I am reading proposed bills from the house and they are cracking me up with the ridiculousness of what some of them are saying. They are full of crap and drama. These people need to get over themselves and deal with real issues that are facing America like blocking the illegal immigrants who are crashing our border and destroying our country, killing innocent people, and more. The government does not need to take control of weapons of upstanding citizens but needs to round up all the criminals and confiscate and destroy all of their weapons because they are the real problem. They also think we have too many illegals in prison, HAHAHA! They are criminals and they need to be treated. as such.

One line from H.Res.226 says' "B) the average sentence length for individuals convicted of a Federal offense carrying a mandatory minimum penalty is 110 months of imprisonment;" that is less than 10 years and to me that says they did something very bad.

Or how about this line "Whereas over 61,000 people across the United States are subjected to solitary confinement every day, isolated for 22 to 24 hours a day with little to no human interaction;" Is this not what many Americans have been experiencing for the last year with this ridiculous lockdown that has isolated people from family and friends. They are imprisoned and they did not even commit a crime.

"Whereas people leave jails and prison owing an average of $13,607 in fines and fees, and an inability to pay can lead to being denied the right to vote, license suspension, additional fines and fees, and even further incarceration;" They should not have the right to vote if they have committed a crime. That is one of the rights they are stripped of because they are criminals.

"Whereas one in two adults in America has had a family member in jail or prison, and one in five has had a parent incarcerated;" I would love to know where they get these facts as I know no one who has a parent incarcerated and know of only one or two who have had a family member in jail at some point in time.

"Whereas zero-tolerance policies, including exclusionary disciplinary policies and school-based arrests, result in the growing cradle-to-prison pipeline" So we should get rid of zero-tolerance policies and allow crimes to run rampant?

"increased coordination between local law enforcement and immigration enforcement has not been shown to have a measurable impact on reducing crime and has been shown to destabilize communities;

(3) education programs for people in prison have been proven to reduce recidivism, yet such programs have been underfunded or altogether eliminated at both the State and Federal level, including the ban on Pell grants in prison, and restoring Pell grant access to prisoners would increase the employment rate for people with a criminal history by 10 percent and improve collective earnings by $45 million in the first year after release; and

" I don't think grants should be given to people who are in prison as they get too much free stuff as is and they are coddled. Prison should include hard labor to teach them to not repeat their crimes as it is supposed to be a punishment not a free ride of all the TV, exercise equipment, and such. They should be fed a minimum diet and be made to work hard.

"Whereas in many jurisdictions, individuals with a criminal record are automatically excluded from certain professional licenses such as those required to be a security guard, firefighter, real estate broker, and electrician;

Whereas an estimated 6.1 million Americans, or 1 in every 40 adults, are banned from voting due to felony disenfranchisement or laws restricting voting rights for those with a current or previous felony conviction;" They should not be allowed to vote, or hold jobs like that of a security guard or other jobs if they committed certain crimes. If they were imprisoned for a minor drug violation like possession of marijuana and are rehabilitated then let them have one of the above-listed jobs if they get the training. Violent criminals should be denied all of the above.

Instead, this joke of a bill suggests things like: " empowering directly impacted communities, through people’s assemblies, town halls, listening sessions, and workshops, to inform and draft legislation to repeal and dismantle the 94 Crime Bill and other punitive policies, and replace them with a holistic and community-led public health and safety agenda; and

(B) advancing a community-led platform of justice, freedom, and safety, which shifts resources away from criminalization and incarceration and toward policies and investments that fairly and equitably ensure that all people can thrive;"

They also want to eliminate, "including ending zero-tolerance school discipline policies and dress code and appearance policies" which I think need to be more stringently enforced as we have girls going to school dressing like streetwalkers which invites other issues.

