Even the Breathing

 

It appears we need some clarification in this country, of the definition kind. Specifically of the term "pro-life."

And, at this moment in time, this angry, divided, religion bastardizing, self-absorbed, moment in time, I feel compelled to separate the lies from the truth. 

Listen, pro-life is a noble sentiment. But in order to claim the title, you cannot pick and choose. Which, just so you know, is what has me so angry, the use of the term without a commitment to the entirety of what it actually means.

If you are pro-life, you are for:

~ supporting the LGBTQ+ community in hopes of lowering their suicide rate.

~ ceasing the sale of assault weapons to citizens. Period.

~ enacting federal basic gun safety laws, prioritizing lives over all else.

~ ending forced unwanted, unsustainable, and maternal life-threatening pregnancies.

~ disavowing the stigma forced on those suffering from mental health conditions, and providing them with the medical care they need.

~ rejecting bigotry and bullying, especially from those we elect to represent us. There are NOT good people on both sides. 

~ programs that provide basic life sustaining needs to those unable to attain them on their own, like low-income housing, medical care, and nourishment for the food insecure.

Stuffed Taco Pork Tenderloin

 

If this is not your pro-life stance, all of it, not just cherry-picked issues, you are not pro-life. Quite simply, it is not just about pregnancy versus abortion. 

And while we're at it, let's go there: the pregnancy versus abortion issue is not at all simple. There are nuances, extenuating circumstances, a whole lot of grey areas that necessitate evaluation by, and consultation with, a medical professional. It is not an issue that can be mandated with the broad brush of "allow or disallow." Not if you are a compassionate human being. Not if you are truly pro-life.

In order to be pro-life, you must believe that there is an inherent societal responsibility towards those who are actually . . . you know . . . out there breathing.

Stuffed Taco Pork Tenderloin        

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
about 1 3/4# pork tenderloin

salt and pepper

3/4 cup brown rice

2 TBSP salsa

1 TBSP chopped onion

1 TBSP chopped jalapenos

2 TBSP oil

1 tsp taco seasoning

OPT: serve with my fresh Pico de Gallo

Directions:

*Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cover the bottom and sides of a 9 X 13 baking dish with heavy foil.

*Trim the tenderloin, butterfly it, and pound it to about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

*Cook the rice according to package directions. Mix in the salsa, chopped onions, and chopped jalapoenos. Spread onto the pork to about 1 inch from the sides.

*Using the long sides, roll the pork up and secure with either cooking twine or toothpicks inserrted at 45 degree angles to form an "X" along the seam.

*Mix together the oil and taco seasoning. Pour over the meat and, using your hands, rub into the top, sides, and bottom.

*Place the tenderloin into the prepared baking dish, seam side down, and bake for about 45 minutes, until the internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before removing the twine or toothpicks and slicing.

*OPT: serve with my fresh Pico de Gallo.

Ban Balance Sheet

 

Inflation has hit the Constitution. What was once the Bill of Rights is now chump change. Devalued. Deliberately.

And as if that's not enough, its rights and protections have been compromised by those exact people we put in charge of safeguarding what is at the very core of our system.

We all know that the preamble to the constitution specifically states that we are all created equal, and that we all have the unalienable right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Further, and this is critical, that our government was created with the clear mandate of protecting those rights. 

That is no longer what's happening here. Our government is now in the business of targeting segments of our society to deny their right to life (women medically unable to sustain pregnancies), limit their liberties (abortion, gender affirming care), and pursuit of happiness (allowing businesses to discriminate, limiting access to information in schools). Acting in clear opposition to their directive. Overstepped their bounds. By a lot.

Although this desecration of our rights, this dismantling of freedom, started with an orange man, and is now lead by the orange state, it's sweeping through this country like a contagion.

 Orange Quick Rolls (no yeast)

 

To better view the direction in which we've headed, to more clearly see the juxtaposition between freedom and authoritarianism, I've prepared a ban balance sheet. Some instances are federal, others are sweeping through the states:

~ Banned: teachers saying "gay."

  Not banned: politicians lying in office.

~ Banned: dressing in drag in public (ie: wearing a dress, wig, jewelry, and makeup). 

