Tag Archives: Louie Gohmert

They Eat Their Own …

Posted on by under Election 2022, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants

If you ever wonder why there are few, if any, good people in the GOP, it’s because it is suicide to be a good person in today’s GOP, aka Republican Party.  Yes, that’s right, folks … you either play by their rules, or you’re out of the game.  The latest example is U.S. Representative Chris Jacobs of New York who had the audacity to say, after speaking about the most recent mass shootings in Buffalo, New York, and Uvalde, Texas, “I can’t in good conscience sit back and say I didn’t try to do something.”  Them’s fightin’ words in the Republican ranks these days!

Within the week, he was told by GOP members in no uncertain terms that his opinions were not welcome, and was taken to task by Junior, aka the son of the evil former guy.  WHAT THE HELL does Junior even have to do with anything?  He’s never held a government position and doesn’t even have an IQ over 75!!!  He is irrelevant … or should be, but this is, after all, the Republican Party where the only requirement is that you be a racist and a gun nut — Junior qualifies on both of those.

Anyway, long story short, Mr. Jacobs has decided NOT to run for re-election in November.  See, my friends?  The Republicans do not want good people in their party … they want only corrupt assholes!  Every single one of the ‘good people’ in the Republican Party that I can think of have left.  Justin Amash, representative from Michigan, tried to straddle that fence and ultimately gave up in 2019, leaving the Republican Party.  Adam Kinzinger, Representative from Illinois since 2011 and one of the few Republicans with a conscience, announced last year, after much harassment from his party over his role on the January 6th investigative committee, that he will not seek re-election this year.  See, folks???  The Republican Party does not want good people, they want crooks, corrupt politicians who don’t give a fig about the people paying their salaries!!!

Mr. Jacobs words upon announcing his decision …

“We have a problem in our country in terms of both our major parties. If you stray from a party position, you are annihilated. For the Republicans, it became pretty apparent to me over the last week that that issue is gun control. Any gun control.”

Yesterday, the former guy’s buddy Peter Navarro was indicted by a federal grand jury on two counts of criminal contempt that each carry a maximum sentence of a year in prison, as well as a fine of up to $100,000.  ‘Bout damn time!  But wait … ol’ Louie Gohmert, Republican representative from Texas 🙄 whined that …

“If you’re a Republican, you can’t even lie to Congress or lie to an FBI agent or they’re coming after you.”

Say WHAT???  You’re not supposed to lie to Congress or the FBI, fool!!!  If any of us did so, we’d be in prison for a few years!  Seems to me that ol’ Louie doesn’t understand the meanings of “integrity”, “honesty”, and “responsibility”.  And for this, We the People pay this ‘man’ $174,000 every year!  C’mon, Texans … get this asshole out of our Congress!

I will tell you in no uncertain terms that anybody … anybody who votes for ANY Republican candidate in November is, in my book, careless about the future of this nation, the future of the human species, the future of the planet.  If you vote for any of the sub-humans on the GOP ticket, you are dooming this nation and its people to a lifetime of hell.  Oust them!!!  Oust McCarthy, Gaetz, Gohmert, Boebert and Greene!  Replace them with people who have both a brain and a conscience, people who will act in the best interest of us all, not only their wealthy donors in the gun and fossil fuel industries!  Don’t like some of the Democrats?  So what?  I don’t like some of them either, but the party doesn’t shun those who want to help the people of this nation, who really do want to try to make this a better place for us all.

Snarky Snippets Volume 100+

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary

Some days my head simply spins on its axis (my neck) trying to keep up with everything happening in the nation, the world today.  There are days that I can pick a topic, focus, and write a relatively coherent post on a single topic.  Other days, however, I simply cannot gain that level of focus that is requisite, so instead I toss out a few snippets, usually snarky ones.  Today is such a day.  The week is topsy-turvy and my mind is spinning at somewhere around 136 rpm (revolutions per minute).  Thus, today I give you another episode of Snarky Snippets …

Will Congress find their conscience, or will millions be living on the streets soon?

The current eviction moratorium, that prohibits landlords from evicting tenants who have fallen behind on their rent, is set to expire tomorrow.  This means, in a nutshell, that millions of people could be without a home soon … millions, not hundreds, not thousands, but millions, the majority of them children.  It was hoped that the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) would extend the moratorium, given the new surge in cases due to the Delta variant (and the anti-vaxxers), but last month, when the Supreme Court upheld the current moratorium, they also made it clear that it could not be extended again except by an act of Congress.

