Ted Cruz: The Organ Grinder Strikes Again

Is it in poor taste for a media outlet to prey upon the family of a political candidate? You better believe it!

Sure, dragging your family members onto a stage at campaign stop after campaign stop is part of the history – even the macabre charm – of campaigning in America. Not to mention that magic moment on the Big Stage at a National Convention when you've secured a place on a National Ticket and all gather 'round. Even so, in such scenarios, it is the candidate alone who should bear the brunt of any critique.

But when you include your children as innocent, unknowing audible participants in a paid commercial; when you have the guile to have one of them utter a commentary on an opponent; when you're shameless enough to include them in a completely fabricated scenario, right down to the made-up children's book being read and enjoyed by the family at hand … then you, the candidate, open up anyone and everyone to commentary, the whining complaints of Ted Cruz, be damned.

And in case you still don't know for sure that Cruz is, indeed, the most shameless politician to ever run for president in this nation of ours … a man who would probably even lie about the origins of his own mother to get votes (oh, wait … he has done that, right?), Cruz is now invoking the Washington Post cartoon depicting the candidate as a conniving organ grinder and his children as monkeys – the cartoon which has caused such a clatter – as part of a ploy to collect $1 million in campaign cash. I guess the cartoon didn't bother poor Ted that much.

Anyhow … now you know for sure.

Misplaced Priorities

Just five days ago, we as a nation witnessed yet another attack of violence on innocents – an exhibition of hatred that has become all too common, even expected – an assault on a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado Springs, Colorado, by a lone attacker who was just another fine American with a gun. Was it terrorism? Just some angry dude? Who knows? Who cares? As always it was immediately politicized. Not like Paris.

Ah, Paris … we'll always have Paris – where just two weeks prior, a violent attack had occurred. And for one glorious, united moment, the world seemed to stand up and say, "no more!" No politicizing. No figure pointing. Instead, a common cause. Something for we Americans, for sure, to rally around as one as we usually don't do. Everyone on board! Filter those Facebook photos in the rouge, blanc et bleu of the French flag!

You don't get that sort of comradery with a shooting in the good 'ole USA. These occurrences here – which are no longer out of the ordinary, no longer unusual, are part of our culture, like hot dogs and apple pie – initiate an instantaneous round of finger pointing every time. No "all for one and one for all" here. These shootings are the new normal, as is the politicizing that goes with it. These events are seized by politicians to make a point, the victims be damned. In any gun culture – and certainly in the battle that is the NRA's war on decent society – this is what is known as collateral damage. There IS no explanation. It just is. Just part of everyday life in America.

The morning after the Colorado shooting, we in St. Louis were reminded of it up close and personal via a story on the front page of our local paper about a random act of gun violence in which a bullet (source unknown) pierced the throat of a grandmother sitting on a back porch with her family one evening last summer. The perpetrator has yet to be caught or, heaven forbid, fess up. Collateral damage, indeed.

Back in Colorado, it wasn't so random. A rogue gunman burst into a healthcare facility and started blasting away. The immediate take was that this was his anti-abortion statement; an act of emotion no doubt fueled by the now-debunked Planned Parenthood videos.

Ah, the tapes. Those hotly disputed tapes of Planned Parenthood honchos allegedly negotiating deals over fetal tissue, as it were. Heartless? Maybe. Legal? Certainly. Callous? Probably. The business of science can be a cold one. And in this case, an emotional one. Which is what produced Colorado.

Let's be clear: The shooting at the Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado was absolutely motivated by the screaming lies about the "videos," which influenced a person who is not one of the more reasonable thinking humans among us. Which brings us, once again, to the subject of The Access of Guns.

Sure, many agreed, a reasonable person would not be motivated by just the videos to shoot someone, just as a reasonable person knows how to use a gun properly. But we're talking about America here – the home of the idiot. And therein lies the problem: we are a nation virtually devoid of reasonable people, with 90+% being complete morons, the reason for being disqualified from understanding the inaccurate message of the lying Republicans with regard to those videos, not to mention responsible gun ownership.

The outcry bordered on silence – not such a bad thing. Only Ted Cruz was tasteless and shameless enough to stick his smug mug out there and actually pretend to express sorrow for the victims when deep in his dark soul, we know how he REALLY feels. Not that most Republicans don't feel the same way – simply out of pure hatred and for the sake of petty politics. But not a one of them was willing to hang his ass out there like Cruz did. Though Ben Carson did mention that it was time to end the hateful rhetoric. Better talk to your friends at Fox News about that.

And therein lies the big picture. Because it's not just a small problem of too many "gun free zones" as the dumb little boys on Fox and Friends think. It's a much bigger problem – more than just about opposition to abortion or easy access to guns. There is a greater realization: Hatred and vigilante law are now accepted in this country. Yes, indeed, Fox News has made it, over the course of decades now, acceptable, to hate. Hell, they promote it. And the NRA has made us all think that it's okay to shoot anyone you don't like. Period. And the GOP – with the hatred and self-law mindset in place – has jumped in by promoting the concept of vengeance, in general.

Hence, Colorado Springs. The new normal.

Washington Post columnist Kathleen Parker concluded in a recent column that "one man may have heard fiery rhetoric and decided to kill people, but 322 million other Americans went about their day as usual." In other words, one out of 322 million ain't bad.

The new normal, indeed.