Now I can some logic in the following part of the bill and could support some aspects of these; "amatically reduce the incarcerated populations to—

(A) decriminalize behavior and divert cases that do not require confinement by—

(i) providing tax incentives to local governments and States that commit to policies such as repealing truth-in-sentencing and three-strike provisions to significantly reduce the prison and jail population;

(ii) decriminalizing sex work by removing criminal and civil penalties related to consensual sex work and addressing structural inequities that impede the safety, dignity, and well-being of all individuals, especially those most vulnerable to discrimination on the basis of race, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, disability, socioeconomic status, and citizenship status;

(iii) decriminalizing addiction, homelessness, poverty, HIV status, and disabilities, including mental health diagnosis, by legalizing marijuana and overdose prevention sites, declining to criminally prosecute low-level offenses such as loitering and theft of necessity goods, and expunging the records of individuals for all (minor) drug-related offenses; (such as marijuana)

(iv) dramatically increasing diversion opportunities, community service, restorative justice programming, and treatment options that minimize court involvement and result in no prison time for most offenses where the person does not cause or intend to cause harm;

(v) ending the criminalization of Black and Brown students in school, including ending zero-tolerance school discipline policies and dress code and appearance policies that disproportionately impact girls of color and LGBTQ+ students, the removal of police and school resource officers, the decriminalization of truancy, and the reallocation of funds to support trauma-informed, comprehensive mental health and restorative services;  (I do not see these things as singling out any particular group of students and I feel that police and school resource officers are beneficial to all students for protection and because I have seen how they help students learn to relate to them as people, not the enemy. I have also seen them help turn a student around who was headed in the wrong direction.  They have a very positive impact.)

(viii) decriminalizing the act of migration by repealing provisions in Federal law that criminalize migrants for irregular border crossings, significantly limiting the conduct- and conviction-based grounds of deportability and inadmissibility, and ending draconian systems of mandatory detention and automatic deportation;  I do not agree with this at all! There are legal ways to gain entry into our country for a reason and they need to be upheld at all costs.

(ii) ending the death penalty, including effective death sentences of life without the possibility of parole;

(iii) ending mandatory minimum sentencing and providing incarcerated individuals an opportunity to petition for release after serving 10 years for any crime by a review board that includes at least one individual who has previously served time, to both encourage and reward people who reform themselves and pose no threat to public safety no matter the offense;  

I do not agree with this aspect as there is a reason they instituted mandatory minimum sentences for the protection of the citizens of this country. Look at people like Charles Manson for Christ's sake. He was a monster and there are many like him out there. I can see reevaluating certain crimes and adjusting the sentencing for them but in general, there is a reason for minimum sentencing and for life sentences.

(vi) establishing a national compassionate release standard that includes a presumption of release for any person with a disability who has spent at least 15 years in prison, as well as any person over the age of 50 who has spent at least 10 years in prison, over the age of 55 who has spent 5 years in prison, or over the age of 60;

I think it should depend on the crime and the health of the individual. If they are sick then it makes sense, but if they are healthy and could repeat the crime then no because there are some very bad people in jail.

(vii) requiring States to impose sentencing reviewing standards, particularly for juveniles sentenced prior to their 18th birthday, abolishing youth jails, and making the detention of children in any form the absolute last resort;

This one needs to be looked at in terms of what crime the person committed. If it was a violent act then no. If it was a minor crime then possibly depending on the person and their emotional stability. I have worked with some very bad kids who were in jail for one thing and got out and committed a heinous violent act with just a few weeks of release.

(iii) banning the prosecution of children under the age of 18 in adult courts and ensuring juveniles are not housed in adult prisons but in community- or home-based rehabilitation programs;

I think it should depend on the severity and how violent the crime was when it comes to this one. If they child murdered someone they should be tried as an adult and and imprisoned for life. If it was a minor offense then fine go with this though I am not really sure on the home-based rehabilitation programs as I do not think putting the child back in the same environment that he came from is a good idea as it can lead to further criminal activity.

(iv) allowing transgender individuals to be housed in a facility that conforms with their gender identity;

I believe that if you are born a male them you are a male and should be boused with men or build a separate prison for these individuals, do not make women suffer being subjecting them to having genetic males in the same prison, this can lead to all kinds of other issues and this can cause severe trauma to those who have been abused by males.

