Parting Shots, Including Antonin Scalia: It’s Republican World! 2015 In Review-- Epilogue
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- by Noah Oh how I wish one could make Republican World vanish just by no longer writing about it. But, it persists like a horrible virus, bent on running its course while infecting the body politic with vile fevers and chills, and America ponders those “Did this come from my body” moments. Do we survive the ill effects of Republican World, or, do we succumb? All I can say is that America has been very resilient in the past. For my end of the year review, I could have written additional chapters. After all there is no end to republican nihilism and insanity. I could have written about other imaginary scandals that exist only in the minds of republicans: Benghazi, for one. But, really, do we need anymore of that one? Suffice to say, we have a Republican controlled Congress that has held something like 10 hearings on the subject, wasting over $4,500,000 of our hard earned taxpayer dollars, just for the most recent one, just so they could grandstand for the way too eager to comply media hacks.
The real Benghazi scandal is not just about the money wasted, of course. That money could have been safely invested and helped to provide food or medical security for Americans, but that is not what the Republican Party is about and they have proven that time and time again. No, the real Benghazi scandal is that Republicans, in their nihilism, saw 4 tragic American deaths as exploitable for political gain. I could have written about another in a long line of fraudulent FOX “News” icons such as the incestuous, child-molesting Josh Duggar, late of the Family Research Council. Republican World luminaries such as Mike Huckabee, Megyn Kelly, and Sarah Palin had no qualms about defending him. Well, hey, at least he’s white, wink, wink. I thought FOX had gone off the deep end with Cliven “Let Me Tell You About The Negro” Bundy. Then, along comes Duck Dynasty’s hate-filled Phil Robertson who suddenly makes repeat appearances as an authority on our foreign policy, regarding Syria, on Sean Hannity’s nightly "Romper Room for The Deranged" TeeVee show. What’s next! I have a feeling Hannity will top it in 2016. Now, if only he would top himself.
No, I don’t really mean that about Hannity topping himself. That would be sooo wrong, wouldn’t it? You see, FOX would probably then go and give him a state funeral and announce that the late Hannity is being replaced not just by Phil Robertson, but by Phil Robertson and Pat Robertson together. Then, they’d give Josh Duggar a weekly segment on raising a family. Hannity’s resting place would be outside the FOX “News” building where he would lie in a glass coffin like Vladimir Lenin. Republicans could then come by and press buttons to hear and see recordings of Hannity’s greatest insane statements. I have a lot of favorite Republican World 2015 stories. One is a story of Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers (WA-R). Rodgers claims to represent Washington’s 5th District. Granted her district is about as far east in her state as one can be without crossing the border into Idaho’s survivalist and living in an abandoned missile silo country, but, it didn’t look like that when the virulent anti-Obamacare Congresswoman went on her Facebook page and asked her constituents for their Obamacare horror stories. She didn’t get what she wanted. Instead, so-called Representative Rodgers got an overload of Facebook responses extolling the eternally grateful life-saving virtues of Obamacare from her constituents, even conservative ones. You can begin reading them at the link I’ve provided. Was Rodgers chastened in any way shape or form? Well, to quote former House Speaker John Boehner, “Hell No!” Rodgers took the responses and cherry picked out the few negative ones that worked for her Republican World state of being. There are many words one could use for a congresscretin such as her but I won’t say them here. I’ll just tell you that you won’t have to get far in the alphabet
Enter Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia: I’ve saved Sclalia for last because it seems fitting that I end “It’s Republican World” with a living fossil of racism and bigotry. Scalia’s recent racist statement was not the first time we’ve heard his racist thoughts. They weren’t even the worst. For instance, in a 2013 ruling on voting rights, he likened voting rights for African-Americans to what he calls entitlements. Hey, Scalia boy, people died for what you dismissively refer to as “entitlements.” Scalia made the most recent of his growing catalog of racist statements a few weeks ago while the court was hearing an Affirmative Action case that involves the University of Texas.
“There are those who contend that it does not benefit African-Americans to get them into the University of Texas where they do not do well, as opposed to having them go to a less-advanced school, a slower-track school where they do well.” “One of the briefs pointed out that most of the Black scientists in this country don’t come from schools like the Universtity of Texas. They come from lesser schools where they do not feel that they’re being pushed ahead in classes that are too fast for them.”
Scalia is a perfect poster boy for American institutional racism. Here is a sicko racist who has reached one of the very highest stations that one can reach in our country. Scalia was nominated by President Reagan to fill the seat of an even worse racist named William Rehnquist. Ironically, Rehnquist was also a champion of the idea of “separate but equal” when it came to the education of Americans. As a law clerk in the early 1950s, Rehnquist wrote against Brown vs. Board Of Education, the case that called for segregation in American schools. At the start of his career as a republican operative, Rehnquist even worked to block Africa-Americans in Phoenix, AZ from exercising their right to vote. Perhaps, I should ask if there is an affirmative action program for racist judges, but that would be wrong. I’ll leave further comment on Scalia here to the wonderful Andy Borowitz.
A new study conducted by legal scholars indicates that Justice Antonin Scalia would fare better if he served as a judge at a court that was “less advanced” than the United States Supreme Court. According to the study, Scalia’s struggles to perform his duties in a competent fashion stem from his being inappropriately placed on a court that is “too demanding” for a person of his limited abilities. “Forcing Justice Scalia to weigh in on complex legal issues that he lacks the background or aptitude to comprehend is, at the end of the day, cruel,” the study said. The legal scholars theorized that Scalia would be more likely to thrive in a “lesser court where he does not feel that he is being pushed to hear cases that are too challenging for him.” “If Scalia were reassigned to a ‘slow track’ institution such as a town traffic court, that would be better for everyone,” the study recommended.
