Shouldn't We Change the NAACP's Name?

...and other musings...

Didn't you assume that ALL our Ex-Presidents, et al, would go through their own paperwork to see if they have classified documents, without being told? If they were smart, they would, so I wasn't surprised they found some in Mike Pence's home.  They'll find more elsewhere, but the perpetrators will compare their own reactions to Trump's, who will emerge (to his base, and possibly more) as no worse than the others, and asserting he was victimized by the Nazi FBI.

I've been watching the national news less and less; but I have been reading the local paper, which doesn't have the luxury of printing stories unimportant to Oregonians.  One recent front page piece was about Oregon experiencing a tremendous jump in the purchase of electric cars.  If we're not #1 in the nation, we're pretty close.  It was suggested the number was high because it includes registrations, which is cheaper than our southern neighbor, and Oregon is FULL of Californians.

Details are fuzzy because whenever I read about the benefit of electric cars, it pretty much goes in one eye and out the other.  We're supposed to be electric-only for new cars by 2035, which isn't very far away.

Would I be able to afford one, even with rebates from Uncle Sam and Oregon? Doubtful, not until prices drop like cell phones and computers.  From Oregon Public Broadcasting:

Households with low-to-moderate income to get up to $7,500 in federal tax credits for a new electric vehicle or $4,000 for a used one.  Oregonians can qualify for state rebates as well. The state already has two electric vehicle rebates. The Standard Rebate Program offers up to $2,500 back to anyone who purchases a new battery electric vehicle or plug-in hybrid under $50,000. The Charge Ahead Rebate program applies to households that make $51,000 to $251,000 a year depending on the household size. Those who qualify can get up to $5,000 in rebates for purchasing or leasing a new or used battery electric or plug-in hybrid vehicle. Combined, Oregonians who meet the qualifications could get up to an additional $7,500 back through the state.

Even if I could afford one, how would I charge it if extended power outages become the norm, one coworker asked.  Power companies are afraid their equipment might start forest fires and burn down their customers, you've seen summer headlines, so they're turning it off in an over-abundance of caution.  Are they bothering to buy new equipment or do we just put up with it, my skeptical mind wonders.

Last week was a story about prominent egg producers having record profits: 65%, talk about greed.  Triple last year. They're uniting under the Bird Flu umbrella to feather their pockets at our expense, but we'll have to take it or forgo Eggs Benedict.

Have you heard: M&M's have become controversial.  They claim the little colored (oops, sorry) candies are too Polarizing, aw, c'mon already.  Something about the green one wearing high heels.  The way advertising, television and movies are shoving PC mores down our throats, without sufficient time to adjust or adapt to changes which should have been taking place for 40 years already, makes me unconsciously flinch whenever faced with the latest faux-pas.

Most companies are taking surveys and having creative meetings to discuss advertising which they hope will not offend ANYONE, but that's unrealistic.  One popular TWEET can bring down an empire; similar to the recent ruling in the House of Reps to require a single demand for a vote to oust the Speaker..  IT WILL ONLY TAKE ONE to bring the government to a screeching halt, who cares your political affiliation, what kind of bullshit is that?  Let's wait and see which Congressperson who wanted to run for Speaker will be the first.  George Santos?  In the future he'll claim he was the first anyway, so might as well push him to get it over with and save everyone alot of investigating down the road.  Geez, how much lower can the bar get?

I just learned the word FIELD is now PC, because it connotes field hand, or working in the field.  Can't say, "My field of study."  So what about the word HOUSE and house slave?  I'm supposed to remember all that, on top of using the wrong pronouns?

Nah...sorry...  it's too much for this 67-yr old.  I'm not going to worry about my entire vocabulary at this point in time.  No doubt I'll be identified as a racist and homophobe by SOMEONE who reads this piece, so to those folks I say, Not everyone is out to get you, that's your ego talking.

If I inadvertenly say or do something inappropriate or offensive, I'd hope (whomever) could politely explain how or why such-and-such is objectionable, and I'll work to correct myself in the future, as best I can.  Everything has its limits.  I am not alone in my thinking.  I've had discussions with friends, as you probably have.

So why haven't they changed the NAACP to the NAAPC, as in PEOPLE of COLOR?  That seems more inclusive than Colored People.  Why is that OK, or even Diamonds are Forever?  A couple months ago I began watching 007 movies from the beginning; so I'm watching Diamonds and there's a brief scene inside a carnival tent where 007 is looking for the bad guy.  In the background, like a go-go-dancer in the day, is an attractive Black gal, full Afro, in a bikini.  Before our eyes, she turns into a full-blown Silverback gorilla and runs amok into the audience.  I was shocked.

After all this time and how many viewings, nobody objects to that?  In my mind, that's much more insulting than a lavendar M&M.