(viii) restoring eligibility for Federal Pell grants to all students regardless of immigration status and those incarcerated in Federal, State, and local facilities without regard to offense or sentence length;

Criminals should not have access to Federal Pell Grants. That is a right they give up when they commit a crime.

(ix) ending forced labor practices and requiring incarcerated individuals to be paid for their labor at a rate that is no lower than the Federal minimum wage;

I also feel that this is something they give up when they commit a crime. They should receive a minimum amount to purchase the few things they need to survive like shampoo and soap, but they do not need other things and should be afforded luxuries. They should be working to cover the cost of their room and board and that should be subtracted from the money so paying them a dollar or two an hour cash is acceptable as anything over that should be considered payment for room and board.  If they were to be paid minimum wage then money earned should be paid back at a rate of several hundred dollars a month to cover room and board and the cost of prison guards and general upkeep of the prison and to cover the cost of phone calls as they should. have to pay for the privilege of using the phone just as everyone else in the world has to do.

The American Rescue Plan of 2021

This is the transcript of the discussion in the Senate on the American Relief plan and the amendments that were made to the Senate version which now has to be voted on again by the House. The Senate took out some of the pork, but there is a lot more pork that should be taken out and if you go to page  13 of 183 and read the section entitled:  “ American Rescue Plan Act of 2021.” You will see some good points made regarding the liberal wish list agenda and why they are not things that should be contained in this bill. The liberals are cramming trash into bills that have no relationship to the bills theme and trying to pass stuff that in the end will do more harm to this country than help.  

Everyone needs to read the bills that are up before Congress and write to their Congressmen and push for things to be changed before they are voted into law. We must keep our eyes open as the devil is in the details and there are lots of details that need to be erased.  

Having a one party government is not a good thing for this country. There is no bipartisan in our current government it is all partisan and that is not good for any one, especially with the people who are in power currently who have an evil agenda and are out to destroy this country.  They are fueled by hate and this is wrong. They are not working toward the best interest of the American people.  

If they really wanted to help us all. They would take a major pay cut, like no pay for the next year or four, since they were paid to do nothing for the last four years except fight to destroy America. They are the nobles and bourgeoisie getting rich off us while feeding us a pittance. They are the nobles and we are the poor peasants or serfs who get the scarps they leave on the floor while we pay the taxes that they grow rich off of. The House which is suppose to represent the people, only represents themselves and their goal of getting rich.  Our government needs to be reformed and there need to be term limits, no retirement, wages should be minimum and they should be housed in military style barracks with chow hall food.  It is my opinion they should be paid the same as an E1-E3 in the military and then they would truly be there to serve the people not to line their pockets and. This should be on a ballot for the people to vote it into being.

https://www.congress.gov/117/crec/2021/03/04/CREC-2021-03-04.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1keqeeI_rcDsWWIyWqGlILjkfMngtue-l9Cx2Hz4VIVafESuWLWhxFMaw

Vegan Lasagna

I made lasagna for dinner last week. I used cashew ricotta, and vegan parmesan cheese, along with gluten-free noodles, a vegan tomato sauce, and Daiya mozzarella cheese.

I actually made two pans of lasagna as one was totally vegan (on the right) and the other used regular mozzarella and parmesan cheeses for hubby.  The sauce recipe is easy to modify if you want to add in meat for the carnivores in your household. My hubby does not mind eating vegan, but he is not big on Daiya cheeses, so I accommodate him when I can. I like Daiya for two reasons one it is the closest to real cheese I have found melting-wise for pizza and nachos and two it is soy-free as I cannot do soy and it is actually not that healthy. 

The vegan cashew ricotta is my own twist on a recipe that I found in one of my vegan cookbooks to give it more flavor and of course I upped the spices in everything as we like our food with a little kick.

The sauce uses carrots, onions, and tomatoes along with several spices to give it more flavor, and a little kick.

