Y'allQaeda at Malheur

You can't argue with a twit. Hence the impasse between Ammon Bundy and the entire Federal government. The Federal government has been especially diligent in not turning the takeover of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge into a bloodbath after its dubious beginning as the most ludicrous protest in recent US history. The self-styled Constitutional Patriots drove up to the closed building at the refuge and moved in for the long-haul. They immediately realized they were wholly unprepared to last the "many years" if necessary and put out a plea on the Internet for snacks and warm clothing and everything else they might need if they were opening a Bed & Breakfast.

"Snacktivists" of every ilk quickly picked up on the absurdity of the occupation and mercilessly bombarded the armed militants with internet memes and actual "care packages containing "Gummi Dicks" and a plethora of dildos for their use during the long winter months.

Aside from the absurd maneuver they perpetrated by armed intrusion onto Federal property, a crime of sedition and possible treason, their demands for actions that will end this tempest in a teacup are supremely absurd.

The Chief spokesman and militant Mormon manipulator has said he will end the occupation when the Federal government surrenders to his ragtag rabble rousers and turns over all of the Federal land  (of at least the Refuge) to local control. He seems to think that is a viable negotiating position.

What is a more likely outcome is that the patient Federal agencies, FBI and BLM, will listen to the request of the Oregon Governor, Katherine Brown, and will escalate the standoff to the level of crises. Until now (Jan 22) the debacle has been more a point of parody and satire on the part of 15,500 "Snacktivists" on the Facebook page "Snacks for Y'allQaeda". This group of earnest patriots and wannabe weekend warriors have been on the receiving end of volley after volley of the sharpest of wit. Every day more criticism than support weighs against them.

From the "Daddy Swore an Oath" videos of numerous bearded men sitting behind the steering wheels of their vehicles to the destruction of pole-mounted cameras and barbed wire fences, these little men in their jungle camo clothes believe they can cherry pick parts of the Constitution and Bill of rights to their own agenda.

At the end of this standoff they will have damaged their brand beyond hope of recovery. The Federal Agencies are letting them have sufficient lengths of rope with which to hang themselves. Each member of their Band of Bothers will be arrested or be buried when the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is once again open for the public to learn about the birds and other species who are the intended inhabitants of the preserve.

TOTD for Syrian Refugee Paranoia

25 Republican Governors (and a couple of Ds) and the remaining 8 to 10 GOP presidential candidates collectively receive the "Twit of the Day" recognition. These men and women are using the lives of tens of thousands of people who are fleeing the ravages of the war that was instigated by the Republican mentality that permeates America.

They are telling Americans that these refugees are dangerous, or better yet "might be dangerous" and must be kept out of their states in order to protect us from the extremism which is alleged to be in each and every one of them. The extremists are really the GOP governors and the candidates who want to force refugees to be wear tags that label them, refuse them food, medical care and shelter in the GOP led states.

It is the Federal government who will decide which refugees and how many will be resettled here in the States. While there may be a couple of extremist refugees in among the huddled masses yearning to breathe free, we already have hundreds of thousands of extremist terrorizing people already here in the US and nobody seems concerned about them. They are Americans, born here of American parents and grandparents. They are unprincipled and undocumented gun owners, who take the lives of over 30,000 people every years in the US. Where is the GOP Governor or GOP Presidential candidate who want to beat the war drum about them?

All the rhetoric and vitriol spewed by these "good conservative" possibly Christian politicians is focused on pleasing their respective electorates for election and re-election. The claims of threats and danger from refugees is a Red Herring to divert our attention from the real purpose, elected office. It is fear mongering, pure and simple.

Once a refugee has walked a thousand miles to interim safety and passes the 18 to 24 month investigative vetting process of the US Government, he, she and their families are allowed to arrive in the USA. From that point they can travel to any state that choose, if they have the funds to do so. Therefore, Governor Abbott's (R-TX) can say and do anything he wants to to make life difficult for people seeking safety and a stable future, but they will come anyway.

The refusees [sic] of the GOP are human beings no different than the rest of us. And while there is a "bad apple" in most every barrel, the numbers are minuscule compared to the vast majority of earnest people.

For all their ignorance and hype, the entire GOP presidential cadre and all but one GOP Governor get the Twit of the Day award.

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Author's Note: The book cover images in the side margins of this blog are my own publications of eBooks available at both Amazon and B&N. Please take a moment and go to the sites and read about them. Then if you like it, buy one or two.

Voted Off The Island

As the wide field of Republican Presidential candidates continues to be Yooge in the patois' of The Donald, it is shrinking. While the more vocal of the club are out and about moaning and groaning about how CNBC treated them in the third debate, at least the moderators and network executives did not exclude any of the contenders.

