. Ricketts,

In regards to your press release on updating Nebraska Health Education Standards, I am disappointed that you want to deny essential education to young children. You rely on fear-mongering and your own miseducation and you put Nebraska children and families at risk from your ignorance. 

You claim this information is "age-inappropriate". If you are not aware, children of any age can be bullied or abused and it is essential that they are given the knowledge and tools to identify this and seek help. Abusers don't wait until children reach a certain age. Not giving children proper information can lead to abuse or even suicide. 

There is nothing "political" about children learning the proper terms for their genitalia, or learning about differing genders, or learning about adoption, or same sex parents, as shown in the lessons for the younger classes. You don't seem to grasp what science is since you claim this is non-scientific instruction. 

If you are unaware, as a public servant to Nebraskans, you answer to hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ people and the people who love and support them, including me and my family. If you are unwilling to serve ALL Nebraskans, I ask that you step down from your position. Your ignorance and misinformation is disruptive and dangerous to everyone in this state. 

Disappointed in you as always, 

X

Nebraska US Senators Oppose Covid Relief - May I Never Be Like Them

To Nebraska US Senators Fischer and Sasse, 

I write this with futility knowing you'll never read this and I send my apologies to your aides who will have to read my frustrations and select the appropriate generic letter for a response.  

If there is a god, I pray to it that I will never be like you. To take an oath to work for the benefit of Nebraskans, but to unironically lambast "the other side" for being "partisan" while you deny any benefits to struggling Nebraskans because it's too "progressive". Progress is not a dirty word. Progress is why a female such as yourself, Senator Fischer, can serve in a federal public office. 

I write this letter in futility knowing that my Senators have no sense of decency. I know they don't work for all Nebraskans. Just the ones that line their pockets. I know that my Senators will take hundreds of thousands of dollars from taxpayers as their salary every year and then continue to degrade and demean them. You don't work for the Nebraskans who have struggled with evictions during the pandemic. You don't work for the people who have lost their jobs, for the struggling small business owners. You don't work for the people that have died from this disease. You don't work for the Nebraskans who are mourning the loss of their loved ones. And I already know you don't work for women or my LGBTQ+ family and friends. 

You two Senators are the epitome of what disappoints me about Nebraska, about this country, this world. You'll take your benefits where you can and screw anybody over who can't do anything about it, help out your cronies and come up with pithy statements about "cuddly puppies" as if that helps anyone. 

I wish that you could be as ashamed of yourselves as I am of you. I want people in office who recognize the tragedy of what happens to us WITHOUT progress and empathy. I want people who don't just play a game with our lives called 'political tug of war'. 

You are people that don't make this world better for everyone in it, and I pray I don't end up like you. So yes, I'll continue to write enraged, futile letters knowing your aides will never pass them on and two or more months from now, I'll get a generic "As you know" letter that provides me no comfort, that provides no justification for your employment in a position of "public servant" that you fail to fulfill. I don't think there is anything either of you could say, but there is a hell of a lot you could do to turn this around. But I won't hold my breath. 

As Ever, Disappointed in You,

X

Below are screenshots of Sasse & Fischer Statements on why they opposed Covid Relief and text of the same in the caption box for those using screen readers.

Sasse Statement on COVID Relief Vote

March 6, 2021

U.S. Senator Ben Sasse issued the following statement regarding his vote against the Democrats' pork-filled $1.9 trillion COVID relief package.

“This weekend’s spending is bigger than the entire annual economy of Canada, yet only one percent of it is vaccine-related. Here’s how midnight spending bills go down: Senators hide a bunch of crap behind titles like ‘The Cuddly Puppies Act,’ and then say anybody voting against it hates puppies. This $1.9 trillion ‘emergency’ bill is overwhelmingly non-emergency — we should’ve just bought Canada too.”

Senator Fischer Opposes Biden’s $1.9 Trillion Stimulus

Bill is Strictly Partisan, Full of Wish-List Items, and Leaves Out Rural America

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) released the following statement after voting against President Biden’s $1.9 trillion stimulus package:

“I voted against President Biden’s stimulus because the bill represented a strictly partisan, progressive wish list filled with items unrelated to aiding our recovery from COVID-19. In the last year, $4 trillion has been provided for relief with about $1 trillion still unspent.”

More information:

Senator Fischer offered several amendments to try to make the legislation more equitable for rural America. This included an amendment to distribute transit funding using a formula Congress already approved. This would ensure the transit funding doesn’t primarily benefit a few select coastal cities but instead is proportionately distributed across the country, including in Nebraska. 

Senator Fischer also offered an amendment to ensure protections for rural community health centers are not being degraded and that these centers are allocated the aid they need, rather than granting D.C. bureaucrats sole discretion over those funds.

Watch Senator Fischer’s floor speech on the House-passed version of Biden’s stimulus package here.

Permalink: https://www.fischer.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2021/3/senator-fischer-opposes-biden-s-1-9-trillion-stimulus