The Republicans are Coming to Your Place Soon

 At last look there are a little more than 35 million registered republicans in the United States. In a recent CNN poll over 60% of them believe Joe Biden is an illegitimate president. There isn't a count of the number of those independents who believe the GOP is too liberal for their tastes who agree with that nonsense, but it is a safe bet the number is much higher. Then there are those out there who don't register at all because they think the entire government has been and remains a huge corrupt pain in the ass.

Another statistic shows that one out of every 10 of those actively participating in the January 6th coup attempt had ties, either past, or present, with the U.S. military. It is a number so alarmingly high two retired generals have written a paper recommending the Defense Department ban all membership in radical groups. In addition the generals think all the services should make contingency plans and begin exercises to counter large scale mutinies within the ranks.

University of California San Diego professor, Barbara F. Walter, who served on a CIA task force researching the possibility of civil war in other countries has found that if we applied the same parameters used by the task force on the United States, "...what you would find is that the United States, a democracy founded more than two centuries ago, has entered very dangerous territory." 

Sunday, former Clinton advisor and Lincoln biographer Sidney Blumenthal pointed out even the southern states who seceded in 1861 never claimed Lincoln's election was illegitimate. He went on to say, "The current situation is the opposite, Trump's questioning of the election, which was first rejected by republican leaders after the attack on the Capitol, has led to a crisis, a real crisis, of legitimacy." 

Finally, last month in a poll, an outfit called the Public Religion Research Institute asked voters if they agreed, or disagreed with this statement.. "Because things have gotten so off track true American patriots may have to resort to violence to save our country."

18% of everyone agreed with it. 30% of republicans did.

Yes, democracy is teetering on the edge in this nation. And all the evidence points to the Grand Old Party doing the pushing. 

Merry Christmas America. You might want to sleep with one eye open for now, It isn't Santa coming to your place--it's people like Don Trump, Marjorie Taylor Greene, and Jim Jordan.

sic vita est

12-23-21

Mark Meadows, the Power Point Memo, and Fear on January 6th

 Mark Meadows served as Donald Trump's chief of staff during the last crazed year of The Big Orange Guy's presidency. For the previous seven years he had been a congressman representing North Carolina's 11th House district. In short, he, at least in theory, knows how the House of Representatives works.

You wouldn't know that by the way he has acted lately. But then a lot of those who have been infected by the Trump virus exhibit strange, if not outright schizophrenic behavior. 

Before he decided any and every conversation he has ever had falls under the heading of executive privilege Brother Meadows gave the House Select Committee investigating the January 6th coup attempt scads of papers. Some of them included interesting text messages fired off during the storming of the capitol building.

Even a brief perusal of the texts and other evidence--you know, like the power point memo outlining how to pull off the coup with some seriously flawed legal theories--points to two awful conclusions.

First the republican poohbahs were all in on holding mass demonstrations in Washington on the 6th. Their purpose was io intimidate Vice President Mike Pence into invalidating the electoral votes from states that didn't go for Trump, plus terrorize the left so they wouldn't fight the power grab. 

Second, on the 6th, when the monster they created ran amok, many of them were even more terrified of the rioters than the democrats in the building.

Well, that's what happens when you invite the Hell's Angels to the party. They really won't differentiate between friend and foe. once the mayhem begins.

Indeed, panic ran through the right wing ranks, Mark Meadows began receiving texts from GOP lawmakers that read things like, "We are under siege here at the Capitol." Then, "Hey Mark, protesters are storming the Capitol. Breaking windows on doors. Rushing in. Is Trump going to say something?"

Others seemed even more aghast. Don Trump Jr. texted, "He's got to condemn this shit. Asap. The Capitol Police tweet is not enough." Moments later Meadows received this text from a shaken Jr. "We need an Oval address. He has to lead now. It has gone to far and gotten out of hand."

Fox personality, Sean Hannity texted Meadows saying, "Can he make a statement?...Ask people to leave the Capitol."

Hannity, being Hannity, now claims the entire sordid affair on the 6th was a false flag operation perpetrated by the left wing. Others who were so terrified now claim the entire event was no big deal and have compared it to protests by the left over the years. Like the ones that didn't assault Capitol Police officers, vandalize the Capitol building, and parade a Confederate flag through it.

The texts, besides proving the real fear GOP hotshots had for their movable beast, also makes clear there was no doubt in their minds who controlled it. Yes, Donald John Trump called forth the insurrection and only he could stop it. None of these fuckers, not even his son, could call him directly. They all had to go through his gatekeeper, Mark Meadows.

There are many other questions about the day American Democracy, for a moment anyway, circled the drain. The aforementioned power point memo proposed calling out the National Guard to protect the protesters--or perhaps aid them--and for there to be a declaration of a national emergency by the President. The Guard was slow to act an indication something was amiss either in the chain of command, or with the leadership. There has been no indication why Trump never declared the national emergency the memo recommended.

These questions and many others could be answered by Mark Meadows, but his leader has rumbled ominously, and it has become painfully obvious the former chief of staff is more afraid of Don Trump than he is of congress. More even than the republican punks were of their own mob that day last January.

sic vita est

12-14-21

Caveat Emptor Trojans and Tigers

 It was a scam worthy of a Hollywood movie., cloaked in secrecy, replete with mis-direction, and lies, and involving tens of millions of dollars. In this monumental con, however, the marks weren't amoral casino owners, or ruthless corporations, they were hundreds of thousands football fans in two different locales.

At the core to the plot were the agents representing Oklahoma coach, Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame head man, Brian Kelly--proving once and for all sports agents fall into the same ethical class as used car salesmen, politicians, and television evangelists. 

Also involved were two institutes of higher learning, the University of Southern California and Louisiana State University. They were two proud football programs which had fallen on hard times. They were and are also two places whose alumni have scads and scads of money they are willing to spend, not on, say, archeology departments, but their football teams.

On September 13th, 2021, after a loss to Stanford, USC fired head coach Clay Helton. Within three, or four weeks it became apparent to them their interim head coach, Donte Williams wasn't going to cut it. At about the same time, in the middle of October, LSU announced their coach, Ed Orgeron would be leaving at the end of the season. Orgeron's problems involved some felonious behavior by a player, plus his inability to repeat his previous success in 2019 when his team was undefeated and won the national championship.

Both schools obviously wanted experienced big time coaches, but they had a problem. NCAA rules prohibited them from calling up other teams coaches without asking for permission first. Once alerted the targeted school could then either say no, or make counter offers starting an expensive and lengthy bidding war. Enter Bob LaMonte and Trace Armstrong agents for Riley and Kelly. 

Because of them neither Riley, or Kelly had to speak directly to USC and LSU. They became the conduits through which both men could negotiate without technically breaking the rules , or alarming their schools, or fan bases. 

In late October, or early November someone, most likely LaMonte, leaked the rumor that LSU was actively pursuing Riley. It's unknown if LSU was working in collusion with LaMonte, or not. What we do know is LSU never denied it, because it provided them with the perfect cover as they negotiated with Armstrong. In addition it allowed Riley to deny he was interested in LSU while USC continued making a deal on the down low with LaMonte. 

In Norman, Riley's team had struggled all year against questionable competition. The crown prince of offensive minds had a unit which seemed to be falling apart and the defense which was supposed to be greatly improved looked suspiciously as leaky as it had been in past years. In retrospect it is now easy to think Riley and his defensive coordinator Alex Grinch had severe cases of short timer's disease. 

Indeed it is tough to concentrate, or give a shit when you are on the verge of a fabulous new contract worth $110 million and includes the purchase of not one, but three homes.

The insidious plot came to a head Saturday night after OU lost to Oklahoma State. In a post game interview Riley was asked point blank if he was going to LSU. He answered truthfully. He said, "I will not be the next head coach at LSU." 12 or so hours later, however, he would be the next coach at USC. One has to wonder what his response would have been if the question had been, "Will you be coaching at Oklahoma next year?"

Later, in an interview with ESPN's Scott Van Pelt, Riley swore the first and only time he had personally talked to USC  was Sunday morning after the OSU game. Knowing how oily the guy is now I believe him. He didn't have to, all he had to do was communicate his demands through his agent. 

Meanwhile in South Bend, IN, Brian Kelly informed his players he was leaving for LSU via Twitter before holding a 11 minute meeting with them. His contract is reportedly worth a mere $95 million. (It's probably a cost of living differential. After all, gas and food are cheaper in Baton Rouge than they are in LA.)

Both Oklahoma and Notre Dame have bowl games coming up. OU has dragged Bob Stoops out of retirement to be the interim coach. There isn't any word yet who Notre Dame will select. 

Lincoln Riley has recently tweeted, "We are going to make Southern California the Mecca of college football." In response Oklahoma defensive lineman, Isiah Thomas tweeted, "He told us the exact same thing a month ago."

Indeed, Lincoln Riley says many things, but, as Oklahoma now knows when it comes to believing him, you sometimes have to think about what he hasn't said to you, but what he says to Bob LaMonte.

Caveat Emptor, Trojans and Tigers.  If these two fuckers did it to Oklahoma and Notre Dame, they will do it to you just as soon as their agents sniff more money for themselves somewhere else.

  

12-1-21

Kyle Rittenhouse Roams Free Among Us

 The summer of 2020 was an ugly time. The nightmare began on May 25 when George Floyd was murdered, quite publicly, by a Minneapolis cop. The crime was committed by Officer Derek Chauvin who, on a video taken by a witness seemed  really proud of his work. 

Thanks to that video there was no denying the cold brutality of the killing. There was also no chance for the police to claim Floyd was violently resisting arrest, or doing anything else for the nine and one half minutes Chauvin's knee was pressing down on his neck, except dying.

Protests followed the murder, some turning violent. Other acts of violence were perpetrated by anarchists and white nationalists who had no interest in Floyd, but just  enjoyed the sights and sounds of glass breaking and buildings burning down. As the summer wore on the protests continued. Then President Donald Trump issued public threats of military intervention and in some cities sent in unidentified federal agents to break some heads and abscond with protesters in unmarked vans to destinations unknown.