The initial cadre of candidates exceeded 16 where upon the debate schedulers decided that the four at the bottom of the list would stand at the children's podiums in a separate and far less equal event. Those men did not like it but it was that of nothing.

For the 4th event, two of the survivors have been voted off the island. Gov. Chris Christie and Former Gov. Mike Huckabee got the ax in that vote. Two others previously voted themselves out of the running. Rick Perry and Scott Walker bowed out with a modicum of self-respect.

So it is better to step aside or be pushed? Christie and Huckabee cannot survive being marginalized in the debates even though the poll respondents have already done that to them. My recommended debate approach has not been adopted by any TV network yet. www.bit.ly/GongGOP outline the perfect format for the GOP debate.

Once the primary voting really begins, there will be a swift sword wielded to slay the vastly unworthy pretender to the throne. Quite quickly the field will be pared down to just The Two. Who they will be exactly is yet to be seen. None of the remaining candidates have shown any qualifications for the office.

The three primary job duties of the President are: Commander in Chief of the Armed Services, Economist, and Ambassador to the world. The GOP field all say some variation of "I'll use military might on Day One to settle …" "I'll repeal that legislation on Day One…" And by their personalities, they are all laughing stocks in the eyes of the world with their silly talk and biblical justifications for everything they are paid to support. They all say they love and support the Constitution but then go on to assert that they will take actions that clearly show that they know precious little about that document or how to uphold it.

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Author's Note: The book cover images in the side margins of this blog are my own publications of eBooks available at both Amazon and B&N. Please take a moment and go to the sites and read about them. Then if you like it, buy one or two.

Columbus Day Revisited

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When two people start out at opposite ends of the forest and traipse around until the come face-to-face, it is only a matter of perspective as for who discovered whom. Even as Christopher Columbus sailed home to Europe to proclaim his discovery of the New World to Queen Isabella of Spain, the indigenous people whom he met spread the work of their discovery of some really weird people who talked gibberish and wore metal and leather clothes. The chroniclers of the times were far more prolific in the written languages of Europe than were the indigenous peoples who resided on the lands that were summarily claimed by European Crowns.

This is not a treatise on the voyages of sailing men nor of the facts of exactly where they landed, but is one of how one group of men treated others groups of men to reach the conditions of today. One must keep in mind that the Columbus explorations were entirely economic and he expected to have high position bestowed on him and be paid profits and royalties for his efforts. Everything else paled in comparison.

Columbus and all his successors viewed the resources of this new continent as belonging to them and their benefactors. Even the people were considered as property of the Crown to be bought and sold for their ability to provide labor.

The very idea that Columbus discovered ANYTHING is negated by the fact that he was met by people who had lived there for hundreds if not thousands of years. Columbus merely tripped over an island on his way elsewhere. His voyages were Johnny-come-lately events at best. The ancestors of the indigenous either sailed across the Atlantic from most likely Africa; or sailed across the Pacific from Asia or any of the rim regions; or walked up the eastern Asian coast into (now) Russia and across the Bering Straits, across Alaska and Canada to the American Northwest, all the way across the continent and then across the Gulf of Mexico, et al, to (now) Cuba, The Bahamas and Santo Domingo, et al. Whichever route(s) they took, they did it long before Columbus or his parents and grandparents were born. His glory is unwarranted and a total historical fabrication from the first American History textbook published here to honor that man.

His holiday is a travesty to all the millions of people who were subjugated, tortured, enslaved and killed by these explorers and their followers. In these recent days of heightened social awareness we have reconsidered the esteemed recognition of Robert E. Lee, Jefferson Davis and the Confederate Battle Flag and their place in contemporary public display. The Columbus Day holiday needs to be deprecated and replaced with something more universal for this nation of America. Suggestions welcome.

There will be stubbornly defensive support for keeping the holiday just as it is. But there are any number of historical figures who would not be welcome as a hero of the American people. We don't glorify them either.

Author's Note: The book cover images in the side margins of this blog are my own publications of eBooks available at both Amazon and B&N. Please take a moment and go to the sites and read about them. Then if you like it, buy one or two.

Just Check-off Your Preference

Just this week "Queen For a Day", Kim Davis, has shown the American people that political preferences are merely a check box on a bureaucratic form. The once-Republican, then Democrat, now Republican has moved between the extremes of ideology with the ease of declaration.


It used to be that a person held a series of ideals and voted for candidate who held similar ideals. When that candidate was a Republican, the voter also self-identified as a Republican. The same applied to Democratic candidates and voters. Then something happened.

