The whole country has gone fucking insane. Whether it is a temporary lapse into lunacy, or something more permanent remains up in the air at the moment. All we know for sure right now is we have exactly the wrong guy in charge during the chaos.
Of course we've known that for a while. I mean it isn't like Donald Trump has done a bang up job handling the COVID-19 virus, or anything else for that matter. Just weeks ago he was actually encouraging demonstrators who were showing up heavily armed in Michigan and other locales. However, those protests were basically Trump campaign rallies, so there was a none too subtle motive behind his approval beyond liberating barber shops and bars.
This week we have again seen the only real leadership skill Don Trump has is to prove to his base he can talk like the tough guy they desperately want him to be. How else do you explain tweets which include threats to send the, "unlimited power," of the U.S. Military into an American city, or quote a 1960's southern police chief speaking about the civil rights movement, "when the looting starts, the shooting starts." Then finally, threatening protestors in Washington D.C. with a promise to, "unleash vicious dogs," and attack them with, "ominous weapons."
Not exactly words worthy of the award he so obsessively craves, The Nobel Peace Prize.
But, hey, the situation is, as they say, confused. What began as peaceful marches condemning the murder of George Floyd by members of the Minneapolis police quickly degenerated into rioting. Then as things have spun even further out of control strange shit began to occur.
Many of those involved with the acts of arson, vandalism, and looting aren't African Americans. They have been masked up white people. In one video on Twitter, you can even see a black organizer screaming at six or seven white men not to smash the windows of a store. Her pleas went unheeded.
By midweek rumors began to swirl on social media, then accusations. People started posting white nationalist organizations such as the Proud Boys and those involved in the so called boogaloo movement had infiltrated the protests and were behind the violence. Their aim being to start a second civil war, or maybe score a new TV. Mr. Trump is claiming it isn't the far right at all, but rather, "the radical left and ANTIFA." Others, including republican Senator, Marco Rubio think it is a combination of both.
Complicating things even further, there is ample video evidence on social media that in a lot of places the only people rioting are the police themselves. Twitter is rife with images of people, including news crews covering the events, being shot with rubber bullets and getting faces full of pepper spray as they either obey police commands, or attempt to walk way. Others show the cops savagely kicking cuffed persons who are already on the ground and shooting paint pellets at people standing peacefully on their own front lawns. In Salt Lake City another shows a cop shoving an old man with a cane down onto the street when he didn't walk away quickly enough. In Seattle a nine, or ten year old girl was maced for no apparent reason at all.
Yes, there is some ugly shit going on and much of it has nothing to do with the death of George Floyd.
A few hours ago Donald Trump declared ANTIFA (short for anti fascist) a terrorist organization. It feels like just another blustery appeal to his base since ANTIFA doesn't have a headquarters per se, or any sort of real chain of command. He didn't mention the Proud Boys, or anyone else probably because he is counting on their votes in November.
Given the current circumstances I have no intention to ask myself, or anyone else if this year of our Lord, 2020 can get any worse. As the old adage says, don't ask the question if you don't want to hear the answer.
Indeed.
5-31-20
Sunday, May 31, 2020
Thursday, May 28, 2020
An Arrogant Hawk, Derek Chauvin, Christian and Amy Cooper, and the Lost Cause
A long time ago I was sitting in a cigar store puffing away on a stogie when I heard a loud, "THWUP." I looked out the window and there in the parking lot a large hawk had nailed a pigeon. When I first saw them a few feathers were still drifting downward. As I rose and stepped to the plate glass, the hawk turned its head and stared at me as his talons gripped the still struggling prey. For the next minute or so, while its claws dug in deeper and deeper that hawk kept gazing at me with unnerving arrogance. It was if he was saying, "Just try to stop me."
The other day, when I first watched the video of George Floyd being murdered I saw the same look in the eyes of a Minneapolis cop named Derek Chauvin. Chauvin's knee was crushing into Floyd's neck. Floyd was gasping, saying he couldn't breath, yet Chauvin was staring steadily at a bystander filming the nightmare. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to. His eyes said it all. "Just try to stop me."
On the same day, half way across the country in New York City Amy Cooper was walking through the Ramble portion of Central Park. It is a wooded area where dogs are required to be on a leash. Her's wasn't. When bird watcher and former Marvel Comics editor Christian Cooper, pointed out the rules to her, Amy went into what can best be called a tizzy. Chris Cooper, who is black, apparently sensed what was coming so he turned on his camera.
Ms. Cooper--no relation--began threatening Chris in a way only African Americans can really relate to. She told him that if he didn't shut up she would call the police and tell them a black man was threatening her in the park. He didn't, so she did.
Given what has transpired just this year alone--can you say, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, not to mention Eric Garner six years ago--one can reasonably interpret Amy Cooper's action as attempted murder by cop.
Luckily, at least in this instance, cooler heads prevailed. Christian Cooper became a hero of sorts, the voice of calm sanity, and intelligence. Amy Cooper's employer fired her the day after the video hit social media. A little later she had to give up her dog to a shelter because the video also showed her nearly choking out the poor beast when she continually lifted it off the ground by the collar during her racist tirade.
Both Christian Cooper and the dog caught a break. Too many others haven't and won't.