The Republican Sharia Law Fantasies: It’s Republican World! 2015 In Review-- Chapter Eleven
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by Noah Most Republicans I know about like to whine about Muslim Sharia Law taking over our country. In the Republican mind, it goes hand in hand with their imagined Obama-led "War On Christianity" that I posted about yesterday. The Sharia Law threat is one of their favorite and most paranoid theme songs. They’ve been singing this one (very off key) since the man they like to call Barack Hussein Obama won election and moved into the White House. They see Muslims coming to this country as some sort of conspiracy to install a theocracy. Since the majority of them think that President Obama is a Muslim, they, of course, see him as supporting this fanciful takeover. Sharia Law is Muslim religious law. It’s prescriptions are very often harsh and medieval. The dominance of Sharia, or lack there of, varies from country to country in the Muslim world, depending on a given country’s constitution and/or legal systems. Our system of law, outlined by The Constitution, is not in any way religious law; quite the contrary. We have the concept of separation of church and state, so, as long as we keep that concept, there will be no Sharia Law, of any kind, taking over the United States. In fact, and this would come as a shock to most republicans, there is no mention of God in The Constitution. That is by design, intelligent design as a matter of fact. Article VI of the Constitution says:
This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the Supreme Law of the Land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby.
“Supreme Law of the Land.” That seems pretty clear. So why do Republicans keep yapping about Sharia Law taking over America, a country whose Muslim inhabitants amount to 2% of the population, if, by the design of our founding fathers, many or whom were agnostics, it is proscribed that The Constitution is supreme? At worst, the best Sharia supporters could hope for would be that it would be used by the members of closed societies within the larger population, much like mobsters and gangs live, outside the law, by their own codes. Compared to our system of laws, Sharia Law is literally what some would call “a higher law” or God’s law; in this case Allah’s law since the basic tenet of Sharia is that God’s law is the source of all legal rulings for all acts. Again, our Constitution is a total impediment when it comes to the establishment of Sharia Law in our country. To refresh your memory; especially any lurking republican trolls out there, here is the first amendment:
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
That works in two ways: no special support, and no belligerence. So, as long as we don’t become a theocracy, there will be no religious law or Sharia Law that will have dominance over The Constitution. Republicans profess to be all gung ho about The Constitution. Perhaps they should actually read it, or, perhaps there is a different Constitution in Republican World. Those who put our Constitution together for us were very wary of the very idea of a theocracy running America. Many immigrants back then and right now came here to escape a theocracy. The separation of church and state, a concept that Republicans seem to have a very big problem with, protects us from the formation of a theocracy of any kind here. That includes Christianity and all other religions. The list of those Republicans who seem like they would vastly prefer a theocracy here is perhaps best exemplified by the Rev. Mike Huckabee and Sen. “Ted” Cruz who both came to the aid of Kentucky clerk Kim Davis when she cited her religious convictions as baring her from giving same sex couples a marriage license. Huckabee is one of those who believe that we can selectively choose which laws we want to obey and that we should be allowed to do so without consequence. These people seem to be in favor of Sharia Law of the Christian kind. Huckabee and his followers can scream "judicial tyranny" all they want. That comes under "free speech." However, he and his kind have decided they are above the laws of the land. They are not. If we don’t think a law is right in our country, we have another concept that the founding fathers gave us. It’s called Judicial Review. Under judicial review, actions by legislative bodies and executive actions can both be reviewed by the courts. The courts have the power, not Mike Huckabee and his ilk, not "Ted" Cruz, and not some FOX "News" wacko, to invalidate laws and decisions that are incompatible with a higher authority. In this country, that higher authority is The Constitution, not a bunch of voices you hear in your head and mistake for some sort of god or oracle. If you don’t like a law, you take it to court. You may win. You may lose, but that is how it’s supposed to work here. You don’t just get to say "that law doesn’t apply to me because of my religion." If Republicans don’t like that, perhaps they’d be happier and more comfortable in another country. Wouldn’t they love a nice, warm Muslim country? Wouldn’t it be wonderful if they would all just self-deport, tomorrow! To Davis, Huckabee, Cruz, the Davis supporters, and other like-minded Republicans (Marco Rubio and Rand Paul, for instance), there is a higher law than the laws of the United States of America. Such people believe this higher law supersedes the laws of their country, just like extreme Muslims believe similar things in their countries. In other words, people in America who believe as Davis, Huckabee, Cruz, and their like do, believe in some kind of Christian Sharia Law. There is no difference, if you believe your religious beliefs take precedence over the legal system of your country. Now, that’s what I call unconstitutional! Imagine a world where each of us could just say, “Hey, I don’t like that law” and just did whatever we want.
Since we all have fantasies, here’s one of mine that is inspired by this subject. In my fantasy, I actually get to run for President of the United States and I actually get elected. Yeah, I know it’s quite a whopper of a fantasy. But, wait, there’s more. I’m President and I get to nominate a Supreme Court justice. So, what do I do? I scour the entire country for the brightest most accomplished lawyer in the land, someone with indisputable qualifications… who happens to be a Muslim. I would do this just to see Mike Huckabee’s head and entire body explode. I would do this to see Bill O’Reilly, Sean Hannity, that Duck Dynasty clown, "Ted" Cruz, Trumpf, and Chris Christie (My what an explosion that would be!) all violently burst at the seams with apoplexy. Someday, a President will nominate a brilliant Muslim to the highest court in the land but, for now, we will have to settle for baby steps. Recently, in New York City, Carolyn Walker-Diallo was sworn in as a judge for Brooklyn’s 7th Municipal District. She swore he oath with her right hand on, not the Bible, but a book that has many of the same stories and characters. It’s called The Quran. Why a Quran? Well, Carolyn Walker-Diallo is a Muslim. As soon as she was sworn in, a sickening amount of local Republican malcontents erupted with their usual hate. Online comments included:
• "Sickening. Is this America of the Middle East." • "Another piece of s--- Muslim trying to take over this country." • "This is so wrong on so many levels!!!! Our leadership has gone to Hell!!!" • "We are witnessing our nation falling to her knees."