The Republicans will go on claiming that it's a healthcare issue. (As they continue, by the way, to try to repeal the Affordable Care Act.) But what the hell – Republicans didn't cause this presumed Radical Christian Terrorist to go crazy! What they have done, however, is (1) sustain an environment whereby it was easy for him to have a gun thanks to their refusal to enact sensible gun control legislation and (2) pour gas on the fire with their lies about Planned Parenthood.

But screw this mess – Republicans tell us we have 2,000 Syrian refugees to worry about – mostly women and children. And those Republicans – which include the governors of 30+ states – are trying to keep from entering the United States. They forget the fact that there is a 2-year vetting process in place that requires sponsorship; (often by a faith-based organization.) The anti-Syrian Republican nuts also forget – or may not know – that 20 million people enter the USA every YEAR through a visa waiver program that permits up to 90-day visits from 38 countries with no advanced approval required. Oh, and every one of those 20 million people can buy a gun with relative ease. Or get someone to buy one for them. And this is all fine. Yet they – the Republicans – continue to concern themselves about those 2,000 Syrians. Because it's political.

Talk about your misplaced priorities.

POSTSCRIPT

As I put the finishing touches on the rant above, news has hit that there's been ANOTHER shooting – in southern California – in an office complex – by one or two or more middle-eastern types. Well, thank the Christian Lord for that! Now we can go back to being united again – sort of; focused on foreign terrorists. And we can forget about Colorado … right? Time will tell.

It's getting hard to keep up with all of the shootings these days. As they would say in Paris, "c'est la vie."

The Ghost of William Jennings Bryan - Trumped!

There's been a lot of talk about how there's never been a presidential campaign like this one because there have never been candidates like Donald Trump or Bernie Sanders. Each has grabbed a segment of the public by its respective collective lapels and, in his own way, given 'em quite a shake. And damn if they didn't like it! However, the truth is that there have been a lot of wacky candidates - and, therefore, a lot of wacky campaigns. But perhaps no candidate has been as wacky as William Jennings Bryan. Bryan ran on the Democratic ticket in 1896, 1900 and 1908. He possessed Trump's ability for endless blabbing, Cruz ability – even determination – to say anything to alienate himself within his own party, and Rubio's constant call for a reform movement that was – and is – unknown even to the candidate himself. Maybe best of all, he was the precursor to Bernie Sanders as a true man of the people – "the great commoner," as Bryan was known in his day.

But it is mostly Trump who seems to be a reincarnation of Bryan who, in truth, was a reincarnation of P. T. Barnum – the circus man who believed that a sucker is born every minute. Like Bryan, Trump has a way of reaching the ignorant masses in a way that is seemingly unrivaled – a la another great character from history (albeit literary history), Elmer Gantry, the charlatan minister of the 1900s who, indeed, got the joke. Trump gets it, too. Don't let him – Trump – fool you into thinking he is a hard-core, rigid, tough-guy bastard who is set in his oh-so-righteous ways. In truth, he's one of the most malleable politicians in recent memory, and will say anything to get people on his side. And has.

Like William J. Bryan, Donald J. Trump is a man of no ethics, no principles and certainly no worries about possessing neither.

Shooting de Jour

Another day, another mass shooting in the United States – an act that has seemed to become the new American way.

When is it going to be enough? What is it going to take for the gun crowd to think there's something wrong here? When are the gun-friendly "I'll do anything for cash" members of Congress going to stop standing up for the NRA and start standing up for the millions of innocent people in this country who deserve to live life without the fear of being randomly shot any day of the week by yet another screwball who had easy access to a gun?

One of the first to open his trap was that idiot Mike Huckabee who accused Obama of "politicizing" the issue with his speech the evening of the shooting. This from the guy who was shoulder to shoulder with Kim Davis as she left jail for violating the Constitution. And THIS wasn't politicizing an issue?

And speaking of Kim Davis … at least half of congress is too damn worried over her phony "rights" issue – the right to opt NOT to do her job for religious reasons IN A NATION THAT WAS FOUNDED ON THE PREMISE OF SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE – to worry about mass shootings. Right. Just forget the rights of those couples of all types who have a right, as granted by the Supreme Court of the United States – and thereby, the U.S. Constitution – to be legally married.

But back to our regularly scheduled shooting … someday, somebody in Congress is going to realize that mental illness can't be cured; it can only be confined. But access to guns by the mentally ill can eventually be stopped.

The Kids Are Alright - For Now

Oh, what a terrific debate last night – a focus on things that actually matter – like the economy and what the hell to do about ISIS. And while I seldom agree with the four gents who tossed around ideas in Preliminary Republican Debate #2, it was nice to hear from folks who at least sounded somewhat informed. As opposed, say, to some of those idiots in the main event who seemed consumed with how rich they are, how great they are or how pesky to the others on the dais they are.

You have Donald Trump who continues to speak in platitudes that only the dumb (that would be 99% of the nation) are willing to try and pretend to understand.

You have Carly Fiorina who keeps saying that Hillary Clinton lies, lies, lies as she – Fiorina – lies, lies, lies.

You have Ben Carson who is basically a scientist who doesn't believe in science, and continues to speak as though our nation was founded on the principle of a faith-based government.

And you have the rest of the bunch that appear to be so jealous of the time the first three are getting that they act like children tugging at mama's skirt just to get a word in.

Yeah, it took those at the kids' table – George Pataki, Rick Santorum, Piyush "Bobby" Jindal and Lindsey Graham – to make those who followed sound like a bunch of children.

