Things Have Changed
I am captivated by this song by Bob Dylan. Here’s the chorus:
People are crazy and times are strange
I’m locked in tight, I’m out of range
I used to care, but things have changed
It was released in May of 2000, and Dylan actually got an Oscar for it for “Best Original Song”.
Readers here can well imagine why this song, now almost a quarter century old, rings true today.
There are better examples than my current focus that exemplify what Dylan was saying, like the whole SCOTUS/POTUS thing, but bear with me.
On June 19th, Louisiana Republican governor Jeff Landry signed into law Louisiana House Bill 71, making it mandatory that The Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:1-17) be displayed in every K-12 classroom in the state.
That was news enough, but tomorrow, July 4th, marks another day in Louisiana state history: Conceal-carry is legal in the State of Louisiana.
Isn’t that strange? A state that perceives itself as a land of law abiding Christian faithful also needs a law that allows firearms to be carried in concealment?
Never mind that it forbids convicted felons from carrying concealed weapons (so sorry, TFG), and never mind that they’re still trying to keep the law unenforced in The French Quarter, what is up with this?
Can things get any stranger in this country?
Don’t answer that.
I’m looking for good news and not finding it anywhere.
1States are trying to out do each other in changing the constitution to fit their radical ideology. Oklahoma went one further than Louisiana by mandating that teachers teach from the bible, I assume everyday or get fired or publicly tarred and feathered. Waiting for Iduhoo, Texas and Floriduh to try and one up Oklahoma and Louisiana. Yes, things can get stranger in this country.
2Reminds me of a good old Doors song: People are Strange.
3Reminds me of Germany in the mid-1930’s
4What Louisiana is doing explains to me why my late husband and his two brothers went elsewhere to live. They couldn’t get of there fast enough.
5What?
6When writing the conceal carry bill no one thought to require a single commandment, thou shalt not kill be engraved on the weapon?
What often gets overlooked, is that the same day the Ten Commandments law was signed, Landry also signed a law requiring (on a case by case basis) the physical castration of anyone convicted of child rape. Mind you, I am all for punishing those convicted of child rape, but physical castration goes to far. Also, because the person required to be physically castrated will be decided on a case by case basis, you just know that they will use it more against people of color.
7About 300 years ago, Alexander Pope wrote:
“The wit of cheats, the courage of a whore,
And what ten thousand envy and adore:
All, all look up, with reverential awe,
At crimes that escape or triumph o’er the law,
While truth, wisdom, daily they decry-
Nothing is sacred now but villainy”
Politics are timeless.
8Post Ten Commandments in the original language. Better yet, list each one and do a scorecard comparing Biden & Trump.
9We know that at least 50% of ‘mericans are actually really st00pid or at least st00pid enough to support rePUKEians. A man is using a sword (illegal in USA) to kill people. Another person uses a trash can lid to protect himself while kicking the sword user in the balls. Totally legal 9mm is being used to kill people. Someone else gets trash can lid for protection and is killed 20ft away. Yes totally SMART to make 9mm legal and swords illegal!!!! Yes american the great where st00pid people vote psychopaths into office.
10Thirteen hundred people died from the heat while making the hajj in Mecca. That’s piety. And Landry wants to tack up a few posters? Pussy.
Given Louisiana’s abysmal schools, the kids won’t be able to read them anyway.
11I guess Republicans never really bought into the whole Freedom of Religion thing, hence their whole My Way or the Highway authoritarian backlash. Won’t get much help from SCOTUS since their understanding of civil rights is limited to white, Christian and male.
12A few years later, the same director got Bob to
write a song for his film ” Chances Are”
Bob did, the film went nowhere so there is this
very wonderful song out there no one’s
heard. Only released on a bootleg
collection, this is a rare, hidden gem.
Been a reader for years, never commented, love the site!
https://youtu.be/2DY3wHZw0kU?si=N2mN_npTB8vYYswv
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