To make matters worse, on August 23rd of that year, Jacob Blake, another African American was killed by the Kenosha, WI police who were answering a domestic disturbance call. Blake was shot multiple times in the back while leaning into the front seat of his parked SUV. Later his killing would be ruled justifiable.

More demonstrations and violence followed in Kenosha. It was into this chaos that 17 year old Kyle Rittenhouse inserted himself on August 25th. 

Young Mr. Rittenhouse wasn't a resident of Kenosha, in fact he didn't even live in Wisconsin, but rather across the border in Antioch, Il. Despite that and the lack of an invitation from anyone in Kenosha he and a pal packed up their AR-15s and hit the road to protect life, property, and The American Way.

Before the night was over he had killed two fellow human beings and wounded another. After the shootings he was thanked by Kenosha cops, given a bottle of water and sent on his way back to Antioch. Imagine his shock a few days later when he was arrested  on charges of murder. The right wing masses howled with anger and some of them shelled out enough cash that Rittenhouse was able to post a  $1 million bond. 

His plea was self defense, Never mind Kyle Rittenhouse chose to be there, armed with the preferred weapon of mass shooters everywhere, had no police training, and panicked when he was approached by the angry crowd. No matter that he had caused the very situation which put him in his precarious position,.

Today we found out it worked. Kyle Rittenhouse was found not guilty on five counts. He walks free among us, living proof the second amendment has been twisted and perverted beyond all its original intent.

Indeed, it would seem any sort of  vigilante action is now justified, or at least condoned in Wisconsin, if not all of America. 

My money says that isn't exactly what the founding fathers intended.

11-19-21

Armistice Day

 On November 11th, 1918 at a little after 5:30 in the morning the allied powers signed a cease fire with the German Empire. This armistice agreement, which was temporary, was scheduled to begin at 11 in the morning the same day. It wasn't completely successful because both sides continued to trade artillery fire until sundown that evening.

Despite the shaky start the armistice held, effectively ending the carnage of WWI. Or, at least providing the globe with a 21-year breather before everyone decided to have another go at each other.

Europe had seen plenty of other deadly wars, but between August of 1914 and that November day in 1918 there had been nothing comparable, at least in sheer numbers.

The British lost over 750,00 troops. The French  1,105,000, the Germans nearly 2,000,000, and the Austria-Hungarian Empire   over 1,000,000.  Accounts of  Russian casualties vary widely, but the lowest figure given is around 3 quarters of a million. The Americans, who got in late, lost 53,000 plus. That's nearly 5,000 fewer troops than the Brits lost on the first day alone during The Somme Offensive in 1916.

On November 11, 1919 the British held the first Armistice Day ceremony on the grounds of Buckingham Palace. The observation of the ending of the war spread across Europe and then to America and Canada and other locales. And, then as these things always do its name and meaning began to morph.

In the UK Armistice Day became Remembrance Day , a moment to honor their war dead, no matter which conflict , plus those who survived them. It is much the same in Canada. 

In the U.S it became Veterans Day, where we recognize everyone who has served, no matter while in battle, or some mess hall at Fort Sill, Okllahoma. If you wore a uniform it is your day. Here in the States we, in theory, honor our fallen on Memorial Day in May. The weather is more amenable to drinking beer and cooking out than it is in November.

The late Kurt Vonnegut, along with others, wanted the 11th, to be called Veterans for Peace Day. He once wrote something along the lines of, "Armistice Day is sacred, Veterans Day by itself isn't."  Of course Vonnegut also urged Presidential Candidate, George McGovern to use the campaign slogan, "Lonesome No More." McGovern refused, then lost to Richard Nixon. Veterans for Peace Day did about as well.

WWI has been done with over 100 years now. Its sequel was finished nearly 80 years ago.. One thing we can be sure of though, is there will be more wars and more veterans. And we'll trot out the flags and parades every year so we can honor them and feel better about ourselves.

Well, that and give the bankers and postal employees the day off.

11-11-21

 

Two Ghosts on Dia de los Muertos

It has been ten years since Carina Saunders and Alina Fitzpatrick were murdered in the Oklahoma City metro area. Saunders was 19 years old. Fitzpatrick was 17. There is no evidence the two knew each other, or that the killings were connected in any way. Well at least beyond  the fact they both were  dallying at the edge of an abyss most middle class Americans prefer not to think about, if not outright deny.

Saunders' dismembered body, or at least most of it, was found in a field behind what was s then a Homeland grocery store. She was so far out of control by then her family didn't even think to report her missing for two weeks. At the time it was reported she had no fixed address. Her family claimed she had a beautiful singing voice and that her high school ambition was to sing opera professionally. By the time of her death that bar had been lowered considerably. Friends told the media she was aspiring to be an actress in porn films.

Alina Fitzpatrick wanted to be a nurse and her dream might have still been alive in early November of 2001. She was in school, although it was the suburban Putnam City School District's virtual high school program She had stopped going to classes at PC North because of bullying. It is an allegation the district still denies.

Still young Ms. Fitzpatrick was flirting with darkness. She had changed cell phone numbers because she had started  getting, "suspicious," calls. On the evening she disappeared friends let her off near the intersection of NW 24th and Western, not a terrible neighborhood, but still not one a parent would want a 17 year old child roaming around alone at night. 

The Saunders' murder was handled by the Bethany Police. Their main talent turned out being leaking the name of every suspect, potential witness, and informant's name to any and all local media outlets. Even details of the gruesome killing were made public as well as its possible site, or sites.. An urban legend arose which said Saunders' torture and mutilation were filmed on a phone.. People who allegedly said they had seen all, or part of the horrid video immediately recanted then left for parts unknown. . Charges were filed and all of them eventually dropped. The case was finally handed over to the OSBI, but it was too late.  It is now highly doubtful anyone with connections to the case remains in the area.

Alina Fitzpatrick's remains were found in an empty lot in far eastern Oklahoma City. Her nude body was covered with bruises and abrasions and a gag was stuffed into her mouth.. The state medical examiner, Dr. Chai Choy declared none of her obvious wounds were enough to cause her death. He also found enough meth in her system that she might have overdosed., but he really couldn't say for sure. He ruled her death, not as a homicide,  but as suspicious.  The Oklahoma City Police seemingly lost all interest soon after the ME's report came out. 

Years ago an anonymous commenter on this blog claimed they knew who did it and that person was in jail on unrelated charges. Whether that assertion is true, or not remains un proven.

What we do know is Alina Fitzpatrick would be 27 years old now and perhaps a nurse if she hadn't been murdered. Carina Saunders would be 29, although she was so far off into that oil slick world of drugs and sex she might never have made it this far. It isn't a lifestyle known for its longevity.

Ten years in this nation is a long time. The media has moved on to new horrors and the old ones are forgotten by the teeming masses. Indeed, how can one dwell on the ghosts of Carina Saunders and Alina Fitzpatrick when more than a few of us  are debating the politics of disease, climate change, and gun control..

Memories, however,  are always with us, if we just dig deep enough. It is why many call this day, Novembe 1st, as Dia de los Muertos.

11-1-21.  

   

A Death in New Mexico Empties the Root Cellars

 Break out the rolls of aluminum foil. It's time to make some hats.

It would seem all those rabid Clinton haters never really went away, they had just gone back to their root cellars for a while waiting for a chance to re-emerge. This past week they got one, even if the circumstances are so tenuous, so far out there, it makes the whole  zombie apocalypse thing sound perfectly logical..

Here is how it goes: Russian born cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was working on a movie in New Mexico when she died in a terrible on set tragedy. A prop gun wielded by actor Alec Baldwin, through gross, and  most likely criminal incompetence, was loaded with a live round. It went off, killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza, 

Then it turned  out Halyna Hutchins husband, Matthew worked for the law firm of Latham and Watkins at their home office in LA. It didn't matter that Latham and Watkins is a global firm with offices scattered from Los Angeles to places like Moscow. What did matter was Matt Hutchins is one of over 3,000 attorneys employed by an outfit defending Mike Sussmann, a lawyer who had worked for Hillary Clinton's 2020 campaign. Sussmann had been indicted by special counsel, John Durham for allegedly lying to the FBI.

To those dwelling in the murky waters of Clinton conspiracies the connection was clear. This was no coincidence, or accident. Baldwin, a known lefty, had done Billary a solid by offing the wife of a guy who may, or may or may not be connected to the Sussmann case.

Now some, particularly those of us not taking heavy doses of Thorazine wondered why the Clintons would put out a hit on the wife of a guy who might be defending their pal. Let's face it, the obvious target should have been the person pursing Sussmann's prosecution, John Durham.

Within a day or so we had an answer to that particular conundrum. A tweet from Halyna Hutchins', "verified," account appeared on right wing news sites. It was dated just days before her death. It claimed she had evidence that would guarantee Mrs. Clinton's incarceration. 

The tweet has since disappeared. Research into the account shows it was opened in April of this year and was rarely if ever used.. In fact Mrs. Hutchins thought so little of it she never even bothered to have Twitter issue her that little verification symbol. Her main social media outlet was Instagram where she was active to the end. Her last posts were centered around her work on the movie.. Not surprisingly Mrs. Clinton's name never came up.

In other words the damning tweet was a fake and not even a good one.

It is hard to pin down why huge numbers of Americans are willing to buy into any sort of lie, no matter how outlandishly stupid and cruel it is. They do though, especially when it involves politics and those they fear and oppose. 

Years ago it was thought technology and education would rid us of this vile scourge rather like it did witch trials and hangings.  

Tragically they both have simply made it worse.

sic vita est

10-26-21 

The Rise and Fall of Spencer Rattler

 He came out of Pinnacle High School in Phoenix, AZ. At the time he was considered the top quarterback nationwide in his signing class. Yes, Spencer Rattler had it all. His passes were as inerrant as cruise missiles and while he didn't have blazing speed, he could run effectively.

He chose to play college football at Oklahoma which was coming off a string of nearly unimaginable talented QBs. The first had been Baker Mayfield. He could scramble  out  of situations so dire it was as if he used the Star Trek transporter machine,  magically vanishing then almost instantly reappearing somewhere else down field.

Next was Kyler Murray who not only had an arm, but was so fast at times he was an absolute blur when he ran.