The gluten-free lasagna noodles are not bad. I have used them in another vegan lasagna, that used white sweet potatoes in place of the ricotta cheese. The one thing I do need to remember is to make my sauces a little more liquidy when I use them as they are not cooked prior to going in the lasagna.

The vegan cashew ricotta is delicious and I may make the base in the future to mix in a dipping spice mix for fresh veggies as it really makes a nice creamy base to use instead of sour cream or cream cheese.

I am still working out the recipes to fine-tune them but stay tuned as I will post them down the road because of course, I modify every recipe since we like a little more spice and flavor and do not use salt in anything. My recipes are always heart-healthy versions of whatever it may be that I am cooking, and low in sodium.

My Thoughts on the Equality Act

 Full Text of the House’s discriminatory Equality Act that violates Women’s Rights and Religious Rights. Specifically sections 3C4, 1101b2, and 1107. 

I feel women’s rights are extremely important and we need to protect them. Religious freedom is guaranteed by the Constitution and I feel that this act violates a person’s religious rights. It should be up to a business owner to decide who they choose to serve if they are a religious based business and that is sacred and should be upheld. Everyone is entitled to make their own choices in life, but they should not force those choices on others.

I posted the act below so every can read it and in its entirety and form their own opinion on the act as it was sent from the House to the Senate for debate.

https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr5/BILLS-117hr5pcs.pdf

What I see happening is one person’s rights are being forced onto another, but they do not have the right to force their own rights on the first person. This is wrong in many ways. I believe we should let people chose based on their own beliefs and not force another’s beliefs on others.  

I personally feel that having a third locker room option is better than forcing people in to locker room F if they are genetically a M, and vice versa. If person F wants to use locker room 3 they have the choice, but are not forced to be subjected to what they may find offensive and upsetting. What we are doing with this bill is forcing everyone to abide by the feelings of the group A, and not allowing anyone else to have feelings that are not in agreement with the feelings of the group A .  This is discrimination against those who do not agree with the group A, which is the same as forcing everyone in group A to abide by the rules of all other groups. I think having a third option for those in group A will make group F and M feel more comfortable as well as group A, and allow those who do not care to use locker room A.  The same can be said for shelters. There should also be a third option for sports that do not violate Title IX, and take away women’s chances to compete in the Olympics and earn sorts scholarships also.

I love Dr. Seuss!!!

 This cancel culture garbage has gone too far. To attack Dr. Seuss, the author of great, classic children’s books and ban them as racist is utterly moronic.

And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street is one of the best books ever to motivate students to write. I used this book with my high school students on Adak and I got some of the best writings Ever. They wrote their own version of to think I saw on Adak’s Main Street. I had students who wrote it and rapped it, And students who created such colorful pictures of Adak. Their writings were exquisite. I kept a few of these students writing because they were so awesome.  

 

 And these imbeciles who think that these books are racist need to go get their heads examined!!

If I Ran the Zoo is a wonderful story for children and most people do not even what these cancel culture morons are calling racism. They are the racist.

 

Cancel culture is crap we need to cancel them, flush them all down the toilet because they belong in a pile of 💩 because that’s what they have for brains. The chancel culture people are the ones who are driving this whole garbage issue. There is no racism in 90% of what they call racism. They are the ones who are pushing the racist agenda and causing all the problems. They are the Nazi’s in my opinion who are trying to control us and take away our rights.

 

How anyone can think that these fun children’s stories are racist is beyond comprehension. These people are communist. 

 

https://youtu.be/JnsM5VxAR68

 

This is all about control! They are trying to control what you can think and what you can read. 

 

I have these books and you can be damn sure that I’m going to read them with my grandchildren and share them with every child I know because Dr. Seuss is awesome. They were favorite books of mine when I was a child. My children loved them. My students loved them. 

 

I believe every future generation needs to have the chance to read every book ever written by Dr. Seuss. His books turn children onto reading and banning them is a crime!!!