How do we know it’s not Spring yet? Because after yesterday’s beautiful weather and 75-degree temps, today is supposed to be stormy and cooler. By this time next week, the high is only 38 degrees. Do you ever get the feeling that weather is nothing more than a yo-yo and the person controlling the string doesn’t know how to yo-yo? Of course, this is standard for this time of year, but it still feels as though we’re being yanked around.
The highlight yesterday was getting to spend some with with our friend Ron over coffee. If you ever need an attorney, Ron’s your guy. We talk about a lot more than law, though. Life moves fast even when you’re old (me, not Ron) and sometimes we need to talk through things to help them make sense. Talking with friends helps my mind be a little less confused and forces me to process information more quickly than when I’m sitting here typing.
I did have a little bit of a start when Ron dropped me back at home. There was an unknown car in the driveway! I was moderately concerned about what might be waiting for me. Fortunately, it was just Kat. She had taken her car in for service and was driving one of her dad’s vehicles. Still, it was a jolt to my cardiac system.
I just realized I have my compression shirt on backward. Again. Sigh.
The rest of the day was a mix of napping and taking the dogs out in the sunshine. All three of us needed the sunshine. I was able to take Belvedere’s coat off and let them roll around in the grass. The warmth felt good and I’m a bit sad that it’s not lasting.
Do we live in an age where overreacting to situations is the standard response? One of the things coming across my newsfeed was a brief article about conservatives calling for a boycott of Black Rifle Coffee simply because some of its employees, not the company, donated to ActBlue, an online grassroots fundraising organization.
First of all, political boycotts are just stupid and don’t achieve the desired goals, no matter which side of the coin they support. There’s no firm evidence that the boycotts impact elections in any way. Boycotts don’t translate to votes and votes are the only thing that matter. Attempting to financially hurt a business can backfire and create more support for their cause.
Second, politically-based boycotts are morally wrong because they attempt to deny income from employees. Let’s say someone I work with supports a cause, using their own money, that I don’t support. That’s their business! Why should anyone else be at risk of losing their job? I didn’t tell them to donate. The company didn’t make donating mandantory. The long-term negative effect eliminates any positive outcome of the boycott.
Third, it makes more sense to support “good” companies than boycott “bad” ones. If you disagree with a company’s politics, then support their competitor. Of course, that can backfire, too, if their competitor has similar political leanings.
The fact is that using economics to influence the way a person votes is wrong and amounts to coercion. Don’t give in to such malarky. Vote on the issues, only on the issues, and allow others to do the same. That’s the way democracy works.
The animals are fiesty this morning and making a lot of noise. Maybe they’re politicians in disguise.