Last year republican, Roy Moore barely lost a senate election to former U.S. Attorney Doug Jones in Alabama. Moore didn't start off his campaign with Don Trump's support, but he certainly got it later on.
After the dust settled, Moore tried to blame his election upset on scads of aliens who snuck into Alabama and illegally cast their votes for Jones. Those of us with functioning brains, however knew Moore blew the race, not because of illicit ballots, but because he had been exposed as being a really creepy guy who, if he didn't actually cross the line into pedophilia years ago, he teetered right on the edge of it.
Two of the people who attended Moore's watch party that fateful November evening were a couple from Arkansas who had recently moved to Missouri named, Courtland Sykes and Chanel Rion.
Sykes reasoned that the cause of Moore's loss was, "100% an effort by the Washington establishment against MAGA (Make America Great Again) candidates." His fiancée, Ms. Rion was equally incensed. She was quoted as saying, "This election has proven that if three floozies and a fake headline can steal an election then they're going to use this as a template to go further."
So who gives a shit what these two anonymous cranks think, right?
Actually, we should, because Courtland Sykes is now vying to be the republican nominee for the Missouri U.S. Senate seat held by democrat, Claire McCaskill. He isn't the only one of course. The GOP front runner is the state's Attorney General Josh Hawley, who has the backing of party pros.
That isn't necessarily a good thing though. Last fall in Alabama the republican nabobs backed Luther Strange, the incumbent who had taken Jeff Sessions' spot in the Senate. Strange lost the primary runoff to Moore right before it came out the former judge was banned from the Gadsden Mall years ago for clumsily hitting on under aged girls. Those would be the floozies the future Mrs. Sykes railed about.
In a never ending effort to keep his name in the papers and, no doubt, in order to return a favor, The Huffington Post is now reporting Roy Moore is backing Courtland Sykes and his run for the nomination.
According to Moore, Sykes is, "A man of impeccable character, courage, and Christian faith."
To illustrate his impeccable character and courage, when Mr. Sykes filled out a questionnaire about women's rights he had this to say about activists supporting the movement--they are, "...career obsessed banshees who forego home life and children and the happiness of family to become nail biting, manophobic, hellbent, feminist she-devils."
He's also said they are, "nasty," and "snake filled," and that they are carrying on, "The nonstop feminization campaign against manhood."
Okay, Courtland, but how do you feel about your future family? According to the candidate he wants his daughters, "...to become traditional homemakers and family wives." As far as his wife is concerned, "I expect to come home to a home cooked dinner at six every night."
It is unclear whether he will demand his fiancée to go all June Cleaver by wearing an A-line dress, sensible shoes, and pearls, or not, but the odds are leaning that way.
It is also unclear just how much of a real chance this grotesque rube has to grab the nomination. He has been a full time resident of Missouri for less than a year and his past is cryptic enough the Huff Post's mini poll of five state GOP veterans provided one common answer: "I don't know anything about him."
In fact, the guy is such a mystery and so outrageous it led one political science professor to say about his candidacy, "This might be one of the greatest examples of political performance art I've ever seen." Unfortunately the same professor also said he is 99.9% sure it isn't and Courtland Sykes really is Donald Trump on steroids.
Well, if it is political performance art the production has been ongoing for a while now. Last August, around the same time he moved from Arkansas--where had served as a staffer to republican congressman, Bruce Westerman for a year--he tweeted, "There is nothing more Anti American than the modern day democrat."
Hey, if we've learned anything over the past couple of years, it's we can't take any of these raving loons lightly.
Indeed, in the age of Breitbart, Bannon, Russian Bots, and Donald J. Trump, complete insanity has been turned into a political advantage, rather than what it always has been and should remain--a joke in such bad taste we immediately dismiss it with a shrug and a sneer.
sic vita est
2-26-18
Monday, February 26, 2018
Thursday, February 22, 2018
The American Gun Control Debate: My Advice to You is, Start Drinking Heavily
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Tuesday, February 20, 2018
Here's to the Heroes of the One Sided Battle of Stoneman Douglas High
Their sorrow can very easily be hijacked by left wing groups who have an agenda. Do we really think 17 year olds on their own are going to plan a nationwide rally?
Former Georgia republican congressman Jack Kingston speaking about the surge of activism being displayed by survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Ah, the old, "They have an agenda," response to anyone with the temerity to suggest some sort of gun control in this country might be a good idea. Guess what, Mr. Kingston you're right. We do have an agenda and the aim of it is to stop retail arms dealers from selling lunatics the means to gun down school children as they sit in their classrooms.
A quick visit to the NRA online home reveals where Kingston gets his twisted philosophy. Shuffling through the headers one sees a series of announcements made by various NRA spokespersons. They include words and terms such as, "the lying fake news media, the lying media, the media is failing," and no doubt Kingston's inspiration: "The NRA will not tolerate their use of a tragedy in their war against the second amendment."
