A Would-be Assassin Driven by insanity and Two Canidates Driven by Lies and Xenophobia

 In 2016 Ryan Routh voted for Donald Trump. That love affair didn't last long though. By 2020 Routh was saying he considered Trump a, "buffoon." That was just part of his life, however. Brother Routh was also busy getting popped by the police for things like receiving stolen goods, illegally operating a motor vehicle, and possession of a fully automatic machine gun. He had been involved in confrontations with the cops, including at least one instance where he barricaded himself in a place while armed. 

In short, Mr. Routh, like Donald Trump, is a man who has been convicted on multiple felony counts. In theory he should have never been able to get his hands on the weapon he abandoned at the scene when a Secret Service agent opened fire on him. Unfortunately, this being America, he didn't have any problem doing so.

Not long after Russia invaded Ukraine Routh became fixated on the war. He traveled to Kyiv, saying he was ready to volunteer, fight, and die for Ukraine. Since the Ukrainian army didn't want him (they said it was because he was too old and had no military experience, although one has to suspect there was more to it now) he managed to get a touch of fame by being interviewed by the New York Times and Newsweek Romania. He also tried to make a name for himself by pushing the idea of recruiting Afghan soldiers to fight for the nation. After the Ukrainians rejected that idea too, he came back to the states. 

The obvious question is why would the Ukrainians reject any help as Russan troops poured into their country--besides the age and lack of experience thing. The answer to that one is fairly simple. In an interview with The New Republic, a Canadian military veteran, Kevin Leach, described Routh this way: "The word across useful volunteer networks is how fucking certifiable this guy behaved, how he treated everybody like shit."  He added, "The guy was clearly not moored to reality." 

Back in the states, Routh initially proved that assessment by sending Elon Musk a social media message which read, "I would like to buy a rocket from you. I want to load it with a warhead for Putin's Black Sea mansion bunker to end him. The rocket doesn't have to be new. It can be old and used as not returning."

As we know the second time was when he pointed his AK-47 style weapon toward Donald Trump.    

Since then the entire MAGA cult has been blaming the incident on democrats in general and Kamal Harris in particular. The left's never ending hate speech aimed at Donald Trump incited Ryan Routh to his mad act, they say. 

Really? Because it sure sounds to me like Ryan Wesley Routh was already in the crazy place--he didn't need any incitement. All he needed was a time, a place, and another weapon. And he found all of those on his own.

However, on the subject of the results of hate speech, in Springfield, OH, public buildings and schools have been closed for days thanks to threats of violence. All the fear and chaos has been directly caused by a lie, knowingly told by VP nominee, J.D. Vance, then repeated by Donald Trump during the Presidential debate. Reports are now saying that when Vance first heard the rumors of dog eating immigrants, he instructed a staffer to verify them. The staffer made a call, or two to Springfield officials who told him there was nothing to it. When the aide delivered the news to Vance the candidate was apparently severely disappointed, so he just claimed it was true anyway.

Then the man who would be President picked up on it as he raged in Philadelphia in front of an amused Kamala Harris and, if they were watching, no doubt a horrified bunch of Haitians living in Springfield. 

Vance has since told the media he had no qualms, "creating," a story to draw attention to the suffering of native Ohioans in Springfield. Now he is angrily accusing the media of obsessing with the story, rather than all that suffering, which so far, he has failed to articulate. 

On Friday during an impromptu news conference Donald Trump told reporters, "I can say this, we will do large deportations from Springfield, Ohio--large deportations. We're going to get these people out. We are bringing them back to Venezuela." 

Don't ever speak about Joe Biden's mental capabilities again. The current republican nominee just showed us, 1, he either doesn't know, or care the immigrants in Springfield are there legally and 2. he thinks Haitians come from Venezuela. 

Good God man, if you are going to persecute people at least figure out where they come from. 

All this vile xenophobic pet eating shit is getting dangerously close to the ghoulish Nazi lie that Jews drink the blood of Christian babies. Not to mention the slightly milder QANON version which has a vast international cabal of Hollywood types and liberals kidnapping and molesting boatloads of children. 

We are getting close to the day and at this point we are faced with two terrifying questions. Why do the republican nominees, Donald Trump and J.D. Vance think these reprehensible lies will win them the White House?  And, given what these two monsters are saying, why is this election still too close to call?  

 The answers to both are equally appalling.

9-18-24

Laura Loomer in Trump's Ear and His Head

 I don't control Laura Loomer. She's a free spirit. She's strong and has strong opinions, but that's not up to me.

Donald John Trump, current republican nominee for the President of the United States

Yeah, Don, but you wanted to hire her for your campaign months ago. Reports say aides and advisors talked you out of it mainly because they didn't want her anywhere near you, or them. Then you showed up in Philadelphia for the debate with Kamala Harris and there she was on your private jet, traveling with you, happpily chatting you up. Later that day you went down the rabbit hole about Haitian migrants eating people's pets, accusing the Vice President and her father of being Marxists, and democrats of promoting the executions of newborns by evil doctors.

No wonder your staff didn't want her around. 