Both he and Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy. 

The following year, Rattler's true freshman season, 5th year senior transfer from Alabama, Jalen Hurts stepped in. He wasn't either Mayfield, or Murray, but at times dazzling. When he ran it seemed like he was gliding across the grass of Owen Field like a racing yacht does the water. Hurts placed second in the Heisman race.

During that year of our Lord 2019,Spencer Rattler made a few brief appearances of little consequence. The buzz around him, though, was growing. He was the next big thing at Oklahoma. He would  lead the Sooners to The Promised Land.

In 2020 Oklahoma stumbled early against both Kansas State and Iowa State. The masses quickly grew uneasy. During both games OU blew leads and as things were slipping away Spencer Rattler seemed less like the second coming of Johnnie Unitas and more like a jittery freshman who folded under pressure. During the first half against Texas his performance was so inept he was benched in second quarter.

Then, as they say, the worm turned. Coach Lincoln Riley put him back in at the beginning of the second half and Spencer Rattler played brilliantly, leading Oklahoma to a multiple overtime win. 

The local press and national sports media hailed that second half as Rattler's, "coming of age." Here, at last, was the super star everyone had been expecting. And for the remainder of the year he confirmed it time and time again.

During the following off season the breathtaking hype began in earnest. Young Mr. Rattler was proclaimed the prohibitive Heisman favorite. National media, NFL, "experts," told anyone and everyone he was the sure fire first  pick in the 2022 pro draft. Millions of dollars were headed his way. Indeed, songs would be written, women would swoon, children would be named after him.

Well, that's all gone now.

The first inkling of things going south showed up in the OU spring scrimmage. When it was done it had appeared to some the best quarterback on the field that day had been true freshman, Caleb Williams.

Then came the summer. The NCAA, under pressure from the courts and media began to allow college athletes to cash in on their name, image, and likeness. Spencer Rattler, the Heisman favorite immediately signed with NFL agent Chris Cabott. Soon came an endorsement deal with the restaurant chain Raising Cane. Then a weekend in Chicago at a sports memorabilia convention where he did the autograph for pay thing. To get  the future first pro pick's signature you had to fork over $150. For an inscription (You know, "To John, Spencer,) it was an additional $60. To take his photo it was $150 again. 

Later a web site showed up through which you could schedule THE Spencer Rattler for speaking engagements. Just contact his people and they'll let you know the fees involved. 

Presumably while all this was happing the rest of the Oklahoma Sooners, including Caleb Williams, were busting their collective arses  during summer workouts. 

The Sooners came out against a mediocre Tulane team utterly uninspired. Rattler threw two interceptions,--a third was nullified by a questionable pass interference call. 

By the second  quarter against West Virginia boos and chants of, "We want Caleb," were raining down primarily from the student section. The media was aghast, but admitted our man Rattler needed to turn it around in a hurry. 

He seemed to have done so a little bit against Kansas State. Even Williams tried to help. His only snap from center the ball careened off his hip and OU lost eight yards during a goal line situation. 

Then came Texas. It is a game the late Dan Jenkins referred to as, "College football's version of a prison riot." The contest spun out of control quickly. At one point the Longhorns built a 21 point lead. Things were so desperate in the 2nd period Oklahoma put Williams in for a 4th down quarterback sneak in its own territory. He exploded through the line and to the shock of everyone, especially Texas, ran 66 yards for a touchdown. 

The next time the Sooners got the ball Rattler turned it over with a fumble. Riley decided he'd had enough. Enter Caleb Williams, exit Spencer Rattler. .

There would be no second half second half chance for Spencer Rattler this year. It was Caleb Williams' team at that point and they responded with an epic comeback. Down by 18 at half time. Oklahoma won by seven.

Saturday night in Norman when the big screen announced Caleb Williams would be the starting QB the crowd's reaction was deafening. It was Caesar entering Rome after conquering Gaul. One can only imagine what was going through Spencer Rattler's mind, and his  agent's.

In truth we will never know what derailed Spencer Rattler's college football career. It might be he was simply overrated. Or, perhaps his team leadership skills were abysmal--he certainly didn't inspire confidence or, any sort of spark while he was on the field. What we do know is Caleb Williams has energized both the team and fan base as Rattler never did. And, all that Name Image, and Likeness shit, not to mention Chris Cabott, didn't help.

10-18-21

Tulsa 100 Years Ago: The Media, Dick, and Sarah

 Avoid the boastful intriguers who speak to you of racial equality/ There has never been such a thing in the history of the world. Nor will there ever be.

From a Tulsa World editorial addressing the black population of the city a few days after the Tulsa race massacre in 1921.

At the time there were two major, white owned newspapers in Tulsa. The World, published in the mornings, was considered the more progressive of the pair. The Tribune, which hit the streets in the afternoons was more lurid in content and aimed at a blue collar readership. It is reported on the afternoon of May 31, as a black suspect accused of attacking a white girl, sat in a cell on the top floor of the county court house, it ran an op-ed piece with the headline, "To Lynch a Negro Tonight." Within a few hours of its publication the terrible pogrom began.

Hey, who says the media doesn't matter?

The 19 year old kid on the top floor of the court house was identified at the time as Dick Rowland. The Tribune reported he went by, "Diamond Dick." Later accounts spelled his last name as, Roland. Years later researchers claimed his birth name was, either Jimmy Jones, or Johnny Jones. Apparently he arrived on the planet in Vinita, OK. His father was unknown. His mother had moved to Tulsa along with her three children a year, or so before and changed her name to Rowland.

The same day the Tribune ran the infamous op-ed it reported the suspect had attacked a young white girl who was operating the lone elevator in the Drexel Building in downtown Tulsa. It noted the victim had scratches on her hands and neck and her clothing had been torn. The story also described her as an orphan working her way through business school.

This was all news to Sarah Page, the alleged victim. After the nightmare was over she wrote a letter to the sheriff stating she had screamed only because Rowland accidently stepped on her toe. Why she didn't say that immediately remains a mystery.

So does she. Sarah Page had arrived in Tulsa only a few months before. The reports of the time listed her as 17, but some have claimed she was as young as 15. Later it was speculated she had come from Kansas City and was attempting to get away from a husband who she was in the process of divorcing. There have even been questions raised about her name, some believing Sarah Page was in fact an alias she was using in her bid to get away from her unknown spouse.

Years later it was rumored Rowland and Page were romantically involved--that when he stepped into that elevator, on Memorial Day, when most of downtown Tulsa was closed for the holiday, when arguably neither one of them should have been working, they had a lover's quarrel. 

Yes, there is a possibility what has been described as the most destructive act of racial violence in the history of the republic was caused by a teenaged girl who was so pissed off at her boyfriend she decided to let him stew in jail for a couple of days. Or, that she \and he were so scared their interracial affair would be exposed they both wouldn't own up to what really happened.

After Page's letter arrived prosecutors dropped the charges against Dick Rowland. He immediately and understandably got out of town. Relatives said he initially fled to Kansas City. They claim he died years later somewhere in the Pacific Northwest.

Sarah Page took off also. No one knows for sure where to. Rumors have it she went back to Kansas City where she and Rowland hooked up once again, before eventually going their separate ways. However that ending to their tale is pure conjecture.

The Tulsa Tribune lasted for decades after the death and destruction over those horrifying 18 hours ended. All evidence of the incendiary editorial have disappeared. Even microfiche records are missing the entire op-ed page for the day of May 31, 1921.

Indeed, all we are left with is the reality of what happened and the consequences. And we are still, finally, dealing with both 100 years later.

5-29-21

Dispatches From the Far Right Edge

 It's weird out there and not in a good way. So much so, sometimes it isn't hard to believe the former President of the United States not only fucked up the response to the COVID virus, but is patient zero when it comes to a far more pervasive disease. Indeed it's a malignancy that is spreading at a frightening rate despite his political demise. It is easy to spot those who have been infected. Just check out the dark corners of social media sometime. They are the ones who just won't shut up. Below you will see what I mean. 

Authors and posts are courtesy of Twitter user, Patriot Takes. His work researching this madness has been cited by MSNBC host Rachel Maddow.            

*Pepe Lives: (Pepe the Frog is a meme regularly used by white nationalists)

All signs point to Trump returning to the White House in legendary fashion. Who's ready to witness a nuclear level meltdown from the establishment...the likes of which we've never seen?

*Roger Stone: (Former and perhaps current Trump advisor, recent guest of the federal prison system)

Alex Jones for Governor of Texas!

*Forthright: (Unknown person presumably addressing Congressman Adam Schiff)

Hey ASSHOLE. Are you and your fellow sick-minded, radicalized liberals in the House of Reps gonna form a committee to investigate the events of January 6th? If you are, know that you will only incriminate yourself and Pelosi since the entire fucking charade at the Capitol was STAGED by the Democrats. 

*68KingKong: (An obvious fan of Tucker Carlson)

Was just watching some Tucker Carlson and I realized why I can't stand Joe Biden. Joe Biden should be hanged for his crimes against America! His actions are purposely taking America down. We should no longer sit by and watch this clown show.The dumb old bastard sickens me!

*John Miller: (A devotee of the aforementioned, Pepe the Frog)

Any immigration reform plan must have as one of its goals first the reduction and eventually the elimination of the black race in the USA.

*ccpkillah: (Someone who didn't do so well in English class)

I have my gats but I know that BLM antifa are pussy don't need my gat I'll fuckin stab them in the fuckin face I would love to find out who one of them are I would go to the house and do it bare hands.

*tfkUSA: (A real optimist who is also somewhat challenged by the language)

Every day I wake up with a smile knowing Trump and military are in charge and the plan is awesome. just wait for it! When the EBS kicks in, the whole world yell in joy best day ever coming.

Finally this, from the pulpit.

*Kenan: (An internationally unknown biblical scholar)

It's the second Beast that causes everyone to receive the Mark. The man of lawlessness. Joe 30330 divided the nation when through lies he took the highest office in the world in 2020. 2020 divided by 30330 equals 0.066600. And they will worship (believe in) his image. He will suffer a head wound and be resurrected. The Biden clone is the second Beast in the Revelation of Saint John.

