The 14 Year Tragedy of Carina Saunders

 14 years and one day ago Animal Welfare workers were searching for stray cats in a weed choked lot behind a supermarket in Bethany, Oklahoma. The town is a small suburb on the west side of Oklahoma City and at the time it had a police department with 31 officers and detectives. It's unclear whether the Animal Control people found any cats that day. What they did find was a duffle bag which had a stench so bad they immediately called the Bethany cops. 

When the authorities opened it up they found most of the rapidly decomposing remains of Carina Saunders. She had been beheaded and dismembered and while some of her parts were missing--and still are--there was enough there to make the ID within a couple of days. She had been 19 years old and was a 2010 graduate of Mustang High School, another suburb to the south and west of the city. 

The local media, both print and television, ran wild with the story. The metro area had never seen anything like it. It was the sort of lurid nastiness people normally associate with cheap, straight to video, horror films. In other words, pure tabloid gold--the bloody car wreck you can't keep staring at.

It became even more so as the details of Saunders' life and gruesome murder were leaked to the media and public over the next few months. How could you not be darkly fascinated with the emerging tale of a pretty young girl who, within a scant few years, went from wanting to be an opera singer to bragging to pals she was going to be a porn star. One who dived so deep into the nether world of drugs and deadly gangs she had, "Kween of Spades," tattooed across her back. (No, the word Spades wasn't spelled out.)

In the ensuing 14 years since her body was found her family have tried to rehabilitate her reputation and theirs. However, at the time of her death it was quite another story. Initial reports said she was last seen by a cousin getting into a blue, or gray SUV near the intersection of I-40 and Rockwell Ave driven by a gray haired man in his 40's. Days passed with no word, but perhaps because of her history of erratic behavior no one in her family thought to report her missing. That happened only after the cousin received a text message from an unknown person saying she would end up being, "buried next Carina." A screen shot of the text message, surprisingly, given what was going to happen later, wasn't released to the media. In fact, at the time, it seemed to get lost in the shuffle of facts and rumors.   

That didn't mean all kinds of other information didn't appear in the media. The Bethany cops took over the investigation because it was where the body parts were found. They roamed the metro, tracking down witnesses and leads all of which they were more than happy to release to local news outlets. Names of suspects, witnesses, informants, plus rumors of suspected murder sites were all made public. It was, it seemed, a never ending cascade of names and places. 

The most horrifying tidbit that was given to the press was that a video of the actual murder might exist. According to the Bethany PD the murderers made the video, which showed Saunders on a table being tortured and dismembered, in order to intimidate the women they were trafficking. Bethany cops claimed they had talked to a woman who claimed to have seen the first few seconds of the nightmare scene. To prove it they gave her name to the media.

As soon as her name hit the newspaper and airwaves the woman denied ever seeing anything or saying she did. Other witnesses whose names were released to the public were quickly in the wind, heading to parts unknown. The video has since become a terribly dark urban legend. If it ever did exist it and the phone it is supposedly on have surely disappeared long ago. 

One of the first, "persons of interest" was Kyle Savage, but after a search of an apartment in a public housing project his name faded from view. Recently however, it has resurfaced with one report indicating he might be the source of the, "I will bury you next to Carina," text to the cousin. Later, Bethany police charged Luis Ruiz and Jimmy Massey with the murder. It was a move that now seems more out of desperation rather than based on evidence. Witnesses were heading for the hills in droves and hard evidence was scant. The charges against both men were later dropped by the Oklahoma County DA. Ruiz, who spent seven months in the county lock up waiting for trial sued the city of Bethany and settled for $50 grand. 

Eventually the Bethany cops, with some strong urging, gave up the investigation and turned it over to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation. By the time the OSBI took over it was as cold as the far side of the moon. 

