Of the three reported ‘finalists’ for Kamala Harris’ selection of a Vice President, Tim Walz is the one I knew the least about, but the more I see/read about him, the more impressed I am! I haven’t yet had time to learn as much as I would like, but meanwhile our friend Annie has written a bit about him that I think will help us see what a good choice Kamala made yesterday! I’ll return to Mr. Walz later this week after I’ve done my homework on him, but I think Annie has it covered pretty well here — and be sure to watch the video clip! Thank you, Annie!!!
Category Archives: guns
When All Else Fails … ‘TOONS!!!
I just spent two hours reading, pondering, and trying to formulate a post … you know, a serious post that would address serious issues like the election in 105 days, Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, guns, wealth inequity, education, poverty … but I guess my mind has the bouncies today and could not settle sufficiently on any single topic. I think it might have something to do with the neighbors playing their obnoxious music at top volume on the other side of the wall!!! Luckily, I have a bit of a stash of ‘toons since I last posted them on … I think it was Saturday … so I’ll share them for this afternoon and get back to trying to corral my bouncy mind for tomorrow’s posts!
Serving Up New Memes Today! (And Breaking, Sad News)
I had just finished this post, put it on the schedule, when I received the BREAKING NEWS that President Biden has officially withdrawn from the 2024 Presidential Election. My heart is broken. I hope the damned Democrats are all happy now, but I fear we just gave up our last, best hope for a future for the U.S. 😢
I didn’t realize how big my stash of memes had gotten until today, but it’s definitely time to clear it out. Some are humorous, others thoughtful, some are jaw-dropping such as the Lindsey Graham one, and others just seem apropos of the moment. Perfect for a lazy Sunday afternoon, yes? Enjoy!
Virginia Thomas is Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas’ wife, for those who may not know …
Fingers Pointing In The Wrong Direction 👉👈
I debated long and hard today about this post. I thought maybe it would be best to just do a cartoon post, but that seemed like a cop-out in a way. Several of the journalists and political analysts I follow such as Robert Reich, Steve Schmidt, Joyce Vance and others had written relevant pieces I could have shared. Our friend Roger had written a very insightful post that I could re-blog. But then I thought … no, I have something to say and I’ll keep this short, but I’ll say my piece.
We do not know much about what happened yesterday evening in Butler, Pennsylvania, and some of the ‘facts’ are in dispute. So, wouldn’t it make the most sense to withhold our judgment for now? Yes, I agree with you all that violence is never the solution to our problems, violence is never acceptable. But for Pete’s sake … what the Sam Hell do you expect when you have over 400 million guns in the hands of civilians??? What do you expect when you have right-wing politicians literally calling for violent solutions to our problems??? Donald Trump is alive and well, and this is far from the worst episode of gun violence this nation has seen in the past week, even, let alone the past year or decade. Don’t want people shooting at politicians? Then take the guns out of the hands of civilians. Ban assault style weapons, demand accountability and responsibility.
Now to my main point …
First thing I saw this morning was certain politicians – notably Senators Rick Scott and J.D. Vance – blaming President Biden for what happened yesterday. WHAT??? Never once in his 8 years as Vice President or his nearly 4 years as President, have I heard President Biden say anything that could even remotely be considered an incitement of violence. NOT ONCE! It wasn’t President Biden who told the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers to go to the Capitol and end democracy. It is not President Biden who holds hate rallies where he denigrates people who don’t share his views and threatens violence against them. No, folks, that was none other than Donald Trump.
Before any of you decide to take me to task, let me be perfectly clear. I am NOT advocating violence, I am NOT saying that Donald Trump deserved to be shot at, but I am saying that he played a significant role in inciting violence and has done so on so many occasions that I’ve lost count. No, he did not deserve to be shot at. But it was NOT, by any stretch of the imagination, President Biden’s words that caused this mess.