Yes, it is true. There is something out there that looks and sounds human, but is terribly different from the rest of us. It doesn't feel like us, or think like us. I'm not even sure it breathes like us. In the end, it wasn't created by Donald Trump, but there is no doubt that son of a bitch let it out of the cage.

And now--we are left to deal with it.

5-22-17

Along Came Clyde

 Until the other day Georgia Congressman, Andrew Clyde's only claim to fame, or rather odd coincidence, was that he entered this world on the same day President John F. Kennedy exited it. While some psychic/reincarnation types might find that significant it should be noted Mr. Clyde was out of country on the date of his birth, having landed on the planet somewhere in Ontario, Canada.

After college he served as an active duty officer in the United States Navy for 11 years, then another 17, or so in the reserves. He also received an MBA from the University of Georgia and began selling firearms out of his Athens garage as a hobby. 

The hobby quickly grew into a thriving business known as Clyde Armory Inc. which has two expansive locations. It also had tax problems. The IRS seized around $940,000 from it at one point, although they ended up returning all but $40,000. Brother Clyde raised enough hell about the whole affair he ended up testifying in front of congress. Later a section of a bill signed by Donald Trump limiting the amount of money the IRS can grab was named in part after him.

No one knows for sure, but the odds are pretty good that testimony whetted Andy Clyde's taste for politics of the right wing persuasion. Last year he ran to represent Georgia's 9th congressional district. It was a crowded republican primary, but he came in second, then won the runoff. Since Georgia's 9th is so deep red--according to polling sources even redder than Marjory Taylor-Greene's 14th district--winning the general election was a foregone conclusion.

So on January 3rd, 2021 Athens' own Andrew Clyde was sworn in as a duly elected member of the United States House of Representatives. 72 hours later all hell broke loose.

After the coup failed the newly minted representative was one of  12 republican members of congress  to vote against awarding Capital Police gold medals for their defense of the building on that terrible day. Last Wednesday we found out why.

During a house committee meeting Mr. Clyde said, "Let me be clear. There was no insurrection. And to call it an insurrection, in my opinion, is a bald faced lie." He added that the video evidence of the rampaging mob looked like, "A normal tourist visit."

Yes, but only if you believe the German army was enjoying a group tour of Stalingrad in 1942.

Given his statements you have to wonder where Andrew Clyde was that cloudy afternoon during the, "non insurrection." Well we now have photo evidence of his whereabouts at least during part of it. He was, along with others, frantically barricading a door to the House Chamber with furniture--presumably in an effort to prevent the normal tourists from lynching him and everyone else in the place.

So is Congressman Clyde bat shit crazy, or simply an evil fuck? I prefer the latter, it's the realist in me.

He is where too many in the republican party are at right now. This gaggle of fascists are willing to say anything, including day is night and night is day to perpetuate their own power and myths. We have, as a nation, reached the surreal moment when Newspeak has become part of the rhetorical canon. It arrived only 37 years after Orwell's novel predicted it would.

Good luck negotiating deals with people like Andrew Clyde, Mr. Biden. And while  you're at it, for God's sake watch out for those tourists.

5-17-21 

Liz Cheney and the Right Wing Gotterdammerung

 Elizabeth Lynne Cheney, the republican congresswoman from Wyoming and third ranking GOP house member looks to be headed toward a political train wreck on Wednesday of this week. That's when her fellow republicans will vote to replace her as their conference chair..

This isn't the first time GOP House members have tried to give, Ms. Cheney the boot. Earlier this year, in February, the far right wing  attempted the same thing, but failed in a 145-61 vote. The difference between then and now being republicans were so stunned by her vote to impeach former President Donald Trump they apparently felt her action was some sort of horrible aberration--you know, like a minor stroke.

Of course, no one has ever accused the republicans of being the most astute medical diagnosticians so after Cheney refused to shut up about their cult leader they turned on her with a vengeance. The word traitor is flying about and probably in some corners, so is the term heretic. The day after tomorrow House Minority Leader, Kevin McCarthy, who supported her nearly three months ago, has already announced he will be voting for New York republican and Trump purist, Elise Stefanik.

There is precedent for this sort of thing. In the waning days of Herr Hitler's  Reich, his hard core became more virulent than they had been even when things were going well. Defeatists and purveyors of the truth were shot in the streets as a warning to others whose faith might be wavering. Although Ms. Cheney won't be put up against a wall, at least not yet, there is no doubt her days as a GOP mover and shaker are done.

Not that we should sympathize with her too deeply. After all, she helped plan and sell the Bush/Dick Cheney misadventure in Iraq. .She also sold her sister down the drain on the issue of gay marriage during an ill conceived run for the U.S. Senate in 2013. It was a campaign so crippled from the beginning she was forced to drop out for, "family health issues," before a single vote was cast.

So, Liz Cheney is quite familiar with political back stabbing. It is a great and treasured tradition in her family. So much so no one, but rank amateurs are surprised her old man hasn't said a word in public to support her.

In the end Representative Cheney's drumming from the corps tells us more about the current state of the republican party than it does her. When Trump was in office she voted exactly how he wanted her to over 93% of the time. It was only after she pointed out the truth, that the son of a bitch had tried to overthrow the government and was lying about the results of the 2020 election that The Almighty Base turned on her.

It is doubtful Donald Trump will run for the White House in 2024, but he and millions of his followers want to make sure a political and cultural clone of him does. It is, in truth, the politics of diminishing returns. The more success Joe Biden and democrats have the harder it will be to convince independents and those whose lives are impacted positively by their policies to fall for the Trumpian bullshit again.

Ultimately that is what Liz Cheney knows and what she is desperately trying to head off. Right now at least, it isn't working. 

Indeed, the loyalists are increasingly frantic because the Allies are on the move. They feel it all slipping away and they've gone mad with dread and hate. And anyone who even hints Trump and they are wrong must be dealt with.

It is, in the current scheme of things, their only solution as the right wing Gotterdammerung nears.

sic vita est

5-10-21

  

The Night It Seemed All Was Right With the Country

 What we witnessed last night during a COVID diminished joint session of Congress was a President delivering a Presidential address. The change in style, form, and content was jarringly different from what we have suffered through the last four years.

The bombast, the accusations, the ego driven nonsense, and the see through lies were all gone. When Joe Biden stood at the podium, backed for the first time in American history by a female speaker and Vice President, all seemed right with the country once again. 

Biden isn't a natural orator like Obama and certainly not on a par speaking wise with Jack Kennedy, but let's face it, Don Trump is a fairly easy act to follow. The stutter caught up with him two, or three times, but it never threw him off track. You could see him pause after those brief moments, gather himself, then carry on calmly with the tone of an elder statesman, rather than that of a carnival barker whipped up in a meth induced frenzy.

He explained what his administration had accomplished in its first 100 days without excessive hyperbole and outlined what he wanted to do sans apocalyptic bluster and grotesque oversell. In short, Mr. Biden spoke to us individually and the nation as a whole with dignity and humility. 

The reaction on the right bordered on stunned confusion. Ted Cruz, late of Cancun, seemed at times to be nodding off to sleep. At others, usually during the numerous rounds of applause, he glanced to his left, apparently shocked by the level of enthusiasm the President was generating. 

Mitch McConnell, the deposed king of the Senate. sat defensively. He steadfastly refused to applaud, even when Biden spoke about lowering child poverty by 50% and reducing the prices of prescription drugs for all Americans, including his own hard pressed constituents. He seemed made of stone, or salt, depending on your theological viewpoint.

Lauren Boebert, the mad Congresswoman from Colorado was much the same, although she managed to shake her head in disagreement when Biden touched on the epidemic of gun violence in America. In her defense she may have been depressed by the recently released video of the NRA's Wayne LaPierre's botched elephant hunt in Botswana. Not by the killing, of course, but by how it showed LaPierre is such a poor marksman that after three close range shots it was the guide who finally had to dispatch the poor beast.

This morning former Trump aide, Stephen Miller called Joe Biden's address, "lifeless." If by lifeless he meant the President didn't personally degrade political opponents by calling them derisive names, or otherwise make any statements the GOP could latch onto as outrageous, he was correct. Biden, among other things, didn't comment on the past election at all, or the insanity continuing in Arizona concerning the outcome in November. He even refused to tilt his head back, while thrusting out his chin like Miller's old boss had. It is a pose Donald Trump stole from the late, unlamented, Benito Mussolini. 

Trump himself made a call to Fox News, apparently because no one else will talk to him, whining about Biden not acknowledging his accomplishments. Yes, you can say many things about the former guy, but you'll never be able to deny he considers himself the most victimized man on the face of the planet.

A post speech national poll taken by CBS showed that 85% of the people who watched it approved of what Joe Biden said. That is a staggering number although in the past it has been proven most people watching a Presidential address are from his party. Still, a Reuters/IPSOS poll reveals Biden's approval rating 100 days in is at 55%, while 38% disapprove of the job he is doing. 

Finally, the really good news is there is a distinct feeling the Trump tsunami is ebbing, rolling back onto itself. Indeed, what republicans haven't seemed to grasp is the nation as a whole is tired of management by chaos and whim--that improv government doesn't work nearly as well as improv comedy.

Whatever the case, last night, Joe Biden proved he is the man America needs and, at least for the moment, the one it wants.

sic vita est

4-29-21

A Perfect Spring Day in Oklahoma City

 April 19th, 1995 fell on a Wednesday. On that day 26 years ago it was much like today in Oklahoma City. The sky was clear and so brilliantly blue it was if you could see all the way to God. The temperature, also like today, was mild enough for short sleeves. In other words it was shaping up to be a perfect spring day.

At around nine am however, all the perfection was shattered.

When the massive explosion ripped a huge chunk out of the Alfred P. Murrah federal building I was in Edmond, pulling out of a parking lot. I was driving a cab at the time while fielding a never ending stream of rejections for a novel I had written. The Yellow Cab dispatcher, who was located about 10 blocks north and one block west of the building, came on the radio. His exact words were, "What was that?" A split second later the sound of the blast rolled through. You felt it as much as heard it. The concussion set off car alarms throughout the parking lot. At that point I was about 11 miles north of downtown Oklahoma City.