That's right, mass shootings wrought by the easy access to military style weapons should have no place in America's gun debate. After all, dead babies and adolescents, while unfortunate, are just the price we pay for freedom and to argue otherwise immediately after they've been murdered is distasteful. Besides, if there had been an armed guard at Stoneman Douglas High School the killer would have been stopped.
Oh wait, there was one. He, or she didn't get off a shot.
An ABC/Washington Post poll released today showed 77% of Americans don't think congress is doing enough to prevent mass shootings in this country. 62% say Don Trump isn't either. That doesn't mean we've come together though. The same poll showed while 80% of democrats and 75% of independents don't believe El Donald is doing enough to stop the carnage, 60% of republicans do.
In other words, six out of ten republicans are convinced doing absolutely nothing--which is exactly what Trump has done so far--is helping to halt the unrelenting slaughter of American school kids. My God, the word delusional doesn't even begin to apply to that mind set.
After the bullets stopped flying and what was left of the Stoneman Douglas student body took to the streets in anguish and anger, White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders issued a statement saying her boss is supporting efforts to improve federal background checks. That would be the system which is totally dependent on each state to copy the Feds the ID's of prospective gun buyers so they can see if they're run amok felons. The bill in the works would provide unnamed incentives to states who stop fucking up for a change and provide the feds with accurate and timely information.
The proposed act, sponsored by a Texas republican and a Connecticut democrat, is such weak tea it doesn't even address the sale of military style semi automatic rifles, specifically the AR-15. You know--the gun Nikolas Cruz bought at age 18 with absolutely no waiting period.
There is a reason the proposed legislation doesn't go there. The ABC/Washington Post poll also showed a mere 50% of Americans favor a ban on the sales of such guns while 46% oppose it. The survey found 45% of independents and 71% of democrats want the prohibition while only 29% of republicans do.
Given those numbers there isn't a republican, or democrat outside of a select few districts and states in either house who will feel the slightest bit of heat to challenge the NRA on the issue. Unless, of course, they have a conscience which outweighs their instincts for self preservation. And, as we all know, that notion falls into the realm of science fiction.
The terrible truth is congress didn't do anything after Columbine. It didn't do anything after Sandy Hook, or the Pulse nightclub. It didn't do anything after Las Vegas and dozens upon dozens of other places. Hell, the only thing that has been done on a national level since the assault weapon ban expired years ago is an Obama era executive order which prevented a precious few mentally ill social security recipients from buying firearms.
Donald J. Trump voided that order a few weeks after he took office.
Well, here's to the heroes of the one sided battle of Parkland, Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They have shown grace and bravery after being under fire. Certainly far more than those despicable bought and paid for NRA shills like Jack Kingston and the vile clowns in congress who continue to prove themselves abject cowards.
sic vita est
2-20-18
Former Georgia republican congressman Jack Kingston speaking about the surge of activism being displayed by survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Ah, the old, "They have an agenda," response to anyone with the temerity to suggest some sort of gun control in this country might be a good idea. Guess what, Mr. Kingston you're right. We do have an agenda and the aim of it is to stop retail arms dealers from selling lunatics the means to gun down school children as they sit in their classrooms.
A quick visit to the NRA online home reveals where Kingston gets his twisted philosophy. Shuffling through the headers one sees a series of announcements made by various NRA spokespersons. They include words and terms such as, "the lying fake news media, the lying media, the media is failing," and no doubt Kingston's inspiration: "The NRA will not tolerate their use of a tragedy in their war against the second amendment."
That's right, mass shootings wrought by the easy access to military style weapons should have no place in America's gun debate. After all, dead babies and adolescents, while unfortunate, are just the price we pay for freedom and to argue otherwise immediately after they've been murdered is distasteful. Besides, if there had been an armed guard at Stoneman Douglas High School the killer would have been stopped.
Oh wait, there was one. He, or she didn't get off a shot.
An ABC/Washington Post poll released today showed 77% of Americans don't think congress is doing enough to prevent mass shootings in this country. 62% say Don Trump isn't either. That doesn't mean we've come together though. The same poll showed while 80% of democrats and 75% of independents don't believe El Donald is doing enough to stop the carnage, 60% of republicans do.
In other words, six out of ten republicans are convinced doing absolutely nothing--which is exactly what Trump has done so far--is helping to halt the unrelenting slaughter of American school kids. My God, the word delusional doesn't even begin to apply to that mind set.
After the bullets stopped flying and what was left of the Stoneman Douglas student body took to the streets in anguish and anger, White House press secretary, Sarah Sanders issued a statement saying her boss is supporting efforts to improve federal background checks. That would be the system which is totally dependent on each state to copy the Feds the ID's of prospective gun buyers so they can see if they're run amok felons. The bill in the works would provide unnamed incentives to states who stop fucking up for a change and provide the feds with accurate and timely information.