Some … many, actually, are saying that this incident will cement Trump’s ‘victory’ on November 5th. They may be right … but I certainly hope not. It’s one thing to be sorry he has a sore ear, to be sorry that this nation has become a third-world-style nation where we resolve our problems with violence rather than discourse and compromise, but the future of this nation depends on how you vote on November 5th. The future of our children and grandchildren cannot be determined by a single incident that, frankly, Trump himself could have prevented. When you turn up the heat on the stove, something’s going to boil over and that is exactly what has been happening all across the nation, culminating in yesterday’s shooting.
Is this the end, or only the beginning? Republicans, rather than trying to tone it down and prevent any additional violence, are pointing fingers and engaging in dangerous rhetoric. It’s time for this to 🛑!!! We’re getting nowhere. Yes, condemn the violence, but also condemn the language that is causing the violence!!!
Political concerns aside, I would like to note that I am deeply saddened by the death of the firefighter and father of two who was killed in yesterdays event.
And now I shall step down off my soapbox and try to get into Jolly Monday mode.
Sometimes Words Have Consequences
So, yesterday afternoon there was an ‘incident’ at a Trump rally in Butler, Pennsylvania. To write about it seems premature, since we know almost no facts, and cannot verify the few we’ve been told. But to not write about it would be to ignore the elephant in the room.
Now, some may call me disrespectful for what I’m about to say, but frankly whatever happened yesterday has done nothing to raise my respect for Trump. He’s still a nasty man, a liar, a rapist, and a convicted felon and none of that has changed. Call a spade a spade … Trump has not suddenly risen in my estimation simply because someone may (or may not) have taken a potshot at him.
Allegedly, someone shooting from a rooftop outside the rally venue, using an assault-style weapon, shot into the venue. Something caught Donald Trump in the ear, but we don’t know if a bullet grazed his ear or a piece of flying debris did. At any rate, it’s a superficial wound and Trump is fine, on his to his resort in New Jersey for the night.
So … first of all, I have to say this: when you incite violence, when you stir the pot, when you throw around words like “retribution”, “execution”, threaten and bully innocent people, you have to realize that you’re going to make some people very angry. When you refer to large groups of human beings as “vermin” and say they are “poisoning the blood of the nation”, you hurt and offend people. Sooner or later people get tired of it.
Second of all, I don’t want to hear one damn word out of any Republican about this because it is the Republican Party who has consistently refused to pass any form of restrictions on gun ownership, who have been in cahoots with the National Rifle Association (NRA) for decades now, and it is because of them that there are more guns than people in this country. So, sit down and shut the f*** up, Republicans. You brought this on yourself. Frankly, I’m more concerned about the innocent people being killed in schools, malls, grocery stores, and on the streets because of your lack of sensible gun laws than I am a nick on the ear for Felon Trump.
All that said, I agree with what everyone else is saying, that political violence is uncalled for and has no place in this nation. Except … it has found a place in this nation, largely because of the very man who was involved in yesterday’s “incident” and his divisive words and actions. When you throw stones, you should expect to have stones thrown back at you sooner or later. Sometimes words do have consequences.
A Fine Example Of Today’s GOP
I came across a member of the House of Representatives who is one of the most despicable people I have never met! His name is Glenn Grothman and he has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2015, representing the 6th district of Wisconsin. The thing that put him on my radar was reading that he said he wants to go back to the ‘good old days’ of 1960, before “the angry feminist movement” ruined things for men. In a speech on the House floor Thursday, Grothman railed against government programs such as subsidized childcare, calling out President Lyndon Johnson’s “war on poverty” as taking “the purpose out of the man’s life, because now you have a basket of goodies for the mom. They’ve taken the purpose of the man to be part of a family. And if we want to get America back to, say, 1960, where this was almost unheard of, we have to fundamentally change these programs.” Listen to his little speech …
Naturally, I decided to do a quick bit of research on Mr. Grothman, and I discovered he served in the Wisconsin state legislature from 1993 until 2015 when he was elected to the U.S. House.