  Not banned: wearing speedos in public.

~ Banned: forgiveness of student loans.

  Not banned: companies owned by members of congress took $14 million in Covid relief funds.

~ Banned: women's reproductive rights (abortion),

 Not banned: men's reproductive "rights" (Viagra).

~ Banned: crossing state lines for an abortion.

  Not banned: shipping immigrants across state lines.

~ Banned: access to books.

  Not banned: access to guns (conceal carry).

~ Banned: affirmative action from leveling the playing field for disenfranchised minorities.

  Not banned: whitewashing slavery. 

~ Banned: offering water to citizens standing in line in the hot sun waiting to vote.

  Not banned: armed random people monitoring ballot boxes.

We're the ATM, this is all supported with our taxes. So, profit, loss, or break even, what is the return on our investment?

Supreme Court approval rating: 40%

Americans who support some further level of gun control: about 87%

Americans who support abortion: about 62%

Americans who support LGBTQ+ rights: about 80%

Let's be realistic. The goal is not an untenable nirvana. For a balanced, effective government, when it comes to legislation, we will all sometimes fall into the minority, and other times find ourselves in the majority. Negotiating towards balance is required to make a diverse nation like ours function.

But the clear majority of Americans disapproving of the self-serving choices of politicians over the best interest of our citizens diminishes all that the constitution sets out to ensure.  

Our government is no longer paying dividends, and we are not invested in our own future.

Orange Quick Rolls (no yeast)         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 2/3 cups flour

3 tsp baking powder

1 1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp orange zest

1 1/3 cups orange Greek yogurt

1 TBSP orange juice

1 TBSP sesame seeds

Directions:

*Cover the bottom of a baking pan with parchment paper. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

*Whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Flour a kneading surface with 1/3 cup of this mixture.

*Whisk the orange zest into the remaining flour, then mix in the yogurt. Turn out onto the floured kneading surface and knead for 5 minutes. It will come together as a dough, but will be sticky.

*Divide the dough into quarters, then each quarter in half. Roll into balls and place in the baking pan.

*Brush the tops of the rolls with the orange juice, and sprinkle with the sesame seeds.

*Bake for 25 minutes. Serve warm.

 

The Ban, the Bill, and the Clowns

 

I sometimes wonder if a clown car pulls up to the capitol each weekday and all the members of the house majority pile out.

Apparently not. It seems that about a dozen far-right Freedom Caucus buffoons have commissioned a car of their own.

Let the day at the circus begin. Because one car or two, a circus is exactly what they've turned the house of representatives into.

Exhibit one. An incident from just one month ago:

The back story:

The whole issue started to come to light at the end of 2022, when an international study showed that gas stoves emit pollutants that can damage our lungs and increase the risk of, and exacerbate, childhood asthma.

The Consumer Protection Safety Commission (enacted by congress in 1972 but run as an independent agency), admits to have been considering action, but clarifies that any regulations would only apply to new products. 

Some states have banned the installation of gas stoves, but in new homes only. The CPSC has specifically stated that they are not "coming for anyone's gas stoves." When asked, a White House spokesperson stated that Biden does not support banning gas stoves. 

Facts aside (as usual), the republicans went wild. Angry speeches included fiery rants the likes of: the dems want to take away your kitchens! They're coming for your stoves! Even your appliances aren't safe!

Children are dying at alarming rates due to gun violence, but . . . priorities. Fearful that the American people are on the brink of a severely limited edible future consisting of cold salads for dinner and no bake desserts, the House went right to work. 

Jelled Strawberry Tarts

So . . . 

The Consumer Protection Safety Commission is not the federal government and has suggested no bans. And the White House has specifically stated that the president is not in favor of a ban. But you can never be too careful when it comes to the protection of our children appliances. The house republicans drafted a bill.

The "Gas Stove Protection and Freedom Act," would block the federal government from banning gas stoves.

Because our great country needs to protect the rights of trans citizens gas stoves to exist. And be free. What does that look like, anyway, free gas stoves? If they're not happy with their current situation, can they, like, consider employment elsewhere? Form a union? Demand days off, maybe?