The proposed act, sponsored by a Texas republican and a Connecticut democrat, is such weak tea it doesn't even address the sale of military style semi automatic rifles, specifically the AR-15. You know--the gun Nikolas Cruz bought at age 18 with absolutely no waiting period.
There is a reason the proposed legislation doesn't go there. The ABC/Washington Post poll also showed a mere 50% of Americans favor a ban on the sales of such guns while 46% oppose it. The survey found 45% of independents and 71% of democrats want the prohibition while only 29% of republicans do.
Given those numbers there isn't a republican, or democrat outside of a select few districts and states in either house who will feel the slightest bit of heat to challenge the NRA on the issue. Unless, of course, they have a conscience which outweighs their instincts for self preservation. And, as we all know, that notion falls into the realm of science fiction.
The terrible truth is congress didn't do anything after Columbine. It didn't do anything after Sandy Hook, or the Pulse nightclub. It didn't do anything after Las Vegas and dozens upon dozens of other places. Hell, the only thing that has been done on a national level since the assault weapon ban expired years ago is an Obama era executive order which prevented a precious few mentally ill social security recipients from buying firearms.
Donald J. Trump voided that order a few weeks after he took office.
Well, here's to the heroes of the one sided battle of Parkland, Florida's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. They have shown grace and bravery after being under fire. Certainly far more than those despicable bought and paid for NRA shills like Jack Kingston and the vile clowns in congress who continue to prove themselves abject cowards.
sic vita est
2-20-18
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Nikolas Cruz and the National Disease: How Long, America?
He purchased the firearm legally. No laws were broken in his acquisition of the firearm.
Peter J. Forcelli, ATF agent, on how 19 year old Nikolas Cruz got his hands on the AR-15 rifle used in the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on February 14, 2018.
Well that's the problem isn't it? All these lunatics, or at least the vast majority of them, bought their murder weapons legally with very few, if any, questions asked. In the case of young, Mr. Cruz the state of Florida made it easier than many places to secure his firearm.
Florida allows anyone 18, or older to buy and possess a gun--any gun. In addition the state doesn't require anyone to have a license, or permit to buy one and the purchaser doesn't have to register it. Florida does require an owner to get a conceal and carry license for a hand gun, but when it comes to long barrel weapons, such as Cruz's AR-15 none is needed to conceal and carry. There are also no restrictions on the number of guns someone can buy at one time, nor is there any limit on the number bullets and ammo magazines you can purchase. In short, if you have the cash and inclination you can arm an entire fucking army and your only restriction is a three day waiting period on the side arms.
So it's all The Sunshine State's fault right? No, this is a national disease. When Nikolas Cruz opened fire yesterday it was the eighteenth time in the last 45 days someone has started shooting on an American school campus. The only real difference in Parkland, FL 24 hours ago was the degree of planning, marksmanship, and the size of the body count.
Here is how nuts it is. This morning, MSNBC reported since the Columbine H.S. massacre in 1999 over 150,000 American students at 170 different schools have experienced an active shooter situation. Name one other country in the world where shit like this happens.
The truth is it doesn't. Or if it does it's only once before the government takes drastic steps to stop it.
Not here though. Oh no, thanks to one line in the constitution, the National Rifle Association, and a huge mooing herd of bought and paid for politicians nothing ever happens to halt the insanity, or even slow it down.
In fact, people like Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX are already screeching liberals are trying to politicize the nightmare in Florida. After the news broke, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's first reaction was to say, "We cannot have a knee jerk reaction."
What? Are these fucks on the brown acid? What happened yesterday isn't some new phenomenon. Columbine was 19 years ago. The Sandy Hook horror took place in 2012 for God's sake. There aren't knee jerk reactions any more. There can no longer be some sort of panicked stampede to rash legislation. The ugly history and statistics are there for everyone to see. Yet congress refuses to do anything about a well documented, decades old, pandemic of mass murders made possible by the easy access to guns.
As, "thoughts and prayers," are being offered to grieving parents and loved ones the powerful NRA lobby still insists the only way our kids can be safer is if there are more guns. Right now it is estimated Americans own anywhere from 190 to 300 million guns. There is at least one firearm in 39% to 50% of American households. Still, the mass murders continue unabated.
Yeah, that whole we need more guns bullshit has worked out just great for us hasn't it?
Meanwhile, as of 11:45 am central time today there were at least seven different YouTube channels claiming what happened in Parkland, FL yesterday, like dozens of other mass killings, was either a hoax, or a government sponsored, "false flag," operation designed solely to restrict gun ownership.
And we thought Nikolas Cruz was crazy.
How long, America? At what point will we recognize the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness--not to mention the right to just grow up--outweighs the one to have unlimited access to firearms of mass destruction?
Tragically, I know the answer to that question. It's never.
sic vita est
2-15-18
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
Update: Things Spin Out of Control at the University of Central Oklahom--Martyr Wannabes, Questionable Journalism, Mobs of Really Scary Gay Students, The Unnamed Nazi Professor, An Outraged Pastor, and Ken Ham Still Gets Paid
Sometimes things spin out of control like they have lately at the University of Central Oklahoma. And while all sorts of bellicose martyr wannabes point fingers and scream foul, the answers are not always as clear as they'd like us to think they are.