President Biden called on Congress to act “without delay” to extend the eviction moratorium. Biden’s request prompted House and Senate Democrats to begin exploring whether they could rally enough votes to approve the new protections for renters. It remains unclear if Congress has the time and support to act ahead of the current July 31st deadline.

I have very little doubt that the members of the House of Representatives will rally and manage to vote ‘yea’ on a hastily prepared bill that will keep millions of people sheltered.  However, once such a bill reaches the Senate, possibly even sometime today, it will almost certainly go into the “Dead Bills” bin along with the For the People Act and probably hundreds of other pieces of legislation that the senate Republicans, along with Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema are holding up in a game of roulette.  Let’s hope I’m wrong, for with the current heat wave that is affecting some 20 states at the moment, this is no time to be living on the streets.

The Four Stooges … or the Four Gs

Yesterday, Representatives Matt Gaetz (the sex trafficker), Margie Greene (QAnon member in good standing), Paul Gosar (white supremacist extraordinaire), and Louie Gohmert (the idiot in too many ways to count), went to the D.C. Department of Corrections (where they should all be standing on the other side) in an attempt to visit some of the prisoners who have been arrested in connection with their role in attacking Congress and the Capitol on January 6th.  They were turned away by jail officials.  The Four Gs claimed they were there to inspect the treatment of suspects.  Funny, isn’t it, that at least tens of thousands pass through the prison system each year, yet these three never came to check on those people.

Now, I may have a suspicious mind, but given that the four were accompanied by cameras from right-wing news organizations, I have a sneaking hunch that this was intended as a photo op, as an excuse to rile the masses yet again, as they surely knew they couldn’t just waltz in and visit with the prisoners of their choice.

When told that they were “obstructing entrance into this facility,” Gohmert responded …

“We’re the people that vote on whether or not to fund you, at what level, and we’re trespassing?”

WHOA … can we say ‘abuse of power’ or throwing one’s weight around?  For the record, Congress has ZERO influence, for the D.C. Detention Center is not a federal facility and is fully funded by Washington, D.C. taxpayers.

The action at the jail was the group’s second this week, after they barged into the Justice Department on Tuesday trying to ask questions about the detention of January 6th suspects awaiting trial and whether any were being held in solitary confinement. Gosar called them “political prisoners” who are being “persecuted” and unjustly punished.  Oh wait … pobrecitos … were they not the ones dressed like maniacal cavemen carrying clubs, bear spray, and other weapons on that fateful day?  Were they not the ones that scaled the outer walls of the Capitol, beat police officers, broke windows to gain access, and caused millions of dollars in damage to OUR property?  Excuse me, perhaps I’m thinking of a different bunch of bozos.

Gohmert seemed to be the spokesperson for the bunch and said …

“The supervisor came down and was standing right here and turned her back on me. The other one said she won’t talk anymore and that we’re trespassers. We’re in totalitarian, Marxist territory here. This is the way third-world people get treated.”

Get a life, Louie!!!

And of course, ol’ Margie also feigned indignance …

“We suspect there is a two-tier justice system in the United States, for Trump supporters that are charged for Jan. 6 and catch-and-release for BLM rioters.”

Yeah, that’s right, Margie … when a cop pulls a person over, the first question out of his mouth is to ask whether the person is a trumpeter or not … if he is, then he is carted off to the Gulag, never to be seen or heard from again.  Sheesh, but how did we manage to get so many dumbasses in Congress this time ‘round???  And four of ‘em whose surname starts with ‘G’.  One media outlet, The Hill, referred to them as the ‘seditious four’ … sounds about right to me.

A dangerous thing to say

One of the Four G’s, Margie Greene, made a very dangerous statement when speaking to the Alabama Federation of Republican Women last week.  First, she told the group that President Biden “is going to be sending one of his police state friends to your door,” referring to the volunteers the president has mentioned sending to rural areas to help people better understand and have access to the vaccination.  But the worst part was when she told them …

“We all love our Second Amendment rights, and we don’t like the federal government coming on our property to tell us what to do. You have HIPAA rights and you do not have to tell your medical information and you can tell them to get off your front porch and get off your front lawn.”

WHOA NELLIE!  This is a lawmaker, a member of Congress, advising people to get their guns out … this is incitement to violence, plain and simple!  In my book, that statement alone is grounds for her immediate expulsion from Congress.  Mr. Kevin McCarthy damn well better take action … it is long past due.