Of course, it didn't help that the next day you showed up at 9-11 memorials with her in tow even though she has pushed the theory that the horrific events of that day in 2001 were an inside job which continues to be covered up by, "our lying government." That would be the same government you were head of for four very long years. 

Years ago on a weird and alcohol soaked night in New Orleans I was part of a group who hit a bar which was so wild and disreputable the locals considered it impossible to get thrown out of. We were so out of control at that point we got the heave ho after only ten minutes. Laura Loomer on the other hand has been ejected from criminal trial proceedings, a house energy and commerce committee hearing, a book signing event, at least one campaign rally, and has been arrested for trespassing after she jumped onstage during a Shakespeare in the Park production of Julius Caesar. The people who run the annual Conservative Political Action Committee (CPAC) meeting found her conspiracy theories and hate speech so grotesque they wouldn't allow her to attend--an accomplishment for a right-wing activist which was as unthinkable as our removal from that New Orleans dive. And while we were hammered, Ms. Loomer, presumably, pulled all that shit while she was stone cold sober.  

Because she violated their terms of agreement which bans hate speech, Laura Loomer has been kicked off, the old Twitter and the blogging platform, Medium. In addition she  is no longer allowed on the Uber  and Lyft apps for her continuous complaining she could never find a non-Muslim driver. PayPal, GoFundMe, Venmo, Facebook and Instagram have also told her to go away and not come back.

That's quite a record for a 31 year old who apparently has the ear of a man who could be the next President.

Ms. Loomer has vehemently denied she is a white supremacist--which would be a little awkward for all those involved since she is Jewish. She does however identify herself as a white nationalist and a, "proud Islamaphobe." To prove it, for a short time on Alex  Jones' Infowars program. Yes, that would be the same Alex Jones who now owes about a billion dollars to various people because he claimed their murdered kids weren't actually real and that they weren't really grieving parents, but crisis actors hired by the feds for a, "black flag operation." 

After Laura Loomer wrote on social media that if Kamala Harris were elected the the White House would smell like curry, Presidential announcements would be announced via call centers, and citizens concerns would be heard only through telephone customer surveys, Marjorie Taylor Greene screamed she was a racist. It is unclear at tis time whether the Congresswoman actually believes that, or she is simply jealous Donald Trump is getting his ultra right wing craziness from someone besides her. 

In any event it is becoming apparent, especially those who had the silly idea the man should try to expand his base, that Donald Trump has completely abandoned everybody who doesn't buy into the most vile racist and bizarre conspiracy theories floating around the internet. Yes, he seems intent on strengthening his core by shrinking it--by weeding out the few remaining sane people who support him. How else can you explain the presence of someone like Laura Loomer in his entourage?

She sure isn't there to make him sound rational.

9-15-24

The Presidential Debate: Harris Gives Trump the Rope and He Uses It

 Here is what we know thanks to Donald J. Trump last night. Democrats are in favor of executing babies after full term pregnancies. His political rallies are, "...the biggest and best political rallies in history and no one leaves them early." Not only that, but no one goes to Kamala Harris' rallies, but when they do they are bused in and paid by her campaign. We also know at least one European head of state, Hungary's dictator Viktor Orban thinks highly of Donald Trump. In addition Trump has a plan to replace the Affordable Care Act which he will unveil in a few weeks. (I know, he said that eight years ago, but who is counting?) We also learned Joe Biden hates Kamala Harris and all his primary voters were illegally disenfranchised. We learned crime rates in places like Venezuela are at an all time lows, because all their criminals have fled to the United States. Not only that, but those blood thirsty bastards are eating white kid's cats and dogs in Springfield, OH. Uh, that's right, all of them. 

We could go on, but really, it does get old and what's the point? Last night in Philadelphia there was only one person on the debate who looked and sounded Presidential. And she was not named Donald Trump. The media covering the event knows it. Everyone outside the MAGA cult knows it. Hell, even Trump himself knows it. It's why he showed up in the spin room afterward and on Fox News this morning. The man screwed the pooch last night and proved, all on his own, what many of us have been saying for years now--that he is bat shit crazy and should never be allowed near the Oval Office again.

There has been a bunch of media speculation about exactly when Kamala Harris drove Don over the edge last night. Was it when she claimed the audiences at his rallies grew tired and bored and were leaving early? Was it when she called Trump weak? Was it when she said Vladimir Putin would eat him for lunch? 

Personally, I like to believe it was before a word was spoken. Outlets had widely reported Donald Trump and Kamala Harris had never met face to face before the debate. When they were introduced by moderators David Muir and Lindsey Davis the Vice President immediately walked over to Donald Trump and stuck out her hand, "Kamala Harris," she said. Trump reluctantly shook her hand after seemingly backing away from her, completely unsure of what was happening. It was the last thing he had expected and it was Harris' way of saying, that's right, Big Boy, I'm strong and you don't intimidate me in any way, shape, or form. 

From this living room It appeared Donald J. Trump never fully recovered from that initial shock.