Here is what we know. A little while ago a student group at UCO named Valid Worldview approached the Student Association and lobbied to get a man named Ken Ham invited onto campus to speak. Ham would have the use of a university hall and be paid, presumably, by funds the association collects through fees assessed all students attending the school.
Valid Worldview is a, "ministry," of Edmond's Fairview Baptist Church and its pastor is Paul Blair. Brother Blair is a former NFL player, twice failed candidate for the state senate, and a card carrying member of the John Birch Society. Ken Ham runs an outfit called Answers in Genesis. The answers they've gotten from the first book of the Old Testament is that the earth is 6,000 or so years old, evolution is an atheist conspiracy meant to undermine human society and promote abortion, while dinosaurs and humans lived on the planet together at the same time.
Ham, being an absolutist of sorts, says things like you can't be a true Christian if you believe in the theory of evolution. He is also big on claiming that since his rock solid faith is accompanied by a degree in applied science, his views on evolution and the earth's geologic past are just as valid as the millions of esteemed teachers, researchers, and scientists past and present who have proven him to be bat shit crazy.
Then things got--yes--strange. "The Oklahoman," a local right wing publication, ran a page one story saying UCO dropped the invitation to Ham because the Student Association was bullied by an unnamed LBGTQ student group. The details of when and in what form the bullying took place were left to the reader's imagination.
In response UCO President, Don Betz issued a statement The Oklahoman ran Saturday on page six which in part said, the still unidentified LBGTQ group had nothing to do with the decision to un-invite Ham.
Of course that didn't stop the paper from printing three separate letters on its op-ed page Sunday written by incensed readers who condemned LBGTQ students, liberals in general, and institutes of higher education everywhere.
Also on Saturday, the LBGTQ group rumored to be connected to the controversy issued its own statement. It read in part, "Although neither the Student Alliance For Equality (SAFE) nor its members were participants in the discussion between UCO and the President of UCO's student government, recent news articles compel us to make a clarifying statement." The author, Rachel Watson went on to say, "SAFE is and will always be fully committed to upholding and safeguarding free speech." It also said, "We reject bullying and intimidation in all of its forms as contrary to the core values of our institution..."
In other words, just like Betz had asserted, SAFE said it didn't have anything to do with the cancellation.
The Oklahoman held off on running SAFE's statement until this morning, three days after the fact and buried it on page four right below a story about the state's first confirmed case of measles in three years.
In the mean time, Blair wrote a letter to Answers in Genesis which they published on line. In it he claimed it was a tenured professor who sponsors, "the campus LGBT clubs,"(as opposed to what was hinted as mobs of really scary gay students) who, "rallied support and put intense pressure on the students in the UCOSA," to get Ham's appearance, "reluctantly," cancelled.
All of which leads to the question--What in God's name does this unnamed Nazi professor teach anyway, because he sure seems to have a lot of fucking power over a ton of students.
Further stoking his anger, Blair claims UCO is sponsoring a drag queen show at a future date. In addition the anonymous and obviously deviant professor is also the brains behind--the horror, the horror--"a safe sex carnival." The Pastor roared, "I am hoping to outrage the citizens of Oklahoma. We are not Cal--Berkeley, we are Oklahoma!"
Well, he got that right. What he didn't mention, however, is he was also looking to provide a state owned venue to a verbose loon who prides himself on denying scientific fact and whose cracked views of natural history embarrass most of Christianity--then pay the guy with student funds.
As for Ken Ham--he got everything he wanted and more. He is, according to Blair, still coming to Oklahoma to spew his gibberish, only now in the sanctuary of Fairview Baptist, rather than on the UCO campus. One assumes he will still get paid and the Fairview congregation's money spends just as well as the UCO student body's does.
Not to mention this sort of faux martyrdom is probably worth millions to his organization. Odds are money is pouring into the Answers in Genesis coffers right now thanks to The Oklahoman's initial headline, Blair's bellowing, and Ham's own online publications.
Indeed, nothing gets true believers to give up their cash quicker than the notion a man of that old time religion is being persecuted by gangs of run amok Sodomites. Even if it was, as we are now led to believe, a single unidentified professor at a university with over 17,000 students and 800 faculty members.
Right.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you can guess, the bar is open.
2-13-18
Here is what we know. A little while ago a student group at UCO named Valid Worldview approached the Student Association and lobbied to get a man named Ken Ham invited onto campus to speak. Ham would have the use of a university hall and be paid, presumably, by funds the association collects through fees assessed all students attending the school.