It is time to admit this vile shit isn't going to end, at least not during our lives. We can teach, preach, protest, and yell, but racism, in all its subtle and violent forms, is going to remain a part of us for as long as we exist as a nation.
Obviously some will struggle on in the vain hope to eradicate this mental disease. Indeed, noble lost causes are the most alluring in the hearts of many idealistic souls.
As for me, I say fuck it. We're hopeless. The only thing we can do is punish racism as harshly as we can when confronted by it--smash the Derek Chauvins of the world with the biggest legal hammer we can find.
Just don't ever tell me we will someday be rid of despicable rubes like him. Because, if this year has proven anything, that ain't gonna happen.
sic vita est
5-28-20
The other day, when I first watched the video of George Floyd being murdered I saw the same look in the eyes of a Minneapolis cop named Derek Chauvin. Chauvin's knee was crushing into Floyd's neck. Floyd was gasping, saying he couldn't breath, yet Chauvin was staring steadily at a bystander filming the nightmare. He didn't say a word. He didn't need to. His eyes said it all. "Just try to stop me."
On the same day, half way across the country in New York City Amy Cooper was walking through the Ramble portion of Central Park. It is a wooded area where dogs are required to be on a leash. Her's wasn't. When bird watcher and former Marvel Comics editor Christian Cooper, pointed out the rules to her, Amy went into what can best be called a tizzy. Chris Cooper, who is black, apparently sensed what was coming so he turned on his camera.
Ms. Cooper--no relation--began threatening Chris in a way only African Americans can really relate to. She told him that if he didn't shut up she would call the police and tell them a black man was threatening her in the park. He didn't, so she did.
Given what has transpired just this year alone--can you say, Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, not to mention Eric Garner six years ago--one can reasonably interpret Amy Cooper's action as attempted murder by cop.
Luckily, at least in this instance, cooler heads prevailed. Christian Cooper became a hero of sorts, the voice of calm sanity, and intelligence. Amy Cooper's employer fired her the day after the video hit social media. A little later she had to give up her dog to a shelter because the video also showed her nearly choking out the poor beast when she continually lifted it off the ground by the collar during her racist tirade.
Both Christian Cooper and the dog caught a break. Too many others haven't and won't.
It is time to admit this vile shit isn't going to end, at least not during our lives. We can teach, preach, protest, and yell, but racism, in all its subtle and violent forms, is going to remain a part of us for as long as we exist as a nation.
Obviously some will struggle on in the vain hope to eradicate this mental disease. Indeed, noble lost causes are the most alluring in the hearts of many idealistic souls.
As for me, I say fuck it. We're hopeless. The only thing we can do is punish racism as harshly as we can when confronted by it--smash the Derek Chauvins of the world with the biggest legal hammer we can find.
Just don't ever tell me we will someday be rid of despicable rubes like him. Because, if this year has proven anything, that ain't gonna happen.
sic vita est
5-28-20
Sunday, May 24, 2020
The Smearing of Joe Scarborough and How This Shit Works
If there is one thing we know about Donald Trump it is he can and will hold a grudge. So much so once you're on his list of enemies nothing, including death, will get you off it. Just ask the family of the late John McCain.
He also loves to spread juicy conspiracy stories about people he perceives a threat, or at least bothersome. They don't have to start with him, in fact few, if any do, because honestly he isn't an origin story type of guy. You actually have to have an imagination for that. He didn't even come up with the Obama wasn't born in the U.S. nonsense. No that lie had been around for ages before he picked up on it. In fact the only reason he gets credit for the tall tale is the mainstream media was willing to give him air time over and over again to spin it.
Lately, Trump has been all over Twitter, not exactly accusing former republican congressman turned talking head, Joe Scarborough of murder, but certainly implying it. This morning he posted, "A lot of interest in this story about Psycho Joe Scarborough. So a young marathon runner just happened to faint in his office, hit her head on his desk, & die? I would think there is a lot more to this story than that? An affair? What about the so-called investigator? Read story!" Then he references a tweet by a user who goes by the name of, Thomas1774Paine.
He was talking about the 2001 death of a Scarborough congressional aide, Lori Klausutis. She was working in Scarborough's Florida office when she apparently fainted, due to an undetected heart condition, hit her head on a desk--no one other than Trump has said it was Scarborough's--and died of a brain injury. She was alone in the office when it happened.The police investigated and the ME's office performed an autopsy which proved her tragic passing was accidental. Others, who are, let's say not professionals in either law enforcement, or forensics say otherwise. We'll call them the Vince Foster--Seth Rich crowd.
Now, here is how this shit works. Trump linked to the tweet by Thomas1774Paine. Paine's tweet says very little, but references a story on the hard right wing site, True Pundit. True Pundit based their story on an investigation by another right wing site, Truthout. Truthout, in turn, claimed their information was based on investigations made by American Politics Journal and something called, onlinejournal.
American Politics Journal, which seemed to be anti everyone when it comes to government, published its last new story in 2017. It turns out onlinejournal is a site, much like Blogger.com. In other words it isn't a single news source, but rather a place where any one can self publish a collection of essays, or dairies under different titles of their own making.
Ah, the 21st century media at its finest. And the President of the United States is, as they say, well informed by it.