That which happened was a switch to a strategic to idea that candidates must run against the proper opponent. There is no purpose in running as a Republican in a 90% or greater Democratic district. One may contend for the office as a second or third same party candidate by checking the party box on the candidate registration form. Hence forward the candidate is what he checked.

When the Republican Presidential candidates came out in support of County clerk Kim Davis, it was just expected that she was a Republican too. But surprise, surprise she was a registered Democrat. The RWNJ reveled in their glee that everyone believed her to be an R. It WAS only natural to believe so. Similarly, it is also natural to understand her switching party at this opportune moment.

Remember now, all one has to do is say the words: I'm a Republican. Then you get a document that has you party affiliation on it for when you go to vote or register as a candidate for a job that is filled by election. It works the same way for being a Christian.
Now there are Republicans and there are republicans. Most of them are true to their dogmas and there is no mistaking their position in that their affiliation is backed up by their words and deeds. It works the same way for BEING a Christian.

American politics and religion has zero provisions for banishing a person from the flock. You are who you say you are and it is up to the journalists, bloggers and media to argue about your true colors.

Never before in American Mass Media has a person been heaped upon with praise and accolades for switching political parties. Ms. Davis is the Poster Clerk in a battle of wits for which she is unarmed. The Far-right Christian Conservatives are holding up her arms in a gesture of victory to the unauthorized tune of "Eye of the Tiger" to add gravitas to their anti-civil rights attitudes that would deny two adults the permission to be married in a secular fashion, in one podunk county of Kentucky. 

Now is the time of catharses, the venting of pent up hostilities. Now is the time for little people (and I don't mean people of short stature) to get their 2¢ in to the national dialog. The other person who is getting Americans to vent their spleens is Donald Trump. He may be a DINO too, but who really knows at this date. What matters is only the persons' staying power. Kim Davis is likely to do a second stint in Federal custody for serial acts of contempt of court. Donald must be able to hold on to his angry bigoted persona and Republicans must be willing to continue to listen to him and vent their anger. But when it comes time to cast votes,  Americans' true colors will be on display.

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Author's Note: The book cover images in the side margins of this blog are my own publications of eBooks available at both Amazon and B&N. Please take a moment and go to the sites and read about them. Then if you like it, buy one or two.

Passive Aggressive Bureaucrats

Some people get a thrill out of being passive aggressive in their own little world. Today it is county clerk Kim Davis who is standing in the way of people getting married in Rowan County, Kentucky. Her little corner of the world has had the magnifying glass of media coverage far and away more than it ever deserved.

Ms. Davis' futile efforts have reached all the way to the US Supreme Court in her efforts to continue to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples in violation of both Federal Law and Federal court rulings. On September 3, she must report to the Federal court to answer for why she should not be held in contempt of the court. Her spurious claims are a "matter of deep Christian faith." Her interpretation of Biblical writings is that she would be complicit in a mortal sin if she signs the documents facilitating a same-sex union between two adults.

What the judge on Thursday ought to say is this: "Ms. Davis are you going to comply with the orders of this court?"

"No, your Honor."

"Ms. Davis, I hold you in contempt of this court and remand you to jail until you choose to comply or are able to meet this further condition. Ms. Davis, take this Bible and these sticky notes and mark all of the passages that make reference to marriage, and marriage. Once you have completed that task contact the jailer and he will contact me. When you have identified a passage, any passage that states that an officiant of a marriage of any Biblical type or any person who provides written documentation has committed a sin of any magnitude, you may return to this court to present your findings. Until then the Bailiff shall escort you to your cell."

"But, your Honor, God told me it was a mortal in and I would go to Hell if I sign the papers."

"Show me the Biblical source of your contentions and I will listen. Ms. Davis, what you say that God talked to you about is hearsay and is inadmissible in this court. Bailiff."

Meanwhile, Kim Davis continues to stand behind her alleged faith and the counter in her public office and refuse to recognize the rights of the men and women who come to that office for a routine piece of paper with an official signature.

Another woman many years ago was a passive aggressive bureaucrat in the character of Nurse Ratched who was portrayed to chilling perfection by Louise Fletcher in "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest." She made up her rules and forced everyone to comply. Resistance was futile and most of the patients in the ward just complied rather than try to make a stand. Murphy tried and he paid the price. The difference is that in the hospital ward there was no media, no Federal judges, no public outcry against Nurse Ratched. Kim Davis will have to contend with that trinity.

Irony Update:

The Guardian reports on September 2, that:

"A transgender man and his wife were issued a marriage license in February by the Kentucky county clerk who, in defiance of a US supreme court order, cited “God’s authority” this week as reason to deny paperwork to same-sex couples." 