Valid Worldview is a, "ministry," of Edmond's Fairview Baptist Church and its pastor is Paul Blair. Brother Blair is a former NFL player, twice failed candidate for the state senate, and a card carrying member of the John Birch Society. Ken Ham runs an outfit called Answers in Genesis. The answers they've gotten from the first book of the Old Testament is that the earth is 6,000 or so years old, evolution is an atheist conspiracy meant to undermine human society and promote abortion, while dinosaurs and humans lived on the planet together at the same time.
Ham, being an absolutist of sorts, says things like you can't be a true Christian if you believe in the theory of evolution. He is also big on claiming that since his rock solid faith is accompanied by a degree in applied science, his views on evolution and the earth's geologic past are just as valid as the millions of esteemed teachers, researchers, and scientists past and present who have proven him to be bat shit crazy.
Then things got--yes--strange. "The Oklahoman," a local right wing publication, ran a page one story saying UCO dropped the invitation to Ham because the Student Association was bullied by an unnamed LBGTQ student group. The details of when and in what form the bullying took place were left to the reader's imagination.
In response UCO President, Don Betz issued a statement The Oklahoman ran Saturday on page six which in part said, the still unidentified LBGTQ group had nothing to do with the decision to un-invite Ham.
Of course that didn't stop the paper from printing three separate letters on its op-ed page Sunday written by incensed readers who condemned LBGTQ students, liberals in general, and institutes of higher education everywhere.
Also on Saturday, the LBGTQ group rumored to be connected to the controversy issued its own statement. It read in part, "Although neither the Student Alliance For Equality (SAFE) nor its members were participants in the discussion between UCO and the President of UCO's student government, recent news articles compel us to make a clarifying statement." The author, Rachel Watson went on to say, "SAFE is and will always be fully committed to upholding and safeguarding free speech." It also said, "We reject bullying and intimidation in all of its forms as contrary to the core values of our institution..."
In other words, just like Betz had asserted, SAFE said it didn't have anything to do with the cancellation.
The Oklahoman held off on running SAFE's statement until this morning, three days after the fact and buried it on page four right below a story about the state's first confirmed case of measles in three years.
In the mean time, Blair wrote a letter to Answers in Genesis which they published on line. In it he claimed it was a tenured professor who sponsors, "the campus LGBT clubs,"(as opposed to what was hinted as mobs of really scary gay students) who, "rallied support and put intense pressure on the students in the UCOSA," to get Ham's appearance, "reluctantly," cancelled.
All of which leads to the question--What in God's name does this unnamed Nazi professor teach anyway, because he sure seems to have a lot of fucking power over a ton of students.
Further stoking his anger, Blair claims UCO is sponsoring a drag queen show at a future date. In addition the anonymous and obviously deviant professor is also the brains behind--the horror, the horror--"a safe sex carnival." The Pastor roared, "I am hoping to outrage the citizens of Oklahoma. We are not Cal--Berkeley, we are Oklahoma!"
Well, he got that right. What he didn't mention, however, is he was also looking to provide a state owned venue to a verbose loon who prides himself on denying scientific fact and whose cracked views of natural history embarrass most of Christianity--then pay the guy with student funds.
As for Ken Ham--he got everything he wanted and more. He is, according to Blair, still coming to Oklahoma to spew his gibberish, only now in the sanctuary of Fairview Baptist, rather than on the UCO campus. One assumes he will still get paid and the Fairview congregation's money spends just as well as the UCO student body's does.
Not to mention this sort of faux martyrdom is probably worth millions to his organization. Odds are money is pouring into the Answers in Genesis coffers right now thanks to The Oklahoman's initial headline, Blair's bellowing, and Ham's own online publications.
Indeed, nothing gets true believers to give up their cash quicker than the notion a man of that old time religion is being persecuted by gangs of run amok Sodomites. Even if it was, as we are now led to believe, a single unidentified professor at a university with over 17,000 students and 800 faculty members.
Right.
Ladies and gentlemen, as you can guess, the bar is open.
2-13-18
Saturday, February 10, 2018
The University of Central Oklahoma Holds the Ham As Pastor Paul Blair Howls Like a Banshee
Controversy is rampant at the University of Central Oklahoma. The home of the Bronchos is located in Edmond, OK which is, depending on traffic, 15 minutes, or so north east of where I currently sit. It is an ever expanding, vastly overpriced, suburb whose only national fame--if you can call it that--came in 1986 when a disgruntled postal worker named Patrick Sherrill shot and killed 14 co-workers, giving America the term, "going postal."
A little while ago the UCO Student Association, in conjunction with another student group called, "Valid Worldviews," invited Mr. Ken Ham to speak on campus.
Ham was born in Australia and grew up there, but has been living in the United States since 1987. His immigration status is unknown and normally that wouldn't be worth mentioning, but there are people around here these days who consider such things a big deal. He does have a degree in Applied Science with an emphasis in Environmental Biology from the Queensland Institute of Technology which is connected to the University of Queensland. He also holds five honorary degrees from Christian colleges and universities here in the U.S. One of them is Liberty University, three others have enrollments of well under 1,000 students, and the fifth is now defunct.