Making A Mockery Of Our Lives …

Posted on by under Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Of late, the Republican Party, aka GOP, have done most everything in their power to make a mockery of this nation, of the democratic underpinnings in our very foundation, and of the U.S. Constitution.  They have tested the limits of lunacy and it almost seems as if their entire goal is to prove that nothing really matters, that people don’t matter, the environment doesn’t matter, our very lives matter little to them.  Now, it’s easy to brush off their lies, their conspiracy theories as being beneath our dignity to even discuss.  And in one sense that’s true, but in another sense … their constituents listen to them, hang on their every word, believe them, and in far too many cases, such as January 6th of this year, act upon their words.  This means that yes, we must pay attention, we must be prepared to tell the truth, to counter their ignorance.  I have a few recent examples to share with you …

Last month, before Mitch McConnell and his band of senatorial thugs killed any hope for a congressional investigation into the lead-up and events of January 6th, the uneducated Margie Greene posted her argument against such an investigation on her social media accounts.

“They’re only going to use the January 6 Commission to tear down Trump’s legacy, tear down and smear him if he runs for president again in 2024.  And it will be used to demoralize Trump supporters and people that loved attending rallies and loved the MAGA movement and love America First policies, and it will be used to demoralize them and paint them as if they’re horrible people that entered the Capitol — breached the Capitol on January 6.”

Excuse me, Margie, but they are horrible people, else they would not have hung a noose outside the Capitol, would not have busted windows, pooped on the walls and floors, destroyed property, chanted ‘Hang Mike Pence’, and killed a Capitol policeman while injuring 140 others.  If this isn’t the definition of ‘horrible people’ then I don’t know what is.

Climate change is no laughing matter … with every passing day, the hope for a continuation of human life beyond the end of this century grows dimmer.  Scientists are working diligently to find ways in which we can slow or reverse the damage that has been done by people in industrialized nations.  They have some, but not all of the answers.  Enter U.S. Representative Louie Gohmert who claims to have the only answer we need.

Mr. Gohmert attended a House Natural Resources Committee hearing a week ago where he posed the following to Jennifer Eberlien, an associate deputy chief of the Forest Service …

“I understand, from what’s been testified to the Forest Service and the BLM, you want very much to work on the issue of climate change. I was informed by the immediate past director of NASA that they’ve found that the moon’s orbit is changing slightly and so is the Earth’s orbit around the sun. We know there’s been significant solar flare activity.  And so, is there anything that the National Forest Service or BLM can do to change the course of the moon’s orbit or the Earth’s orbit around the sun? Obviously, that would have profound effects on our climate.”

A lot of people found Gohmert’s remarks humorous … I did not.  They show a profound ignorance that should have disqualified him from holding a seat in the House of Representatives long ago.  He is an attorney and a former judge who has held a seat in the U.S. House, representing Texas, since 2005.  Listening to him, I would have guessed he had but a sixth-grade education.  Like Ms. Greene, he has made a mockery of a very serious issue.  And also like Ms. Greene, Gohmert is a follower of the conspiracy theory group QAnon.

And then there is the first-term U.S. House Representative from Georgia, Andrew Clyde, who along with Gohmert, has filed a federal lawsuit claiming that having to pass through a metal detector each day like his 434 colleagues do, largely without complaint, is a violation of … something.  His civil rights, perhaps?

“Unconstitutional!” “Authoritarian conduct!” “An active ongoing attack on our democracy!”

Oh for Pete’s sake!  Grow up, Andy … grow a pair!

Although he has been in Congress for only six months, Mr. Clyde has already been fined some $15,000 for refusing to cooperate with Capitol Police’s efforts to ensure the safety of every member of Congress.  If he is such a crybaby that he cannot man up and walk through a metal detector without having a meltdown, he surely does NOT belong in the United States House of Representatives any more than his two aforementioned colleagues do!  Mr. Clyde is a former gun shop owner back in Georgia who wears a tie clip in the shape of an automatic weapon.  Nice … real professional.

This might all be humorous if it weren’t truly a threat to our way of life, to the government we rely on in so many ways.  Is this, then, the face of the new Republican Party?  I still shake my head in amazement to remember that GOP once stood for Grand Old Party.  No more can they claim that title, for they have sold us downriver a thousand times over in the past decade.  These three examples are but a small sampling of the sheer ignorance that now dominates the GOP, the mockery they are making of our lives.

I Tried To Be Nice … It’s Hard!!!

