Welcome to the arena: Choose to be the "Spartacus" of Missouri.

"I've Had My Fill Of Games, Let Us Leave This Arena Forever."-- (Spartacus: Blood and Sand) The process of democracy is on the extreme end of both: being messy and ugly of theatrical performances-- with the hopes of getting something done to improve and meet the needs of our ever-changing society. Unfortunately, more times than not, dampen the hopes of improvement by using a dull blade-- That's made of the inner turmoil of parties, a consistency of power lust, and absolutism. Or at least that's what's happening in the Missouri legislation house. But what normally, we would see as a nonproductive session, has turned into something of an ugly "blood sport" and an obscene picture of horrors within the first few hours of opening the floor up to debate. But rather than using swordplay and shields. They just used their legislative chariots of words to steamroll over a small part of the population out of existence. Our super majority see themselves as glorious gladiators and crusaders in a great Colosseum of culture wars in the name of a counterfeit version of morality. Using pseudo-science, wild unproven claims, and conspiracy theories to declare an unspoken civil war on their constituents. Between, the unadulterated gun violence to compulsory laws that exceed what's the limits of human rights. And 2 days ago, our legislative body proved just how far they would go to prove the extent of their merciless shadow to achieve their absolute goal of seizing power and control. Now, you have probably seen the headlines of the passing of SB 39 which bans trans kids from playing sports unless they play the gender they were born as. And Sb 49 halts all gender-affirming healthcare for trans children, particularly for those on Medicaid. While it's a tiny group of the population--It brings up a point where culture wars turn into the decimation of people's rights. Like many other MAGA-controlled states, Missouri followed in the way of the "Filth and Trash" laws of the 1929 Weimar Republic. If you're unfamiliar with those laws-The laws focused on anything that the state considered lewd, indecent, or seen as immoral. And it ranged from book bans to classical pieces of art. (Yes, you read that right to art). These codes set the stage for folks to be legislated straight out of existence-And our state house took those steps towards more of that when the bans passed. And while you think these laws, won't affect you directly and want to brush it aside. The reality is that you can't. These kinds of laws basically strip a person of their "personhood", because it takes out the key element that defines a person as a person by removing body autonomy. Now, I could get into the whole philosophical argument of why body autonomy is so important to establish the basic rights and "free will" of a person but turn this into a novel instead of a blog post. So, to keep it simple, just know that body autonomy is what allows you to make decisions for yourself like healthcare, where ya want to live, what cell phone company to use, etc without someone else doing it for you. Let's be honest, nobody really likes to be told what they can or cannot do by anyone else. As a species, we're built that way. However, now that the state has declared that key component doesn't exist, the state can tell you what you can do, what kind of healthcare you need, what you can read, what you can watch, believe, and the list goes on. So, it's just a matter of time before similar laws start affecting you directly, and it will be you in the gladiator arena with the lawmakers. And to be clear, just being the crazies are currently incompetent and in disarray from the inner party fighting doesn't mean that they won't come back with a vengeance and be even more organized because they will. Considering that they let such bills like IP Reform die on the floor due to their internal party cannibalism, there's a good chance that it might be sooner than later, but I digress. For now, folks really use the short reprieve from the madness and start understanding now is the time to start saying " I am Spartacus" and get used to saying it. Because with bans like these, ask yourself "how long" before they start coming for your friends, your family, your neighbors, and even you. And if we're all being targeted, there isn't going to be anyone left to protect you or your rights. So, I'll leave you with this question. "Haven't you had your fill of the games?" If you are, start getting involved and picking up the fight, so we can all know life outside of the "Thunder Dome". As always, take care and take care of one another, Much love, Jojo