At the Brink Once Again

 This is going to be a close thing. Closer perhaps than those fearful days in October of 1962. I mean you can say many things about Nikita Khrushchev, but at least he wasn't bat shit crazy and knew when to back off. It isn't certain, at this point anyway, we can assume the same thing about Vladimir Putin. Especially after the deranged speech he gave last night, justifying the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Let's face it, when someone threatens nuclear war, like Putin did less than 24 hours ago, the odds are he has gone a tad funny in the head.

Of course it hasn't helped that one of Putin's most prolific cheerleaders is the former president of the United States, Donald John Trump. While another has been the insufferable trust fund brat, turned Fox News commentator, Tucker Carlson. Others have followed suit, mainly those dwelling in that mystical realm of QAnon. 

When the cruise missiles and drones began striking Ukraine last night Trump called into Laura Ingraham's Fox show. Among other things he proved himself a one note Donnie by claiming the whole invasion was caused by the, "rigged," 2020 presidential election. His nonsense proved too much even for Ingraham who quickly ushered him off air.

Biden's response today was to level further economic sanctions and the promise to move NATO troops to the very eastern edge of the alliance's borders. Some members of the national media seemed to demand more, while others openly wondered if Biden was hobbled by European allies who are a lot closer and far more dependent on Russian energy than we are. Still more warned the president had to move carefully, because Putin might really be nuts enough to fire off a nuke if he feels too much of a crunch.

Which brings us to the question of how threatened will Vlad feel if there are 50,000, or so NATO troops sitting within spitting distance of the Russian frontier. We might promise not to militarily intervene in Ukraine and Russia itself, but then so did Napolean and Herr Hitler. And trust me, Putin will cite each of those historical precedents when the troops arrive.

Tragically, the western alliance doesn't really have any other option. Biden was absolutely correct today when he told the American public Putin won't stop with Ukraine. The guy is obsessed with restoring the territory of the old Soviet Union which means also swallowing up Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania--all three current NATO members. 

So yes, today we seem to be headed, inexorably toward a 21st century version of the Cuban missile crisis. The major difference being the Russian apparently doesn't have any restraint, or even someone in his inner circle with the guts to tell him to slow down. That's what happens after 20 years of unchecked power and purges of disagreeable sorts.

No wonder Trump thinks Putin is a genius. He is pulling shit Big Don could only dream of. Too bad that shit might include a nuclear war.

Ladies and gentlemen, the bar is now, most definitely, open. 

2-24-22

Mercy Hospital, Ekklesia of Oklahoma, Covid-19, Budesonide, and the Fauci Protocol

 The Ekklesia of Oklahoma is part of a global movement of Christ followers and concerned citizens responding to the growing social, political, and economic crises with practical Biblical principles and models that solve specific community and national problems.

From the Ekklesia of Oklahoma home site.

Right now, according to the founder and director of the Oklahoma Ekklesia, Daniel Navejas, part of the, "national problem," are the hospitals who insist on proceeding with, "Fauci's death sentence," when it comes to treating Covid-19 patients.

Mr. Navejas--he shies away from titles like, Reverend and Pastor--became outraged after a member of his flock, Bob Barth, died from the virus at Oklahoma City's Mercy Hospital. According to Barth's widow and now Navejas the staff at Mercy screwed the pooch by failing to dose Brother Bob with a sufficient amount of Budesonide, a drug used primarily to combat asthma.

Budesonide jumped onto far right radar screens a while back after it was proclaimed Covid's, "silver bullet," by West Texas Doctor Richard Bartlett. At the moment though just about every other doctor, medical group, and the CDC say Bartlett's claim is way too premature and untested for Budesonide to be considered a miracle, or any other kind of cure. But, as far as the true believers are concerned, he isn't Anthony fucking Fauci and that's pretty much all anyone needs to know.

In January Bob Barth's wife began to aggressively lobby her husband's treatment team to up the dosage of Budesonide from 1 mg every 12 hours to 1mg every 4. In fact she raised so much hell about it, the attending physician did just that on January 28th. It didn't help. Barth's passing last week prompted Daniel Navejas to post on FaceBook that Mercy Hospital is an, "Evil Marxist controlled death camp." He also wrote, "People are dying, not because of Covid, but literally because they are following Fauci's death protocol." 

Last week Navejas and his supporters, a rowdy crowd numbering in the 10's, protested at Mercy. The Director and a couple of other people got ticketed for trespassing which was okay with our man Dan, because, as he told a local news team, it would bring publicity to Ekklesia and their current cause.

All this would be tragic and darkly funny, but within a day, or so things went way off the rails. In another post addressed to Barth's former lead doctor Navejas accused him of being a, "murderer." Then, "You are a worthless doctor and should be run out of town."

To give everyone a hand in that project, either he, or another member of the Ekklesia posted the doc's home address online. Monstrous allegations from parts unknown and death threats soon followed. Mercy was forced to file a restraining order against Navejas, seeking to prevent him from posting any other private information and or, inflammatory rhetoric. In addition they stationed security at the ER entrance and put the Intensive Care Unit on lockdown.

Mercy also felt it had to issue a lengthy in house statement to its employees, probably because they are aware how quickly social media bullshit turns into collective reality if not immediately rebuked. Among other things the hospital had to remind their staff, there is no such thing as a Fauci Protocol, there aren't any government vouchers paying for specific drugs and treatments, and my personal favorite, the hospital does not make money when its patients die of Covid-19.