He is for nearly unlimited gun ownership, saying it will ‘deter criminal behaviour’ (he has a 93% approval rating by the National Rifle Association, if that tells you anything). He is against equal pay for women, saying “You could argue that money is more important for men. I think a guy in their first job, maybe because they expect to be a breadwinner someday, may be a little more money-conscious.” He opposes any form of sex education in schools because he believes that those who teach it have an “agenda” to persuade students to become gay. And it goes on … he says that non-marital parenthood should be considered a contributing factor toward child abuse and neglect.
Is this, then what the Republican Party has turned into? Remember back when I used to do an “Idiot of the Week” post? I think I should start something similar, maybe call it “Asshole of the Week” and start right here with Mr. Grothman!
But the stunning thing is that he keeps getting re-elected every two years! Last time, in 2022, he ran unopposed and won 94.94% of the vote! Surely the Democrats in Wisconsin can find somebody to run against and beat this asshole! It shouldn’t be that hard!
Just A Coupl’a Snarky Snippets
Some nights I just feel really snarky, y’know? Like, I want to smack/punch the image on my screen of Lauren Bobert, J.D. Vance, and Donald Trump … I want to skewer them with hot pokers! And I’m not a violent person!!! So, allow me to share just a little bit of my snarkiness tonight if for no other reason than to vent a bit of my angst …
So … nearly 3:00 on a Friday afternoon … you need a few things from the grocery store for the upcoming weekend. But you also need some ammo for your gun, ‘cause you plan to go out hunting innocent critters tomorrow, but the nearest gun shop is on the opposite side of town and you’ve got to pick up the kids at school in just half an hour. What to do? Well, worry not, folks, for now you can buy that ammunition for your gun at your local grocery store! That’s right … see that vending machine over there between the two soft-drink machines? Just pop in a $20 bill and you’ll have plenty of bullets to shoot all the deer, owls, and any other critters you see on Saturday! Hooray for vending machines, hooray for technology!
Yes, that’s right … three states – Alabama, Oklahoma, and Texas – now allow customers to pick up bullets along with a gallon of milk. From an article in Associated Press (AP):
American Rounds said their machines use an identification scanner and facial recognition software to verify the purchaser’s age and are as “quick and easy” to use as a computer tablet. But advocates worry that selling bullets out of vending machines will lead to more shootings in the U.S., where gun violence killed at least 33 people on Independence Day alone.
I have one word for this utter lunacy: Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Have you heard of The Lincoln Project? It is a political action committee (PAC) founded in December 2019 by moderate conservatives and former Republican Party members who opposed Donald Trump and Trumpism. Among the founders of the project are George Conway, Steve Schmidt, and Rick Wilson. They have published a number of podcasts, OpEds, and videos warning of the dangers of another Trump presidency and I’m asking you to please take just 4 minutes to watch their latest video … one which I find chilling.
Well, folks, that’s enough for tonight. I’ll be back later with more, but for now I need to step back just a bit and get busy on the next Beach Boys Week post!
Time For A ‘Toon Break!!!
It’s Saturday and it’s been a long week all over the world, so I say it’s time for a cartoon break!
When Da Mind Bounces, There’s Always Memes!
I’m working on a couple of different posts — one about the latest scotus rulings, and I’ll let you take a wild guess at the topic of the other — but did not manage to get either of them anywhere near completion just yet. Methinks there is just too much “noise” right now … no, not the kitties hissing, nor the television, nor even the arsehole playing his car stereo extra loud down the street … but the kind of noise from the media and others that makes my brain break free and bounce. Ah well, I had been collecting some memes this week that I wanted to share with you anyway, so what better time than now? I’ll be back in the morning with what I hope will be a coherent post! I’ll start with this one that I think says it all …
No Debate Today — Just ‘Toons
Keeping a promise to myself, I did not watch last night’s debate, and I’m glad I didn’t. I will be offering my views on the situation at some point, probably tomorrow, but for now I’m still reading & pondering, so I’m not ready to opine just yet. Same is true of today’s disastrous Supreme Court rulings … I need to process it all before speaking. And anyway, my ‘toon file is bulging, so let’s give ourselves a little break for some ‘toons, shall we?
Filosofa's Word 