It appears that Kim Davis is going to Hell after all. Either her god neglected to inform her of this sin or she willfully neglected to abide by her own espoused faith. She might as well call it quits and get it over with.

Judicial Update Sept 3:

U.S. District Judge David Bunning jailed Kim Davis for contempt for her continued refusal to comply with the Supreme Court ruling. At this point it is not relevant what the issue is, she has made it a matter of the court's authority versus her personal opinion. As a peripheral issue her staff claimed they would be willing to issue marriage licenses to everyone who applies except that they worked in fear of Ms. Davis' authority. I suppose we will now see how compliant her staff is in this matter.

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Author's Note: The book cover images in the side margins of this blog are my own publications of eBooks available at both Amazon and B&N. Please take a moment and go to the sites and read about them. Then if you like it, buy one or two.

American Conservatism is Passive Aggressive

American conservatism is largely passive aggressive. The approach goes something like this: You are oppressing me when trying to force me to honor your civil rights. I have faith-based freedoms that YOU are denying because of your presence in MY world. Or I have a right to say what I want to about you because I have Constitutional Rights that says I do.

The entire conflict arises when a person or group of people decide that they can ignore the laws and statutes of America, the States and local jurisdictions. They decide to exercise that freedom, right or alleged right in an in-your-face fashion. Such is the strategy of the Open-carry Movement.

The men and a few women dress up in their Saturday best outfits and don the fashion accessories that are capable of killing many people in a matter of seconds. They sling their AK-47s and AR-15s over their backs and strap on a 9mm handgun just for good balance. Why? Because they can.

There has never in the USA been a situation where a highly armed individual saved his own life or others with such weaponry as the ready. On the other hand, there have been numerous incidents where such people are the perpetrators of such carnage. The are passive aggressively rubbing everyone's noses in their "2nd Amendment Right" to bear arms. They stand in checking lines at the big-box stores, Krogers, Eat'n'Park using their body language to silently shout, 'Here I am exercising MY rights while NOT threatening you in any way." This behavior is very similar to a child pointing his finger in his younger sibling's face and saying, "Here is me NOT touching you," after mother says, "stop touching your brother." Passive aggressiveness to the MAX.

In Kentucky, elected County Clerk, Kim Davis, has decided that she can refuse to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples who walk up to HER counter and expect to be served like any other couple seeking to be married. She has taken it upon herself to maintain that refusal even in light of a Federal Judge's order.

"Rowan County Chief Clerk Kim Davis' lawyers filed an emergency appeal late Friday asking the Court to grant "asylum for her conscience" and allow her to continue to deny marriage licenses to same-sex couples," according to The Associated Press.

Kim continues to claim a superior position to the applicants who seek to use their tax-paid services that Rowan County provides. Kim is in the power position to unilaterally deny the licenses because she is the only person in that county that can sign the license. And she knows it.

In defense of her alleged rights, "Davis has suggested that same-sex couples can either go to a neighboring county or seek the signature of a different Rowan County official. She has also suggested that the state could change the law about marriage license signatures, removing the requirement that she sign her name to couples she finds sinful. The lower-court judge has rejected all three arguments."

In particular alleged Christian Conservatives have employed the passive aggressive approach in many instances. Christian prayer in public schools has been litigated over and over while the proponents say that their children are being denied their religious freedom to pray publicly in the schools. they imply that their god treats everyone poorly because of his exclusion. This is textbook example of the way religions prey. Be good or else the supreme being will punish you. Not me or my brethren.

While the religious leaders employ the passive approach, it is their followers who take action and commit violence. The preacher says, abortion is murder and is an abomination and his god will punish America and somebody should do something about it before was all are punished. "Somebody" will commit violence as an active aggression as a response to that call. Can I get a witness?

Passive aggression in the media comes with a Question Mark? Gay Marriage Causes Floods? It looks like a statement of fact but is just a motivator for the reader to get riles up and fearful. It is a question that will ultimately be answered with NO or WHO KNOWS. Lesbians Cause California Drought?

America has become a nation of Passive Aggression in more respects than is easily identified. We're putting GMOs on the shelves and refusing to label them FOR YOUR OWN GOOD. Food shoppers might make the mistake of choosing to not buy the produce when it is really okay to eat. You really need that Natural Gas to heat your home even though your drinking water becomes contaminated by fracking for it. And never mind those earthquakes, they don't mean a thing.

In order to sidestep her refusal to issue same-sex marriage licenses, Kim Davis decided to suspend ALL marriage license processing at her office.

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Author's Note: The book cover images in the side margins of this blog are my own publications of eBooks available at both Amazon and B&N. Please take a moment and go to the sites and read about them. Then if you like it, buy one or two.