The new information which has come to light in the last few years has been sparse at best. Carina Saunders apparently had entered rehab a little while before she was killed. Her family says she was happy to be straight again, had attended church with them and was eagerly turning her life around. The evidence isn't as hopeful, or as fanciful. Within a few days of leaving rehab, she jumped off the wagon and began staying at a friend's place. The two of them spent time at the Newcastle Casino parking lot on the far south edge of the metro. Reports are they were--depending on market conditions--alternately trying to score or sell drugs for the friend's mother. (Other reports say dear old Mom is now doing time on unrelated charges.) It turned out the casino parking lot, rather than 23rd and Rockwell, was the last place Carina Saunders was seen. Witnesses claim they saw her ignore the advice of others, then climb into a pickup truck which took her away into the darkness. 

After 14 years it is all the general public knows about her unthinkably cruel death. Other than a few years ago when the OSBI dug up the back yard of a rental property in a fruitless search for clues, the headlines have faded. The case remains open, but there doesn't seem to be even a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. Given the nature of their business and lifestyles, the perpetrators may no longer be alive. Even if they are, the odds are they are either in prison or have spent time there since then. The reality of that world is the term, "criminal genius," is an oxymoron. 

Carina Saunders would be 33 years old this year. That's just entering the prime of an opera singer's career, but decidedly on the downhill side for a female porn actress. The fact is if she wasn't there already the only next step for her was the needle. That doesn't mean she deserved to be brutally murdered. It also doesn't mean she didn't deserve to have a chance, no matter how slim, to finally start making choices that would save her life. Instead, someone out there, either alive, or deceased, sadistically prevented her from making those choices. 

This 14 year saga remains a mystery to many, but ultimately, it is an absolute tragedy.

  

10-14-25

Breaking Heads and Hearts in Chicago

 You can say many things about the current Trump administration, but you do have to admit that when it comes to creating absolute chaos, they are real pros. Well, what else should we expect from a guy who used to show up as a guest at WWE wrestling extravaganzas and promises to stage a MMA fight at the White House next year.   

The Department of Homeland Security launched, "Operation Midway Blitz," in Chicago during the first part of September. Since then, the situation in the Windy City has been, let's say, fluid.  Or, if you prefer, bat shit crazy.  It is exactly the effect Donald Trump, his bizarre and hateful toady, Stephen Miller, and the head of the DHS, Kristi Noem had hoped for. So much so Trump, taking full advantage of the noise, called up National Guard units from as far away as Texas. They really don't have anything to do yet, except stand around outside federal buildings, but hey, sometimes it's the image that counts.

The Blitz has caused Illinois Governer, JD Pritzker and Chicago Mayor, Brandon Johnson to howl in protest. They also launched legal action to block use of the Guard. The whole ICE and Border Patrol thing is a different animal. Tensions have risen so much that the other day, as Border Patrol agents were being surrounded by an angry crowd (they became enraged after the agents shot a woman who allegedly rammed one of government's vehicles with hers) the Chicago PD was ordered to, "stand down." 

After the incident Trump posted on social media that both Pritzker and Johnson should be investigated, arrested, and thrown in jail because they failed to protect his masked band of merry pranksters. At the same time, the police chief of Broadview, IL, a Chicago suburb, accused ICE and Border Patrol agents of indiscriminately gassing civilians and his own officers who were there to do just that. He also claimed the feds were making so many unnecessary calls to his town's 911 system they were clogging the lines and stretching the resources of his department to the breaking point.  

It doesn't help that ICE is currently interpreting Trump's "worst of the worst," promise as meaning anyone walking down the street who even remotely appears Hispanic. Such was the case with a 53-year-old Hispanic woman who was going to the grocery store the other day. She was confronted by ICE agents on the sidewalk who demanded to know if she was a U.S. citizen. She said yes, but they didn't believe her because, you know, dark hair, eyes, and skin, so off she went to an unknown destination. The incident was recorded on video. When her teenaged daughter saw the recording, she began sobbing unconsolably. 