You get the picture. The four comments I just listed above are probably the most articulate ones. Some are nothing but gibberish. It’s safe to say that Walker-Diallo can speak English and write a lot better English than many of her critics. She’s more American than her critics will ever be. There’s been a lot talk from the critics about Sharia Law taking over and a lot of that FOX "News" leadership meme. I haven’t bothered with all of the obscene ones, and, speaking of getting the picture, there have been a lot of pictures of burning Qurans and pictures of republicans apparently using pages of the Quran as toilet paper. This country clearly has a mental illness problem. At least one of its political parties does. You have to wonder if those who live in Republican World know that we have Muslim U.S. soldiers fighting against terrorists. We have Muslim intelligence agents, too, but, a Muslim judge? Hey, that’s just wrong to these nutters. Just imagine if their favorite sports team got rid of its Muslim players. Confusion in Republican World would abound. Judge Walker-Diallo did pledge allegiance to the flag of The United States Of America before being sworn in but that would never satisfy the republican mob. Celebrity nutjob Republican Allen West immediately published on his website an article titled "Obama’s America: Muslim Woman Sworn In As Judge, Look At The FIRST Thing She Does!" His site even cropped the photo so none of his sensitive readers would see the Quran. Local Republicans have since been bellowing and tearing at their hair wondering how such a thing as a Muslim judge could come to pass. Well, dummies, it’s simple, almost as simple as you. We had an election in November. The people voted for her. Majority rules. Don’t you have any faith in the American democratic process? Do you not believe in America? You are the same ridiculous fools that whined when Irish, Italian, and Jewish New Yorkers became judges or entered politics. What the Hell is wrong with you? On Judge Walker-Diallo’s campaign website, her message reads:
"I am humbled that my community has entrusted me with the immense responsibility of ensuring that EVERYONE has notice and fair opportunity to be heard in the halls of justice."
Maybe it’s that use of the word 'everyone' that bothers Republicans. Hah! Yeah, it’s that word and that other word, 'Muslim.' Walker-Diallo isn’t even the first Muslim judge here in New York. We’ve had others. Two years ago we even got a Muslim judge on the Court of Appeals. Her name is Sheila Abdus-Salaam. She’s a woman. She’s of African heritage, and, she’s a Muslim! That’s a perfect trifecta of hate for Republicans. But, this election cycle, Republicans have revved up the bigotry engine. Carolyn Walker-Diallo is very qualified for her new job. She received her Juris Doctor from New York Law School. She serves as First Vice-Chair of Brooklyn Community Board 5. She is the Board Chair of The George Walker Jr. Community Coalition, Inc., and she is a member of several other community organizations. In other words, Brooklyn’s 7th Municipal District has a judge that is about as familiar with the issues of her community as you can be. She is no outsider. Judge Walker-Diallo has been a judge now for 12 days. The Brooklyn Bridge has not been turned over to a local Taliban. The Brooklyn Nets still play professional basketball, although not particularly well. You can still get some of the very best pizza in the world in Brooklyn, for now, that is.
A War On Christianity Led By President Obama? It’s Republican World, 2015 In Review-- Chapter Ten
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Did Rupert Murdoch immigrate to America so he could destroy it from within?
-by Noah Even before he was elected in 2008, Republicans began creating an alternate universe in which Barack Obama was a Muslim, born in Kenya. Once elected, the Republican nihilism machine worked itself into an out of control frenzy of birtherism, led by the usual hate radio suspects, demented celebrity birthers such as Pam Geller and Donald Trump, and, of course, the birther TV channel itself, FOX “News”, which for quite a while, seemingly went “all birther, all the time” in its ongoing massive effort to delegitimize the presidency of President Obama. Now, in 2015, after so much brainwashing, we have a Republican Party whose majority believes to their core that President Obama is a Muslim born outside of the United States and a republican party whose leading candidate for the party’s nomination is the lead birther himself, Donald Trump. What’s that saying about repeat a lie often enough and it becomes accepted fact? That’s Republican World for you. Think for a minute on that one. This is a classic example of the sickness of the Republican mind. I mean, don’t you think for a second that if Barack Obama was not born in the United States, that the Clintons would have found proof of it and used it like a bludgeon in the 2008 primary, thus preventing Sen. Obama from ever even becoming the nominee? Oh, I suppose that if you live in Republican World, you either can’t get your mind around that one, or, the Clintons are all part of the same great Obama/Muslim/Marxist conspiracy. After all, if Hillary Clinton shot Vince Foster and also deliberately allowed the deaths in Benghazi, she’s capable of anything, isn’t she? In Republican World 2015, it’s become not enough to believe just that President Obama is a Muslim born in Kenya or on Mars or wherever. No, this has now grown like a mind cancer into a belief that President Obama, because he is a Muslim, is naturally leading “the left” in a war on Christianity. Forget for a second that this common statement from prominent Republicans about President Obama and “the left” leading this war on Christianity assumes that if one is a “liberal” one could not possibly be a Christian. That is insane, but consider the source. Republicans are in a mini-rapture from playing their victim cards about the whole matter. Paranoia strikes deep with these people. To them, their imaginary “war on Christianity” is as real as the imaginary evil, non-citizen Muslim/Marxist Obama. Once you believe in the latter, belief in the former is easy, not to mention addicting. To Republicans living in Republican World, not building border walls, bringing in refugees, marriage equality (especially that one), planned parenthood (both the planning part and the clinics named so), not saying “Islamic Terrorist”, Voting Rights, and even saying “Happy Holidays” are all part of the dastardly plan. Here are just a few of the victim card playing loons, noted Republican voices all, weighing in on the subject with what’s left of the brains they might have been born with:
• “We are moving rapidly toward the criminalization of Christianity.” -Mike Huckabee (on an April Family Research Council conference call of conservative pastors) • “There’s no room for Christians in today’s Democratic Party.” -Ted Cruz (at this year’s Iowa Faith & Freedom Summit) •“There is a liberal fascism that is dedicated to going after believing Christians who follow the biblical teaching on marriage.” -Ted Cruz (at the very same Iowa Faith & Freedom Summit) •“If you’re a Christian or a white man in the USA, it’s open season on you.” -Bill O’Reilly (O’Reilly Factor 4/13/15)
•“If you think about it, we are at the water’s edge of the argument that mainstream Christian teaching is hate speech.” -Marco Rubio (CBN interview. 5/26/15)
If you listen to these crazies long enough, you’ll half expect them to say that Dylann Roof was acting as some sort of agent for Barack Obama when he went and shot those parishioners in Charleston, South Carolina. And, don’t forget, there have been a lot of church burnings lately. Hmmmm. Must be that Muslim guy. The above quotes almost seem mild compared to the dark thoughts that Rick Santorum offered at a Town Hall in Plano, Texas back in February, 2009.