That said, there may be hope yet for those at the kids' table as today's numbers show that interest in Trump is dropping, as he slowly reveals that he doesn’t really know anything about the economy at all. (Does he really think his trade policy of raising tariffs would HELP farmers who depend on agriculture exports?)

As The Donald fades away, all we can hope for is that the rest of the Tier 1 elephants learned a little bit about adult behavior from their cohorts at the kids' table.

Kim Davis - Free at Last!

It's been quite a few days in Morehead, Kentucky, replete with the kind of publicity that I'd guess 99% of its residents wouldn't wish upon their worst enemies (even pro-choice folks) with a gun to their collective heads. And I bet there are plenty of guns in and around Morehead. This is truly His country where the locals love God and Guns, and hate Gays.

And nobody hates 'em more than Kim Davis, the county clerk who went to jail on September 3^rd rather than obey the law by issuing marriage licenses to same sex couples. Bad as that alone is, it's really a riot when you consider that Davis thinks it's okay for her to pass judgment by taking the law into her own hands after three divorces!

If Kim Davis is the latest face of resistance to gay marriage, she is also the newest face (of many) of intolerance, defiance and ignorance of the Constitution of the United States of America. As always with this bunch, while the stance is nauseating enough, it's the hypocrisy that accompanies it that is so utterly astounding. But that was seemingly lost on the faithful who gathered today to witness with great acclaim Kim Davis' coming out party, flanked by none other but one of the biggest fools around, Mike Huckabee – always anxious to milk any kind of publicity he can.

Yes, Kim Davis is free now. And fret not, friends - the tale of Kim Davis of Kentucky is going to turn out just fine. She's never going to work again as she becomes yet another nutball martyr for the far right, reaping fortunes under the table to endorse who ever needs endorsing at any given the time.

If the men among the far right contingent had any real guts, these 16^th-century minded Republicans would start applying a little 16^th-century discipline to this upstart hussy. Unfortunately, I imagine that burning at the stake wouldn't pass legal muster.

Even in Kentucky.

Ted Cruz Piles On

Donald "The Mouth" Trump is a hard act to keep up with but it looks like Ted Cruz is going to give it an honest Ivy League try, what with his mouthing off of late reaching a new low. At first, Cruz seemed to be one of the real screwballs – like Huckabee and Santorum – but over time, and a few mainstream talk shows here and there in recent weeks, he has proven to be fairly docile. His appearance the other day on Chris Matthews' show was especially telling in its timidity, and the true sign of a phony, albeit one in desperation mode.

 

Cruz opened his mouth again today and it was a beauty. Get this: He laid blame for the death of the Texas Deputy Sheriff in Houston at the feet of none other than President Barack Obama. I know what you're thinking – big surprise, right? I mean, everything that goes wrong in this country is directly attributed to Obama in the eyes of Cruz.

 

Cruz wasn't the only politician to pile on Jimmy Carter in the wake of the former president's announcement of the cancer that seems to have found a home in various parts of his body. Chris Christie put his own unique brand of stupidity on display again. But with Christie, it's a simple slip of the tongue; a by-product of his small brain. However, in Cruz' case, you can be damn sure that such statements are absolutely calculated; no doubt as planned and rehearsed as any of his stump speeches.

 

The reality is that none other than Ted Cruz is to blame for the cold blooded murder of that poor guy in Houston. Ted Cruz and every other lowlife in the U.S. Congress who continues to fortify the gun culture in this country by NOT somehow slamming some sort of gun control legislation down the collective throats of this gun-loving nation, thereby advocating the kind of vigilante law mindset that makes such an act as what happened in Houston possible.

 

"If I don't like a feller, I git to shoot him right? Ain't that what they gave me this gun for?"

 

This kind of thinking is the result of the inaction in Washington.

 

As for Ted Cruz in particular, we keep hearing how smart this greasy little guy is and maybe he is smart in some ways … the way Joe McCarthy was "smart" or William Jennings Bryan was "smart" … smart with the sound bite and hanging out that red meat rhetoric for the lemmings to lap up, or maybe smart in the way he baits people.

 

But "smart" in terms of solutions? He hasn't offered a single idea that could help the country – not in the area of healthcare, about which he has mouthed off so much; not in the area of economic stimulation; not in the area of national defense; and not in the area of immigration. I mean, hell, even Donald Trump gave us an idea, ludicrous as it is, on immigration – "build a wall and call it the Trump Wall!"

 

It's hard to imagine a more disgusting human being than Ted Cruz these days, if you can even call him human. He's more like a weasel; a sneaky, slippery little weasel; one minute you think you have him captured, then he slips away.

The Trump Phenomenon Explained

Since the Trump Phenomenon kicked into gear, pundits ad nauseum have tried to explain The Donald's rise, including many from both the right and left who tell us that the Republican Party created Trump by breaking promises they'd made to their base. Well, I understand this to a degree, insomuch as the Republicans created an atmosphere in which some yahoo who ISN'T a lazy, tail-kissing money grabber might try to make headlines with a riling message that the "regular" politicians dare not utter. In this era of the Dumb American, this kind of message rings true. But it's more than just a message – it's that it's being uttered by a guy people know – or think they know – because he's been on TeeeeeVeeeee! Generally speaking (and we're into 90%-plus figures here), we are an indolent, moronic population, touched and moved almost exclusively by what we see on television. The more dumb, the more potent. Hence, I give you what no pundit to date has been able to give you – an explanation of the Trump Phenomenon in two words: DUCK DYNASTY. Remember this vile bunch? Now, you might say, "hey, they're religious people." Exactly! And this is what makes them even more vile – the act of hiding behind the bible as so many do. But that's another topic for another day. Today, it's easy to explain what has become known as The Trump Phenomenon: TV created Donald Trump as we know him today.

