Dear America

Dear America:

STOP IT!

Just fucking STOP IT.

I don't care why Salvador Ramos went off his nut. I don't care about his ethnic background. I don't care if he did post a photo of himself on social media wearing eye liner. I don't care what his politics were. What I do care about is on his 18th birthday he was able to walk into a gun store and legally buy two military grade weapons unsuitable for any sport, but wonderfully effective on a battle ground.

America doesn't have a society, or culture. Hell, we don't even have a civilization. The truth is this country is nothing more than an ongoing, never ending, prison riot. 

And no one will stop it. In fact it is painfully obvious the republican party likes it this way. It's why so many of them voted for Trump. Trump openly embraced the chaos--just as despicable rubes like Ted Cruz, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Paul Gosar, and so many others of that warped and violent cult do.

19 babies and two teachers are dead. Some of the victims of the Buffalo horror aren't even in the ground yet. And the GOP solution to this epidemic of murder and mayhem is to make it easier to buy guns--to buy more of them. Good God, this is like giving a drunk more whiskey to cure his alcoholism.   

We have to do something. Ban the assault rifles. Or at least establish a universal background check. Close the gun show loopholes. Raise the legal age to buy a weapon to 21. Buy back the guns. Just do something. 

The republicans say we don't need any more gun laws. Yeah, that's worked out real well for us hasn't it? Even Wyatt Earp knew the quick way to limit violence in Dodge City. He banned all guns within the city limits. Who knew ol' Wyatt was such a screaming liberal? One has to wonder what sort of reaction the current' GOP would have to his solution?

Detestable politicos like Ted Cruz and the talking heads on Fox want us to give the parents and grandparents in Uvalde time to grieve before we talk about political agendas. In other words they are pushing their agenda of doing nothing, while condemning those of us who want to do something. They are playing a delaying game, counting on the short attention span of Americans. Yes, yes, put it all off until the public moves onto another outrage--hope and pray everyone cools off and lets the whole dreadful act slide. 

Well,  everyone except the people in Uvalde, because, trust me Ted, parents and grandparents of murdered 10 year olds never stop grieving. Their lives have been shattered forever because bastards like you think this deadly shit is just part of the price of freedom.

Republicans and gun nuts everywhere can talk all they want, give me any excuse they can dream up, but they know, because of their inaction, they are culpable in this latest and all the previous mass shootings. 

Tonight, like last night, I will pray for the victims and survivors of the massacre in Uvalde. I'll also pray that my God and the God of every decent person in the world, no matter what their faith, damns Ted Cruz and those like him to hell. 

sic vita est

5-25-22

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Oh Canada, the Queen is Without a Ride

 Romana Didulo is personally a woman of mystery. Her base of operation is Victoria, British Columbia. Estimates put her age at 50 something, but apparently only she knows for sure. Just as only she knows if she immigrated to Canada from the Philippines, or if she is native born and of Filipino descent. 

Publicly it is an entirely different story. On the preferred internet hang out of all things QAnon, Telegram, she is considered an influencer and has amassed over 70,000 followers. She carries the title, which she gave herself, Romana Queen of the Kingdom of Canada. She is serious about that. According to her Queen Elizabeth is actually dead and has been for years. Presumably she had to step in to fill the void, at least when it comes to Canaada.

So hey, all hail the Queen.

A while back she urged her followers to kill any and all healthcare workers who were attempting to give children the Covid-19 vaccine, She later expanded that, calling on her subjects to arrest all traitors trying to enter the country, including those at airports, sports venues, and other public gatherings so they could be held until their execution either by firing squad, or hanging. 

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police decided the Queen was going a little too far at that point. They reportedly escorted her from her castle to a local hospital for a series of mental competency tests. Her Majesty was released because, according to her, the doctors found me, "not certifiable."

Earlier this year Romana issued a couple of royal decrees on Telegram. Number 23 declared water bills in Canada were now illegal. Number 24 said electricity had become free. Both urged her followers to stop paying for water and electric.

As you can guess Canada's utility companies didn't get either memo. And because there were some rubes who actually believed Romana's bull shit a number of people began losing their services due to non payment.  

A few sent her messages asking her what to do. Her response so far has been to state those bills are illegal and sent out by, "robots." She adroitly avoided offering advice on how these idiots could get their power and water turned back on without paying past due amounts and the penalties they've incurred.

Despite this turmoil, or perhaps because of it. the Queen has moved on. In her latest YouTube video she announced President Joe Biden has asked her to mediate between the United States and Russia in regard to the situation in Ukraine. 

Maybe Biden did, but it is highly doubtful. Let's face it, you don't ask for someone's help then not offer them transportation to the therapy session. We know the President didn't because in the video the Queen asks for someone, anyone, including the Canadians themselves, to provide her with a plane and military escort to whatever site is decided upon. So far no offers have been forthcoming.

Indeed, it would seem the cryptic Queen of Canada has been stymied in her effort to bring us world peace simply because no one will give her a ride.

Well what do you expect when we not only don't know her place of birth, or age, but almost certainly--unless we're dealing with a coincidence of cosmic proportions--her real name.  

As one internet critic of hers points out, if you re-arrange Romana Didulo and use the correct spacing you will discover the letters spell out, "I am our Donald."

At last report I am our Donald is touring her kingdom in a rented RV paid for by her loyal followers. It is unknown if she is accompanied by a military escort.