Trump is obviously using this vile nonsense to distract and entertain his minions as the economy tanks and the death toll from COVID-19 continues to climb. (At this moment it is, 97,906) It has the added attraction of continuing his never ending campaign to discredit legitimate news organizations.
No matter what his political reason though, this type of smear--along with the one about Ted Cruz's Dad being in on the murder of JFK--exposes Trump as a callous sadist who enjoys inflicting pain and suffering.
Ladies and gentlemen, we don't have a President sitting in the White House. What we have is gruesome little boy who enjoys pulling the wings off of moths.
sic vita est
5-24-20
He also loves to spread juicy conspiracy stories about people he perceives a threat, or at least bothersome. They don't have to start with him, in fact few, if any do, because honestly he isn't an origin story type of guy. You actually have to have an imagination for that. He didn't even come up with the Obama wasn't born in the U.S. nonsense. No that lie had been around for ages before he picked up on it. In fact the only reason he gets credit for the tall tale is the mainstream media was willing to give him air time over and over again to spin it.
Lately, Trump has been all over Twitter, not exactly accusing former republican congressman turned talking head, Joe Scarborough of murder, but certainly implying it. This morning he posted, "A lot of interest in this story about Psycho Joe Scarborough. So a young marathon runner just happened to faint in his office, hit her head on his desk, & die? I would think there is a lot more to this story than that? An affair? What about the so-called investigator? Read story!" Then he references a tweet by a user who goes by the name of, Thomas1774Paine.
He was talking about the 2001 death of a Scarborough congressional aide, Lori Klausutis. She was working in Scarborough's Florida office when she apparently fainted, due to an undetected heart condition, hit her head on a desk--no one other than Trump has said it was Scarborough's--and died of a brain injury. She was alone in the office when it happened.The police investigated and the ME's office performed an autopsy which proved her tragic passing was accidental. Others, who are, let's say not professionals in either law enforcement, or forensics say otherwise. We'll call them the Vince Foster--Seth Rich crowd.
Now, here is how this shit works. Trump linked to the tweet by Thomas1774Paine. Paine's tweet says very little, but references a story on the hard right wing site, True Pundit. True Pundit based their story on an investigation by another right wing site, Truthout. Truthout, in turn, claimed their information was based on investigations made by American Politics Journal and something called, onlinejournal.
American Politics Journal, which seemed to be anti everyone when it comes to government, published its last new story in 2017. It turns out onlinejournal is a site, much like Blogger.com. In other words it isn't a single news source, but rather a place where any one can self publish a collection of essays, or dairies under different titles of their own making.
Ah, the 21st century media at its finest. And the President of the United States is, as they say, well informed by it.
Trump is obviously using this vile nonsense to distract and entertain his minions as the economy tanks and the death toll from COVID-19 continues to climb. (At this moment it is, 97,906) It has the added attraction of continuing his never ending campaign to discredit legitimate news organizations.
No matter what his political reason though, this type of smear--along with the one about Ted Cruz's Dad being in on the murder of JFK--exposes Trump as a callous sadist who enjoys inflicting pain and suffering.
Ladies and gentlemen, we don't have a President sitting in the White House. What we have is gruesome little boy who enjoys pulling the wings off of moths.
sic vita est
5-24-20
Wednesday, May 20, 2020
Don Trump Explains What He Doesn't Want This November
We know one thing Don Trump doesn't want to happen this November. He explained it perfectly early this morning on Twitter.
A little before seven am he wrote, "Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!"
A little over an hour later El Don hit the send button again. This time it read, "State of Nevada 'thinks' that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S. They can't! If they do, 'I think' I can hold up funds to the State. Sorry, but you must not cheat in elections."
Now where have we heard him sound like this before? Oh yeah, on the phone with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. As might be recalled the conversation was about holding up a rather large shipment of desperately needed arms unless Zelensky dug up some dirt on Joe Biden.
Hey, once a mob boss, always a mob boss, but why quibble over style at this late date.
There are a couple of questions one might ask The Big Orange Guy, in the wake of the first tweet. First, exactly who needed to authorize the Michigan mailing? The governor, a woman he apparently hates? Or, maybe Donald John Trump himself? After all he does consider his presence in the Oval Office grander than most of his predecessors and his boy, Stephen Miller, was once proud to say, "The President's authority will not be questioned."
Of course, never one for details in situations like these, Mr. Trump missed one important fact when it came to Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson's action. They weren't absentee ballots at all, simply applications for them.
Benson issued a statement saying, "By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote."
That certainly seems reasonable, since at this moment 92,333 Americans have died from the Coronavirus and the confirmed cases continue to rise. Besides, as the Biden campaign was quick to point out, Trump hasn't had a problem with absentee voting in the past. He mailed in one during the 2018 midterm elections, then again two months ago.
In addition every study made of voter fraud has indicated the problem--well--isn't a problem. It is just another republican bugaboo designed to make voter registration and participation more difficult for traditionally democratic leaning, let's say, demographics.
This unhealthy fixation on voting by mail, could be the real reason Trump and the GOP in general are attempting to let the U.S. Postal Service die on the vine funding wise. Let's face it, you can't mail in a ballot if there isn't a post office in town.