Brother Ham is also the founder and CEO of an religious non-profit known as, Answers in Genesis. He and his outfit aggressively promote the notion earth is approximately 6,000 years old, evolution is bullshit, and humans and dinosaurs co-existed. In other words the old TV show, "The Flintstones," wasn't a cartoon, but rather an animated documentary.
While his nonsense is easy to laugh at it is, in reality, serious stuff. Ham controls a business that has a 75,000 square foot museum in Petersburg, Kentucky which aims to prove his cracked notions of the world and universe. Private donations totaling $27 million paid for the facility, which includes a planetarium and the skeleton of an Allosaurus. It pulls in an average of 300,000 paying visitors a year. This despite people like museum scholar, Gretchen Jennings saying, "It lacks valid connections with world wide thinking on the chosen discipline and with human knowledge and experience." She went on to add, "It's not a museum at all."
Earlier this week, for reasons that are, at the moment, a tad murky, the UCO Student Association withdrew its invitation to Ham. The initial front page report in the local newspaper, "The Oklahoman," claimed intense bullying by the university's LGBTQ community led to the school dropping the invitation. No, not because of Ham's continuing assault on scientific fact and common sense, but because he opposes gay marriage. The paper, a notorious right wing propaganda mill, noted darkly the unnamed LGBTQ student organization refused to take a reporter's calls after the cancellation.
This led an Edmond based Southern Baptist preacher, Paul Blair to howl like a banshee about the suppression of free speech. He also accused UCO of an anti-Christian bias. Besides his ministry, Blair is a former Oklahoma State and NFL football player, a twice failed state senate candidate, and an active member in the John Birch Society. At one time he spoke against a proposed Oklahoma City ordinance which would make it illegal for the municipal government to fire gay employees just because they are gay. On another occasion he said public schools, "teach atheism and call it science."
Today, The Oklahoman published a statement from UCO president, Don Betz on page six which addressed the situation. In part it read, "While any reports of bullying will be and are being investigated, it is important to state that reports the LGBTQ community prevented Mr. Ham from being invited to campus are inaccurate and unfair to members of our campus community."
In short, "The Oklahoman" got it wrong, or knowingly printed--that's right--fake news.
As for Ham, he seemed stunned there are some people in the solid red state of Oklahoma who might actually not like what he has to say. Not to worry though. Pastor Blair has made a big show of inviting him to speak at his church on a later date, while President Betz concluded his statement by saying, "All who wish to freely express their ideas in a peaceful and civil manner, including Mr. Ham are welcome to do so at the University of Central Oklahoma."
Well, why not?
Let's face it, the guy probably doesn't care one way, or the other so UCO might as well let him talk. Indeed, it doesn't matter if he's a complete loon, or, as I prefer to think, a con man running a massive scam on what one Australian newspaper described as, "America, the center of whacked Christianity." In either case this latest craziness doesn't do anything, but increase his profile and inspire even more rubes to contribute money to him. Yes, for Ken Ham, in the end, this week was a win win proposition.
Hey, who says America isn't great?
2-10-18
A little while ago the UCO Student Association, in conjunction with another student group called, "Valid Worldviews," invited Mr. Ken Ham to speak on campus.
Ham was born in Australia and grew up there, but has been living in the United States since 1987. His immigration status is unknown and normally that wouldn't be worth mentioning, but there are people around here these days who consider such things a big deal. He does have a degree in Applied Science with an emphasis in Environmental Biology from the Queensland Institute of Technology which is connected to the University of Queensland. He also holds five honorary degrees from Christian colleges and universities here in the U.S. One of them is Liberty University, three others have enrollments of well under 1,000 students, and the fifth is now defunct.
Brother Ham is also the founder and CEO of an religious non-profit known as, Answers in Genesis. He and his outfit aggressively promote the notion earth is approximately 6,000 years old, evolution is bullshit, and humans and dinosaurs co-existed. In other words the old TV show, "The Flintstones," wasn't a cartoon, but rather an animated documentary.
While his nonsense is easy to laugh at it is, in reality, serious stuff. Ham controls a business that has a 75,000 square foot museum in Petersburg, Kentucky which aims to prove his cracked notions of the world and universe. Private donations totaling $27 million paid for the facility, which includes a planetarium and the skeleton of an Allosaurus. It pulls in an average of 300,000 paying visitors a year. This despite people like museum scholar, Gretchen Jennings saying, "It lacks valid connections with world wide thinking on the chosen discipline and with human knowledge and experience." She went on to add, "It's not a museum at all."
Earlier this week, for reasons that are, at the moment, a tad murky, the UCO Student Association withdrew its invitation to Ham. The initial front page report in the local newspaper, "The Oklahoman," claimed intense bullying by the university's LGBTQ community led to the school dropping the invitation. No, not because of Ham's continuing assault on scientific fact and common sense, but because he opposes gay marriage. The paper, a notorious right wing propaganda mill, noted darkly the unnamed LGBTQ student organization refused to take a reporter's calls after the cancellation.