Posted on by under Election 2020, Free Press Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Let me start by saying that today is National Say Something Nice Day.  I may struggle with this one … let me try, though … … … … … …  🤷

Well, okay, that one didn’t work out so well, did it?  Perhaps I’ll try again later, but for now I’ll stand by that old adage “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything.”  Have a nice day!

Oh wait … that qualifies as saying something nice, doesn’t it?  I mean, it even has the word ‘nice’ in it!  So now, I’ve fulfilled my obligation to say something nice and I can carry on with my normal grumbling and grousing!

In case you hadn’t heard, QAnon, the conspiracy theory group, held a ‘conference’ in Dallas, Texas, over the weekend.  QAnon must surely require that its members have an IQ under 50 in order to join, for there was, from what I’ve read, not a single bit of intelligence uttered at any point.  Reporters were largely banned from the event.  For starters, there was the infamous Sidney Powell, the attorney who filed multiple phony lawsuits on behalf of the former guy attempting to overturn the results of the 2020 election that President Biden won by over 7 million votes.  Ms. Powell lost every single one of those cases.

At the QAnon conference, wearing a leather biker vest covered in Trump stickers, she spouted more nonsense, saying of the former guy …

“He can simply be reinstated. A new inauguration date is set, and Biden is told to move out of the White House, and President Trump should be moved back in. I’m sure there’s not going to be credit for time lost, unfortunately, because the Constitution itself sets the date for inauguration, but he should definitely get the remainder of his term and make the best of it.”

She’s a lawyer???  She must surely have gotten her JD out of a box of Cracker Jacks, for any sane person who ever took a course in Constitutional Law knows that what she said is pure bullshit.  But she received lots of applause and cheering for her words … there were a whole lot of fools in Dallas this weekend!

And then there was there was Louis Gohmert, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Texas … a man who should be held to a higher standard than to attend a meeting of a bunch of fringe lunatics!  Gohmert spent his time on stage denigrating House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and claiming that the attack on Congress on January 6th was really no big deal, that no investigation is necessary, and that it wasn’t just right-wing extremists, but also the left – a theory that has been disproven multiple times.

Gohmert also suggested that the insurrection shouldn’t be a serious concern because the United States has weathered worse, including foreign attacks.

“Some of us think Pearl Harbor was the worst attack on democracy, some of us think 9/11 was the worst attack. Some of us think that those things were worse attacks on democracy.”

Pearl Harbour and 9/11 certainly took more lives than January 6th, however … they were not attacks from within, not attacks attempting to overthrow our government.  Gohmert has once again shown that he is not fit to be a member of Congress, perhaps not even fit to walk among us!

But perhaps the must heinous, most inhumane comments came from none other than Michael Flynn, the former National Security advisor who lasted only 22 days in the position before being forced to resign as a result of lying about his role in helping Russia interfere in our 2016 election.  Flynn is a former Lieutenant General in the U.S. Army and former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency … not someone you would expect to encourage a military coup, but that is precisely what he did at the QAnon conference last weekend.

During the Q&A session, Flynn was asked this question by a low-IQ attendee …

“I want to know why what happened in Myanmar can’t happen here?”

To which the traitorous Flynn replied …

“No reason. I mean, it should happen here.”

Michael Flynn would be in prison today if he had not been pardoned by the former guy.  Instead, he is spouting dangerous rhetoric to a group of people who are too stupid to have a clue what is happening in Myanmar.  Despite his response being recorded on video, Flynn later tried to weasel out and say it wasn’t what he said … or what he meant … or who knows what the man meant.

And lastly, what would a QAnon conference be without the deplorable Roger Stone?  Although I don’t think Roger showed up in person, his ‘social media advisor’, Jason Sullivan, made quite a stir.  Referring to Hillary Clinton as that “god-awful woman,” Sullivan then made a noose gesture around his neck, which was greeted with wild applause by the audience.

The real danger in all this lunacy is that there are a large number of people who actually believe the conspiracy theories.  A recent poll shows that 15% to 20% of Americans believe in tenets central to the far-right QAnon conspiracy theory movement — a minority, but not an insignificant number.  Fifteen percent of all Americans and 23% of Republicans said they agree that “the government, media, and financial worlds in the U.S. are controlled by a group of Satan-worshipping pedophiles who run a global child sex trafficking operation.”  As we saw on January 6th, these people are willing to act on their beliefs, to attempt to overthrow the government, to burn the Constitution, and fools like Sidney Powell, Mike Flynn and others are encouraging them, are pouring fuel on the fires of hatred.