She wasn't the first. When ICE recently raided an apartment building--using Black Hawk helicopters to prove some sort of point--they pulled everyone, children and infants included, out of bed. They had launched the raid in the middle of the night in order to exploit the element of surprise.  Practically every occupant of the building was cuffed and detained, no matter what their status. A statement released by the DHS later claimed, none of the children were hand cuffed and they were later released to relatives or put in state custody. In other words, see, all we did was pull them from their beds, then order them and their parents out on the street at gunpoint, and finally cart Mom and Dad off into the night. How is that cruel? As a parting gift the agents ransacked the apartments, saying they were searching for, "evidence," and broke out more than a few windows, presumably because it's fun.   

Yes, it seems current ICE policy is a slightly less lethal variant of the old saw which first made the rounds during the Vietnam War: "Kill them all and let God sort them out." 

And while that policy might make Donald Trump and Stephen Miller feel like they have big balls it isn't great public relations campaign. Just ask Kristi Noem. The other day she and some of her boys showed up at a Chicago police station and asked if they could come in to use the restroom facilities. They were told in no uncertain terms, absolutely not. 

Now that's the way to tell someone, get out of town.

We all know where this is going. Donald Trump's increasingly unhinged behavior is going to become worse and worse. Instead of trying to reign him in there are people in the administration who are not just enabling him, but encouraging him to push things further. They might not admit it yet, but it's time to understand many of them can be categorized not so much republican, but rather Christian White Nationalists--despite their complete lack of Christianity. 

We are quickly approaching a moment when election results won't matter anymore. If an outcome isn't to their liking they will, just like they did in 2020, scream fraud and attempt, by any means possible, to deny the will of the voters. However, unlike back then, the ultra-right will have an armed paramilitary--and perhaps units of the American Militia--in place to make sure the real insurrection works. 

What we are seeing in Chicago and other locales isn't Constitutional, legal, and it certainly isn't morally justifiable. It's the equivalent of the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers turned loose by Trump's regime to break heads and hearts. 

10-9-25

Troops in the Streets and Russ Vought's Grand Plan

 Over the last few days Donald Trump claimed Portland, OR is, "a war zone," and that over the weekend in Chicago 50 people were murdered. In both instances he has used these apocalyptic visions as his reason for sending in National Guard troops. (Which one supposes is better than Pete Hegseth's idea, which was to send the 82nd Airborne into the Windy City--the idea failed because others convinced Hegseth and presumably Trump the resulting publicity would be overwhelmingly negative.

In the, "Portland war zone," this weekend a total of two protesters were arrested. Over the last few months, depending on who is reporting, somewhere between 28 and 36 people have been busted during protests in front of the local ICE office. In Chicago during the same time, 19 people were shot--way too many, but hardly the Battle of the Bulge--two of them fatally. It's unclear where Trump came up with 50, but the odds are he just made it up. Hey, it's a nice round number and high enough to scare the bejeezus out of white people who don't actually live there. 

If the President is successful--both Oregon and Illinois officials have taken the feds to court over the deployments--that would mean, there are units of National Guard troops preparing to occupy two American cities. They are already in a third, Memphis, TN, which is the only place the state's governor has willingly agreed to it. 

All of the cities mentioned have democratic mayors and large minority populations. And all of them, Memphis included, will vote heavily for democratic candidates in 13 months. Unless of course everyone is in a federal prison camp somewhere, locked down due to martial law, or prevented by the United States military to vote for some other reason Trump's authoritarian cabal comes up with. Indeed, when it comes to rigging elections it's best to begin early and strike often.

As Woody Allen once reportedly said, "It isn't paranoia if they really are out to get you." And increasingly to millions of Americans it is it appears they really are out to get us. 

It is doubtful Donald J. Trump came up with this plan. In fact, it is equally doubtful he has plotted out the mass firing of career federal civil servants so they can be replaced by MAGA loyalists. That doesn't mean he isn't fully on board with it--after all, what better way to prove the size of your cock than declaring martial law--but the Mango Mussolini simply doesn't have the eye for detail required for such undertakings. It is even a stretch to think his bellicose and xenophobic hit man Stephen Miller could handle it. (Let's face it the fucker is too weird. Besides he's best at execution, not planning.) Elon Musk might have been the guy, but his ego was too big for Trump to handle. The stage has to be solely Trump's, no other over cooked hams wanted.