This led an Edmond based Southern Baptist preacher, Paul Blair to howl like a banshee about the suppression of free speech. He also accused UCO of an anti-Christian bias. Besides his ministry, Blair is a former Oklahoma State and NFL football player, a twice failed state senate candidate, and an active member in the John Birch Society. At one time he spoke against a proposed Oklahoma City ordinance which would make it illegal for the municipal government to fire gay employees just because they are gay. On another occasion he said public schools, "teach atheism and call it science."
Today, The Oklahoman published a statement from UCO president, Don Betz on page six which addressed the situation. In part it read, "While any reports of bullying will be and are being investigated, it is important to state that reports the LGBTQ community prevented Mr. Ham from being invited to campus are inaccurate and unfair to members of our campus community."
In short, "The Oklahoman" got it wrong, or knowingly printed--that's right--fake news.
As for Ham, he seemed stunned there are some people in the solid red state of Oklahoma who might actually not like what he has to say. Not to worry though. Pastor Blair has made a big show of inviting him to speak at his church on a later date, while President Betz concluded his statement by saying, "All who wish to freely express their ideas in a peaceful and civil manner, including Mr. Ham are welcome to do so at the University of Central Oklahoma."
Well, why not?
Let's face it, the guy probably doesn't care one way, or the other so UCO might as well let him talk. Indeed, it doesn't matter if he's a complete loon, or, as I prefer to think, a con man running a massive scam on what one Australian newspaper described as, "America, the center of whacked Christianity." In either case this latest craziness doesn't do anything, but increase his profile and inspire even more rubes to contribute money to him. Yes, for Ken Ham, in the end, this week was a win win proposition.
Hey, who says America isn't great?
2-10-18
Tuesday, February 6, 2018
Tongue in Cheek Don: You Traitors Need to Get a Sense of Humor
That didn't take long did it? No it didn't, but then those of us who have followed the man for the last couple of years knew it was coming. Let's face it, you can write Don Trump a speech, but you can't make him stick to it and once he's off script God only knows what the crazy fucker will say.
Yes, less than seven days after he delivered his first State of the Union Address, during which he asked lawmakers of all stripes to rise above party politics and act in unity, Brother Trump called members of the duly elected opposition not only un-American, but treasonous.
Now that's some serious language coming from the President of the United States of America. Hell, not even Dick Nixon went that far, at least not while he was sober. It makes you wonder what bridges the democrats blew up? What military secrets they gave away? Actually they did neither. Their high crime was not standing up and applauding after El Donald bragged he and he alone was responsible for the record low rates of unemployment among African-Americans and Hispanics.
Yesterday, in Blue Ash, Ohio Trump had this to say, "Even on positive news like that, really positive news like that, they were like death and un-American. Somebody said, 'treasonous.' I mean yeah, I guess, why not? Shall we call that treason? Why not? I mean, they certainly didn't seem to love our country very much." The crowd roared its approval.
Today Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, R-NY only slightly tempered her approval of what Mr. Trump said. She described the democratic reaction to the State of the Union speech this way. "I would say it was un-American and they don't love our country. I don't know if I would go so far as treasonous."
No one asked Joe Wilson, R-SC. what he thought of the democrats less than enthusiastic response to Trump's specious claim. (Both numbers, despite El Presidente's braggadocio, had begun to improve dramatically during the Obama administration. The only truly honest claim, Trump can make about them is, so far, he hasn't screwed up the progress.) But, let's get back to Wilson. He is the tea party fire breather who not only didn't applaud Obama's 2009 speech to a joint session of congress, but during the middle of it yelled out twice, "You lie!"
Wilson apologized for his behavior, although the mea culpa came only after members of his own party called him things like, reprehensible. Despite that and other derogatory epithets, however, no one on either side of the aisle stooped to use the word treasonous while describing his boorishness. Hey--although it is hard to fathom, a scant nine years ago we were living in a different age.
So what was the reaction today from some of the democrats--you know the very people Donald Trump will need bi-partisan help from on more than a few issues?
Senator Jeff Merkley, D-OR tweeted, "Treasonous means betraying your country--like, say, if someone colluded with Russia to influence American elections. The freedom not to clap for ideas you disagree with is called the 1st Amendment."
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, a disabled combat veteran, posted, "We don't live in a dictatorship, or a monarchy. I swore an oath--in the military and in the Senate--to preserve and protect the Constitution of the Untied States, not to mindlessly cater to the whims of Cadet Bone Spurs and clap when he demands I clap."
The White House response to the backlash was to send spokesperson, Hogan Gidley out to explain his boss had been, "speaking with tongue in cheek."
That's right, folks, when the President calls his political opponents, "un-American traitors," it is just a joke. You guys need to get a sense of humor for God's sake.