Sure, Trump wrote a book in the '80s and was a hero to the Wall Street set. And tiny sectors of the country outside of New York may have known of him for his tabloid headline-grabbing rotation of young, money-hungry wives. But it wasn't until he appeared on his own string of what are ridiculously known as reality shows that Trump achieved the revered status of Anna Nicole Smith, the Girls Next Door, Paris Hilton and Nicole Richie, Flavor Flav and his wretched TV offspring, Tia Tequila, the myriad lineups of The Real World, and the Survivor and Housewives shows, and the Kardashians, Bruce/Caitlyn Jenner, and more. How many more? Ha! Here are a few other fine folks that Donald "Duck Dynasty" Trump could call business associates: The Osbournes, Nick & Jessica, the Hulk Hogans and … you get the idea. That's quite a bunch. These are The Donald's peers; his true associates. And The Donald must be proud.

Then there are the shows: the Marry a Millionaire series, the Bachelor and Bachelorette shows, the Real Housewives – who are about as real as Donald Trump's housewives; and, of course, The Apprentice and The Celebrity Apprentice – no doubt inspired by or maybe inspiring to Wife Swap and Celebrity Wife Swap. Frankly, I'm proud to say that I honestly don't know which came first and I'm not about to bother to find out.

But this is Donald Trump's world. These are his people. And he wants to be their President. And yours.

Well, hell, I guess anything is possible.

In a nation in which stupidity is prized, it seems that the crazier, the nuttier, the more nonsensical garbage that spews from Trump's flap, the more people like him. Like him? They claim to identify with him!!! They think he's just like them – except for the money, the beautiful wives and the fact that in truth, he really doesn't give a flip about them. And perhaps some of those pundits may have had something when noting that the party had given rise to its new nemesis, given that so many of the current crop of GOP presidential wannabes initially embraced the rise of the Tea Party, with its roots in anti-intellectualism. Look what it gave them! The Donald – Doyen of the Dumb. The man who hurt Megan Kelly's feelings. Ahhh!!! Funny, how nobody has spoken up through the years in defense of Hillary Clinton, Nancy Pelosi or even Sarah Palin as they've endured brutal personal attacks. But say something derogatory about a Fox fox and ooooohhhhh!!!!!, all hell breaks loose.

All in all, there's really so little of substance that Trump ever has to say because there's so little of substance that his followers understand. Real issues? What real issues?!?! The few core beliefs he has (including pro-choice) don't matter as long as they don't come up. And he doesn't dare bring them up. All Trump followers everywhere know is that "he's on TV so he must be a cool guy. And I like cool guys – and I'd even like to BE a cool guy! But I'll never be a cool guy. But at least by liking a cool guy … well …. maybe that could make me kinda a cool guy … one day."

For the most part, this is the extent of the American intellect. 
 

The Dolt and The Devil

The day begin in weird fashion, what with not one but two harsh critiques of Republican presidential candidates appearing in USA Today; one would expect the 'ole Neuharth Nazi Newsletter to be promoting the Right way at every chance, even pumping up the possibilities of a Fiorina or Trump administration. But not today. Remember – USA Today is old school. The last thing they want is one of those damn upstart candidates running the ship. All I would say is that, outside of Jeb Bush, I can't think of one of the current candidates who would make their grade.

Consider these two hooligans. First there's Fiorina, who, thanks to her near-destruction of once venerable Hewlett Packard, thinks she's qualified to run the country. Hell, she's not qualified to run AROUND the country promoting the idea that she could actually do the job, her gift for BS belying a confidence bordering on cockiness, notwithstanding. Yes, she's actually touting her poor track record at HP as a reason to elect her and, not unlike Trump, there's not an ounce of shame that flows through her bloodless veins.

Then there's The Donald.

Ah, Trump – the subject of a financial column in today's USA Today that expressed concern that he's been getting too much press. While this sentiment is not wrong, to constantly pound the fact in the papers is not helpful either. But be that as it may, the easy explanation for all this coverage is that, compared with most of the other candidates, Trump is at least interesting. As the columnist alluded to, and as the old newspaper boys used to say, he makes for good copy. Simple as that. (Editor's note: For an explanation of the Trump Phenomenon, see: http://madbomberonline.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-trump-phenomenon-explained.html )

Not that Trump has much to say, but it's the entertaining way he says so little. Not to mention the fact that the other candidates are generally just plain boring people.

Yes, Trump is the 21^st embodiment of Lincoln's admonition that there is no such thing as bad PR. Trump isn't even as evil as many think – he's just a loud-mouthed clown who wants things HIS WAY. No wonder he had that reporter removed from his press conference yesterday; it's not that he knew it was wrong … that it was a maneuver that is against the law. Trump has never had a need to familiarize himself with the 1^st Amendment. Or any of the Constitution.

Carly Fiorina, however, is beyond entertaining. She is pure evil, and will say anything and do anything to live in the White House. Forget her past life at HP. Her present life, and everything that comes out of her mouth, is disconcerting enough.

