Time for a BREAK!

Early this morning, I checked into Facebook and found myself immediately starting to frown.  And I realized why:  I was reading about the latest exploits of some Republican lawmakers.  Then I realized that I have totally lost any semblance of impartiality when it comes to Republicans in office.  I simply cannot stand what is happening and my reaction is quite visceral.  

I despise what they are doing to my country. These people are against everything I value:  equality under the law, equality of opportunity, tolerance, inclusion rather than exclusion, separation of church and state.  I have come to believe that some of them are ... well ... intentionally destructive.

Here are just a few examples that I read today:

• Republicans in several states continue to defund Planned Parenthood so that thousands of low and middle-income women do not have access to affordable cancer screenings and contraceptives.
• Raphael Cruz, Republican presidential candidate, is holding up the passage of a federal aid bill for Flint, Michigan as residents continue to struggle with a lead poisoning crisis that was caused by their Republican leaders.
• Two Republican legislators in Illinois want to punish single mothers.  They introduced a bill that says, if there is no father to sign a birth certificate, the state will not issue that child a birth certificate!
• Republican lawmaker in New Hampshire says Pope Francis is the "anti-Christ" because he had the audacity to make comments about Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump wanting to build walls instead of bridges.
•  A Republican lawmaker in Virginia introduced a bill that would require schools to be certain that children are using the restroom that corresponds to their “correct anatomical sex" ... in order to enforce the measure if it becomes law, school officials will have to check children's genitals before they can go into a bathroom.
• Republicans in several states waste taxpayer money by drug testing people on public assistance, even after every single state that's done it has shown that the number of those testing positive for drugs is way below national average.  WAY below.  
• Republicans in the U.S. Senate are refusing to even consider a presidential nominee to fill the open seat on the U.S. Supreme Court.  They say they think the "will of the people" should be honored.  I agree.  The will of the people put President Obama in office for eight years, not seven.
• Republicans in the U.S. House have wasted millions and millions of dollars with the ever-popular vote to repeal the ACA - without having a plan to deal with the millions of people who would no longer have health insurance if the ACA is scrapped.
• The Republican Party of Texas wrote in its platform: "We oppose the teaching of Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) (values clarification), critical thinking skills and similar programs ..."  Of course not!  We wouldn't want students to THINK, now would we?
• Kansas' Republican governor has run his state into the ground - even to the point where some schools last year had to shut down early because they ran out of money - and he's following the Republican playbook.
• Arizona's Republican governor slashed public education from kindergarten through college - but he wanted more money to spend on for-profit prisons.  

I can lengthen this list, but the disgust I feel for these Republicans is just too powerful.  I need to take a break from them.   I need to refrain from reading about their asinine and malicious legislation and, in the case of the presidential candidates, I need to refrain from reading about the GOP plans to do even more harm to my country - and to me personally.

Yes, it's time for a break from Republicans.  Maybe if I see rational Republicans standing up against what's going on, I'll feel better.  But that sure as hell hasn't happened yet!  Maybe I'll just have to wait awhile to see if I can view them with a more forgiving eye.  I might be waiting a long time.