 

Since the republicans control the house, you'd expect the bill to pass easily, right?

Not so fast. Remember that second clown car?

About a dozen republicans blocked the bill from advancing.

Why? 

Just a week before, the house speaker entered into a deal with the President to raise the debt ceiling. As has always been done in the past, it was necessary to allow the United States to pay our bills, not default, not crash our economy, and not drastically lower our credit rating.

And for brokering that deal, the speaker had to be punished.

So they stopped the bill.

That would block the ban.

That wasn't happening anyway.

Send in the clowns? They're already here.

Jelled Strawberry Tarts         

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
9 mini graham cracker pie crusts

1 box (3 oz) strawberry jello mix

4 strawberries

1 container (5.3 oz) strawberry yogurt

OPT: whipped cream and/or additional strawberries for serving

Directions:
*Dissolve the jello powder in 1 cup boiling water. Set aside.

*Core and chop 3 of the strawberries. Place in the bottom of the pie crusts. Add 1 TBSP of the jello to each, set aside the remaining jello and refrigerate the crusts for 20 minutes.

*Remove the crusts from the refrigerator. Whisk the yogurt into the reserved jello. Core, chop, and mix in the remaining strawberry. 

*Pour evenly into the crusts and refrigerate again for at least 45 minutes.

*OPT: garnish with whipped cream and/or additional strawberries for serving.

Question Everything: Use Your Words

 

Today’s post is a monthly writing challenge. If you’re new here, this is how it works: participating bloggers picked 4 – 6 words or short phrases for someone else to craft into a post. All words must be used at least once. All of the posts will be unique as each writer has received their own set of words. That’s the challenge, here’s a fun twist; no one who’s participating knows who got their words and in what direction the recipient will take them. Until now.

At the end of this post you’ll find links to the other blogs featuring this challenge. Check them all out, see what words they got and how they used them.
I'm using: holistic ~ detective ~ respect ~ asinine ~ loser ~ foil
They were submitted by Jenniy of Climaxed.

                          
As I've thought through this post, what I want to say, how I want to use my assigned words, I have to admit it's taken a strange turn. I've decided to share an open apology. It's to my son, College Boy.

I've spoken, a few times before, about how College Boy and I agree quite a bit when it comes to politics. I've also said, in general, in terms of not only politics, but the totality of how our society functions, that he's a conspiracy theorist, and I'm much more a realist.

 

When I say conspiracy theorist, I'm not talking about those of the wearing tin foil hats to protect from mind reading ilk. But then these days we're less having our minds read, and more being monitored. Privacy is a thing of the past. Tin foil or foil-less.

 

You don't have to be a detective to see it. In many cases we're not given a choice, held hostage. Want that app? Maybe even need it for something? You have to give them access to your camera, your contact list. But worse, if we so much as mention a blue shirt in a private phone call, we know we're going to gets ads for matching pants and shoes on every website or social media platform we visit. It's asinine, the amount of our personal information that's just out there for everyone and anyone to see, to use, and to sell. Our privacy is a commodity. And it's for sale on the open market.

When it comes to the branches of government, all of them, College Boy's conspiracy theories are all encompassing. We are all pawns, being manipulated, used, and many of us marginalized, even discarded by executive, legislative, and judicial systems run by those making nefarious decisions on their own and together, with only further personal power and financial gain in mind. 

 

I understand focusing on one thing to the exclusion of all others. I do that when I'm trying to work out a new recipe. A tornado could come through the kitchen and I'm singularly focused.

But a recipe isn't a conspiracy theory. Getting that entrenched when it comes to national conspiracies can be a dangerous rabbit hole to fall into.

 

 

Grilled Pineapple Bars

 

So I would scoff at him. Tell him he can't paint everyone and everything with one wide brush. Yes, there is definitely corruption, and continued need for change, but there are also politicians who believe in public service. College Boy is, in fact, a big proponent of Bernie Sanders, and Sanders is a politician, after all.

More than anything, I just want him to paint a little of that black he's focused on with the hope of some grey.

 

But then came the trump cult, the covid deniers, the loss of reproductive rights, the continued acceptance of the deaths of school children, people of color dying in police custody and being removed from voting rolls, lying and cheating, the degradation of all norms and any iota of morals or decency.