Stupidity Takes No Holiday

It doesn't take long to spot stupidity these days. In today's case, it happened during the first 15 minutes of my weekly stroll through the Sunday St. Louis Post-Dispatch. In that short time, I hit a trifecta of ignorance.

First there was good 'ole Donald Trump who has really been making a new name for himself lately; not as the same egomaniac we've come to know and love, but as pure asshole; not to mention moron … if he really wants to be president, which I don't believe he does. If he were serious, how could he consider his latest comments about John McCain as a smart move strategically? Sure, the recent Trump comments on Mexicans, while difficult to agree with, make sense for him; Trump, like half the country, hates anything that walks on two legs and isn't white, straight and male. But with his mouthing off about McCain, he's gone way out of his way to piss off a whole bunch of veterans who would normally vote for him. My bet is that Trump doesn't care about being president any more than George W. Bush did. But these aren't even the worst thing he's uttered lately.

No – the most disgusting thing about Trump in today's news was his announcement that he did everything he could to avoid (successfully) the Vietnam War because he simply "was not a big fan of the Vietnam War." So I guess Trump thinks he gets to play by his own rules, according to his own laws – and has done so for a very long time. Yet he expects everyone else to obey the laws – on immigration, for example – to a T.

Speaking of obeying the law, it seems the gay haters are having trouble doing so. In a story on the country's divided opinions on gay marriage, some dope name Michael Boehm from Michigan predicts that there'll be "a conflict between civil law and people who want to live their lives according to their faith."

My question to those of the latter group, "what's stopping you?"

Then there's the guy from one of our very own St. Louis communities, one Rex Riordan of Crestwood, Missouri, who opines that "if there is no God, then we are bound by laws man makes. If there is a God, we are bound by God's laws." Yes, I guess that would be true if we were living in 17^th Century England, when the church ruled the land. The fact, though, is that we are in 2015 and living in a land of man's laws which take precedent over any "laws" of God's, per the Constitution of the United States of America. The Bible – essentially a history book of stories which is a fine read with some useful life lessons – is NOT the Constitution. The Constitution is the Constitution. And until dumbass dreamers like Rex Riordan understand that, this argument will go on. Unfortunately, people like Riordan have a tough time understanding the concept of law.

It seems that Washington Post columnist Michael Gerson, who we are privileged to have syndicated in our St. Louis paper, appears to have a tough time understanding the concept of science. In his column today, he questions the sensitivity of the recently revealed comments made by Planned Parenthood Senior Director of Medical Services, Deborah Nucatola, who was hardly sensitive in discussing the process by which certain human parts are attempted to be saved during the abortion procedure. Point taken. But to perceive this as the "trivialization of life?" Well, golly, Mikey; sorry but science is a very cut and dried practice, requiring some pretty cold discussions at times. (Sometimes, this cold-heartedness isn't so bad. Would you want a doctor performing potentially life-saving surgery on your loved one to suddenly have an emotional flashback in the middle of the procedure due to the recollection of a failed similar procedure on one of his or her loved ones?)

By approaching this situation – or any medical situation – in such a "heartless," pragmatic way, these same scientists are attempting nothing less than everything possible for the sole purpose of prolonging and/or enhancing the quality of life. Let me remind you that scientists are not the people making the decision regarding a woman's decision on an abortion; they're merely doing everything humanly possible – within the realm of the law – to improve life for all.

Nikki Haley, Our Hero

It's been a good month for Nikki Haley, the governor of South Carolina. Through the middle of last month, some four and a half years into her tenure, she was just another redneck-loving, Confederate flag-waving head of state in Dixie. But on June 17^th, with the shooting at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, she was handed the opportunity to step it up and boy-howdy, did she, taking a whole week to call for the removal of the Confederate flag. In doing so, Haley painted quite sympathetic picture, though in taking so long to make what should have been an instantaneous decision, it was obvious her announcement was politically driven. Otherwise, why hadn't she made this request of her own state congress over the past 4+ years?

The reality is that Nikki Haley is no hero except to those who really know her and know what a charlatan she is. And while her words were phony, it could be said that her tears were not. But they were shed only because she and her ilk have lost this final battle of the civil war – at least the one raging in her state of South Carolina – to keep this nasty little corner of the south protected for racists everywhere. Yes, Nikki Haley was no doubt crying for every old rebel who still holds the ideals of racism dear and who still believe the black man's place is on the other side of town, with his own drinking fountains, restaurants and bathrooms.

Yep, it was a good month for Nikki. In the wake of the flag's removal a week ago, the news shows were buzzing these past few days with talk of Haley as a VP candidate on the Republican ticket. And she didn't say a word to quiet the buzz. To cap off this despicable display of behavior, Haley is now preparing to embark on what she has dubbed her "Emanuel Nine" tours, some sort of deranged PR ploy.

What a contemptible human.

A Nation of Laws

It was confirmed again this morning – as all too often seems to be needed – that we are still a nation of laws; governed by such and not by some preacher's notion of how he thinks your life should be lived.

As usual in America, the Religious Right continues to push its agenda on the rest of us, so you can be sure that they are goddam mad at the Supreme Court's decision this morning to declare marriage equality for all. Jesus. These people have such a long tradition of infringing on the rights of others and now they're upset because they feel that their "religious liberty" is threatened? What a joke. Maybe their bullying ways have morphed into paranoia. "Don't infringe on my freedoms," they say? Hey, no problem!