They are taking faith and crushing it. Why? Why? When you marginalize faith in America, when you remove the pillar of God-given rights, then what’s left is the French Revolution. What’s left is the government that gives you right, what’s left are no unalienable rights, what’s left is a government that will tell you who you are, and what you’ll do and when you’ll do it. What’s left in France became the guillotine. Ladies and gentlemen, we’re a long way from that, but if we do and follow the path of President Obama and his overt hostility to faith in America, then we are headed down that road.
In the real world, the first in line sent to the guillotine in the French Revolution were not the victims of the government oppression but those who were the oppressors. In the throes of anti-Obama mania, Santorum seems to have misunderstood the French Revolution. But, I’ll admit that I’m not sure exactly what he’s trying to say here. Maybe subtitles are needed when the man speaks. In any event, I really don’t think we are headed toward beheadings at the hands of President Obama, but, isn’t it fascinating that in the minds of Republicans, President Obama, being as he is, of course, a Muslim, will, one day, start beheading Americans. That’s quite an image and it’s the classic propagandistic fear-mongering that we get from Republican World.
Your Rights And Quality Of Life When Republicans Rule: It’s Republican World! 2015 In Review-- Chapter Nine
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-by Noah As the old saying goes, elections do have consequences. One need only compare two side by side states, Minnesota, rebounding under Democratic Governor Mark Dayton’s administration, and, Wisconsin, being run into the ground by the Koch brothers-backed Governor Scott Walker, who runs Wisconsin as if it was Bolivia or Uganda. Unfortunately, Wisconsin is, by far, not the only state whose citizens are at risk under Republican rule. Here’s a quick look at just a few of the 33 states that have a Republican governor and a matching state legislature. Next time you’re thinking about not voting, you might want to reconsider. 1. Kentucky- Kentucky’s new governor, Mark Bevin, is filled with Christmas spirit, Republican style. Just elected in November, in a low turnout election, Bevin is already in office and, just in time for Christmas, has lowered the minimum wage for state employees and contract workers by $3.00 an hour. Bevin has stated that he would like to get rid of the minimum wage concept altogether. Gov. Bevin, implementing a typical Republican election strategy, has also already revoked voting rights for 140,000 Kentucky citizens who are non-violent felons. Why would a Republican governor do this? As always, with his party, it’s all down to race and/or economic status. The victims of this disenfranchisement are disproportionately poor and/or African American. In Kentucky, one in five African Americans is now without voting rights due to Bevin’s action.
That's the new guv and Kim Davis and her hubbie. And behind the hubbie? Satan has someone from Texas observing
Bevin is also a classic Republican homophobe. He has taken up Kim Davis’s suggestion that a clerk’s name not be included on marriage licenses, a move that would presumably make things easier and more comfortable for clerks who oppose marriage equality. How has Bevin managed to do this all so quickly? By executive order, of course! You know, that method Republicans are always whining and bitching about every time President Obama signs an executive order. Kentuckians can now expect Bevin to go after their healthcare in short order. After all, Kentucky had one of the most successful implementations of Obamacare in the country. What self-respecting Republican would want that? 2. Indiana- Wednesday, I wrote about the Republican sport of gay bashing. I included a mention of Indiana’s extremely homophobic governor, Mike Pence. Pence and his state's Republicans, once again, threw their bigotry in the face of American citizens. A former Hate Radio host, Mike Pence made his hate and bigotry into law by signing a so-called Religious Liberty law which is designed as a means to discriminate against LGBT people in Indiana. It’s a “we reserve the right to refuse service” to gays, blacks, whomever you dislike law. Doesn’t Indian sound like a swell place? Pence signed his law behind closed doors, surrounded by anti-gay spokescretins, including one who is a gay conversion guy, and one who believes that homosexuality leads to sex with animals, yet Pence claims his bill has nothing to do with gays.
We shouldn’t be all that surprised about Indiana. When the KKK was at its height, Indiana may have been the state where the KKK was at its strongest. It’s in the state’s DNA. Back in the 1920s, even the governor and the majority of the state legislature were KKK members or, at the least, under their control. Back then, Indiana politics was so insane that Grand Dragon D. C. Stevenson basically ran the state and had hopes of himself one day moving into the White House. Those hopes were dashed after he abducted and murdered Madge Oberholtzer on the night of Republican Governor Edward Jackson’s inauguration. Jackson pardoned Stephenson, of course. These things do happen. Once again, Indiana has a right wing extremist for a governor. How far will he try to go? 3. Arkansas- Not to be outdone by Indiana, Arkansas passed a “Religious Freedom” bill very similar to Indiana’s. Shall we now expect republican-run states to start looking into the possibility of having anti-gay laws like England had until the late 1960s. In England, even being a homosexual was a crime until the relatively recent date of 1967. Being gay was criminalized. If you were found out, you lost your job, you went to prison, you might have been forced into “hormone therapy”, or worse. Now that’s a republican dream if there ever was one. People like the politicians behind these laws wish it so. Republican voters vote for them. 4. Missouri- In Missouri, it’s not just about racism and/or homophobia. Add anti-Semitism to the fetid mix of Republican state politics. In Missouri, John Hancock, leader of the state Republican party, is still the choice of Missouri Republicans to run their party after a year of insanity that got so bad that Tom Schweich, a prime GOP candidate for governor, and Spence Jackson, a member of his staff, both killed themselves. According to one of the deceased and at least one sworn affidavit, party leader Hancock went after Schweich because he was Jewish. According to an affidavit signed by David Humphreys, a top party donor, Hancock said that:
“…being Jewish is a negative attribute to Tom Schweich’s gubernatorial race”
And you thought the events in Ferguson were the only story in Missouri!