The number of people involved in Ekklesia of Oklahoma is unknown. They don't take attendance because they apparently don't believe in having a physical building to gather in, although we can be sure there is a list of donors somewhere. Navejas' FaceBook account has a little less than five thousand followers. The group's website does mention Eufaula and Muskogee as hotspots and we do know the Director has been in Stigler, because that's where he accused state senator Larry Boggs of taking a swing at him. (The local DA refused to press charges.)

What we do know for sure, however, is Daniel Navejas is a demagogue wanna be who is willing to do and say anything to rally the weird, mis wired, and otherwise deranged to his side. 

For those interested they--they probably meaning Daniel Navejas himself--have an online gift shop. Ekklesia tee shirts begin at $22, coffee mugs are available for $7.33, and trucker's hats are a mere $27.

Now, who says America isn't great?

2- 17-22  

Just Making Sure in Otero County

 This is not going away and it is never going to go away until we get the correct results and fix our elections, it's just that simple.

Trump spokesperson, Liz Harrington to Steve Bannon on his podcast.

Ms. Harrington then added, We still are getting more information about how fraudulent these elections are. 

You don't have to tell them that out in Otero County, New Mexico. Otero County is located in the south central part of the state. It sits just west, south west of the UFO mecca, Roswell, although it is better known as the home to Alamogordo and most of White Sands National Park. 

The county has three commissioners. One is a gentleman named, Couy Griffin. Mr. Griffin, besides being a county commissioner is the founder and leader of a group called, "Cowboys for Trump."  The Washington Post reports, Brother Griffin is also known as a defendant in federal court because of his raucous adventures in the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6th, 2021.

These days Couy Griffin is using his office to drive an audit of the 2020 presidential election in Otero County. The Post also reports to do the type of in depth audit Griffin wants it is going to cost Otero taxpayers just shy of $50,000. That might not sound like much in say, Phoenix. but in a place with a population of 67,000 it is a sizable chunk of cash. 

Part of the plan is to get a cadre of volunteers to walk door to door to see if each resident voted in 2020, or not. It is going to be a pretty frustrating job since only 23,000 people in the county cast ballots in the last presidential race. 

So, what mysterious deeds and terrible crimes took place in Otero during November, 2020? What sort of monstrous plot was hatched and carried out by the democrats, or George Sorors, or even those fucking Commie Chinese? Well answers to these burning questions will be tough to ascertain since Donald John Trump carried the county by more than 25% of the votes cast.

Yes, that is how far this madness has gone. Apparently, the commissioner thinks a win by 25% just wasn't enough. One can only wonder if the Trump organization is aware of Griffin's zeal and if they will help finance it. You have to assume people like Liz Harrington are all for it. even if, in this case, the results were in her mind, "correct."

And, hey, don't even jabber a little bit about a waste of badly needed public money. After all, Couy Griffin put it this way, "I don't think there is any more productive way to spend tax dollars than to make sure our elections aren't compromised."

Yeah, even an election your guy won by over a quarter of all the votes cast.

sic vita est 

2-9-22

The RNC's Alternative Truth

 The republican national committee, apparently a wholly owned subsidiary of Trump Enterprises, censured GOP house members Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger the other day. In doing so they attempted to rewrite recent history as only true Trumpists can. Part of the statement read: " Representatives Cheney and Kinzinger are participating in a democrat-led persecution of ordinary citizens engaged in legitimate political discourse, and they are both utilizing their past professed political affiliation to mask democrat abuse of power for partisan purposes."

Oh yeah, rather like all that legitimate political discourse at Ft. Sumter on April 12, 1861.

In the RNCs defense republicans every where the last half decade, or so have been enamored with, as Kellyanne Conway once so eloquently put it, "an alternative truth." This ranges from the two women on the capitol grounds CNN reporter, Donie O'Sullivan interviewed on Jan. 6th. Those two vile hicks insisted there had been no violence that day. Their statement was at odds with Fox News influencer, Tucker Carlson, At the same time he was sending out panic ridden texts begging Trump to call off his supporters. These days he is telling his audience the FBI infiltrated the crowd and instigated the insurrection. That would be the same FBI which was then headed by arch republican Bill Barr.

Yes, not even those of us who did more than our share of blotter acid and psilocybin in the 60's and 70's ever found reality so twisted out of shape.

Of course all this nonsense originates with The Big Orange Guy himself. To this day he claims the election was stolen from him and that then Vice President, Mike Pence had the authority, no, the duty, to single handedly overturn the 2020 presidential election.

On the same day the RNC censured Cheney and Kinzinger Pence told a Federalist gathering in Orlando, Trump was, "wrong." Trump responded with a statement saying Pence was a tool of Mitch McConnell who never liked him, plus he should be investigated for not overturning the election.

Unfortunately for Brother Don, every secretary of State, every county election official, and the people who actually counted the votes in all those contested states--a huge chunk of them republicans--know he is lying out his ass. Hell, even the hand picked by the Arizona GOP, Cyber Ninja outfit knows it. In fact the only people who still say the election was rigged is Trump himself and his hardcore cultists.

All of which begs the question, why the fuck is the RNC backing a horse so dead dog food processors won't even touch it? 

Tradition? Stupidity? Fear? I don't know, maybe we should check with former members of the Manson family, or closet Nazis, or even those poor fools who still think the confederacy was based on something besides slavery. 

Whatever the case we can only hope, as author John Wooley said the other day, Don Trump fades away just like Sarah Palin did. In other words there is a point in time when people and the media finally realize exactly how moronic, irrelevant, and passe he really is.

Indeed.

2-6-22