Wait… what?

I read the news on Saturday mornings and sometimes I scratch my head and say to myself, "Wait… what?"

Take this article: Oakland Police Will Stop Asking Recruits if They Were Sexually Assaulted. It’s 2018. Do we really have policies like this one in place? How wrongheaded does something need to be before our leadership takes action? This policy stopped female and minority applicants from joining the Oakland police force. It’s a clear roadblock to progress and equality. Mayor Libby Schaaf did the right thing here. We should celebrate people like her. Doing the right thing… we should always do the right thing. Thanks Mayor Schaaf… now, can you we do anything about International Avenue?

Resist!

Mood.

A post shared by Jen Hatmaker (@jenhatmaker) on May 6, 2017 at 10:28am PDT

The Christian Machine

This is a fascinating article about evangelical author and speaker Jen Hatmaker’s fall from favor. Her sin… she did not support Trump. It’s worth a few minutes just to see how the Christian Machine works.

“This year I became painfully aware of the machine, the Christian Machine,” she wrote in April on her blog. It was Good Friday, a somber day for Christians to observe the crucifixion of Jesus. Hatmaker wrote that she understood now the machine’s “systems and alliances and coded language and brand protection,” not as the insider she had long been, but “from the outside where I was no longer welcome.” During the election season, she added, the “Christian Machine malfunctioned.” It laid bare the civil war within her Christian community.
- via POLITICO Magazine

Horrifying.

A list of convicted Republican Pedophiles

I found this horrifying list via Reddit while reading this morning. I spent a few minutes reading up on cases I did not know about. Again… horrifying

1. Republican anti-abortion activist Howard Scott Heldreth is a convicted child rapist in Florida.
2. Republican County Commissioner David Swartz pleaded guilty to molesting two girls under the age of 11 and was sentenced to 8 years in prison.
3. Republican judge Mark Pazuhanich pleaded no contest to fondling a 10-year old girl and was sentenced to 10 years probation.

See 42 more here or in the original post from the Constantine Report.

I’m looking for a corresponding list of Democratic offenders. I’ll post that when I find it.

Is Joe Barton a Christian?

Joe Barton, a Republican congressman representing Texas’s 6th district, was recently caught out in a dick-pick scandal. He apologized and claimed the relationship was consensual. Whenever I hear the words Congressman and Republican tied to a sexual controversy, I ask, is he a Christian? In this case, the answer is yes. Joe Barton is a Methodist. My next question is always the same, were Joe Barton’s behaviors consistent with the baseline standard for a Christian? In this case, the answer is obviously no. I don’t think premarital sex and dick-picks meet the standard.

Famous quotes:

• “I want you soo bad. Right now. Deep and hard.”
• “Wind is a finite resource and harnessing it would slow the winds down, which would cause the temperature to go up."

Hypocrisy and Tomi Lahren

I can’t listen to Tomi Lahren. I tried once, but her rhetoric left me feeling dirty. I must admit, I loath this particular conservative pundit. I had long suspected that she was a hypocrite and now we have the proof. Tomi Lauren is still on her parents’ health insurance. Pft!

Keeping score with Trump

Manafort (Resigned)
Crowley (Bows out)
Puzder (Bows out)
Flynn (Resigned)
Sessions (Recused)
Bannon (Demoted)
Nunes (Recused)

I’m thinking Flynn will end up in prison. Sessions will resign. Nunes will go down in flames at his next election. I’m not sure about Manafort.

So Pat Robertson was wrong about Trumpcare

Pat Robertson was so sure, like god herself gave him the inside scoop. Mark my words. It will pass…

Nope! Nope! Nope! via Right Wing Watch.

Eeny meeny miny moe

I’m having trouble keeping track of Trump’s misdeeds, mistakes and gaffs today.

• Did we really threaten a preemptive strike on North Korea?
  
• Did Rex Tillerson really traveling on official business without the press?
  
• Was Rex Tillerson really to fatigued to meet with South Korean officials?
  
• Did Trump really ignore Merkel’s request for a handshake?
  
• Are we really cutting Meals on Wheels because its the compassionate thing to do?Did Trump really joke about wiretaps with Merkel?
  
• Did Trump really fire Preet Bharara because he was investigating Tom Price for insider trading?
  
• Did we really bomb a fucking mosque full of innocent people?
  
• Did Trump really tell a German reporter she was a nice friendly reporter?
  
• Did Trump really fuck over his voters with his budget? (Yes. Yes he did.)
  
• Did DeVos really kill a rule protecting students from high fees? 