 

Separation of church and state is gone, reproductive rights are part going and part gone, history is being white washed (pun intended), books are being banned, marriage rights are on the line.

These days the losers are winning, and the rest of us? We're inconsequential, collateral damage.

 

Son:

It's true that in many ways, so much that you have always believed is coming to fruition. Right before our eyes, no denying it. But I need for you to see that there is still resistance, many people, both in public life and private, solidifying, taking those steps backward not as a signal to retreat, but to push forward with more strength and determination.

 

I always felt that you could not see the forest for the trees. But I suppose I need to admit that I could not see the trees for the forest. Perhaps we both need to take a more holistic approach to our conceptions. 

I hope I've encouraged you to look for the swath of grey. I know you've taught me an important lesson too: in order to move forward with purpose, we first have to question everything.

 

 

 

 

And a final message to my conspiracy theorist son who, it turns out, is actually the realist I had claimed to be: respect, son.

If that kid says the sky is falling, you can bet I'm gonna run.

 

Here are links to all the other Use Your Words posts:

On the Border 

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

Climaxed 

Part-time Working Hockey Mom

 

Grilled Pineapple Bars       

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

1 box (3 oz) pineapple jello mix

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1 ripe pineapple

1/2 stick butter, melted

2 TBSP pineapple juice

1 TBSP brown sugar

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 TBSP powdered sugar

NOTE: You can make and refrigerate both the crust and the grilled pineapple up to a day ahead of time.

Directions:
*Grease a 9 X 13 inch baking pan.

*Cream the 2 sticks of butter. Mix in 1 cup of powdered sugar, until just incorporated, add the vanilla and beat until smooth. Mix in the flour and form a dough.

*With wet hands, press into bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate for an hour. 

*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the crust for 30 minutes. Remove from oven, run a knife around the edges, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold.

*Boil 3/4 cup of water. Mix in the jello. Add 1/2 cup of pineapple juice, mix, and refrigerate for 30 minutes so it just starts to thicken, then remove from the refrigerator.

*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the remaining 1 TBSP powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks hold. Fold in the jello, pour into the crust, and refrigerate for an hour to set.

*Remove the peel from the pineapple, core, and slice into rounds about 1/2 to 3/4 inches thick.

*Preheat your grill to medium high. Mix together the melted butter, remaining 2 TBSP pineapple juice, and the brown sugar. Dip the pineapple slices into this mixture, both sides, and place on the grill. Reduce the heat to medium and grill both sides, flipping once, for about 3 minutes each side, don't let them burn.

*Remove the pineapple from the grill and refrigerate to cool.

*Beat the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Add the remaining powdered sugar and beat until stiff peaks hold.

*NOTE: When assembling, if the jello has thickened past a semi liquid state, whisk in a little warm water to loosen.

*To assemble: whisk together the heavy cream and the jello. Spread onto the crust. Refrigerate for at least an hour. Cut the grilled pineapple slices into half moons and arrange over the top.

*To serve, cut into bars. Refrigerate leftovers.

 

Hippies, Suffragists, and Historical Affinity: Secret Subject Swap

 

 

Welcome to a Secret Subject Swap. This month 4 brave bloggers picked a secret subject for someone else and were assigned a secret subject to interpret in their own style. Today we are all simultaneously divulging our topics and submitting our posts. Read through mine and at the bottom you’ll find links to all of today’s other Secret Subject participants.

 

 

My subject is: Do you have a historical subculture (or few) that you feel a lot of affinity to? Perhaps the Edelweiss pirates who fought Nazis in Germany? Or hippies in the United States who protected Vietnam? Any subculture from any time that you feel a connection to?
It was submitted by: Jenniy of Climaxed.
 

These days, in this country anyway, we're so divided, I actually feel like we're barely treading water in a culture of subcultures.

 

But when it comes to historical subcultures, there are 2 groups that come immediately to mind. The first one, mentioned in the prompt, is the hippie movement. I think I came to this affiliation organically, being someone whose college end of year outdoor concert featured the Grateful Dead, who danced to Casey Jones in Taiwan, and whose relative created the iconic poster "War is not healthy for children and other living things."  