You can sure bet that churches across this country will be hotbeds of hatred come Sunday. And that's okay, proving once again that the idea of having an opinion – the foundation of our democracy – is alive and well in our nation. Unfortunately, there's also another line of thinking that continues to be alive and well – the idea, oozing from the Right, that one American can tell another how to live their life; that I can tell you, if I so please, who you can love, who you can marry, who you can fuck.

The ones usually issuing such dictates are the Christian Right – the very bunch who typically align themselves with the political party whose mantra is "leave me alone and let me live my life my way." Such hypocrisy is something we've become used to from these assholes.

After the same-sex marriage ruling today, Justice Antonin Scalia expressed concern with "this court's threat to American democracy." This from the guy who gave us Citizens United, which essentially declared that elections in our fair democracy can be bought and sold by the highest bidder who, in truth, has zero care or concern whatsoever for the average American.

Of course, the Republican candidates for president weighed in and for the most part agreed that regulation is a no-no in the boardroom but fine in the bedroom. "I'm gonna tell you who you can marry and how to manage your own bodies, but leave my old smoky factory alone!" Funny that Jeb Bush, of all people, "guided by … faith," believes in "traditional marriage."

Funny because Bush married out of his faith and out of his race.

One of the lead nut jobs, Mike Huckabee, had an interesting take, invoking British imperialism of the 18^th Century; the precise era of government rule to which he would have us revert; a time in which we were dictated to by a monarch who ruled by religion and not by law. And Huckabee has decided that since Obama opposed gay marriage until 2012, "he was either lying in 2008 or he's lying now." Heaven forbid that Obama – or anyone – might change his or her mind, or even evolve.

Thankfully, we have, indeed, evolved as a nation with the high court's confirmation that marriage is a legal act and not a religious one – by law.

South Carolina: Here We Go Again

This is why.

For those gun people who are all worried that we non-gun people want to take away your damn guns, South Carolina is why.

Sure, most gun owners wouldn't do what the kid in South Carolina did. But then most people wouldn't speed (would they?), and yet, we need speed limit laws. Most people aren't litterers, yet we have to have laws to tell people not to litter. So sorry, gun people; as with anything, it's the bad few who spoil things for the good many. The true, harsh reality is that we're a nation of morons, and therefore, should not be a nation that makes it so easy to put a gun in the hands of just anyone. And don't give me that garbage about the 2^nd Amendment declaring it all okay. The 2^nd Amendment was originally intended to be strictly a Federal declaration for the purpose of inclusion of a line item in the federal budget throughout perpetuity for weaponry for the purpose of defending our nation, not to mention shutting down internal usurpers. It was NOT a hall pass for every Tom, Dick and Dylann to conduct vigilante law. And for decades now, the NRA has bastardized its intent for their own money-grubbing means. As for all of the Republicans suddenly coming out against the Confederate Flag, don't let them fool you. The removal of the flag is their trade-off for getting to keep their guns.

Until we have someone – ANYONE – with the guts to enforce the 2^nd Amendment as it was conceived, every standing member of Congress is hereby considered an Accessory to Murder.

Kathleen Parker & the Bush Family Affair

A recent column by the Washington Post's Kathleen Parker is even more touching than her usual pieces, revealing her to be the kind of voter that the GOP has gone – and still goes – after when they pull little tricks like naming the likes of Dan Quayle to a ticket. ("His young, handsome looks should nail the women vote for us!") Yes, she was downright fawning in her appraisal of the Bush clan; to hear her talk, you'd think that Parker was the only journalist covering the family back to the days of H W. In her recollection, she gives us a history lesson on herself – including a Gump-like encounter when with the sleaze ball Reagans. It seems the history lesson needed here is one for Parker on the Bushes.

When she describes George H. W. Bush's "quality, character and class," it's clear she's forgotten about Iran-Contra. Or that he's raised one son who is a crook, one who is a moron and one who is … well, we're not yet sure about "JEB!" Though we're getting a better idea that he may not turn out to be the smart one so many have claimed him to be.

Hey, at one point in time, George the Senior did try to do the right thing and it hurt him bad. When he lost in '88, it wasn't because of Perot, but because he actually did what was needed – he raised taxes, which his believers sure didn't like, and made him pay for it. No if only he could have been a little bit more forthright about that Iraqi invasion.

Then there's W, who has expressed that he was concerned more about his dad's political defeat than the American lives lost on 9/11 – under his watch. And that today, he finds it more of a burden to explain the Clinton cigar caper than the human loss caused by his wars.

Now we have JEB!, with whom Parker tells us she was oh-so-impressed many years ago – and she's been sure through the years that the rest of us would be impressed, too. JEB!, who has said that the "the presidency shouldn't be passed on from one liberal to the next." But he said nothing about it being passed from Conservative to Conservative – especially within the same family.

The Bushes are a dumb, classless gaggle of skunks who would sacrifice one another in front of God and man if they thought it might benefit them politically. Parker must be proud.

 

The Real Diehl

After a wild week in Jefferson City, it's a new day – and hopefully, a new Diehl – right? Hardly.

 

He couldn't wait a year or a month or even a week. Less than 24 hours after announcing that he'd be stepping down from his elected office and his Speaker of the Missouri State House position, John Diehl – newly disgraced predator – shamelessly dove into the process of his own public rehabilitation by claiming, in so many parting words before the Missouri state congress, that his text message exchange with a teenage intern was simply "a mistake;" just a small glitch in a "more complete" political career, which has now come to a disgraceful conclusion.