5. Kansas- Republicans love to call President Obama a dictator. In Kansas, they have Governor Sam Brownback. Brownback has not only bankrupted his state with his ideologically-driven Republican policies, he has now signed a law, passed by the Kansas Republican-controlled legislature that states that the Kansas courts must rule how he decrees or he will defund and therefore disband the court. It’ll be interesting when people in Kansas start to wake up, if they do, and wonder why state roads are impassable and their kid’s schools are literally falling apart. Perhaps, we should now expect a new Kansas law designed to change the state’s name to Chile. 6. Montana- The future? Stay tuned! Montana currently has Democratic Governor Steve Bullock but his term ends in 2016 and many Republicans are already excited about the possible candidacy of businessman Greg Gianforte. Gianforte supports the usual “Let Them Eat Cake” things that Republicans cherish and he is already pushing a new item on the Republican wish list: no retirement! That’s right. Forget the usual republican attacks on Social Security Gianforte is against the concept of retirement altogether! Using the common republican tactic of twisting the Bible for political purposes, Gianfronte spoke at Montana Bible College saying:
“Nowhere does it say ‘Well, he was a good and faithful servant, so he went to the beach. It doesn’t say that anywhere.”
Gianforte continued with his party’s work ‘til you drop meme:
“The example I think is Noah. How old was Noah when he built the ark? 600. He wasn’t like, cashing Social Security checks. He wasn’t hanging out. He was working. So, I think we have an obligation to work. The role we have in work may change over time, but the concept of retirement is not Biblical.”
Does this mean we can expect 550 more years of Republican wisdom from this typical, bible thumping assclown? I’m surprised he isn’t already in those wacky Republican debates that have been making such fine television lately.
Rich GOP psychopath, Greg Gianforte, interprets the Bible to mean no more retirement crap for the middle class
Rafael “Ted” Cruz In his Own Words: It’s Republican World! 2015 In Review-- Chapter Eight
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- by Noah With so much media attention being focused on the grotesque megalomania and downright dementia of current Republican poll leader Herr Donald Trumpf, Rafael “Ted” Cruz of Texas by way of Canada has somewhat flown under the radar. But, that is changing. With “Ted” rapidly ascending the polls in the party’s contest of nutcases running for their presidential nomination, it’s time to take a close look at Cruz. Harvard educated “Ted” Cruz is not stupid. Do not make that mistake. He has argued cases in front of the Supreme Court. He also has put together a very good ground operation and stands to beat out Trump in Iowa 6 weeks from now.
Just so you know, one of the cases he argued before The Supreme Court was a case where he was defending the state of Texas when the state was attempting to renege on a promise to donate money to aid impoverished children. What better way to begin to get to know “Ted” Cruz than by just reading what the man has to say? If you think Donald Trump is a fascist, wait ‘till you get an understanding of “Ted.” If you love fascism, you’ll love Cruz. He makes Trump look like the child that he is. The following is a list of Quotes Of Would Be President Cruz. Although my end of the year posts have been, to date, strictly about things that were said or done in 2015, I have included quotes from “Ted” from various recent years because it was 2015 that will go down as the year that America started to be aware of the darkness that lives in his mind. We should all be more aware of him. Quotations From The Charred Little Soul of “Ted” Cruz:
1. "There is no place for gays or atheists in my America. None. Our Constitution makes that clear." -“Ted” at Liberty University 3/23/15
The only Constitution that makes that clear is the one that exists In Republican World.
2. “If standing for liberty and standing for the Constitution make you a wacko bird, then you can count me a wacko bird.” -“Ted” 2015
“Ted” responding to Sen. John McCain calling him a wacko bird.
3. “Companies and small business should absolutely not only have the right to turn away gay customers, they should exercise that right. Universal condemnation may convince these people to stop choosing to be gay. -“Ted” 3/31/15
The ol’ Republican “We reserve the right to refuse service to you” meme. Too bad Lester Maddox is dead. He could get a cabinet position in a Cruz administration. Choosing to be gay?
4. “When gays stayed hidden we had no mass shootings; we had no public nudity. Society was polite. Now anything and everything goes and I blame them.” -“Ted” at CPAC, 2014
5. “The American people want economic growth back. That should be our top priority. Nothing is killing jobs or hurting the American system more than Obamacare. We need to defund it.” -“Ted” 2013
Gee, “Ted”, are you sure it isn’t gays that are killing jobs and hurting the American system?
6. “Anyone know if President Obama intends to perform background checks on the Syrian rebels before providing them weapons?” -“Ted” 2013
Well, “Ted” there is a way to prevent that. It’s called Gun Control.
7. “We are still a nation of laws. You just have to check with Barack Obama every day to see what they are.” -“Ted” 2014
8. “Obama’s mother’s citizenship is irrelevant since his father wasn’t American and he wasn’t born in America. He can’t be President” -“Ted” in 2012. 9. “All you need to know about my parentage is my mother was a citizen. My father and place of birth are irrelevant”. -“Ted” in 2015, 3 years later.
Is “Ted” somehow ashamed of his father’s Cuban heritage? Is that why he goes By “Ted” instead of his given first name?
10. “If the slaves were never freed in the Civil War, you have to wonder, where would Obama be today? Certainly not the White House, not in the capacity he’s in. And you have some in America that think that might not be a bad thing.” -“Ted” on Hannity 6/16/14
Well, if you’re gonna put that thought out there, you might as well do it on a white supremacist’s show.