 

Listen, Hippies did not just stand for sex and drugs and rock and roll, there was a lot of substance there too. I find it hard not to affiliate myself with the concepts of openness, nonviolence, tolerance, and living and thriving in communal harmony. Hippies believed in nonviolent protest, and understood that a symbiotic existence would is mutually beneficial (a nod to the unadulterated theory of socialism). They were way ahead of their time in terms of valuing self-care and acknowledging the connective tissue between loving ourselves and loving others, as well as in terms of shedding the handcuffs of repressive societal inhibitions.

 

And, unlike many today (I'm looking at you, politicians) they lived what they preached. 

 

In this culture, in our current political climate though, their main premise, the expectation that the majority of us care about each other, our planet, freedom, the right to express sexuality, the ability to object nonviolently, and the desire to protect future generations, is lost. Naive. 

 

But hold on, there are blueberries in those lemon bars (so to speak).

Lemon Blueberry Bars

The second subculture, and the one I most relate to, is the Women's Suffrage Movement.  

 

There are threads that tie the core beliefs of the Suffragists to the Hippies. Whether on a macro or a micro level, both were committed to a goal of bettering the human condition, and achieving their goal nonviolently, primarily through peaceful protest and civil disobedience.

 

Despite how the Suffragettes were portrayed in Mary Poppins, the original members of the Women's Suffrage Movement in the United States were serious advocates of equal rights. They were not just fighting for the right to vote, but for full social equality for all. They campaigned for equal access to education, for the ability to achieve financial independence, and they were active anti-slavery proponents.

 

I have nothing negative to say about the more contemporary faces of feminism, Gloria Steinem, Tarana Burke (#metoo), and all the others who kept the movement in the limelight and worked to move it forward, but my primary admiration is for those at the roots of women's rights.

 

The first Women's Rights convention was held in 1848. It was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Although the woman who was to become the most well-known advocate of women's rights (especially the right to vote), Susan B. Anthony, was not there, her mother and sister were.

 

Susan B. Anthony did later become the president of the National Women's Suffrage Association, and her tireless work there is why she's now become the most recognizable figure in the fight for women's voting rights. 

 

She did not believe equal rights should be awarded, she believed they were already guaranteed under the constitution, publicly stating that the constitution says "we, the people," not "we, the male citizens." So, in the 1872 presidential election, Susan did cast a ballot. She was promptly arrested and convicted of voting illegally. She was fined $100, about which she said to the judge "I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty." And she did not. 

In 2021, trump pardoned Susan B. Anthony.

That pardon was rejected by the official Susan B. Anthony Museum, explaining, in part, that a pardon is predicated on an acknowledgment of wrongdoing, a premise Susan was known to reject. If you want to honor her, they went on to state, work against voter suppression.

Yes, Susan B. Anthony is still a kick ass. Even 150 years after her death.

 

Here are links to all the sites now featuring Secret Subject Swap posts. Sit back, grab a cup, and check them all out. See you there:

The Diary of an Alzheimer’s Caregiver 

Climaxed

Part-time Working Hockey Mom 

Lemon Blueberry Bars        

                                                                                      ©www.BakingInATornado.com

Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
4 TBSP butter, chopped

10 oz lemon sandwich cookies (1/2 of a 20 oz package)

1/3 cup blueberry jam 

1 cup blueberries

 

4 eggs

1 3/4 cups sugar

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/2 cup flour

3/4 tsp baking power

 

1 TBSP powdered sugar

 

Directions:
*Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 X 13 baking pan.

*Process the cookies in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Add the butter and continue to process to incorporate the butter. Press into the bottom of the prepared pan.

*Whisk the jam to loosen it, spread onto the crust, then sprinkle with the blueberries.

*Whisk together the eggs, sugar, 2 TBSP powdered sugar, and lemon juice. Whisk in the flour and baking powder, then pour into the crust.

*Bake for 35 - 40 minutes, until browned and completely set. Cool completely before sprinkling with powdered sugar and slicing. Store, covered, in the refrigerator.