Or, on the darker side, Herr Trump's apparent hysteria over voter fraud could be part of a greater plan. He might be laying the groundwork to challenge the results of the November election if he loses. Indeed, it is easy to imagine him screaming, I told you they were going to steal it from us. I've been saying it all along. Millions of those mail in votes were fraudulent. Prove they weren't!
Yes, that's the ticket, buy some time. Tie up the whole process for months, first at the state level, then in front of every federal judge he has ever appointed. You know how that phone call from Miller will go: Jutice Kennedy, your President granted you a favor once, now it is time for you to repay that favor.
Why not? Trump might not know how to handle COVID-19, but he does know how to game the system. He's been doing it all his life. It is, in the end, his biggest talent, even more so than flat out lying.
We'll see, but given the President's obvious disdain for the law, it is something to keep in mind.
sic vita est
5-20-20
A little before seven am he wrote, "Breaking: Michigan sends absentee ballots to 7.7 million people ahead of Primaries and General Election. This was done illegally and without authorization by a rogue Secretary of State. I will ask to hold up funding to Michigan if they want to go down this Voter Fraud path!"
A little over an hour later El Don hit the send button again. This time it read, "State of Nevada 'thinks' that they can send out illegal vote by mail ballots, creating a great Voter Fraud scenario for the State and the U.S. They can't! If they do, 'I think' I can hold up funds to the State. Sorry, but you must not cheat in elections."
Now where have we heard him sound like this before? Oh yeah, on the phone with Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky. As might be recalled the conversation was about holding up a rather large shipment of desperately needed arms unless Zelensky dug up some dirt on Joe Biden.
Hey, once a mob boss, always a mob boss, but why quibble over style at this late date.
There are a couple of questions one might ask The Big Orange Guy, in the wake of the first tweet. First, exactly who needed to authorize the Michigan mailing? The governor, a woman he apparently hates? Or, maybe Donald John Trump himself? After all he does consider his presence in the Oval Office grander than most of his predecessors and his boy, Stephen Miller, was once proud to say, "The President's authority will not be questioned."
Of course, never one for details in situations like these, Mr. Trump missed one important fact when it came to Michigan Secretary of State, Jocelyn Benson's action. They weren't absentee ballots at all, simply applications for them.
Benson issued a statement saying, "By mailing applications, we have ensured that no Michigander has to choose between their health and their right to vote."
That certainly seems reasonable, since at this moment 92,333 Americans have died from the Coronavirus and the confirmed cases continue to rise. Besides, as the Biden campaign was quick to point out, Trump hasn't had a problem with absentee voting in the past. He mailed in one during the 2018 midterm elections, then again two months ago.
In addition every study made of voter fraud has indicated the problem--well--isn't a problem. It is just another republican bugaboo designed to make voter registration and participation more difficult for traditionally democratic leaning, let's say, demographics.
This unhealthy fixation on voting by mail, could be the real reason Trump and the GOP in general are attempting to let the U.S. Postal Service die on the vine funding wise. Let's face it, you can't mail in a ballot if there isn't a post office in town.
Or, on the darker side, Herr Trump's apparent hysteria over voter fraud could be part of a greater plan. He might be laying the groundwork to challenge the results of the November election if he loses. Indeed, it is easy to imagine him screaming, I told you they were going to steal it from us. I've been saying it all along. Millions of those mail in votes were fraudulent. Prove they weren't!
Yes, that's the ticket, buy some time. Tie up the whole process for months, first at the state level, then in front of every federal judge he has ever appointed. You know how that phone call from Miller will go: Jutice Kennedy, your President granted you a favor once, now it is time for you to repay that favor.
Why not? Trump might not know how to handle COVID-19, but he does know how to game the system. He's been doing it all his life. It is, in the end, his biggest talent, even more so than flat out lying.
We'll see, but given the President's obvious disdain for the law, it is something to keep in mind.
sic vita est
5-20-20
Monday, May 18, 2020
The Weekend That Was: Linick and Amash Are Out and Raving Lunatics Are Guaranteed Guns in Oklahoma
It should have come as no surprise Friday when Don Trump sacked State Department Inspector General Steve Linick. After all, in the prior five plus weeks America's El Supremo had fired three other IG's for various reasons, the most prominent of which is they were actually doing their jobs.
According to initial reports Linick was canned because he was looking into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's habit of having staffers, whose salaries are paid by the taxpayer's, doing valet type work. These tasks included walking the Secretary's dog, Sherman. Sherman it seems is a bit of a celebrity on Instagram because Pompeo likes to posts photos of him doing things like watching TV and enjoying his birthday party. Last year, Linick is said to have also investigated Pompeo for having aides pick up ol' Sherm from the groomer and booking restaurant reservations for the family.
If all that sounds to you a tad nit picky of Mr. Linick and quite an over reaction even for a Trump wannabe like Pompeo I'd be forced to agree. However, today, both CBS and CNN are reporting there is more to it than tax payer funded dog walking. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-NY is saying the Department of State IG was fired because he was looking into Pompeo's, "decision to fast-track an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia."
Last year Trump had declared an emergency in order to cut congress out of the loop when it came to arms sales to the Saudis citing the second biggest bugaboo of this administration, Iran. At the time congress, still outraged at the brutal killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, wasn't in the mood to sell anything to, "The Kingdom," much less arms.