 

But was it just a glitch? Or is what we witnessed this past week The Real Diehl?

 

If you think this is out of the norm for John Diehl, think again. I don't mean the specific predator part; I mean the general scumbag part. More than the deception and the disloyalty to loved ones, it's the twisted violation of his own self-proclaimed ideal of "family values" that brings to mind the same word that Republicans always seems to bring to mind: Hypocrite.

 

John Diehl is/was just another one of the "family values" assholes from the right who think it's their business to tell others how to live (while bashing government intervention in ANYTHING out of the other side of the pie hole), but in truth can't manage their own personal lives.

 

And by the way, for those of you on the Right who are saying, "What about Bill Clinton?" … unlike the John Diehls of the world, 'ole Wild Bill didn't go around preaching to all of creation their own opinions on who one can marry and how one (women, especially) must treat their own bodies.

 

Greasy little fuckers like John Diehl are plentiful in Jefferson City. One of them, freshman Rep. Nick King, R-Liberty, was actually stupid enough to open his trap in defense of Diehl.

 

“I’m not going to condemn the guy,” King said. “I’m a Christian. I believe we shouldn’t be throwing stones in glass houses.” This from an anti-choice, character-first-spouting prick who I can well imagine has been happy to throw stones at those who don't think EXACTLY as he does.

 

It even appeared that newly elevated House Speaker Todd Richardson may not be much better when he seem to say that he and house members could learn from Diehl's actions so as to "put ourselves in a position to not make those mistakes again." Really, Todd? You need an example like John Diehl to make you realize that this is bad behavior?

 

Forget what John Diehl said from the dais on his last day – it doesn't matter. What matters is the fact that this sick, sanctimonious, pious pervert had the guts to once again put his face in front of a camera for ego's sake instead of just slithering away.

 

Meet the new Diehl, same as the old Diehl.

Senor Jeb

With this past week including Cinco de Mayo celebrations nationwide, it seems appropriate that a few more aspiring Republican would throw his or her sombrero into a presidential ring already occupied by those of Rand Paul and the Three Amigos – Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Jeb "The Voting Hispanic" Bush.

 

First, it was Ben Carson, a neurosurgeon who is beginning to make people wonder if he has a brain himself. Then, "businesswoman" Carly Fiorina, who is insinuating that she alone among the candidates knows how the economy works, even though she nearly brought down venerable HP. Lastly, it was Mike Huckabee, the hate-filled Christian. (Go figure.) However, by week's end, it was Carson who stole the show. Displaying a new-found sense of stupidity, Carson found himself trying to strike a balance between bland and buffoonery on one of the Sunday morning gabfests. In one breath, he questioned any president's inclination to enforce any laws of the land created by Congress with which the Supreme Court happens to agree. What?!?! He then, in a bow to the obvious, stated that he would run any military decisions by those who may know more than he does in this area, i.e. military people. Brain surgeon. Right.

 

At this point, there are still many a clown to enter the Republican field and many a stupid statement to be uttered by such, but what strikes me as most interesting at this stage of the game is that the candidate who was expected to be the most straight-forward, if you will, the most bland, probably the smartest and the most likely to cruise to the nomination is turning out to be the biggest fool.

 

Foregoing any sense of personal ethics, and willing to jump outside the realm of even our society's boundaries as they pertain to established ethical political parameters, Jeb Bush is emerging as a guy who will say and do ANYTHING to get elected. First, he turned Mexican to appeal to Florida voters by registering (illegally) to vote as a Mexican. Now his target is the religious nutball faction, a segment to whom he addressed at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia, recently. Throwing them the usual red meat, he claimed the Obama White House used "coercive federal power" to limit religious freedom – but didn't say how. He accused the administration of "demanding obedience in complete disregard of religious conscience" – but didn't say how. He seemed to claim that the president has taken "an aggressive stance against" religious freedom" – but didn't say how. Lastly, he accused "somebody" of "being small-minded and intolerant."

 

Imagine; a Republican offended by intolerance. Right.

 

If he keeps it up, Jeb Bush may turn out to be the biggest whore of them all; certainly the biggest one the Republicans have given us since Condoleezza Rice.

Catherine Hanaway: The Hater

It was wonderful to see the Post-Dispatch call out Catherine Hanaway for the cash cow that she is, though I have to differ with the Post when you call Hanaway insincere in her statements regarding working women, single moms, those on welfare, and gays and lesbians.

Catherine Hanaway being Catherine Hanaway, I happen to believe that she is as sincere as Akin – just not as dumb. (Who is?!?!) And that given the chance, she would be at ease saying the same things directly to the faces of her co-workers. That doesn't make her any less of a money-grubber than she is for taking the money. And it certainly doesn't make her any more of one than the rest of the bunch in Jefferson City (or anyplace else.) And it doesn't even speak of a valueless soul, her values being greed, hatred and self-righteousness.

But bear in mind that this is the person Bill McClellan called the meanest woman in Missouri. He was – and remains – correct.

So long, Mitt. For now.

Once in a great while, you get to witness a politician go down in flames BEFORE THE FACT. Before the concession speech, when, after weeks and weeks and months and months of him – or her – crying " … and we're gonna win this thing!" amidst doom-saying polling numbers, they, indeed, have their asses handed to them by the only people who really do count – the voters. It's always a bit fun no matter which side of the fence the vanquished plays on, but when it happens to an enemy, it's a little sweeter.

Such was the case with Mitt Romney this week. 