11. “There would be less disease, less cancer and aids and diabetes in this country if people would simply pray. God blesses the righteous with good health and curses the immoral with sickness. -“Ted” at CPAC, 2015
Go ahead. Admit it. You thought he was going to blame “the gays” again. I admit I thought he was. That second sentence sure sounds very Muslim extremist of him, doesn’t it?
12. “The last 24 hours at the United States Supreme Court were among the darkest hours of our nation.” -“Ted” June, 2015
“Ted” on the day after Marriage Equality was okayed by the court. Yep. Marriage Equality right there on the bad list with the day Pearl Harbor was attacked, the day the Civil War began, the days JFK, Lincoln, MLK, RFK, were killed, the days Bush stole the White House, the day the Challenger exploded, the day Katrina hit, 9/11... Ol’ “Ted” has a real sense of perspective.
13. “I would not, could not with a goat.” -“Ted”. 2013
I’m not so sure. He represents Texas you know.
14. “I’m grateful to receive the endorsement of Troy Newman. He has served as a voice for the unborn for over 25 years, and works tirelessly every day for the pro-life cause. We need leaders like Troy Newman in this country who will stand up for those who do not have a voice.” -"Ted," Nov., 2015
Troy Newman is also known for calling for the execution of doctors who perform abortions.
15. “So to express my opposition to Obamacare, I’m going to read Green Eggs And Ham by Dr. Suess. It’s a book about a stubborn jerk who decides he hates something before he tries it and resists trying it with everything he has in him until he finally does give it a taste and then falls in love with it.” -“Ted” in 2013.
“Ted” as he set out to filibuster the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare. Like I always say, Republicans have no sense of irony.
UPDATE: Cruz's Outrageous Statements As one who desires accuracy in media, I need to point out that, of the above quotes, numbers 1, 3, 4, 8 & 9 (the pair of “citizenship” quotes), and 11 are not real. At least some of them, believable as they are, appear to have their origins not from the mouth of Sen. Cruz but from a satire posted on a Facebook site several months ago. The context of the outrageous things being said in this election cycle, quotes from others on the far right, and other things Sen. Cruz has himself really said make the dubious quotes all the more plausible. I could have used the following now famous hyperbolic, all to real, Cruz quotes:
"We will utterly destroy ISIS. We will carpet-bomb them into oblivion. I don’t know if sand can glow in the dark, but we are going to find out.
Or, this one, where Cruz comes up with a nonsensical whopper about Deputy Director of the CIA Michael Morrell:
"Mike Morrell testified and told Congress that the reason Obama has not bombed ISIS’ oil fields is that they’re concerned about global warming."
Or, this one:
"Here’s the simple and undeniable fact: The overwhelming majority of violent criminals are Democrats."
"…the jihad that is being waged right now in Indiana and Arkansas, going after people of faith who respect the biblical teaching that marriage is the union of one man and one woman."
The concept of marriage equality really set the righties off this year. Cruz surrogate Sandy Rios, of the American Family Association, predicted divine punishment in the form of worldwide disaster. In a Republican world where leading Republicans can even blame 9/11 on gays, feminists and People For The American Way, as Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson did, it doesn’t take much to believe the number 4 quote in the post. The same can be said for numbers 1, 3, and 11. Then there’s the context of Cruz being a featured guest, along with Mike Huckabee and Bobby Jindal, at Pastor Kevin Swanson’s Religious Liberties forum. Among other things, Swanson is known for calling for homosexuals to be rounded up and executed. The final quote I’d like to mention here because of the context is number 14. This one is real. Ted Cruz said it as he eagerly accepted the endorsement of Troy Newman, the head of Operation Rescue. The actual quote and more can be found at this link. Newman has endorsed the murder of doctors who perform abortions by praising their actions of those who have. Newman, by his own words, has admitted that he was involved in the creation of the infamous "Baby Parts" hoax video. He says he served as an "advisor" and "consultant" in the making of the clips which went viral, resulting in congressional hearings and the defunding of Planned Parenthood clinics. The clips have even been treated as real by candidate Carly Fiorina in a nationally televised Republican debate. The "Baby Parts" hoax persists. I regret and apologize about not being more vigilant and passing some hoax Ted Cruz quotes on. We seem to be living in an era where the difference between reality and satire are becoming blurred to a point where the two are indistinguishable. I don’t want to be a part of that blurring. We must all make the case against Sen. Cruz with the truth. The truth is bad enough. -Noah
CHRISTMAS IN REPUBLICAN WORLD: It’s Republican World, 2015 In Review-- Chapter Seven
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- By Noah In Republican World, not only does Santa have to be white, but there’s a whole War On Christmas itself! How do we know? FOX, Limbaugh, Laura Ingraham, Sarah Palin, Mike Huckabee, “Ted” Cruz, and any number of other Republican charlatans and crazies tell us so. In the real world, the imagined “War On Christmas” is just yet another example of how Republicans play their victim cards and caress them to their chests like pictures of Ronald Reagan. I congratulate The Onion for the following Pulitzer-worthy reporting from Republican World. Their depiction of the horrible abuse facing Christians who live in Republican World is heart-rending. Knowing FOX’s penchant for treating articles from The Onion as real, I expect that FOX & Friends will be telling this story in the glow of yule logs for years to come.