Now, Pompeo, who recommended, Linick be fired, and Trump have removed the only person in the government who was keeping an eye on the deal. All of which fits perfectly with the Trump adage, "When it comes to doing business, there is no such thing as good oversight."
In other news, on Saturday, Congressman Justin Amash, I-MI, tweeted, "After much reflection, I've concluded that circumstances don't lend themselves to my success as a candidate for president this year, and therefore I will not be a candidate." Amash also cited the Coronavirus plague and a shrinking economy as influencing his decision.
What he didn't say is evey poll showed him at around 5%. One doesn't win the White House with that sort of number. However, it could be just enough to throw the election Don Trump's way--guaranteeing Amash's next and only appointment in the House would be to the subcommittee researching the energy potential of Dung Beetle flatulence. Indeed, sometimes, as hard as it is to believe these days, reality does overcome ego.
Finally this weekend, in a local note, Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt signed into law Senate Bill 1081. The act's sponsors, republicans, Nathan Dahm and Jay Steagall proudly described their new statute as the first, "anti-red flag," law in the nation.
Oklahoma City's daily paper, The Oklahoman described the bill this way. "It prohibits Oklahoma cities and towns from enacting any policy that would allow a court, or other entity to restrict gun access to people deemed to be an imminent danger."
Yeah, you read that right. As of today in Oklahoma any drooling lunatic who hears Sam's dog talking, sees Lizard People spying on him, and has made violent threats cannot be legally stopped from buying, or possessing a firearm.
The Oklahoman reports more than a dozen states currently have, "red flag," laws preventing such insanity. Steagall claimed each and every one of those laws--you guessed it--"violates the second amendment and the right to due process."
And yes, ladies and gentlemen, thanks mostly to that pristine logic, the bar is most certainly open.
5-18-20
According to initial reports Linick was canned because he was looking into Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's habit of having staffers, whose salaries are paid by the taxpayer's, doing valet type work. These tasks included walking the Secretary's dog, Sherman. Sherman it seems is a bit of a celebrity on Instagram because Pompeo likes to posts photos of him doing things like watching TV and enjoying his birthday party. Last year, Linick is said to have also investigated Pompeo for having aides pick up ol' Sherm from the groomer and booking restaurant reservations for the family.
If all that sounds to you a tad nit picky of Mr. Linick and quite an over reaction even for a Trump wannabe like Pompeo I'd be forced to agree. However, today, both CBS and CNN are reporting there is more to it than tax payer funded dog walking. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-NY is saying the Department of State IG was fired because he was looking into Pompeo's, "decision to fast-track an $8 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia."
Last year Trump had declared an emergency in order to cut congress out of the loop when it came to arms sales to the Saudis citing the second biggest bugaboo of this administration, Iran. At the time congress, still outraged at the brutal killing of journalist, Jamal Khashoggi, wasn't in the mood to sell anything to, "The Kingdom," much less arms.
Now, Pompeo, who recommended, Linick be fired, and Trump have removed the only person in the government who was keeping an eye on the deal. All of which fits perfectly with the Trump adage, "When it comes to doing business, there is no such thing as good oversight."
In other news, on Saturday, Congressman Justin Amash, I-MI, tweeted, "After much reflection, I've concluded that circumstances don't lend themselves to my success as a candidate for president this year, and therefore I will not be a candidate." Amash also cited the Coronavirus plague and a shrinking economy as influencing his decision.
What he didn't say is evey poll showed him at around 5%. One doesn't win the White House with that sort of number. However, it could be just enough to throw the election Don Trump's way--guaranteeing Amash's next and only appointment in the House would be to the subcommittee researching the energy potential of Dung Beetle flatulence. Indeed, sometimes, as hard as it is to believe these days, reality does overcome ego.
Finally this weekend, in a local note, Oklahoma Governor, Kevin Stitt signed into law Senate Bill 1081. The act's sponsors, republicans, Nathan Dahm and Jay Steagall proudly described their new statute as the first, "anti-red flag," law in the nation.
Oklahoma City's daily paper, The Oklahoman described the bill this way. "It prohibits Oklahoma cities and towns from enacting any policy that would allow a court, or other entity to restrict gun access to people deemed to be an imminent danger."
Yeah, you read that right. As of today in Oklahoma any drooling lunatic who hears Sam's dog talking, sees Lizard People spying on him, and has made violent threats cannot be legally stopped from buying, or possessing a firearm.
The Oklahoman reports more than a dozen states currently have, "red flag," laws preventing such insanity. Steagall claimed each and every one of those laws--you guessed it--"violates the second amendment and the right to due process."
And yes, ladies and gentlemen, thanks mostly to that pristine logic, the bar is most certainly open.
5-18-20
Monday, May 11, 2020
The Killing of Ahmaud Arbery: The Evil We Cannot Purge
When he was a teenager, Ahmaud Arbery did a couple of stupid things. One was serious, while the other wasn't so much. First he took a hand gun to a high school basketball game. Second, he got popped for shop lifting. Since those two incidents--a period of close to six years--he had been as clean as they come. He hadn't been accused of, or charged with any sort of crime.
On February 23rd of this year he, did, however, make a fatal error. It was one uniquely American. He underestimated just how savage and crazy white people can be when it comes to young black men.