There is more, but I’m tired and it’s late.

The Trumpblican Bible

Saw this on Reddit va Drellkethat tonight. It’s perfect.

Yes, Ralph Shortey is a hypocrite

I’ve been hit up with a few emails recently because of the arrest of Oklahoma state senator Ralph Shortey (R). People want to know why I had not added him to the list of Christian hypocrites. My answer is simple. I’m busy. I can fix that now though.

Ralph Shortey was arrested for allegedly having sex with an underage male prostitute. I think that qualifies as statutory rape in most states, perhaps not in Oklahoma. I should look that up… age of consent in Oklahoma is 16, unless money is offered in exchange for sexual contact. Check! Shortey makes the law, is it too much to ask that he knows the law too?

Shortly was charged with engaging in child prostitution, a felony. In response, the Republican-dominated State Senate sanctioned Shortey… they canceled his reserved parking space among other penalties.

Shortey allegedly used social media to set up his evening. Given the evidence and his use of the alias Jamie Tilley, I think the police would be looking for more victims.

I already know too much about this hypocrite.

• He studied but did not graduate from the unaccredited Heartland Baptist Bible College, an IFB institution. 
  
• He one proposed a wtf bill that outlawed the use of aborted fetuses in food, apparently because of something he read on the internet. 
  
• He supports the war on drugs, but was allegedly smoking weed during his illicit romp with a teenager.
  
• He was active for 17 years in the YMCA’s Youth and Government organization… where he would have had ample access to teens.
  
• He voted in favor of an anti-transgender bathroom bill. 
• He acts like a fundie… I’d love to know what church he attends. I bet they are proud. 
• He was Trump’s Campaign Chair in Oklahoma. Why? Who would hire this guy to do anything?

What amazes me the most of cases like this is how big of a fuckup these people are. We have an adult who did not graduate from an unaccredited bible college and whose work experience appears to have been a production assistant, before being elected as a state senator. Is he or best and brightest? Why would anyone vote for this fraud in the first place?

Is Iowa state Sen. Mark Chelgren a hypocrite?

I think Mark Chelgren is a hypocrite. Apparently the Chicago Tribune thinks so too. 

An Iowa state lawmaker said Thursday that he didn’t mean to mislead anyone by claiming he had a business degree from a company that actually had awarded him a certificate for participating in a training program when he worked at Sizzler.

Mark Chelgren has oversold his eduction at every opportunity.

He claimed the he attended the University of California at Riverside majoring in astro-physics, geo-physics and mathematics. So wait, he had three majors? Really?

On his company website, Frog Legs, he makes this claim, “Mark Chelgren completed his education in Astro- and Geo-Physics at the University of California in Riverside." I think that’s a large mischaracterization. Completed? No…

We know that he attended the university for no more than a year, so “Complete” means what? Did he drop the mathematics major claimed in the first statement?

On the same site, he clams to have worked as a Geo-Physist [sic], for a company called GeoSoils. I think he means geophysicist, but sense he can’t spell it… well, you can fill in the blanks. I’m guessing he does not have a PhD either. Heck, I’m guessing he does not BS. He’s full of BS maybe, but he is not a degreed professional.

The real story… he’s a Republican and a hypocrite who should resign in shame, or run for the US Senate. He’d fit right in.

Oprah in 2020. Please no.

I know this might not be a popular position, but I’m not a fan of an Oprah Winfrey 2020 run for president. I see Oprah as the liberal version of Donald Trump. We don’t need that, no matter how popular she is with the masses.

I hope the Democrats get their act together. I’m concerned.

I certainly meant no disrespect

Kellyanne Conway said, “I certainly meant no disrespect.” All she did was kneel on a Whitehouse couch. I think we can let this pass.

Kellyanne kneeling on a couch fits this administration. It defines this Administration. And… it means nothing. I was once criticized for speaking too loud in a Church. I was told that it was God’s house and that I should show respect. Actually, it was just used as a means to put me in my place. I hated it then and I hate this now. Give it a rest people.

It’s sometimes best to wait

When the story of Customs and Border Protection agents first broke, I was horrified. My initial thoughts were that this was somehow linked to Trumps plan to Make America Great again by scaring the crap out of everyone. But I waited… the story was missing an explanation. It was too easy to love.

And… the CBP did have a reason for its actions and the reason seems reasonable.