I turned south onto what is still called the Broadway Extension. It's the highway which leads straight into downtown OKC from Edmond. A huge plume of smoke was rising over the skyline. My initial thought was that a plane had crashed in the middle the city. 

For reasons I'm not sure of I drove south to the 23rd St exit. By then every time the dispatcher came on the air his voice was nearly drowned out by sirens, what sounded like dozens and dozens of sirens. The state capitol complex, just east of 23rd and Broadway, had just ordered an emergency evacuation of all its workers. At the end of the off ramp I ran into what can best be described as traffic gridlock. 

The dispatcher said something about a gas line explosion. I wasn't convinced. Turning on the car's radio I found most of the rock and roll stations had hooked into TV feeds. The talking heads were babbling out of control. Confusion was rampant. No one knew what was going on, or what had actually happened. The word bomb would not be mentioned for another two, or so hours.

When it became obvious to everyone it was indeed a bomb rumors suddenly ran wild of a yet another device found in the remains of the Murrah building. A second panic ensued. Rescue workers were ordered off of the site, sometimes leaving survivors still half buried in the rubble. Local TV recorded scenes of people running through the streets like extras in a Godzilla movie. To this day no one knows who sounded the alert to a second bomb, which didn't exist.

Rescue squads returned later--some had refused to leave despite the threat of a second explosion--and continued to pull people from the building. That night a surgeon had to perform an emergency amputation of a woman's leg which was hopelessly trapped and mangled beneath a concrete slab. 

In all 168 people were officially listed as dead, including 19 babies and toddlers in a second floor daycare center. The body count might be off since there was a spare leg found on the street which didn't match any of the other victims, but no one wanted to pursue the matter.

The beast who drove the Ryder rental truck loaded with 50 gallon drums packed with Ammonium Nitrate fertilizer and diesel fuel, then parked it directly in front of the building, was arrested the afternoon of the explosion. He was fleeing north on I-35 and was stopped by a Highway Patrol Trooper. The arrest charges had nothing to do with the bombing. His getaway vehicle didn't have a license plate and he was carrying a concealed weapon. 26 years later, thanks to the Oklahoma legislature the second charge would have been moot, because its now legal in Oklahoma for anyone to conceal and carry a weapon without any sort of license, or training.

Tim McVeigh was arrested by the FBI the next morning mere minutes before he walked out of the Noble County jail on bail. His bondsman was quoted that day as saying, "That boy needs a lawyer worse than anyone I've ever seen."

McVeigh got one, but it didn't do him any good. He was executed in June 2001. Less than three months after his death radical Islamic terrorists flew two planes into the World Trade Center Towers and another into the Pentagon. A fourth would plow into a field in Pennsylvania. Timothy McVeigh's act of terrorism paled in comparison both in its scope and number of casualties. Since then, outside of Oklahoma City, most American don't even remember him, or the horror of that day.

The shock felt on the 19th turned into a profound sense of violation for most residents of OKC by the next morning. It soon morphed to anger, then a desperate hunger for revenge. McVeigh's accomplice, Terry Nichols escaped the needle and is spending life in federal prison. When he was sentenced Oklahoma City howled for his blood.

All this happened a generation ago. But, as we've seen the Tim McVeighs are still with us. In fact, some of them are currently sitting in Congress.

As the green lady once said, "What a world, what a world."

4-19-21

The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time Syndrome

 So what is a 19 year old American kid to do when his Mom calls the authorities and tells them he has gone a little funny in the head? In March of last year that is exactly what Brandon Hole's mother did. She had become so concerned over her child's mental stability she believed he might pick up his pump action shotgun then in some way provoke the police into killing him. It's an act known as, "suicide by cop."

Her concerns were taken seriously. The FBI dropped by for a little chat with Brandon and shortly thereafter his shotgun was confiscated. At that point the state of Indiana had two weeks to prove in court young Mr. Hole was too bats to possess his weapon, or any other.

That is when things went awry. For one reason, or another the court hearing which would determine Brandon Hole's competency to own a firearm was never held. So even though the police hung onto the shotgun it remained perfectly legal for him to go out and buy another weapon of his choice.

Which exactly what he did--twice. Once was in last July, then he bought another in September. They were, of course, assault style rifles capable of far more efficient carnage than his shotgun.

Hole showed up Thursday at a FedEx warehouse in Indianapolis carrying them both. In the end he didn't wait for the cops to shoot him. He saved them a few bullets by blowing his own brains out, but only after he had killed eight innocent people simply because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

In the United States The Wrong Place, at the Wrong Time Syndrome has become an increasingly common cause of death. Currently the cure for it continues to elude us even though it is out there, right in front of us.

Yes, thanks to the legislative prowess of the gun fetish crowd this insane shit isn't going to stop. On Thursday in Indianapolis even their, "good guy with a gun," nonsense was proven just that. According to one survivor someone in the FedEx parking lot attempted an armed response to the attack. That person ended up becoming part of the body count.

There is some minor disagreement on what a mass shooting is, however most sources define it as four, or more victims excluding the perpetrator in the same approximate location around the same time. Through March of this year, according to Wikipedia, there have been 126 mass shootings in the United States. 148 people have been killed and another 485 wounded.

Indeed, the price of freedom , as they say, is high. 

Especially if you end up being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

4-18-21

Dick's Law

 Reality is just a point of view.

Author, Philip K. Dick

Phil Dick was a bit of a prophet. He keeled over from a stroke in early 1982 long before anyone outside of New York City knew about the ever shifting realities of Donald J. Trump, not to mention those of his avid devotees.

One can only imagine what the author of "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" would say if he had to live with the QAnon culture and those who promote it. Let's face it, Big Don might be out of office, but he's not gone and neither are his somewhat mentally fractured followers.

Here are a few of the latest samples  of their realities to dwell on. (All spelling, grammar, and syntax are original from the authors.)

Shelly Leiter posted her take on a popular theme running through the twisted halls of Parler, "It's already been proven that the Democrats paid ANTIFA and BLM to infiltrate the peaceful Trump really"  (sic)

Of course one of the problems the ultra right has is they tend to turn on each other over purity issues. The wit named, Catturd writes, "If you don't know that Mitch McConnell is a scumbag, Deep State, POS - you're not listening."

Another common thread posted was under the heading, "Emergency Alert," because for some it probably is, "Presidential Alert: Just a friendly reminder that Trump is still your President."

Then there are the guns, always the guns. Murphycat 2012 warns, "Its known there are 20% up to 30%  leftist fucks infiltrated in the Military and who will cause FALSE FLAGS to make the dream of gungrab for the left make come true."

Catturd's take on the pandemic: "According to The Left...your immune system is now a conspiracy theory."

Returning to the whole stolen election thing, NeonRevolt says, "Hey Biden, God is giving you one last chance. Come out and admit before the entire world that the election was a fraud, who was involved, and that Trump was the real, legitimate winner. Do this, and history will look upon you more favorably."

As a follow up to that, JJ ofArk writes, "President Trump is popular all over the USA and that's why he won a second term."

And finally one, Albert Curtis gets to the heart of the matter without beating around the bush:"What is most important: The WHITE RACE! The White Race made MADE THE WESTERN WORLD! There is NO 'western world' full of MESTIZO and Black Engineers, Doctors and Philosophers! Equality? SHEEEIT...that is a patent LIE! Races are NOT EQUAL! Race is real! Race Matters! WHITE IS BEST!"

Who says the internet isn't great?

Yes, Phil Dick was right, he just never realized how right he would be.

*Note--These bon mots were originally gleaned from Parler then reposted by the Twitter user Patriot Takes. He keeps track of these horrifying rubes on a regular basis at, no doubt, great risk to both his health and sanity.

4-7-21

Conspiracy and Chaos in Oklahoma

There is a conspiracy afoot in Oklahoma. I know this because for the last two months I've been trying to get my driver's license renewed. Little did I know when I started this quest that the dark forces of the bureaucracy and dare I say, evil itself, would thwart me and perhaps thousands of others from achieving our goal.

If you are to believe the perpetually surly clerks at three different tag agencies, the place you go to renew, there are a variety of reasons for this on going nightmare. COVID-19 began it all with shortened business hours and social distancing which limits the number of people allowed inside each agency. It also caused scads of people to put off  renewing because of virus induced cases of Agoraphobia. Now that the vaccines have arrived and flat out desperation has set in the fear has been overwhelmed by those, who like myself, understand we've become moving traffic violations.

In addition there is a mad rush to secure the federally mandated Real ID by October of this year. By then you'll need one in order to fly the friendly skies So even the people with valid licenses are thrown into the mix, because--you know--driving to Honolulu for that much anticipated holiday vacation isn't really an option.

Finally, according to a least two different agencies I've dealt with there are software problems and glitches in the new programs meant to issue DL's and the Real ID's which have slowed processing times to a crawl. According to one tag agency web site once you do get to the head of the line, the wait is 15 minutes, "if the software is up and running." The site declined to speculate on how long it would take if the system was down. 

Such cautions are a tad less than confidence inspiring. However the real problem remains getting to the head of the fucking line in the first place.

The insanity is so rampant two of the agencies I've contacted curtly informed me they no longer issue any sort of Ids at all. They will sell  you new car tags and process your auto's title and registration, but if you want a new DL hit the road, Jack.

Broadway Tag in the suburb of Edmond takes walk ins between the hours of 8:30 and 10:30am only. Once the witching hour hits they stop and go to reservations only. The last time I showed up there the walk in line began forming at 7am. They take reservations for the following week exclusively on line at 5pm on Fridays. When I tried to book the mad dash for a spot was so severe their web site crashed about four minutes after it opened up. 

The results were similar with the Northside Tag Agency in Oklahoma City. They take reservations at 9am every morning for the next day. 

My favorite place though is the Village Tag Agency, also in OKC. To get a reservation for the following week you have to show up in line before 8:30am on the prior Wednesday. They charge $10, cash, or check only, just to book the reservation. 

Who says capitalism isn't great?

Despite the scam I showed up there at 7:45 last Wednesday. There was already around 100 people in line. I took one look then drove to a bagel shop about a block away. The bagel with cream cheese and a coffee cost me less than six bucks.