That day he went for one of his usual jogs through a neighborhood on the edge of Brunswick, Georgia called Satilla Shores. He paused on his route to take a look inside a house under construction. It is something I've done myself back when nearby neighborhoods were being built.
I'm white though and Ahmaud Arbery was black, so it didn't take long for things to go horribly wrong. An unidentified person made a call to 911. It went like this: "There's a guy in a house right now, a house under construction." The dispatcher asks if, "the guy," is breaking in. The response from the caller was, "No, it's all open, it's under construction."
At that point on a security cam from across the street, Ahmaud Arbery emerged from the house. He wasn't carrying any sort of loot, not even a piece of scrap lumber. He resumed his jog and the caller told the 911 operator, "He's running right now, and there he goes right now." The dispatcher asks, "OK, what is he doing?" The caller answered, "He's running down the street."
Well yeah, that's exactly what you do when you're out for a run.
The dispatcher then asks, "I just need to know what he was doing wrong. Was he just on the premisis and not supposed to be?" The garbled tape provides no clear answer to the question--a perfect description of how shit like this takes on a life of its own and spins out of control.
That's when Greg and Travis McMichael got involved. Greg McMichael is a retired cop and investigator for a local DA's office and Travis is his son. They apparently witnessed the the suspicious jogging, grabbed a couple of firearms, because that's what white Americans do, then took off after Arbery in a pick up truck.
They got ahead of him, then blocked the road with their vehicle. In some quarters this is known as an ambush. Trailing behind was William Bryan who had his phone recording the nightmare. Bryan was described by one DA--there have been three now--as being part of the, "hot pursuit," of the suspect.
Bryan's video shows him coming around a bend in the road. The McMichael truck is blocking it, but Arbery tries to jog past on the passenger side. He disappears for a moment in front of the vehicle which is at an angle. He then comes back into view on the other side, now struggling with Travis McMichael who is holding a shotgun. Arbery has grabbed the weapon and is holding on with both hands for dear life as McMichael attempts to bring the barrel to bear on him. The two move out of view for an instant and the first shot is heard. Then they both come back into the frame and there are two more. Ahmaud Abery then lets go of the weapon and attempts to stagger away. After two, or three steps he collapses onto the street.
He never made it to the hospital.
What happened next is pure post reconstruction old south. Initially the police told Arbery's mother her son was shot in the house during the commission of a robbery. Then the first DA on the case recused herself because she had worked with the elder McMichael and perhaps knew what was coming.
When a second DA, George Barnhill took over he wrote a letter to the New York Times saying neither McMichael had done anything against Georgia law, plus he had proof Arbery had mental issues which explained his, "aggressive behavior." Add it all up, he said, and there was no probable cause to arrest Travis and his Dad. Almost as an aside he also told the Times there was a video of the shooting.
It later turned out, Barnhill's decision not to prosecute might have been based more on his own connections to Greg McMichael rather than Georgia statutes. When, Arbery's family found out about those connections they immediately demanded Barnhill also recuse himself, which he did.
All this nonsense dragged on for two plus months. Then the video of the shooting hit the internet, along with one showing Arbery coming out of the unfinished house empty handed. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was handed the case, took one look at the tapes, and within 36 hours arrested both the McMichaels.
The Georgia Attorney General is now asking the feds to get involved. Of course he did. Hey, there isn't a soul out there who is going to be happy with the outcome of this gruesome mess no matter what, so let's punt to the Department of Justice and let them take the heat.
Yes, politicians will be politicians no matter where you find them.
It would be easy to claim the killing of Ahmaud Arbery is some monstrous aberration, or even just an awful mistake made by over zealous fools, but we all know it isn't. It is, quite horribly, a part of life in the United States. It is the evil we cannot purge.
That's not the scariest part of it though. No, in the end, the really scary part is a large chunk of us like it this way
sic vita est
5-11-20
On February 23rd of this year he, did, however, make a fatal error. It was one uniquely American. He underestimated just how savage and crazy white people can be when it comes to young black men.
That day he went for one of his usual jogs through a neighborhood on the edge of Brunswick, Georgia called Satilla Shores. He paused on his route to take a look inside a house under construction. It is something I've done myself back when nearby neighborhoods were being built.
I'm white though and Ahmaud Arbery was black, so it didn't take long for things to go horribly wrong. An unidentified person made a call to 911. It went like this: "There's a guy in a house right now, a house under construction." The dispatcher asks if, "the guy," is breaking in. The response from the caller was, "No, it's all open, it's under construction."
At that point on a security cam from across the street, Ahmaud Arbery emerged from the house. He wasn't carrying any sort of loot, not even a piece of scrap lumber. He resumed his jog and the caller told the 911 operator, "He's running right now, and there he goes right now." The dispatcher asks, "OK, what is he doing?" The caller answered, "He's running down the street."
Well yeah, that's exactly what you do when you're out for a run.
The dispatcher then asks, "I just need to know what he was doing wrong. Was he just on the premisis and not supposed to be?" The garbled tape provides no clear answer to the question--a perfect description of how shit like this takes on a life of its own and spins out of control.
That's when Greg and Travis McMichael got involved. Greg McMichael is a retired cop and investigator for a local DA's office and Travis is his son. They apparently witnessed the the suspicious jogging, grabbed a couple of firearms, because that's what white Americans do, then took off after Arbery in a pick up truck.