Yes it's nice to know while the United States might own a controlling interest in lunacy, we still don't have a monopoly on it.

5-19-22

Payton Gendron Skips the Porn and Goes for the Hate

How long, oh Lord, how long?

Payton Gendron's home town is Conklin, New York. The 2020 census tells us Conklin's population of 5,000, or so is nearly 90% white and a shade less than 1% African American. This racial disparity is probably the reason young Payton drove across the state yesterday to Buffalo. You can't murder a bunch of black people if there aren't any around.

According to New York Governor, Kathy Hochul, Gendron bought his AR-15 legally in New York, but had to go into Pennsylvania to legally buy the high capacity ammunition clip he used so successfully in that Top's grocery store. Since Conklin sits hard by the NY-PA line the drive to pick up the deadly accessory was probably far shorter than the one to Buffalo.

Currently there isn't any news about where Gendron bought his gun, or ammo clip. It probably doesn't matter since you can buy both in this country easier than you can a bunch of seedless grapes. In too many circles such purchases are considered a sacred right guaranteed on a piece of paper written hundreds of years ago by a bunch of white slave holders. These same people consider everything else written on the same paper utter bullshit meant to be ignored.

But, we digress. Early reports are as late as a couple of years ago Payton Gendron was just another small town teenager stranded at home, like everyone else, by the pandemic. To relieve the boredom he began to roam around the internet. Unlike most teen boys he skipped the porn and settled on message boards and social media sites full of white supremacist quackery. According to  various pundits the rhetoric there radicalized him, turned him into a monster willing to plot mass murder. 

Maybe so, but one has to think he was already a crude racist and all the fanatical crap he read simply validated views he already held. In fact it might be the only thing he truly learned on line was how to write a coherent sentence.

Authorities suspect a 180 page manifesto written under Gendron's name, which appeared on line shortly after the carnage began, is genuinely his. In addition, being a 21st century type of guy, he live streamed the crime on the media site, Twitch.

Tragically it seems we will never be rid of this shit. Too many right wing news networks promote it for ratings and fun. Too many republican politicians cultivate it and depend on it during elections. And, finally, too many white rubes believe in it. 

Payton Gendron is 18 years old. The only question we can ask ourselves now is how many more loons exactly like him are out there right now--their brains, as Jim Morrison wrote, "squirming like a toad."

Ladies and gentlemen, as you might guess, bar is open.

5-15-22

T.W. Shannon Tells Us He Isn't Like the Others

Meanwhile here in Oklahoma a gaggle of republicans are running for the seat of retiring Senator, Jim Inhofe. One of them is T.W. Shannon, the former speaker of the Oklahoma House of Representatives. This isn't his first go at the United States Senate. Previously he sought the office when Tom Coburn was forced to retire for health reasons. 

Shannon, who is half Native American and half African American, had a couple of heavy weight endorsements in that race. One was Texas Senator, Ted Cruz, the other came from former GOP cover girl, Sarah Palin.

Neither did him any good. He lost the primary to James Lankford by 20 percent. Whether the loss was due to a difference in politics, or race is up for debate. In either event the disappointing outcome apparently hasn't shifted Mr. Shannon toward the center, but rather even further right than he was.

In his first TV ad he immediately assured us he is, "Conservative, Christian, and a Capitalist." He also touches on the race issue by saying he is living proof that, no matter what liberals say, black people in America can be successful and, "belong," without their help.

It is his second TV spot though that makes sure to hit multiple right wing hot buttons within a precious few seconds. 

First up is a photo of Planned Parenthood founder, Margaret Sanger. We are told ominously Sanger was a devotee of eugenics, a philosophy which was used to weed out people of color and different ethnic backgrounds. The rather crude hint being Planned Parenthood was established to kill off the children of those who the elite deemed undesirable. Ms. Sanger was indeed interested in eugenics--just like H.G. Wells and Henry Ford--but not for the purpose of genocide. That was a Nazi twist to the field which caused it to be shunned. 

In truth Ms. Sanger, was a socialist, who was against abortions unless the mother's life was in danger. She believed birth control devices and meds would prevent them from being necessary. She also helped established the first black staffed and run women's clinic in Harlem, In addition she was admired and liked by Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife, Coretta, among others in the black community. Beyond any explanation of her views and work it is painfully obvious, or should be, that at this time Margaret Sanger is not running for the senate in Oklahoma.

Neither is Hillary Clinton who appears next in the ad saying she is a proud supporter of Planned Parenthood. Her last political race was in 2016, but it would seem Shannon's people believe Clinton's image alone is enough to send Oklahoma republicans into such a foaming rage they will vote for their candidate.

The ad ends promising us, black lives won't matter until 400,000 aborted fetuses matter. The letters BLM are splashed across the screen in large and lurid red letters.

Talk about firing up the MAGA crowd. Not even fellow candidate Markwayne Mullin's current ad, which features a brief clip of Donald by God Trump himself, bores into the dark soul of the far right like the menace of Hillary Clinton and Black Lives Matter.

Yes it might be unclear to some of us if race was the cause of T.W. Shannon's loss to James Lankford. However with these two pollical spots it is obvious Shannon thinks it was.

Let's face it, that's why he is spending a lot of time and money trying to prove to white Oklahoma republicans he isn't like the others, he is one of them. 

sic vita est

5-4-22