Mitt Romney – the ultimate phony. The guy who sent middle class jobs overseas in his past life in order to create greater wealth for the wealthy. Including himself. Which would be okay in and of itself if he hadn't been prancing about these past months as some sort of sympathetic champion of the middle-class worker in an attempt to build a new base for yet another presidential run.

And then he quit. He said he wouldn't be running after all. Which was a surprise to many, but not Jeb Bush who took poor Mitt aside recently and Just Said No – you, Mitt, are not going to run.

This is what the Republican Party has become – one of absolute capitulation, whether it's caving to the far right nutball portion of the party or another candidate.

Where have you gone, Bob Dole?

Sarah Palin: The Sacrificial Lamb?

I got a big bang out The Washington Post's Kathleen Parker's oh-so-touching article on the "sacrificing" of Sarah Palin. The reality? Nobody has screwed over Sarah Palin like Sarah Palin has screwed over Sarah Palin.

In the past, we've witnessed her rants and she's been good, saying all the right things and pushing all the right buttons in quick-hit sound bites. But if you ever wondered if she was playing a role, now you know, what with the mish-mosh of a "speech" she attempted to deliver recently upon unexpectedly losing the use of her teleprompter, proving something most of us have known all along – there is simply nothing between the woman's ears. She can deliver a line – and has always been willing to deliver the worst, most contemptuous, most FALSE of lines – to a crowd dumb enough to eat them up. All she needed was the ability to READ those lines and in doing so we've learned that she can (surprisingly) read. But when that teleprompter went haywire, we witnessed the real Sarah Palin – the shallow, idealess, empty-headed Sarah Palin.

On one front, Kathleen Parker was right in stating that Palin was and is out of her league. But contrary to Parker's belief, Palin would never have been – and never will be – ready for a national ticket. Ever. That's because Sarah Palin is dumb. Really dumb. And when someone in such a state hangs their own ass out there for public exhibit and ridicule, it's nobody's fault but their own.

In the end, Sarah Palin sacrificed herself.

A New Year - A New Congress - SOS

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven … "

- Ecclesiastes 3:1

And with the advent of a new political season, a new day has dawned in the halls of the United States Congress. It's a day the Right has been dreaming of since that cold day in January 2009 when Barack Obama took the oath of office for the first time. Yet a day, truth be known, most Republicans in D.C. have been secretly fearing. Because now the SOBs have to work; now they have to govern; now they have to take some responsibility for the mess they've become and, more importantly, for their future actions over the next two years.

It didn't start off too well for the elephants as they had not one, not two, not three, not … oh, hell, who the hell knows how many responses they actually had to the President's State of the Union address this week. In underground bunkers across this fine nation, there could have been hundreds of Republican responses to Obama's speech; each one touching on the particular issues that mean the most to each group. And what groups they are! The Tea party, the Libertarians, the KKK, even the bunch known as mainstream Republicans, if there is such a thing anymore.

Reports coming in do, however, indicate that a few "normal" GOPers are still alive, if not so well. Weak little weasels like John Boehner; grouchy old inconsequential assholes like Mitch McConnell; sneaky, whining weasels like Lindsey Graham. Yes, hard to believe, but these are they characters who have come to comprise the mainstream branch of your current Republican party.

Beyond these old-timers, leading the nut brigade, is our 'ole buddy, Ted Cruz, who was thought to have been marginalized back in the fall when the likes of old timers like John McCain informed him that if he pulled the same shut-down-the-government stunt he'd pulled in 2014, he might as well forget any leadership roles in the new Republican majority, not to mention any support at all from the party in the rare event he should win the 2016 Republican nomination.

Right. Cruz and his bunch – Gohmert, Lee, King, Palin and Bachmann (if she's still around) – are about to be shoved to the back of the bus, along with Rand Paul who is trying more and more every day to look like a Regular Guy.

A time to every purpose, indeed.

Marco Rubio: Lost, Lonely Boy

Cuba Libre!

Or, in other words, "free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, they're free at last!"

The Cuban people, that is. Not those who've lived in Florida for one, five, 10 or 50 years and think our government is wrong in finally dealing with "the Cuban issue" by reversing a policy that has failed for more than a half century in attempting to create democracy, but those who actually live in Cuba; who have, with incredible fortitude, withstood the onslaught of the Castro regime. To Cubans in Florida I would say "you're HERE and they're THERE! And THEY are the people we're trying to help, and will help with the move toward normalization. But not everybody understands this, including little Marco Rubio, who has lived in Florida all his life and is finally having to come to terms with the lie he has perpetuated about when exactly his parents really left Cuba.

But forget the idiot Rubio for a moment. What I want to know is how can Cubans here in the U.S. not want their homeland (their "homeland" – ha!) to be free? Over and over again, such exposure to democracy has worked around the world, specifically throughout Europe in the past quarter-century. But the opposition to Obama's announcement want to keep up the same old, tired tactic … "tell us, naysayers – after 50+ years of failure, how do you expect this strategy to suddenly work?" Of course, they've been expecting it to do so for … oh, 50+ years.

Now if you're part of the old-time Cuban guard, I understand, to a degree. But the likes of Marco Rubio?

For those who, like Rubio, oppose this move because the Castro regime still oppresses its people … ("Really? It does?!?! Big surprise! Of course it does, you dumbass!") What Obama is trying to do is help the people, not the regime.

It's time to drown these rats out and we need idiots like Marco Rubio to get out of the way.