No, Donald Trump has needed a surgeon who can slice and dice behind the scenes and who is smart enough to come up with a coherent plan to render Congress impotent while consolidating all power in the Oval Office. It would seem Trump has settled on his Director of the Office of Management and Budget, Russ Vought. Vought is the primary contributor to the Heritage Foundation's "Project 2025." That would be the same Project 2025 candidate Donald Trump repeatedly denied knowing anything about during the last presidential election. 

Vought and Trump aren't strangers. The Director held the same position during the first Trump administration. Fortunately, back in those innocent days the President was held in relative check by others who actually understood how the American government works. As we all know too well, Brother Don no longer operates with those constraints. As a result, he has unleashed Vought to erase American democracy as we've known it.   

According to a report by MSN since January, Russ Vought has, "Eliminated hundreds of regulations on the environment, health, transportation, and food and worker safety." He has also stopped the work of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In addition, he is behind the slashing of foreign aid programs and is pushing for even more. Vought is also attempting to set up a legal battle in the courts to challenge congress' power to decide where and how federal money is to be spent. 

The end game is plain to see. Russ Vought, through the cult of Donald Trump wants to make sure a far-right macho man remains in the White House eternally while Congress is reduced to a symbolic body kept around just for old time's sake. Meanwhile all real power flows from the President and the President alone. The rest of us, every man, woman, and child are on our own no matter what calamity befalls us. 

Yes, it may not matter if Donald Trump is suffering simple cognitive decline, or in the throes of full-blown dementia. Thanks to people like Russ Vought the grand plan to perpetuate right wing power is quickly coming together. When Trump does go, the oligarchy will simply plug in a younger model.   

Ladies and gentlemen, unless there is some meaningful political resistance to this right now, we are, quite decidedly, fucked.

10-6-25

The Latest American Monster, the Government Shuts Down, and Slowly Donald Trump Turned, Step by Step, Inch by Inch...

 I swear by God this holy oath: That I shall render unconditional obedience to the Leader of the German Reich and people, Adolf Hitler, supreme commander of the armed forces, and that as a brave soldier I shall at all times be prepared to give my life for this oath.

The oath required of every member of the German military beginning in 1934--commonly referred to as the, "Hitler Oath."

No, we aren't there yet. But let's face it, it feels like every single day during this regime we edge a little closer toward that fateful moment. Or, as the old Three Stooges bit began, "Slowly I turned, step by step, inch by inch..."

The last few days have been an all too familiar reminder of what 21st century America has become. On Sunday a guy rammed his pickup truck into a Latter-Day Saints church in Grand Blanc, MI. The suspect's name is Thomas Jacob Sanford of nearby, Burton. He was well armed--hey it's America, everyone is--and the truck, festooned with two large U.S. flags, was chock full of explosive devices. He set the church on fire and opened up with a semi-automatic rifle. Four members of the congregation were killed and a fifth remains in critical condition. 

In the immediate aftermath of the nightmare social media wags began playing hysteria filled blame games. Those on the right blamed the, "radical left," and those on the left blamed the, "radical right." Donald Trump posted that the mayhem was, "...another attack on Christians..." hinting that it was inspired by left wing rhetoric. Everybody appeared to ignore the obvious (besides the fact liberals don't usually run around in pickup trucks with American flags flying from the bed) that Thomas Sanford belonged to that uniquely American organization known as, "Bat Shit Crazy Guys With Guns." His only known philosophy, at least at this time, is that he considers all Mormons anti-Christs.

Then last night the government of the United States ran out of funding. The main reason, as usual, depended on who you ask. The cost of American health care is the primary sticking point. Democrats say they won't budge, although a few of them already have. Republicans say pretty much what they always say. "If you can't afford decent health care it's not our fault. You should have been born in Europe." The Trumpster is promising massive furloughs of government workers and possible permanent cutbacks, finishing the job his former pal Elon Musk started. The end result being, at least in the President's mildew ridden mind, is he will have the opportunity to consolidate even more power for himself.