Yes, and there are actually people complaining how difficult it is booking the shots. They're all weak. Tell those two bit whiners to come to Oklahoma for a driver license renewal. Then they'll understand what chaos and frustration really is.

sic vita est

3-31-21

The Political Power of Raccoon Killers

 That didn't take long. A mere six days after Robert Aaron Long went off his nut in Atlanta another 21 year old, Ahmad Al Aliwi Alissa ran amok in Boulder, Colorado. By the time he was wounded and surrendered to police nine people who were in the wrong place at the wrong time and one cop who responded to the shooting were dead.

Long, despite substantial statistical evidence to the contrary, claims his crimes weren't inspired by racial hatred, but rather driven by an attempt to purge himself of a sinful addiction. As of this moment there isn't any word about Alissa's motive, although one of his brothers was quick to point out there have been signs of deepening paranoia for years.

The media, politicians, and forums like Twitter responded to the two nightmares differently. In the case of Aaron Long, who used a hand gun in three different locations, the focus was on race and bigotry. Six of the eight victims were Asian and the three establishment which were so dangerously tempting to him were Asian owned. His weapon of choice seemed entirely secondary to the narrative. Perhaps that's because even the most zealous anti gun crusader knows there is no fucking way to get any sort of pistol banned in this country.

Then along came Brother Alissa on Monday in Boulder. He stepped into the parking lot of the King Sooper's grocery store at 2:30 pm armed with a variation of the AR-15, the preferred weapon of deadly American psychos from sea to shining sea.

Politicians, left and right, and every sort of media known to humankind immediately charged head long into the gun control shouting match. Over the last 48 hours the shit, as they say, has hit the fan.

As if to provide brief sideshows to the main event at least one right wing publication claimed Alissa's very presence in the country was Barack Obama's fault. He arrived, "The Daily Truth," wrote when Obama threw open the borders to Muslims. Yeah, well the only problem there is Ahmad Alissa's family arrived in the United States when he was two years old during the first term of George W. Bush. Others, of the Q variety, began posting--you guessed it--the entire tragedy was faked.

Today on CNN a Colorado congressman, in response to a question about why anyone would need one, maintained many of his constituents owned AR-15s in order to shoot, "raccoons and other pests." Fellow Colorado representative, Lauren Boebert waited two whole hours after the shooting stopped before sending out a fundraising email saying she needed financial help to stop Beto O'Rourke from taking all, "our," guns. Yesterday, Texas Senator Ted Cruz, late of Cancun, told Congress that, as always, democrats were using the shooting to, "conduct useless acts of political theater." He offered the families of the victims, "his thoughts and prayers."

The democratic controlled house pushed through a bill which would require stringent universal background checks, but passage in the senate is problematical. In truth the only way democrats will pass any meaningful gun control legislation is to nuke the senate filibuster rule. It's a strategic maneuver needed for more than the gun issue, but, thanks to WV democrat Joe Manchin's opposition the odds of it happening are slim to none.

So there we have it. The same old response to the same old horror. Nothing. Biden can talk about banning assault type weapons all he wants, but democrats can't even get a bill for background checks passed. How well do you think an outright ban on certain weapons will fare? 

Yes, despite most polls showing at least 60% of Americans desiring some sort of meaningful gun control republicans won't budge. Indeed you can say many things about them, but you will never be able to accuse the bastards of being responsive to the majority of people in the United States.

But hey, at least we know all those raccoon killers will remain happy. Who knew they've become such a political force?

sic vita est

3-24-21

Having a Really Bad Day in Atlanta

 Yesterday was a really bad day for him...

Cherokee County, GA sheriff's department spokesperson, Jay Baker describing suspected mass shooter, Robert Aaron Long.

Well, Long's day wasn't nearly as bad as the one experienced by the nine people he allegedly shot. Eight of them are now dead. Seven of the victims were women, six of them of Asian descent. All were located in Asian themed massage parlors, or spas.

The media and politicians from Atlanta to Washington immediately labeled the the murders as hate crimes. The police involved in the investigation have so far refused to give a definitive motive, other than the, having a really bad day, hypothesis. This reluctance has infuriated many on the left side of things who are quick to point out Asian and Pacific Island Americas have been increasingly targeted by raging idiots who blame them for the COVID virus.

As if to confirm the liberal suspicions, within hours after his first TV appearance it was found Cherokee County's pride and joy, Jay Baker had been hawking tee shirts earlier this year that read, "COVID-19, Virus Imported from Chy-Na." Other social media reports claimed he was a former employee of Blackwater U.S.A. the nefarious outfit owned by Erik Prince, but at this time that rumor remains unverified if not a tad irrelevant.

Meanwhile, the suspect himself, has, according to the authorities, confessed to the crimes. Young Mr. Long stated, however, the race of the victims had nothing to do with his rampage. He reportedly claims he has a sex addiction which made him go a little funny in the head. The reason he attacked the three Asian owned and staffed businesses, he says, is because they were temptations to him which needed to be eliminated. When he was busted on the evening of the killings he was southbound on I-75, according to him, heading to Florida to shoot up some porn industry locations.

Nancy Grace, an always questionable source, seemingly confirmed the sex addiction angle. She claimed Long's parents, both deeply religious, had kicked him out of their house because all he did was sit around during the day watching porn.

Every high school classmate who has been interviewed began their descriptions of  Aaron Long by saying something like, "I didn't know him very well, but...". Yes, we've heard it all too many times before--he was quiet, he didn't socialize that much. Only this time those descriptions might not be completely accurate.

According to others Long, himself, was quite religious. He was not only active in church groups, but was a key member of his school's chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He had told other students God had a plan for him to speak the gospel.

Predictably his second love was guns.

All this paints a confusing picture. What we do know for sure is Long's face was caught on security cameras at one of the locations. The photos went out over the internet. Members of his family took one look, then called the police. They even gave them his cell phone number. It's how the cops were able to track him down on the road south of Atlanta so quickly.

What we also know is hate crimes against Asian and Pacific Island Americans are on the rise, encouraged by people's ignorance about the nature of the virus and enabled by a certain former president. 

Indeed, given what has gone on the past year and the identity of the victims dismissing what happened in Atlanta on Tuesday as something other than a hate crime is difficult to do. 

No matter how bad of a day Aaron Long was having.

3-18-21 

A Long American Tradition Continues

 In the summer of 1947 the Roswell, New Mexico newspaper, The Roswell Daily Record ran a headline saying a UFO had crashed near the local Army Airforce base. A large chunk of the public went nuts over the news, much of it still is.

The Army Air Force quickly issued a statement which said it wasn't an alien spacecraft that had pancaked out in the wilds of New Mexico, but rather the wreckage recovered was that of a weather balloon. Their denial quickly spawned speculation that they were trying to cover things up. Within a few years rumors of alien bodies and autopsies began to circulate. There was even talk of some super secret U.S. agency, one presidents don't even know about, hiding the truth from the American people. 

Later came the mysteries of, Area 51, a place so secret the military refused to admit it even existed until 2013. That was 16 years after the movie, "Men in Black," was released. It was a comedy which revolved around a secret agency hiding the presence of aliens among us--you know, like the X Files on steroids. It was also 50 years after the assassination of John F. Kennedy which inspired conspiracies which ran off in so many different directions it is nearly impossible to list them all. 

At the moment more than a couple of cable TV networks run a number of series touting grand conspiracies. One of them, OAN claims to be a news outlet.  

The point being as far back as 74 years ago segments of the American people were starting to believe their government was hiding something from them, that there were unseen powers controlling the press and manipulating the information we were seeing and hearing. It didn't take long for the phenomenon which began with UFOs in Roswell to morph into murky cabals pulling the strings of presidents, prime ministers, and just about anyone else who publicly held power. 

Throw in solid doses of racism, anti-Semitism, religious fundamentalism, and good old stupidity and we've arrived at a place where everything is a conspiracy. 

Indeed, if we don't like it, no matter what it is, some evil force outside of public view must be behind it. If you wanted Trump to win last November, battalions of conspirators came together to coordinate his downfall from Georgia, to Pennsylvania, to Michigan, and finally Arizona. If you were desperate to see Mitch McConnell lose his Senate seat the election in Kentucky must have been rigged because he kept it. 

The right wing of this country seems more prone to believe in conspiracies perhaps because they remain in perpetual states of victimhood and outrage. These aggrieved conditions appear to come naturally to them, although they were aggressively nurtured by the former President and his political minions.

So much so, on the 6th of January this year they tried to forcibly steal back what they claimed, without any evidence other than Trump's caterwauling, was a stolen election. The irony of attempting to destroy the constitution which they claimed to have wanted to preserve was utterly lost on them.

Yes, things get weird with conspiracies. The problem is, like opioids, the more you involve yourself with them the more outlandish they must become. The pizza joint basement thing is passe, as are the deaths of Vince Foster and Seth Rich. 

Yes, we must move onward and, let's face it, into the beyond. 

The latest from QAnon: Joe Biden isn't in the White House at all. He is on a sound stage made to look like the Oval Office at an unknown location. Donald Trump remains in charge of the military and he's just waiting for the right time to strike.

Ah, a long and unbroken American tradition continues.

3-10-21

A Flock of Seagulls in Orlando

 This weekend is the annual CPAC confab and the right wing has gathered in Orlando rather like a huge flock of squawking seagulls hovering above a loaded garbage scow. It is a joyously outraged group there to rail against the democrats, preach the gospel of far right conservatism, and this year in particular praise all things Trumpian.

It is also an audition of sorts for 2024 republican presidential hopefuls. 

Indeed, Senators Josh Hawley and Ted Cruz, along with people like former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo have been on the oddly rune shaped stage whipping the audience into frenzies. It's no secret they and others covet the Oval Office now occupied by Joseph R. Biden.

These wannabes have a problem though and it is named Donald Trump. Indeed, despite the disasters of the Trump presidency the republican base remains steadfastly loyal to The Big Orange Guy. This, slavish, yea creepy, devotion is probably as unexplainable to the prospective nominees as it is to sane people. Let's face it a person in charge of a political party who first lost the house, utterly bungled the national response to a health care crisis, was impeached twice, then handed over the senate to the opposition and finally got routed in his re-election bid shouldn't retain a following as fervent as Big Don has. 