They got ahead of him, then blocked the road with their vehicle. In some quarters this is known as an ambush. Trailing behind was William Bryan who had his phone recording the nightmare. Bryan was described by one DA--there have been three now--as being part of the, "hot pursuit," of the suspect.
Bryan's video shows him coming around a bend in the road. The McMichael truck is blocking it, but Arbery tries to jog past on the passenger side. He disappears for a moment in front of the vehicle which is at an angle. He then comes back into view on the other side, now struggling with Travis McMichael who is holding a shotgun. Arbery has grabbed the weapon and is holding on with both hands for dear life as McMichael attempts to bring the barrel to bear on him. The two move out of view for an instant and the first shot is heard. Then they both come back into the frame and there are two more. Ahmaud Abery then lets go of the weapon and attempts to stagger away. After two, or three steps he collapses onto the street.
He never made it to the hospital.
What happened next is pure post reconstruction old south. Initially the police told Arbery's mother her son was shot in the house during the commission of a robbery. Then the first DA on the case recused herself because she had worked with the elder McMichael and perhaps knew what was coming.
When a second DA, George Barnhill took over he wrote a letter to the New York Times saying neither McMichael had done anything against Georgia law, plus he had proof Arbery had mental issues which explained his, "aggressive behavior." Add it all up, he said, and there was no probable cause to arrest Travis and his Dad. Almost as an aside he also told the Times there was a video of the shooting.
It later turned out, Barnhill's decision not to prosecute might have been based more on his own connections to Greg McMichael rather than Georgia statutes. When, Arbery's family found out about those connections they immediately demanded Barnhill also recuse himself, which he did.
All this nonsense dragged on for two plus months. Then the video of the shooting hit the internet, along with one showing Arbery coming out of the unfinished house empty handed. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was handed the case, took one look at the tapes, and within 36 hours arrested both the McMichaels.
The Georgia Attorney General is now asking the feds to get involved. Of course he did. Hey, there isn't a soul out there who is going to be happy with the outcome of this gruesome mess no matter what, so let's punt to the Department of Justice and let them take the heat.
Yes, politicians will be politicians no matter where you find them.
It would be easy to claim the killing of Ahmaud Arbery is some monstrous aberration, or even just an awful mistake made by over zealous fools, but we all know it isn't. It is, quite horribly, a part of life in the United States. It is the evil we cannot purge.
That's not the scariest part of it though. No, in the end, the really scary part is a large chunk of us like it this way
sic vita est
5-11-20
Tuesday, May 5, 2020
The Almighty Base Has Different Priorities
Not that long ago during a TV appearance, Dr. Drew Pinsky told everyone the COVID-19 virus wasn't any big deal. In fact he was so unimpressed with the bug and it's ability to spread he described the public's growing anxiety as, "press induced panic."
Pinsky has since apologized and admitted he was wrong. Not everyone got the memo though and in a cacaphonous ode to the savage, profane, and truth impaired politics of Donald Trump some of his Almighty Base have taken to the streets, not to mention, gone off their collective nut.
Although it can be argued many of these clods have never been what you'd describe as rational to begin with it is apparent huge numbers of them consider any sort of government regulation during the pandemic as an affront to their way of life. This is evidenced by a growing number of protests against business closings, social distancing, and any sort of mandate to wear medical face masks when in public.
Since more than a few have convinced themselves anyone to the left of Trump is part of a grand conspiracy it isn't surprising many are still convinced Pinsky's first assessment of the virus is the truth. Think not? During an Ohio protest Friday one these goofs confronted a local TV reporter while shouting, "You know that company you work for is lying to the American people and you know what you're doing is wrong at the end of the day." The demonstrator then demanded the reporter take off her face mask, screeching at her, "you're terrifying the general public," and, as the reporter backed away, "You have no right to social distancing in public!"
During another Ohio demonstration, this one at the home of the state's head of public health, Amy Acton, one sign read, "Dr. Over-re-Acton, Hairstylists Are Essential." Indeed, it would seem even as the body count mounts some have different priorities.
Others have willingly exposed the purity and depth of their right wing feelings. You know, like the woman in Illinois who carried a sign which read, "Arbeit Macht Frei, J.B." Arbeit Macht Frei is a German phrase which translates into, "Work Sets You Free." Pretty clever, eh? That's right baby. Open up our businesses and jobs. Maybe yes, maybe it's something else. The same phrase was on a sign over the main gate of the WWII death camp, Auschwitz. The J.B. stuck on the end of the woman's placard is a reference to Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker, who is Jewish.
Last Thursday a park ranger in Austin, Texas approached a crowd knocking back a few cold ones on a pier at a local lake. His aim was to get them off it and onto open ground nearby where they could socially distance themselves. One of the, "screw the virus crowd," pushed him off the pier, into the water.
The rube who did it, Brandon Hicks was charged with, among some other things, attempted assault on a law enforcement official and could face anywhere from 180 days to a couple of years in the joint. Hicks' lawyer issued a statement saying his client had the, "utmost respect," for police officers and would tell his side of the story in court. Witnesses who were there told the press the park ranger wasn't aggressive, but rather polite and respectful toward them.