Then we come to the Generals and Admirals who were called into a meeting yesterday. These weren't just Pentagon pencil pushers and analysts. They were field commanders, many of them with 20 plus years of combat leadership experience. They sat in silence as Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of Defense--oops, now the Secretary of War (the SOW?)--explained to them that Defense was too woke of a word, that War had the Machismo he was aiming for. 

The Secretary went on to tell them that all the DEI shit was over and done, there would be no more promotions of women, or minorities unless they were uber qualified. That the Department of War wouldn't tolerate fat Admirals, Generals, or NCOs. He told the officers that they and their men wouldn't have to worry about things like accusations of sexual harassment, or war crimes ever again. That's right, a lean, mean, fighting machine unfettered by any sense of morality when it comes to either an enemy, or itself. Oh, and ladies you might want to rethink any idea you might have had about joining this man's armed forces.

The attempted pep rally caused many commentators to wonder aloud why the whole thing couldn't have been done through emails, or other forms of communications. At least one officer reportedly said, "I flew 8,000 miles for this?" 

Then came the Commander in Chief, Donald J. Trump. He was 20 plus minutes late and seemed taken aback that when he was met with stone cold silence. He even commented that he was used to applause. Then he made a joke about anyone who didn't like what he was saying could leave the room. "Of course," he added, "if you do you'll get demoted." The response was a low ripple of what could be described as cynical chuckles. 

Most of Trump's address was the same old campaign bullshit every American has heard before. Biden was bad, he is good. It included the usual meandering side trips--"I like my signature. A lot of people like my signature. I personally sign all your promotions and commissions. I don't use an auto-pen." He droned on about tariffs and at one point even dragged out the bizarre idea Canada should become part of the United States. As he rambled aimlessly the continued lack of vocal approval and applause seemed to drain him. It was as if we were watching him slowly run out of oxygen.    

Finally, he got to it. He told the United States' most experienced combat leaders that they and their troops would have to become "a major part of fighting, "a war from within." He noted that this enemy from within was a problem that had to be taken care of quickly. He speculated that their troops could use places like, San Francisco, Chicago, New York and Los Angeles for, "training," before being deployed overseas. He was in fact prepping them for a time in the near future when he would order this audience to break the law--to violate an oath which they, unlike him, actually believe in and live by. Every person in that room had to know it.

Anyone who witnessed the deranged spectacle had to also. 

The President of the United States didn't say who exactly the, "enemy within," was, or is. He did say, however they would be harder to identify because they, "don't wear uniforms." One can hazard a guess though. It doesn't take much. All many of us have to do is look in a mirror. 

Step by step, baby, inch by inch...

10-1-25

Bye-Bye Ryan Walters: We Knew You Too Well

 Never one to think of himself as a small fish, Ryan Walters, the Oklahoma Superintendent of Public Schools, went on FOX national news Wednesday night to announce his resignation. That's right baby, when Ryan Walters does something, it has national ramifications--at least in his own mind. 

According to Walters, he is leaving to become CEO of a right-wing non-profit group, The Teacher Freedom Alliance. Exactly how non-profit it actually is remains a little cloudy. The organization isn't quite a year old and hasn't filed any paperwork with either state, or federal agencies.  What is known is it's affiliated with the Freedom Foundation, which describes itself as a, "conservative think tank." In his announcement Walters said one of his main goals as the CEO will be to, "...destroy the teachers unions." He added, "We have seen teachers unions use money and power to corrupt our schools, to undermine our schools."  

Of course, that was one of Walters' main goals while he was Superintendent, although many have argued, with ample evidence, the head of Oklahoma's public schools chief aim was to destroy public education itself. During his term he failed to destroy the teachers' unions, but when it came to corrupting and undermining public schools, he did a bang-up job all by himself. During his watch the state has now fallen to 50th in education out of 51. (The District of Columbia school system is counted in the rankings.) 