The gathered Christians listen to Trans-Siberian Orchestra’s Carol Of The Bells at low volume for fear that someone on the surface might hear
Nation’s Oppressed Christians Huddle Underground To Light Single Shriveled Christmas Shrub UNDISCLOSED LOCATION— Persecuted and driven into hiding because of their beliefs, the nation’s oppressed Christians reportedly huddled in a secret underground bunker late Wednesday night to decorate and light a single withered Christmas shrub. At great personal risk, the Christians were said to have smuggled in a few strings of colored mini lights, tinsel, popcorn garlands, Hallmark Keepsake ornaments, and other contraband in order to trim the shrub inside the subterranean chamber, the last place in America where they were safe to celebrate Christmas. "We have come together today to observe a Christian holiday that has been all but stamped out on the surface," said a man who wished to be identified only as "Greg," after hanging a figurine of Mickey Mouse dressed as Santa Claus from one of the shrub’s boughs. "I can’t say this humble bush is much of a Christmas tree, but it was the largest we could manage to get here, given the circumstances. Let us remember, though, that to merely celebrate Christmas-- to exchange gifts and eat our candy canes in peace-- without the government or the powerful secular elite coming in and destroying it is a blessing in itself." "They want to bring an end to our holiest day," he added, as several others erected a 3-foot-tall light-up Grinch and plastic signpost bearing the words "Santa Stop Here" behind him. "It is up to us to keep Christmas alive." After double-checking on the chamber’s entrance hatch to ensure it was tightly closed and locked, Greg then reportedly led the gathered Christians in hushed renditions of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "A Holly Jolly Christmas" as the shrub was lit. Those in attendance, many of whom had trekked hundreds or even thousands of miles, spoke of the great sacrifices they had made solely so that they could look upon an actual Christmas tree with their own eyes. A number of the Christians recounted how they had secretly carried a brightly painted plastic nativity scene and an inflatable 7-foot-tall snowman to the secret site, the latter item having been trafficked across three states in a truck with a false bottom. Others mentioned how they had sewed a few star- and wreath-shaped sugar cookies into the linings of their coats to avoid detection by the masses who sought to erase their holiday-- and ultimately, their entire faith-- from American life.
Reports confirmed that many who had arrived in the hidden underground sanctuary immediately broke down in tears upon being greeted with the forbidden words "Merry Christmas," a phrase none had heard spoken openly in years for fear of harsh reprisals. "It was difficult and dangerous to get here, but it’s all worth it to actually be able to celebrate the birth of Jesus," said a 42-year-old teacher from Virginia who refused to give her name as she helped flock the shrub with a spray can of fake snow and arranged gifts of Yankee Candles and Amazon gift cards underneath its meager branches. "Unfortunately, this is the only way we can practice our beliefs now that corporations, the media, and our elected leaders have all conspired to remove every trace of Christmas from the country." "I just want to make sure my kids know what Christmas is really about," she continued, adjusting the plush reindeer antlers atop her head and switching on her glowing Rudolph nose. After the Christmas shrub was lit, the Christians were reportedly grateful to partake in other sacred traditions without fear of interference or abuse, such as the reading of the 2005 storybook classic The Elf On The Shelf and the viewing of grainy VHS copies of A Charlie Brown Christmas, The Santa Clause, and other beloved films that had been passed down through the generations. Sources confirmed that as the evening drew to a close, all of their wrapping paper, Christmas cards, and fabric Santa hats were burned in trash cans to erase any evidence of the shunned celebration. The wary Christians then reportedly removed all incriminating green-and-red items from their persons and dispersed in small groups so as not to attract attention from federal authorities. "Make sure your little ones destroy their stockings before you leave and empty their pockets of any trinkets or bells-- they mustn’t have anything on them that jingles," one man was overheard saying tearfully to a friend before embracing him and slipping off into the night. "I’ll see you again next December, God willing. Stay safe out there."
The Year In Gay Bashing: It’s Republican World, 2015 In Review, Chapter Six
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-By Noah
When Republicans find a group of people they consider “different” or can paint as “different”, they pounce. Skin tone, nationality, religion, gender, and gender preference are all are fair game in Republican World. Anything they can use to rile up the emotions and unfounded fears of their base is, in their view, fair game. They take it and put it into their schoolyard bully approach to “debate”. It’s the art of meanness and it gets them where they want to go. It’s also a useful tool of distraction form far more important issues. It can get naïve voters to vote against their own interests, time and time again. They won’t even know they’re being played. This loudmouth, bullying approach to public discourse may be best exemplified by people with names like Trumpf, Christie, Issa, Gowdy, Walker, or any one of the knuckle-dragging Hate Radio talkers and FOX “News” personalities. In recent election cycles, Republicans, most notably led by strategist Karl Rove, have used the Republican dislike for gay people to drive their haters to the polls. All sorts of anti-LGBT propositions have been placed on ballots in numerous states while cartoonish phony Christians bitch about cartoon characters that they either think or wish to be gay. Who knows what psychology is at play when some jackass of a preacher starts screaming from the rooftops that Teletubbies are gay, that Spongebob Squarepants is really Spongebob Gaypants, and most recently, that Dumbledore from Harry Potter is gay.
The latter example, from the Harry Potter stories, is the most interesting in that it was confirmed by the creator of the stories back in late 2007 and that confirmation was met with a comparative ho-hum. Anti-gay stances by hateful southern-based companies like Hobby Lobby and Chick-fil-A aside, the hate the gays thing just isn’t working for Republicans quite as well as it used to. They’ll have to go on to something else like they always have. Too many people know, like, love, work with, and respect LGBT people and, in a Republican worst nightmare kind of way, it’s all just fine. This is especially true of young voters, even the Republican ones. What’s a party to do? Well, if you are an old fart Republican you can always double and triple down, even quadruple down on your hate for all Muslims and hope that that works. But, some Republicans are going to go down fighting on about “The Gay.” Here are a couple of the way, way too many examples from 2015: 1. The Marriage Equality Battle- The United States Supreme Court ruled in June that it was
perfectly OK for two people of the same sex to marry. Sure, there are still plenty of republicans bellowing about the threat of people marrying sheep but I suspect that that is just the stuff of their hidden desires and dreams. I’m talkin’ ‘bout you, Louis Gohmert. There’s also the tired cliché of marriage equality being a threat to “normal marriage” or what is euphemistically called “the sanctity of marriage”. Personally, my wife and I have been married for over 33 years and neither of us feel that our marriage is threatened by any of the gay couples we know. Sorry, Reince. But, try telling that to Rev. Mike Huckabee of FOX “News” and, currently a candidate for his party’s nomination for President. He thinks we should ignore the laws of the land. The Supreme Court has no authority in his miniscule Republican World mind. Here’s he is. Gotta be the 2015 Award winner for sheer idiocy in gay hate. Here he is, attaching himself to Kim Davis and her 15 minutes of “fame” like the political huckstering parasite that he is.