Then there was Stillwater, OK mayor, Will Joyce. He reopened the town's businesses last week with the caveat everyone had to wear face masks. Within hours he rescinded his mask order because his office had received multiple calls from retailers saying their clerks had been verbally abused and physically threatened.by patrons who refused to wear masks.
Finally there was the tragedy in Flint, MI. On Friday a security guard at a Dollar General Store was shot and killed after he refused to allow a woman and daughter into the place because the daughter didn't have a mask. Calvin Munerlyn was murdered about twenty minutes after the initial confrontation by the woman's adult son because his mom had been, "disrespected." Ramonyea Bishop went to the store to redeem his mother's honor accompanied by his stepfather who initiated a second heated exchange. The mother, Sharmel Teague has been arrested, but Ramonyea and his dad, Larry are still on the run. Calvin Munerlyn was the 43 year old father of six.
Yes, as one Twitter wag put it, the motto on the yellow Gadsden flag shouldn't be, "Don't Tread on Me," but rather, "Don't Inconvenience Me." Or, perhaps Patrick Henry should have said, "Give me hairstylists, or give me death." Hey, why not? Evidently in the age of Trump, even during a deadly plague, getting your hair done is essential to life, liberty, and the pursuit of whatever it is these wankers call happiness.
As of this moment 71,148 Americans have died of COVID-19. Thanks, in part to the fascists in the streets, there is no end in sight.
sic vita est
5-5-20
Pinsky has since apologized and admitted he was wrong. Not everyone got the memo though and in a cacaphonous ode to the savage, profane, and truth impaired politics of Donald Trump some of his Almighty Base have taken to the streets, not to mention, gone off their collective nut.
Although it can be argued many of these clods have never been what you'd describe as rational to begin with it is apparent huge numbers of them consider any sort of government regulation during the pandemic as an affront to their way of life. This is evidenced by a growing number of protests against business closings, social distancing, and any sort of mandate to wear medical face masks when in public.
Since more than a few have convinced themselves anyone to the left of Trump is part of a grand conspiracy it isn't surprising many are still convinced Pinsky's first assessment of the virus is the truth. Think not? During an Ohio protest Friday one these goofs confronted a local TV reporter while shouting, "You know that company you work for is lying to the American people and you know what you're doing is wrong at the end of the day." The demonstrator then demanded the reporter take off her face mask, screeching at her, "you're terrifying the general public," and, as the reporter backed away, "You have no right to social distancing in public!"
During another Ohio demonstration, this one at the home of the state's head of public health, Amy Acton, one sign read, "Dr. Over-re-Acton, Hairstylists Are Essential." Indeed, it would seem even as the body count mounts some have different priorities.
Others have willingly exposed the purity and depth of their right wing feelings. You know, like the woman in Illinois who carried a sign which read, "Arbeit Macht Frei, J.B." Arbeit Macht Frei is a German phrase which translates into, "Work Sets You Free." Pretty clever, eh? That's right baby. Open up our businesses and jobs. Maybe yes, maybe it's something else. The same phrase was on a sign over the main gate of the WWII death camp, Auschwitz. The J.B. stuck on the end of the woman's placard is a reference to Illinois Governor, J.B. Pritzker, who is Jewish.
Last Thursday a park ranger in Austin, Texas approached a crowd knocking back a few cold ones on a pier at a local lake. His aim was to get them off it and onto open ground nearby where they could socially distance themselves. One of the, "screw the virus crowd," pushed him off the pier, into the water.
The rube who did it, Brandon Hicks was charged with, among some other things, attempted assault on a law enforcement official and could face anywhere from 180 days to a couple of years in the joint. Hicks' lawyer issued a statement saying his client had the, "utmost respect," for police officers and would tell his side of the story in court. Witnesses who were there told the press the park ranger wasn't aggressive, but rather polite and respectful toward them.
Then there was Stillwater, OK mayor, Will Joyce. He reopened the town's businesses last week with the caveat everyone had to wear face masks. Within hours he rescinded his mask order because his office had received multiple calls from retailers saying their clerks had been verbally abused and physically threatened.by patrons who refused to wear masks.
Finally there was the tragedy in Flint, MI. On Friday a security guard at a Dollar General Store was shot and killed after he refused to allow a woman and daughter into the place because the daughter didn't have a mask. Calvin Munerlyn was murdered about twenty minutes after the initial confrontation by the woman's adult son because his mom had been, "disrespected." Ramonyea Bishop went to the store to redeem his mother's honor accompanied by his stepfather who initiated a second heated exchange. The mother, Sharmel Teague has been arrested, but Ramonyea and his dad, Larry are still on the run. Calvin Munerlyn was the 43 year old father of six.
Yes, as one Twitter wag put it, the motto on the yellow Gadsden flag shouldn't be, "Don't Tread on Me," but rather, "Don't Inconvenience Me." Or, perhaps Patrick Henry should have said, "Give me hairstylists, or give me death." Hey, why not? Evidently in the age of Trump, even during a deadly plague, getting your hair done is essential to life, liberty, and the pursuit of whatever it is these wankers call happiness.
As of this moment 71,148 Americans have died of COVID-19. Thanks, in part to the fascists in the streets, there is no end in sight.
sic vita est
5-5-20
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)