Despite his spectacular lack of success as Superintendent--his bible in every classroom order is still unfulfilled and his mandate requiring districts to report the addresses of pre-teen immigrant students was so odious even Oklahoma's ultra conservative governor railed against it--Walters was considered a rising MAGA star, at least locally. Most of his abbreviated stay in office was spent shamelessly indulging himself in what can only be described as over the top, yet decidedly cheap, performance art. However, the man did know how to blow smoke up asses and make a lot of noise. In 21st century American politics those are two indispensable qualities.      

Up until Wednesday night Ryan Walters was considered a serious player in the 2026 Oklahoma gubernatorial race. His name recognition was through the roof and his bi-polar like behavior--he can go from bellicose bully to self-pitying martyr at the drop of a hat--has a genuine Trumpian feel to it. Not to mention in this state if you are a republican, any sort of republican, winning the GOP primary means you are in. There isn't a democrat currently alive in Oklahoma who can win a state-wide race.  

At the moment the highest profile republican candidate for governor is state Attorney General, Genter Drummond. He knew all too well the political threat Walters presented. He has been taking shots at the Superintendent and current Governor, Kevin Stitt for months now. Stitt is term limited so can't run again, but Drummond won't let anyone forget that Stitt appointed Walters as Secretary of Education back in 2020. The Governor has spent much of his time in the intervening years trying to get the beast he set loose on the public school system back in the cage. 

Then in July came the scandal which might have set all this in motion. During a state board of education meeting a TV in Walters' office was on and two members were stunned to see a couple of naked women on the screen. It wasn't the sort of thing expected from a guy who once demanded every student and teacher in Oklahoma watch a video of him praying. ("You may join me, or watch quietly," he told them.) The shit immediately hit the fan. 

An investigation was launched by the Oklahoma City Police, Sheriff's Department and the local DA. Walters called a news conference and claimed the whole thing was a plot hatched by Governor Stitt. That the board members were liars who should resign immediately. That yea, dark forces were out to stop him and his crusade. 

The investigation found that yes, the TV was on and yes there was female nudity, but it wasn't a porn movie per se, and Walters wasn't at fault. The police said the television had been turned on and automatically went to a default channel. Walters, to this day, still claims the board members were lying and any reporting to the contrary is, "false." Questions remained. The main one being, why the fuck is an elected official watching TV in his office first place? Especially one with a default setting to a cable movie channel featuring imported martial art films and nudity.

Yes, it could well have been that loyalty tests for incoming teachers, or asking the state to buy thousands of bibles from a company Donald Trump is invested in. It might have even been the falling test scores, or all the money he spent on out of state PR firms to make him a national figure. However, it wasn't any of that. What might have ended Ryan Walters political ambitions was an Asian made martial arts flick that had one, or two scenes with, nekkid women in them.

Or, maybe it wasn't. In March of this year--four months before the TV debacle--a state legislator accused the Superintendent of ethics abuse. (Not the first time by any means.) The claim was that he improperly used the Department of Education's official letterhead to publicly applaud and endorse that brand new anti-union group, The Teachers Freedom Alliance. Even Genter Drummond didn't think it was anything at the time. He dismissed the complaint out of hand. 

Was that endorsement a coincidence? Given what happened Wednesday it turns out it might have been a job application. Maybe the whole TV thing was just the final straw for Ryan Walters. During his tenure he burned a lot of political bridges. According to many reports practically everyone at the capitol complex hates his guts. Maybe he knew that even if he did become governor, he'd never be able to get anything done. Maybe he simply got tired of working in a place that wouldn't let him do exactly what he wanted when he wanted, someplace where he had to answer to others. Or--and this is my favorite; it's the romantic in me--maybe he is just another con man who knows when the scam has run its course and is blowing town before he gets nailed for good.

In any event, bye-bye Ryan. We knew you too well. 

9-26-25

Eulogizing Charlie Kirk

Friends, Romans, countrymen; lend me your ears. I come to bury Caesar, not to praise him. The evil men do lives after them. The good is oft interred with their bones. So let it be with Caesar.