Damn. Gonna need some big straightjackets. Huckabee is willing to go to jail for his insanity. Make. My. Day. 2. Indiana Governor Mike Pence- Republicans like to talk about preserving freedoms; you know, like the freedom to discriminate, the right to refuse service, however you want to word it. Putting citizens in little boxes so it can be made easier to discriminate just makes a repug happy. The new law in this instance was SB101, the grandly named “Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA)” as if such freedoms had once existed but had been taken away. Nope, it’s a law designed to expand the freedom of bigots to be bigots. The law reflects the kind of attitude Lester Maddox had back in 1960s Georgia when he refused to serve African-Americans at his restaurant. Think of the RFRA as an anti-political correctness law. For Republicans, bitching about PC has become all the rage. It’s like they all have some sort of mind virus. Well, just as their incessant bitching about PC is due to the fact that they want to feel free to shout the n-word every 30 seconds, laws like the RFRA are designed to not just allow them to say what they want without consequence, laws like this are designed to allow Republicans to do whatever they want to our neighbors, our friends, our co-workers, whomever they damn well please.
So, there was Indiana Governor Mike Pence, for instance, back in June. There he sat at his big manly desk, surrounded by a bevy of top virulent homophobes as he signed the RFRA, his state’s pro-discrimination “religious liberty” law. The hate-filled anti-gay lunatics that literally had Pence’s back included Curt Smith who equates being gay with bestiality, which says more about him, really. The great Micah Clark was there. He still says, now well into the 21st century, that homosexuality is a treatable mental disorder. Then there’s Eric Miller who falsely claimed that if same-sex marriage passed, anti-gay preachers might be arrested. When Republicans use the phrase “religious liberty”, it’s like a get out of jail free card. They talk about society being too permissive yet, there they are, trying to use “religious liberty” as permission to hurt others. It comes from the same republican mindset that gave us “stand your ground” laws. “I have a right to shoot you if I perceive you as a threat, even if I have to run after you” or “I have a right to deny you equal treatment under the law if I don’t agree with who you are.” Laws like these enable people to take action and then just say the magic words. The now infamous Pastor Kevin Swanson, who recently welcomed leading homophobes “Ted” Cruz, Bobby Jindal (You really do have to wonder if Jindal, the governor of Louisiana, has ever been to Mardi Gras), and Rev. Mike Huckabee (once and future Fox “News” host) to his stage at his “religious liberty” convention, even manages to actually combine the concepts of “religious liberty” and “stand your ground”. He thinks, out loud, no less, that gay people should be executed. He preaches this as he waves his bible and prances from one side of his stage to the other, sounding more like a Muslim terrorist than anything else. Howie and I both posted about this Indiana fiasco back in June. Back then, I noted that Republicans from “Jeb” Bush to “Ted” Cruz to Marco Rubio all joined hands in claiming that Indiana’s pro-discrimination law has nothing to do with republican attitudes towards our fellow LGBT citizens. Nope. No hate here! Who, us? By the way, until the hell broke loose over the Indiana law, Mike Pence was so sure that he had a good chance to be the Vice Presidential nominee of his party next year. Maybe he does, in Republican World. After all, he’s got the bigot box checked. 3. Would you attend a gay wedding?- In 2015, we heard a lot of sad, tiny-minded denizens of Republican World say they wouldn’t attend a gay wedding and certainly wouldn’t bake a cake for a gay wedding. One day, back in April, Marco Rubio was asked if he would attend a gay wedding. Surprisingly, he magnanimously said that, yes, he would. This admission, sadly, made big news. It was a shocker. Will it cost him his chance at the nomination? It will certainly cost him some votes. In Republican World, what Rubio said was one of those profiles in courage moments. At least, he didn’t say he’d bake the cake. That would have ended his career right there. This whole thing makes me wonder how other Republikooks might try to one-up Rubio. I’m making a few predictions of headlines we can expect to see. Here they are, fresh from Noah’s World. It’s only fair, and I’m always fair. 1. “Ted” Cruz- I would attend a gay wedding as long as the couple aren’t the same sex and it doesn’t lead to a guy marrying his dog or goat. You know how it goes.
2. Steve King- What if both guys have calves the size of cantaloupes? What if they are Muslims? The whole idea is preposterous! 3. Rand Paul- I would smoke tons of pot but only for medical purposes and go but only after I write myself a prescription. Oh, wait, isn’t a prescription a regulation? Also, the couple would have to have a license. Oh crap, that’s a regulation, too. Can I get there without using an Interstate? Can I fly there without my flight being subject to FAA regulating? Maybe it’s best if I just stay home and lock myself in a padded cell. But what about my personal freedom? What’s this jacket with the buckles in the back. Hey, these buckles are regulating me! 4. Chris Christie- I would bake a very large cake but it might not make it to the reception. 5. Ben Carson- I’ll attend a gay wedding if and when Chick-fil-A caters it. I’ll bring some rice from the pyramids. 6. Mike Huckabee- If the voices I hear in my head that I mistake for Jesus, tell me to go, I will go. 7. Lindsay Graham- I’ll attend a gay wedding if my pal McCain ever gets the nerve to propose to me. 8. Michele Bachmann- I kinda already did attend a gay wedding.
9. Bill-O- As long as the couple are both white, right, male, and over 70, I would consider it. I will be fair. I will be fair. We are always fair on The Factor. 10. Scott Walker- I guess I would go to a gay wedding if the Koch brothers gave me permission, but, I sure hope it’s not in my state. Also, rest assured, I will make it extremely difficult for them to vote!
