What truly shocks you?

What truly shocks you? That is my question this week for our weekly 3-on-1 blog. How many news stories have you read that discuss some "truly shocking" event? Has truly shocking simply become an over-used phrase for lazy reporters? Here's what I think.

Things I consider to be truly shocking include over half of the state legislatures in this country moving to suppress the vote of people of color by changing the voting laws. The GOP used to manipulate election outcomes by gerrymandering to create super red districts and keep the GOP on top. Remember Tom Delay, Newt Gingrich and others in years gone by? Now, the GOP flatly says they are changing the state laws because the GOP cannot win elections otherwise. Democrats used the same technique (gerrymandering), just not as effectively as the GOP.

I have no issues with voter IDs - but wouldn't linking Voter IDs to driver's licenses be a simple, efficient way to issue them? The bottom line is our democratic system of government is in real jeopardy. Too many people fear the browning of America. Voting power is shifting away from the white majority and that simply terrifies many.

I find some of our local education systems currently in place truly shocking. I went through high school and college and never once heard about the Tulsa massacre 100 years ago.

In the 25 years I lived in Texas, periodically local school boards tried to force school districts to teach creationism - a clear violation of the separation of church and state on which our nation was founded.

Do you know the Beatles have a song that threatens violence against women? Take a listen to these isolated lyrics on their song Run for Your Life.

I love the Beatles and the vast majority of their efforts but I will take a pass on Run for Your Life. Still, compared to some rap and hip-hop lyrics, that is pretty tame stuff.

Some of what passes for entertainment in the arts is truly shocking, but that is the price we pay for the freedom of speech. Change the channel, don't watch or listen, but act like an adult. Firing someone for a stupid comment or action he or she made as a teenager is truly shocking if it was a one-off situation. A history of offensive comments or actions over a period of years may be a different story, but teenagers are infamous for making questionable comments and or decisions.

Transgender people are big news these days. Frankly, it is not something I have a real grasp of but the reasons people do it are none of my business. My home state of Colorado was at the center of this with a hospital in Trinidad being a surgical hub for transgenders. While I have always had gay friends, I honestly do not know if I have any transgender friends. News value of transgenders? Not a truly shocking circumstance to me. There have always been genetic issues people are born with and periodically they become the news story of the week.

Frankly, I find that health care in the richest country in the world not being a right is truly shocking. The lack of care available for mental health issues is indeed truly shocking. So too is the lack of respect afforded senior citizens here. That definitely falls into the truly shocking category - but maybe I just feel that way because I am a senior citizen.

Political correctness is definitely truly shocking. Calling Christmas trees holiday trees is patently absurd. We are a country founded upon Judeo-Christian notions and holiday traditions. We simply drew the line at having those traditions embedded in our government. People are free to worship the faith of their choice or none at all, but prohibiting manger scenes during Christmas on government property is ridiculous. There is virtually no major religion not represented somewhere in the USA.

The politicizing of virtually everything is truly shocking. Soon the condiments you choose for your hamburger will be politicized. I hope mine stays in paradise and does not become a political football.

The simple act of wearing a mask to slow the spread of Covid-19 was turned into a  totally ridiculous political football. It somehow became an infringement on the rights of citizens to wear a mask to help prevent the spread of Covid. The utter selfishness of nearly half of our population was truly shocking.

The percentage of the population that bought into the QANON nonsense is beyond ridiculous. I had people telling me there was a vast underground network of high-speed trains. Another good one was the fact that JFK Jr was not killed in an airplane crash but was in South Dakota when Donald Trump spoke there. Both explained to me with a straight face. Mind bendingly ludicrous. Oh, and Obama is either dead or in Guantanamo Bay and we are seeing a body double/actor. How about the one that has Trump being reinstated as the winner of the last election this summer. His ex-attorney is floating that one these days.

That concludes my quick run through some truly shocking tidbits. There certainly are more than enough floating around. Be sure to visit Ramana and Sanjana to see what they have to say.

I'll see ya next week, same bat time and same bat channel.