From Antony's speech in Shakespeare's "Julius Caesar, Act III, Scene II.

Of course, despite those opening lines, during the remainder of Antony's speech he does indeed praise Caesar in ways that are both subtle and not so subtle. 

There was no such pretense at Charlie Kirk's memorial service in Glendale, AZ this past weekend. During the six plus hour service many came to praise Kirk without reservation, and no one dared hint he committed an evil that would live after him. The official count of the crowd was 40,000, although knowing Donald Trump who was among them, it will quickly grow exponentially, at least in his own mind. 

Kirk's pastor, Rob McCoy set the tone for the affair by telling the faithful, "Charlie looked at politics as an on-ramp to Jesus. He knew if he got all of you rowing in the streams of liberty, you'd come to its source, and that is the Lord."  

Vice President J.D. Vance reinforced this notion that religion and politics are inseparable, despite what it says in the Constitution by saying, "He is a martyr of the Christian faith." Then he added, "Heavenly Father give us the courage to live as Charlie lived." 

The one truly Christian moment came when Erika Kirk, Charlie's widow, forgave her husband's murderer, Tyler Robinson. Her act of kindness was met with a fair amount of cheering in the crowd. She explained her forgiveness by saying, "Because it was what Christ did and what Charlie would do." While it is what Christ did, no one can be absolutely certain what a man who once said homosexuals should be stoned to death, really would do. Her only cryptic reference to that part of Charlie's philosophy was when she said one of her late husband's goals was, "...to save the lost boys of the West." 

To prove the peaceful nature of Charlie Kirk's message she noted that after his assassination there hadn't been any rioting in the streets. Well, no there wasn't. However, the truth is probably because the only time that happens is when Donald J. Trump asks the mob to do it. (i.e. Come to Washington on Jan. 6th. It will be wild!)   

Other speakers were a tad more, let's say, blunt. Donald Trump's low-rent version of Heinrich Himmler, Stephen Miller told the gathering, "Our lineage and our legacy hails back to Rome, to Athens, to Philadelphia, to Monticello. You have no idea the dragon you have awakened." (The only thing missing was an orchestra playing Wagner's "Ride of the Valkyries.") Herr Miller didn't specify who the, "you," was, or is but we can assume it wasn't anyone in the stadium. Right now, though the overwhelming odds are the unidentified, "you," is pretty much everybody who pisses off his boss--just ask Jimmy Kimmel. 

Speaking of the boss, Donald Trump let everyone there know his mindset when he told them. "Charlie didn't hate his opponents. He wanted the best for them. That's where I disagreed with Charlie. I hate my opponents. And I don't want the best for them." In other words, Kirk was the martyred saint, Trump, on the other hand, is the righteous retribution--the avenging angel. The cheers and applause he received for the line ran a dead heat with the cheers and applause which greeted Erika Kirk's pledge of forgiveness. It was a perfect example of MAGA duality. 

Despite what one might think, not every MAGA hot shot was there. Candace Owens, who served as Turning Point USA's Communications Director for two years, spent the weekend complaining she hadn't been invited to the memorial. Owens, who is African American posted in part on social media, "I would hope she (Erika Kirk, who has replaced her husband as head of Turning Point U.S.A.) is in full control, but I don't know. Because I'm hearing some stories about donors that are pushing things."   

There have been reports Ms. Owens lost favor with some MAGA conservatives, including Kirk himself, when she took one too many walks in the conspiracy theory swamp. A while back she also, posted a "like," to an online meme depicting Jews participating in a "blood libel," ritual. It is unclear if that was a step, or so over the line for some pro-Israeli conservatives. Or, it might have been when she said there was no way she would allow herself to be given the Covid-19 vaccine. That would be the same one Trump is so proud he rushed out there. Who really knows?  What we do know, however, is Kanye West once posted that he liked the way she thought. 

In the end, the insult to Candace Owens, whether real, or perceived, just proves that when it comes to the MAGA crowd, the only people they hate more than each other are democrats and those labeled RINOS. (Any republican who pushes back ever so slightly against a Trump proposal.) 