When Trump began to completely unravel--Immigrants are eating American's pets in Ohio--some later said she gave him a, "How sad for you," look. I felt it was more of a, "I can't believe you are stupid enough to actually talk about this insanity " look. In either event, when moderator, David Muir pointed out the Springfield City Manager and police have said there is no evidence of dog and cat dining, Trump's only response was, "There have been a lot of people on TV saying it is true." (Hey, Don, earlier in the day I saw a lot of people telling me the only way places like Machu Pichu and the pyramids exist is because pre-historic space travelers built them. Trust me, not everything said on TV, or social media is true}

After it was done last night the Harris victory was so complete people like Sean Hannity and Ted Cruz were reduced to bitterly complaining the disaster was caused by the bias of Muir and Davis. Hannity claimed, "Donald Trump had to debate three people tonight, not just one." According to Cruz the bias was obvious because they fact checked Trump, but not Harris. Well, in all fairness Senator it was Trump not Harris who accused Haitians of serving up Fido in their evening stew. But let's not quibble about details.

The fact is, Trump got significantly more speaking time than the Vice President by the end of the night. It didn't seem to matter to the Vice President though. She kept serenely calm and smiling as her opponent's face flushed red and he raged on. And make no mistake about it, it was exactly what she wanted. Every time Kamala Harris was asked a question she responded with who she was, where she came from, and what she was going to do about the issue. At the end of each of her two minute allotments she would, without fail, drop a line in the water armed with a barbed hook. Then, equally without fail, Donald Trump would take the bait and immediately go off the rails. In the end, Donald Trump had displayed a stunning lack of self control. Or to put it another way, he showed us he isn't the sort of guy we want walking around with the nuclear launch codes.

Yes, Kamala Harris won the debate last night. She didn't need any help from ABC moderators to do it either. All she had to do was give Donald Trump enough rope to hang himself with. That's exactly what she did and he obliged her by doing it every time he opened his mouth.

9-11-24

A School Shooting in Winder, GA: For America, Shock is the Ship that has Sailed

 Here is how cold and cynical Americans and its media have become. Yesterday, in Winder, GA a 14 year old kid got his hands on an assault style weapon then used it to kill two fellow students and two teachers in his high school. He wounded eight other students and an additional teacher. Today, this horror show is already being lost as the networks scramble to cover the never ending trials of Donald Trump and the Presidential campaign in general. It would seem in a nation so used to body counts in the dozens, four violent and senseless deaths barely make a ripple any longer.

Indeed, while we are saddened by the news out of Winder, we are no longer shocked. These days, for the public and the media, when it comes to school shootings, shock is the proverbial ship that has sailed. 

Details are emerging and as always they have created more questions than answers. According to early reports the shooter, identified as Colt Gray, was on the cop's radar as long as a year ago. Police had received tips last year he was behind a series of anonymous social media posts that threatened to commit mayhem at Apalachee High School in Winder. He and his father were questioned at the time, but young Mr. Gray was still lucid enough to deny he was the one who made them. His father reportedly owned a, "hunting rifle," but assured authorities his son did not have unsupervised access to it. The threats stopped and police dropped their investigation. 

Then we have the all too familiar description of the shooter. He was a loner who rarely talked to fellow students. When he walked out during his algebra class yesterday it was apparently such a common occurrence no one, including the teacher blinked an eye. When he returned he as carrying the murder weapon, but the door had self locked after he left and he couldn't get back in. He knocked on the door, but when a student got up to open it she looked through the window and saw he had the rifle and refused to let him in.

Others shooter protocols didn't work as well. News reports are saying the high school had received calls before classes began stating there would be a mass shooting there that day. Given what went down it is probably safe to say the administration at Apalachee High didn't take the warnings seriously. There isn't even any evidence the on campus cops knew about them. Classes began normally without any sort of noticeable security precautions 

Then there are the question about the weapon itself. Number one, where did Colt Gray stash it that morning when he got to school and how did he get it in without anyone noticing? He didn't have it on him when algebra class started, but it was close enough that he was able to return there in a scant few minutes with it in hand. And, finally, where the fuck did a 14 year old get an assault rifle in the first place? Did his father have it last year unbeknownst to police? Did dear old Dad buy it after police questioned his son's mental stability?? Or, did the crazy little shit simply steal it from someplace? Taking one on the sly probably wouldn't be hard to do. AR style weapons are more common than mangos in produce departments and let's face it, in America they are in season all year long.

Yes, person, or persons who at this time are unknown screwed the pooch yesterday in Winder, GA. By the time the investigation is over a career, or two, or three will have gone down the drain. Tragically that won't solve the problem of school shootings though. Neither will mass shooting drills--which apparently proved effective yesterday, students and teachers knew immediately how to react when the shooting began.

No, even though there were breakdowns yesterday, for the most part the security measures in place worked and saved lives. What those measures didn't and couldn't do is stop Colt Gray from arming himself with a weapon of war, then using it for his own twisted reasons. And they will never stop the other people who are out there right now with brains that are, as Morrison once sang, "squiring' like a toad." 

At least not so long as AR style weapons are available in this country--and certainly not so long as a powerful minority of fearful paranoids believe their right to own and use what amounts to machine guns is more important than, in this latest instance, the rights of four innocent people to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. 

9-5-24