Well someone needs to tell cretins like Claudia Tenney and those vicious rubes in Blue Ash it was all just a part of The Big Orange Guy's stand up routine, because they sure took what he said as gospel. That is, as they say, self evident.
What's also self evident is Donald Trump and some GOP leaders are disturbingly comfortable with using terminology we normally associate with autocrats and out right despots. The Donald is increasingly prone to referring to himself by name in the third person. He has accused the press of being, "an enemy of the people." Now he is calling political opponents un-American and treasonous. This after it has been reported he quizzed FBI officials about their loyalty to him personally and who they voted for in 2016. And it doesn't stop in the west wing. The other day House Speaker, Paul Ryan spoke about the need to, "cleanse," the FBI. And all of it is set against the back drop of the administration's continuous warnings about the machinations of an amorphous, "deep state," which ruthlessly aims to bring down the Trump presidency.
Yeah, some joke.
Be careful, America. We're getting close to the abyss. And it isn't because of some immigrants trying to find a place where they can earn a living wage. No, it's all about people who want to use keeping them out of here as an excuse for something far darker than we've ever encountered before.
sic vita est
2-6-18
Yes, less than seven days after he delivered his first State of the Union Address, during which he asked lawmakers of all stripes to rise above party politics and act in unity, Brother Trump called members of the duly elected opposition not only un-American, but treasonous.
Now that's some serious language coming from the President of the United States of America. Hell, not even Dick Nixon went that far, at least not while he was sober. It makes you wonder what bridges the democrats blew up? What military secrets they gave away? Actually they did neither. Their high crime was not standing up and applauding after El Donald bragged he and he alone was responsible for the record low rates of unemployment among African-Americans and Hispanics.
Yesterday, in Blue Ash, Ohio Trump had this to say, "Even on positive news like that, really positive news like that, they were like death and un-American. Somebody said, 'treasonous.' I mean yeah, I guess, why not? Shall we call that treason? Why not? I mean, they certainly didn't seem to love our country very much." The crowd roared its approval.
Today Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, R-NY only slightly tempered her approval of what Mr. Trump said. She described the democratic reaction to the State of the Union speech this way. "I would say it was un-American and they don't love our country. I don't know if I would go so far as treasonous."
No one asked Joe Wilson, R-SC. what he thought of the democrats less than enthusiastic response to Trump's specious claim. (Both numbers, despite El Presidente's braggadocio, had begun to improve dramatically during the Obama administration. The only truly honest claim, Trump can make about them is, so far, he hasn't screwed up the progress.) But, let's get back to Wilson. He is the tea party fire breather who not only didn't applaud Obama's 2009 speech to a joint session of congress, but during the middle of it yelled out twice, "You lie!"
Wilson apologized for his behavior, although the mea culpa came only after members of his own party called him things like, reprehensible. Despite that and other derogatory epithets, however, no one on either side of the aisle stooped to use the word treasonous while describing his boorishness. Hey--although it is hard to fathom, a scant nine years ago we were living in a different age.
So what was the reaction today from some of the democrats--you know the very people Donald Trump will need bi-partisan help from on more than a few issues?
Senator Jeff Merkley, D-OR tweeted, "Treasonous means betraying your country--like, say, if someone colluded with Russia to influence American elections. The freedom not to clap for ideas you disagree with is called the 1st Amendment."
Illinois Senator Tammy Duckworth, a disabled combat veteran, posted, "We don't live in a dictatorship, or a monarchy. I swore an oath--in the military and in the Senate--to preserve and protect the Constitution of the Untied States, not to mindlessly cater to the whims of Cadet Bone Spurs and clap when he demands I clap."
The White House response to the backlash was to send spokesperson, Hogan Gidley out to explain his boss had been, "speaking with tongue in cheek."
That's right, folks, when the President calls his political opponents, "un-American traitors," it is just a joke. You guys need to get a sense of humor for God's sake.
Well someone needs to tell cretins like Claudia Tenney and those vicious rubes in Blue Ash it was all just a part of The Big Orange Guy's stand up routine, because they sure took what he said as gospel. That is, as they say, self evident.
What's also self evident is Donald Trump and some GOP leaders are disturbingly comfortable with using terminology we normally associate with autocrats and out right despots. The Donald is increasingly prone to referring to himself by name in the third person. He has accused the press of being, "an enemy of the people." Now he is calling political opponents un-American and treasonous. This after it has been reported he quizzed FBI officials about their loyalty to him personally and who they voted for in 2016. And it doesn't stop in the west wing. The other day House Speaker, Paul Ryan spoke about the need to, "cleanse," the FBI. And all of it is set against the back drop of the administration's continuous warnings about the machinations of an amorphous, "deep state," which ruthlessly aims to bring down the Trump presidency.
Yeah, some joke.
Be careful, America. We're getting close to the abyss. And it isn't because of some immigrants trying to find a place where they can earn a living wage. No, it's all about people who want to use keeping them out of here as an excuse for something far darker than we've ever encountered before.
sic vita est
2-6-18
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