Yes, Hawley and Cruz may have urged the mob on during the nightmare of January 6th, but those deadly lunatics were there for Donald John Trump--ready and willing to literally kill for him.

The cult of personality is so strong there is a grotesquely surreal golden statue of the former president welcoming attendees to the Orlando Hyatt. It holds a magic wand in one hand, as if to explain his hypnotic hold on the former party of Lincoln.

As these words are being typed El Donald is supposed to be speaking to his adoring fans. However, Trump, being Trump, is late. Fox News is reporting it will be an hour and a half before he begins his address which is expected to last up to two hours. That means his appearance will stretch into the traditional news times in both the Eastern and Central Time Zones. Odds are it is a calculated delay meant to provide maximum TV coverage.'

Speculation is The Great Loser won't declare his 2024 candidacy today. No, today will be just another opportunity to scream the election was stolen, to rage about the actions of Joe Biden, and probably condemn the few republicans who voted to impeach and condemn him to the political wilderness.

If we've learned anything about him though it is he's unpredictable. Once those Trumpists begin to applaud and shower him with rabid adulation all the noise goes straight to his brain where it percolates like some vile intoxicant. If the spirit fills him he is liable to do sooner what is inevitably to come later, 

That's right, Brother Trump, if physically able, is going to run again, much to the chagrin of the Josh Hawleys of the world. Trump's ego demands it--besides he needs more disposable cash which another campaign will furnish him with.

And in the end, those two things, ego and money, are what drive that terrible force of nature known as Don Trump. Of that there can be no doubt.

2-28-21

Ted's Excellent Vacation

A trip away from the awful cold and collapse of the power grid in Texas probably seemed like a good idea at the time. However, if you are the junior Senator, a former and possible future presidential candidate--one who over the years has repeatedly criticized others for taking vacations--the optics for Ted Cruz weren't going to be good . Especially after giving a radio interview 48 hours prior to departure urging fellow Texans to stay at home during the apocalyptic storm and hug their kids.

Yes, no matter how he tried to spin it, Mr. Cruz couldn't help but appear to be a hypocritical rat escaping from a ship sinking in deep, ice filled, waters. 

Like many republicans now days the Senator spewed a rapid fire series of lies trying to explain his behavior then abandoned each one shamelessly as they were quickly exposed. He didn't hesitate to blame his children, Caroline and Catherine, plus a few of their friends. They were complaining about the house being freezing, he said, they wanted to get away. Obviously they weren't buying that stay at home and get hugs shit. 

At first Cruz told the media he had always planned on staying for just the night, despite luggage which appeared packed for a much longer stay. It turned out the original return flight had been booked for Saturday, three days later, but was then rescheduled early Thursday morning for that evening. You know, after the shit hit the fan and Texas senior Senator John Cornyn was liking tweets which were saying he was handling the crisis better than Mr. Ted.

After returning, Cruz said, even as he was boarding the plane on Wednesday he felt it was wrong to jet off into the glowing Mexican sun while the rest of Texas froze stiff in the darkness. The media outcry wasn't the reason he came back, it was his sense of duty to the suffering citizens of the state.

The New York Times found a series of group texts sent by the Senator's wife, Heidi. They were breezy invitations to friends to join them in their escape from the mini ice age down to Cancun where the hotel rooms were, "only," $350 per night. It turns out Ted also invited his old college roommate, David Panton along for a few shots of tequila. 

Ah, quite the sense of duty.

The truth is Brother Cruz made, as he later admitted, a huge mistake. In this age of smart phones and social media he thought he could sneak away for a few days of fun and sand unbeknownst to anyone. In the words of Bugs Bunny, "What an ultra-maroon."

Well he's back now. Not in Texas, but in Washington sitting in on the confirmation hearing of Merrick Garland. At last look he was accusing the Obama administration of nefarious stuff. In other words up to his old tricks while no doubt hoping the whole would be fiesta in Cancun will blow over. 

At last count at least 20 Texans are dead from the storm while tens of thousands are still without potable water and power. Hundreds more are facing massive electric bills thanks to the state's dubious, "market price," energy policies.

Hey, who says capitalism and those like Ted Cruz don't care? 

2-22-21

Waiting for the Great Blizzard of '21

There is a different breed of meteorologist working the air waves in Oklahoma City. All of them tend to fall in a strange category that rests somewhere on the fringes of science and hysteria, of televangelism and reality. They never fail to leave the distinct impression nothing thrills them more than weather related catastrophes. 

Here on the southern plains it is usually the month of May, the height of tornado season, that revs their engines. Indeed, when those dark clouds begin to roil somewhere north east of Lawton, then come roaring straight up the H.E Bailey Turnpike like a berserk pagan god, their pulses quicken and faces flush. They will preempt even the likes of Doctor Phil McGraw, not just to warn the public, but to plug their fantastic radar systems which, according to them, will save your life so long as you tune in to their station.  

None of them epitomized  this phenomenon more than KWTV's Gary England. During the middle of a tornado out break his excitement was so visceral it caused many to believe he was in the throes of a crude and perverse sexual act.

Alas England is gone now, retired, perhaps selling Amway franchises to suburban rubes, but others have risen to take his place. And even though it isn't May, KFOR's Mike Morgan and England's replacement, David Payne, have been howling all week that the end is near.

Yes nothing freaks Oklahomans out more than ice and snow. Tornados are a fact of life, but extreme cold and piles of winter precipitation are rare. Enough so the city's attitude in most its neighborhoods is, a snow storm is an act of God, so God can damn well take care of the clean up.

Early this week a light, icy mist fell. Within a day the wind kicked up and dried the streets off, but the temperature continued to fall. By Wednesday the local weather people began talking about a massive Siberian cold front which could bring record snow fall and lows. Morgan issued a dire, yea apocalyptic, warning saying citizens had only two full days to prepare for nearly a week of killer cold and up to 18 inches of snow. This in a town which grinds to a stop when only three inches fall.

The adult population of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area promptly went ape shit.

When we hit the grocery store on Thursday afternoon the scene was utter chaos. The toilet paper aisle--it's always toilet paper--was stripped nearly bare, as was the dry cereal aisle. Milk was quickly disappearing, so were frozen pizzas. The lines to check out stretched half way to the back of the store. 

Meanwhile Morgan and Payne were doubling down on their forecasts despite accusations of fear mongering by out of town meteorologists. The only thing which changed in their forecast was the timing. Now, they said, the storm wouldn't get here until late Saturday, early Sunday and it would linger through next Thursday.

So, at this moment on Saturday afternoon, thin sunlight is filtering through a flat layer of clouds. The off and on flurries have ceased for the moment and the temperature is a balmy 14f with a wind chill of -2f. Every faucet in the place is running. We've dealt with broken pipes before and neither of us are in the mood to do so again. 

Yes, we are prepared for The Great Blizzard of '21. Well at least we think we are. If the purveyors of doom are correct we will find out for sure by Monday, or Tuesday. If they aren't, I suppose we will just have to wait until May.

sic vita est

2-13-21

Marjorie, Mike, and Don

 What happened next was Georgia Congresswoman, Marjorie Taylor-Greene stood up on the floor of the United States House and said everything she has posted on social media the last four years, or so was wrong. According to her she had found the QAnon conspiracies fascinating, easy to believe, but ultimately false. She also pointed out that during her campaign she never mentioned Q, or any other magical, mystery person, unless you count Donald John Trump.

The democrats weren't buying her excuses. They, along with eleven republicans, voted to remove Taylor-Greene from her committee assignments, proving even the phoned in support from the former President doesn't count for squat these days.

In fact, the day went so poorly for the Representative some of the true believers accused her of selling out. 

One wrote, "You just cucked out and are letting them win. What a great concession speech. Did they get to you already? One month in congress was all it took? What blackmail did you take?" Another posted, "You just apologized for your beliefs to appease the swamp. I don't think you're much better than them at this point. And finally this, "You conned Patriots into giving you $150,000. You are now part of the swamp, Felicia Greene!"

Yes, the MAGA crowd is an unforgiving lot--not surprising considering they're hard core fascists. Which probably explains why today Taylor-Greene went on Twitter to call the democrats and republicans who voted against her, "morons." She added that being a conservative on a committee in the democratically controlled congress had no meaning, that all her enemies had done was free her up to constantly--endlessly--speak her mind 

In other words, No matter what I said, I didn't want to be on your stupid committees anyway. Now I'll take my ball and go somewhere else on the playground.

Not to worry though. My Pillow CEO, Mike Lindell is still working on the surreal phantasm and unlike Taylor-Greene he isn't backing down an inch. Over the last five days Brother Lindell has put together a three hour epic, "documentary." He says it will, "absolutely," prove deliberate voter fraud involving Dominion and Smartmatic voting machines, not to mention the Chinese and corrupt Georgia republican elected officials.

The, "documentary," will air tonight on the obscure alt right news outlet, OAN. Of course OAN is a tad jittery about the broadcast since both corporations are suing the living shit out of just about everyone who has pushed conspiracies involving their machines. Forbes is reporting the network will issue an on air disclaimer before broadcasting the event which says, among other things, Lindell is solely and exclusively responsible for the content and that the My Pillow guy paid the network for the air time. OAN goes further by saying it, "does not adopt or endorse," any claims made by Mr. Lindell.

Forbes also reported the chief legal counsel for Dominion issued a statement basically telling OAN if they air the program they own responsibility for it. It's not an idle threat. Dominion has already filed a $1.3 billion law suit against Trump shills Sidney Powell and Rudy Giuliani. Smartmatic has recently sued both Powell and Giuliani plus Fox News and three of its anchors for $2.7 billion.

Mike Lindell isn't phased by any of the financial dangers he might be facing. He is on record as saying he welcomes possible legal actions.

Hey, in for a penny, in for $2.7 billion, right?

Meanwhile The Big Orange Guy has reportedly told fellow Mar a Lago exiles he is confident Joe Biden will be unseated and by sometime in March he will return to the Oval Office gloriously triumphant. The current QAnon date for this fabulous resurrection is March 4th.