Customs and Border Protection (CBP) later confirmed the details of the incident. In a statement to VICE News, a spokesperson for the agency said the agents were present because Immigration and Customs and Enforcement (ICE) had asked for help locating an individual “ordered removed by an immigration judge.” Source: Vice News

“Show me your papers” is not something Americans like to hear. I can understand the hysteria surrounding the airlines story, but I can’t understand the story about immigration officials questioning Muhammad Ali Jr., when he reentering the US after a trip abroad. I can’t understand ICE pulling Sara Beltran Hernandez, an undocumented El Salvadoran with a brain tumor, out of a hospital in Texas. The news is full of stories that upset me these days, but few upset me more then a bully USA picking on people, citizens or not.

Refugees Welcome. Yep.

Source: Tavel ban protesters attach ‘Refugee Welcome’ banner to the Statue of Liberty.

Clinton in 2020? Please no.

I once read a book about Hillary Clinton’s run against Barack Obama in 2008 that forever changed by opinion of Democrats and the Clintons. I can’t remember the book now (It may have been more than one), but I can remember the theme. She was disconnected from reality and used whatever means she had at her disposal to push her what she thought was her advantage. She also underestimated her opponent. When the 2016 elections started to take shape, I knew she was in trouble. She had no answer for Bernie Sanders and failed to see the appeal of his position. She also pressed her advantage in a way that undermined her integrity. Of course, like may other people, I figured she could not lose to Donald Trump. I still can’t wrap my mind around Trump’s victory. With all the distractions since his election, we’ve lost focus on how he got there.

There is talk of a Clinton run in 2020. Please no. She cannot win. Whatever is running through her mind, whatever reasoning is pushing her in this direction, we need to tell her no. She can’t win because she is still disconnected from reality. Until we find somebody who understands how Trump won, and I mean actually understands how he won and not just intellectual weak excuses for Clinton’s loss, whoever runs in 2020 is doomed.

We need a leader and a Democratic Party that is up to the task.

you look at what's happening last night in Sweden

President Trump… It’s harder to say that with each passing day. Yesterday, he held a campaign rally for the 2020 election even though most of us think he won’t make it another six months. He said a lot of weird things, but this stood out as just nuts, given he is the leader of the free world.

…you look at what’s happening last night in Sweden… Sweden, who would believe this. Sweden. They took in large numbers. They’re having problems like they never thought possible. - Source: The Independent.

Nothing happened last night in Sweden. Nothing, he made it up. He may have thought something happened because of a non-news segment he say on Fox News. That is a scary thought. He saw it on the “News” so he repeated it as fact. We are so screwed.

Small hands and even smaller crowds

Kellyanne Conway used the term "Alternative Facts" to explain the lies Sean Spicer told during Trumps first official press conference. To quote one of Spicer's lies, "This was the largest audience to ever witness an inauguration -- period -- both in person and around the globe."

As a patriotic American, I was insulted by Spicer and his lies. I saw with my own eyes the small crowds on the parade route and during the inauguration. I remember thinking, why are the crowds so small? I was looking for a reason other than the obvious, but then it became plain that people did not show up. I want truth. We want truth.

Lying about the little things is a bad sign. It points towards dishonesty in all communication. Lying about verifiable facts is an insane act when what Trump seeks is legitimacy. Lies discredit everything. How is this good strategy?

Kellyanne Conway furthered the damage while appearing on Meet the Press. She repositioned lying as an honorable act. Spicer was fighting the media's alleged biased reporting with alternative facts. Any reasonable person knows alternative facts in this context means falsehoods.

"Don't be so overly dramatic about tit Chuck. You'er saying it's a falsehood. .. Our press secretary, Sean Spicer, gave alternative facts to that."

Trump and his minions are dishonest. His first press conference fixated on trivial issues and spread deliberate falsehoods. The size of the crowd is unimportant and not an urgent issue. Crowd size does not need correction. Crowd size does not need a press conference nor does it mention in Trump’s speech to the CIA.

"I get up this morning, I turn on one of the networks, and they show an empty field. I'm like, wait a minute. I made a speech. I looked out, the field was, it looked like a million, million and a half people. They showed a field where practically no one was standing there and said ‘Donald Trump did not draw...'... Honestly it looked like a million and a half people. Whatever it was it was. It went all the way back to the Washington Monument." He added even 250,000 people would be “not bad ... but it’s a lie”.

I fear for our democracy. I fear for our country.

Flag burning question

If burning a flag in protest should result in loss of citizenship or a year in prison as President-elect Trump suggest, what about businesses that use a flag to proclaim national patriotism for commercial gain?

A photo posted by @mojoey on Nov 29, 2016 at 8:07pm PST