So there we have it. Charlie Kirk is now officially a martyr who died for God, America, and Donald J. Trump--although not necessarily in that order. And unlike what Oberfuhrer Miller might say, or think, not everyone to the left of Sean fucking Hannity was in on the hit. However, we already have proof that isn't the way Miller and Donald J. Trump are playing it. 

Would Charlie Kirk approve? As with everything MAGA it probably depends on who you ask. Or who speaks last at the podium.

9-22-25

Free Speech in America Depends on Who You Are and What You Say

The MAGA gang is desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it. In between the finger-pointing there was grieving. This is not how an adult grieves the murder of someone he calls a friend. This is how a four-year-old mourns a goldfish.

Jimmy Kimmel on his show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

Okay. That was--I guess--a little insensitive. Although, to be honest, there isn't anything there which celebrates the killing of Charlie Kirk, or even condemns his political beliefs, or speech. (Kirk is on record saying, "Jewish money is ruining U.S. culture." and empathy is a made-up new age term." It's unclear if he said those things before, or after he claimed former President Joe Biden should be imprisoned and/or executed for committing crimes against America.) Kimmel was simply saying Tyler Robinson's craving for political violence mirrored that of many in the MAGA movement. And, rightly, or wrongly, accused Donald Trump of seizing on Kirk's death for political gain. It was, in the end, a matter of opinion. Something Kirk is now being canonized for expressing.

The next day Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman, Brendan Carr said this, "This is a very, very serious issue for Disney (The owners of ABC.) They have a license granted by us at the FCC and that comes with it an obligation to operate in the public interest." 

It wasn't exactly an, "offer they can't refuse," but the message was crystal clear.

Literally within minutes, Nexstar, a corporation who owns a boat load of ABC affiliates announced their outlets would no longer air Kimmel's show. A message from the company said, among other things, "Kimmel's remarks were offensive and insensitive." What Nexstar didn't say is they are in the middle of a $6.2 billion deal to acquire a rival company, Tegna. The whole thing is dependent on, that's right, FCC approval. 

Hey, Nexstar didn't become the self-proclaimed, "nation's biggest local television and media company," without knowing how to read between the lines. 

Within mere moments of Nexstar's announcement, ABC suspended "Jimmy Kimmel Live," for the "foreseeable future." Carr was quick to congratulate both Nexstar and the network for, "doing the right thing." Thus, lowering the collective blood pressure in a couple of different boardrooms.   

When the news reached the grieving Donald Trump, he immediately began dancing his version of the, "Jelly-Belly Jig." He paused just long enough to post, "Great news for America: The ratings challenged Jimmy Kimmel Show CANCELLED. Congratulations to ABC for finally having the courage to do what had to be done. Kimmel has ZERO talent and worse ratings than even Colbert, if that's possible." Then to make sure we all know where this is headed, the President added, "That leaves Jimmy (Fallon) and Seth (Myers) , two total losers on fake news NBC. Their ratings are also horrible. Do it NBC!!! President DJT." 

So, in memory of a guy they claim epitomized freedom of speech in America--Kirk once said if  he had a ten-year-old daughter who was raped and became pregnant he would want to deliver the baby and all homosexuals should be executed--Donald Trump and his toadies are doing everything they can to get rid of freedom of speech.

Which, of course, confirms the dark suspicion many hold that for Trump and his outfit freedom of speech exists only as long as they like what they hear.  

Well, we've known for a long-time irony escapes Mr. Trump and his crowd. We've also known they are oblivious to all manner of hypocrisy. And, now we know, ultimately, Jimmy Kimmel was right.

Former District of Columbia police officer, Michael Fanone, who was savagely beaten by Trump supporters on Jan. 6, 2001, probably said it best last night. He told MSNBC's Chris Hayes, "I think that no American politician has done more to normalize political violence in this country than Donald J. Trump." 

Fortunately, former officer Fanone, can't be cancelled. Trump's Proud Boys already tried, but it didn't work. 

9-18-25