Well, as they say, crazy is as crazy says and does.

And right now there are some seriously crazy people in this country.

2-5-21

The Possible Future of the Republican Party

 Marjory Taylor-Greene was elected to Georgia's 14th congressional district in November, 2020. That's not bad for a woman who initially filed for the state's 6th district, the one she actually lived in. Taylor-Greene was able to switch races because Georgia law allows a person to run for any seat so long as they are a legal resident of the state. If the same sort of statute applied to Oklahoma a person living in Idabel could run to represent the greater Boise City metroplex which sits 567 miles northwest.

The reason for her decision was fairly simple. The GOP incumbent, Tom Graves had decided not to run again. In addition the 14th is solidly republican, so much so it is rated as the 10th most republican district in the nation. On the other hand, the 6th, isn't a sure thing since its roots dip into the Atlanta suburbs and the heart of democratic territory in Georgia. 

And honestly, Marjory Taylor-Greene needed a sure thing to win, because, you see, she is bat shit crazy.

As late as 2017 Taylor-Greene was posting on social media accusations that Hillary Clinton was guilty of things like pedophilia, human sacrifice, and the murder of political enemies. The future Congresswoman was also a proponent of the pizza gate nonsense. In other words she has been an avid fan of the exquisitely amorphic alt right, alt reality guru, Q.

During that heady first year of Donald Trump's presidency Ms. Taylor-Greene posted a video on Facebook which featured her saying, "There's a once in a life time opportunity to take this global cabal of Satan-worshipping pedophiles out and I think we have the president to do it." 

A little less than two years ago she was saying a plane didn't hit the Pentagon on 9-11 and despite that big hole in the building there was no evidence of it ever happening. During the same time frame she claimed the entire nightmare of 9-11 was a U.S. government plot.

Indeed that pesky and wildly sneaky American government has always been in on evil shit. According to Taylor-Greene the 2012 mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary and the one at Parkland, FL, Stoneman Douglas High School in 2018 were both false flag operations designed to whip up support for anti gun legislation. To prove how globalist the anti gun movement was she said the same thing about the massacre at a mosque in Christchurch, New Zealand, although she never identified which flag was being--well--falsified.  

During her campaign last fall there was a feeble attempt to step away from all the previous madness. She remained mum on Q during the race and told the media she had found, "misinformation," on sites dedicated to it. However she never expressed regret for any of her previous writings and videos. Just as she never admitted some of that damnable misinformation might have come directly from her. 

Hey, as they say, we all must move on.

When she reached congress less than three weeks ago she immediately began screeching Georgia's governor and secretary of state, both life long republicans, had either been duped by Stacey Abrams, or sold Trump down the river for personal gain. Just to make sure we know she isn't fucking around the day after Joe Biden was inaugurated Taylor-Greene filed an article of impeachment claiming Biden had abused the power of his office.

This would be darkly comical, but given the events of January 6th and the unyielding insanity of people like Taylor-Greene and those who listen to her any humor is ill placed. Indeed, she and the like minded might be nuts, but so was Herr Hitler and the rest of his crew and look where that got Germany.

Yes, this is the horrific state of politics in America at the moment. Ladies and gentlemen meet, the gentlewoman from Georgia and the possible future of the republican party, Marjory Taylor-Greene.

1-26-21

QAnon Dies a Sudden Death: Mighty Trump Has Struck Out, But Others Step Into the Batter's Box

Yesterday was a hard one if you are among those who believe in the Q mythology. The word had gone out after the failed coup on the 6th of January that their Golden Calf, Donald Trump had one more, grand, move to make.

The inauguration of Joe Biden was a gigantic set up perpetrated by the mystical leader they said. Trump had it planned perfectly. The entire democratic leadership had been lured into one place. Before either Kamala Harris or the President Elect would take their oaths of office all commercial TV and radio broadcasts would be cut off. Employing the National Emergency Broadcast System Trump would appear to declare martial law. At that moment the newly minted Space Force, the President's personal branch of the military, would arrest every single democrat present, plus a few of the Hollywood elite who were hanging out in Washington. Very quickly all those globalist pedophiles, baby eaters, and communist sons of bitches would be charged with crimes against humanity. Trump would then be sworn in for a second term making America truly great again.

That's right, the nation would be cleansed as operations rapidly spread out across the republic to shut down fake news outlets such as MSNBC, CNN, The New York Times, and any other perceived anti Trump organizations. The infamous lesbian, Rachel Maddow would be shot, or strung up. Sean Hannity would be beatified. Eric and Don Jr. would be free to hunt and kill wild game at the San Diego Zoo.

The belief in Trump's final solution was so solid some purchased HAM and citizen band radios in order to keep in touch with other believers and Trump himself. Others bought canned goods and bottled water in mass quantities in anticipation of temporary shelter in place orders while the military rounded up deviants and everybody to the left of Ted Cruz including neighbors and suspect family members. 

The sanity of those believing all this would happen could be and has been questioned. Some in the media have expressed sympathy for what they describe as poor deluded quasi cult members who were duped while living in some sort of information bubble far too weird for even Fox News. Others have no sympathy for people stupid enough to have bought what amounts to a political Brooklyn Bridge.

Whatever the case the whole Byzantine web came crashing down when the inauguration of Biden and Harris went off without a hitch. Trump fled to Florida early in the morning. The Proud Boys and others failed to show. The National Guard and Space Force remained steadfastly loyal to the constitution and much to their stunned horror, for the first time in years, reality reared its stone cold head.

Howls of betrayal reverberated through those social media sites which remained open to them. The cryptically vague Q had sold them out. Trump, who was widely considered anointed by God Almighty to rule the United States for as long as he wanted flew off to Mar a Lago whimpering like a beaten dog. They had been lied to--made, as Rudy Giuliani said on that brutal day two weeks ago, to look like fools.  

Yes an entire belief system went up in flames in a matter of minutes. The Lord's own had deserted them. For many it was the equivalent of Jesus Christ telling Pilate, Hey, I'm sorry, I really didn't think the idiots would take me seriously. Let me go and I won't give you any more trouble.

Where the followers of Q go from here is anyone's guess. The New York Times reports white nationalist groups are already trying to recruit the disenchanted. One thing is certain, most while crushed by the events of yesterday, still maintain the election was stolen by Biden and his nationwide network of operatives.

Indeed, even while the most desperate and crazed fantasies are proven wrong, others, equally outrageous, remain firmly fixed thanks to Cruz, Jason Hawley and other professional seditionists.

All we know at the moment is Hunter Thompson's axiom, "Cut off the head and the body will die," is sometimes wrong. Trump has retreated into shame, but other potential messiahs remain. The Q movement will evolve into something different. Just like the Millerites did when their leader predicted the second coming of Christ in the 1840's, but it failed to happen.. Elders quickly decided their founder's math was a tad off, then formed the Seventh Day Adventist Church.

In another vein, mighty Trump may have struck out, but, as we've seen too many times before, others are already jostling to take his place in the batter's box.

Sic Vita Est

1-21-21

2021 So Far: An Attempted Coup, the Plague Rages On, Another Trump Scam, the Two Missing Posts, and a Satanic Seance

 The year 2021 has started out nearly as badly as 2020 ended. How else can you describe not quite 20 days which have featured, among other things, an attempted coup in Washington D.C, a continuing plague that has killed 400,000 Americans, a vaccine rollout which now appears to be just another Trump scam, and a mad President who to this day continues to insist the November election was somehow rigged.

That's not to mention technical problems here and the two missing January posts which now exist on another blog. Indeed, after nineteen days of supreme frustration and despair all I can say is thank God for alcohol. 

And now we are 24 hours away from the inauguration of Joe Biden. Paranoia is running amok. The streets are full of National Guard troops assigned to keep a lid on the situation. News reports are rife with stories of impending chaos fomented by people using monikers such as Proud Boys, Three Percenters, and Oath Keepers. The latter being a group of former cops and military personnel who want to preserve the American Way by overthrowing its legally elected government.

Apparently such sentiment isn't reserved for the fringe any more. In fact it's so pervasive security officials are double and triple vetting the very people supposed to keep Biden and Vice President Elect Kamala Harris safe during tomorrow's ceremony. After all, everyone has a weapon, but no one knows what they are thinking.

The suspicion even reaches into the recently desecrated halls of congress. Alabama Congressman Mo Brooks helped incite the crowd before the coup. Freshman Colorado representative Lauren Boebert tweeted out, "This is 1776," before the deadly attack on the capitol building. After it began she alerted social media that Speaker Nancy Pelosi had been evacuated from the House floor. Later it was revealed in the days leading up to the siege she conducted a tour of the building for soon to be rioters.  

In some circles such a thing is called a recon patrol.

Meanwhile, much to the surprise of the insurrectionists, authorities are relentlessly tracking them down. Many of them seemed stunned by the turn of events. Some have even retreated to The Nuremburg Defense, claiming they were simply doing what the President wanted them to do. During the attempted coup their feeling of impunity was so utterly complete hundreds happily implicated themselves either on social media, or national TV. Others seemed blissfully unaware, or simply didn't care the capitol is riddled with security cameras which recorded their seditious buffoonery. 

The treachery and mayhem resulted in the sitting President of the Untied States being impeached by the House for a second time. It is a feat unmatched by any other chief executive in the history of the republic.

Since the putsch failed Trump has remained hunkered down in the White House largely silent. Word is he is contemplating at least 100 pardons, perhaps at the hefty price of two million per pop. In addition it is being reported he wants a grand send off tomorrow involving military bands, a 21 gun salute, and hundreds, if not more, of avid supporters. His addiction to crowds remains such the invitations to the event urge each guest to bring five friends.

Yes, 2021 is off to a rocky start. The nation hasn't been this close to the brink since 1861. After Joe Biden takes the oath as President his speech will contain a message of unity. That concept is easier to preach than achieve.

Think not?

This from Parler user, Lauren Witzke. She posted it right before the site was shut down, "The Biden/Harris inauguration is going to be an oversized Satanic seance and I highly recommend that Christians avoid it at all costs."

Yeah, good luck unifying with that, Joe.

1-19-21