The Ugly Face Of ‘Nationalism’

Posted on by under Election 2020, Election 2022, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

I could have been quite content to never hear the name “Marjorie Taylor Greene” again for as long as I live.  However, yesterday she flew face-first onto my radar and aroused such disgust that I truly wished for the opportunity for my fist to meet her face.  She and two others, Representative Paul Gosar of Arizona and Louie Gohmert of Texas (both of whom have crossed my radar before) have started a new House caucus that they are calling the “America First Caucus”.  Just the name itself raised my hackles … you’ll remember the former guy using that terminology many times, and I find it to be an arrogant, bigoted term.

So, to start with, just what is a ‘caucus’?  Congressional caucuses are voluntary groups made up of lawmakers seeking to advance certain policy agendas. While the groups operate outside of the formal congressional legislative structure, many, such as the ignoble House Freedom Caucus, have found success influencing debate and amplifying their voices.  There are at least a hundred caucuses in the House, most consisting of only 2-3 members, some only having a single member, and typically promoting a single idea, such as the “Arts Caucus” or the “House Specialty Crops Caucus” … yes, I’m serious!  But some, like the aforementioned House Freedom Caucus, have a hundred or more members and a broad agenda.

The 7-page document outlining the “America First Caucus” policy agenda begins …

“The America First Caucus (AFC) exists to promote Congressional policies that are to the long-term benefit of the American nation. The North Star of any policy proposal will be that which serves the American people, and any consequential analysis of policy platforms must be based on this first principle.

As this implies a degree of ideological flexibility, a certain intellectual boldness is needed amongst members of the AFC to follow in President Trump’s footsteps, and potentially step on some toes and sacrifice sacred cows for the good of the American nation.”

There is racist, bigoted language throughout the document.  In a section on immigration, the document describes the United States as a place with “uniquely Anglo-Saxon political traditions” and argues that “societal trust and political unity are threatened when foreign citizens are imported en-masse into a country, particularly without institutional support for assimilation and an expansive welfare state to bail them out should they fail to contribute positively to the country.”

The document calls to suspend all immigration, saying such pauses are “absolutely essential in assimilating the new arrivals and weeding out those who could not or refused to abandon their old loyalties and plunge head-first into mainstream American society.”

On infrastructure, the caucus calls for the construction of roads, bridges and buildings that reflect “the architectural, engineering and aesthetic value that befits the progeny of European architecture, whereby public infrastructure must be utilitarian as well as stunningly, classically beautiful, befitting a world power and source of freedom.” 

I strongly urge you to read the document, for it is filled with racist, bigoted rhetoric.  Interestingly, a few other congressional Republicans weren’t too happy with it, either.  Even House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, whose ideology is typically far to the right of center, said …

“America is built on the idea that we are all created equal and success is earned through honest, hard work. It isn’t built on identity, race, or religion. The Republican Party is the party of Lincoln & the party of more opportunity for all Americans — not nativist dog whistles.”

GOP conference chairperson Liz Cheney, the third highest ranking House Republican, responded with …

“Republicans believe in equal opportunity, freedom, and justice for all. We teach our children the values of tolerance, decency and moral courage. Racism, nativism, and anti-Semitism are evil. History teaches we all have an obligation to confront & reject such malicious hate.”

Democratic Representative Ted Lieu’s response was spot on …

“As an immigrant, I served on active duty in the US military to defend your right to say stupid stuff. What makes America great is that we don’t judge you based on bloodline, we look at your character.”

Last February, the House voted to remove Ms. Greene from her committee assignments based on her promotion of QAnon conspiracy theories, so she has had virtually nothing to do (yet We the People pay her $174,000 per year), and this caucus is presumably the result.  Trouble is that what Ms. Greene fails to understand is first that this is a nation of immigrants … immigrants from all over the world, not just “Anglo-Saxon” countries.  Second, she needs to understand that this is the 21st century, not the 18th.  We are all in this world together … air travel, the Internet, and other technologies have shrunken the globe and what one nation does can easily affect every other nation on the planet.  In the sections on the environment and energy, the document reads …

“The America First Caucus supports conservation of the environment and our national lands for the benefit of our nation. Having said that, we should not cripple our country’s manufacturing sector through agreements such as the Paris Climate Accords. We oppose the globalist, vague, and irrelevant policies being pushed under the guise of combating climate change.

While it is vital to preserve our environment, we should not use it as an impetus to destroy the energy industry that hires millions of hard-working Americans. Our elected officials should stand proudly with America’s struggling coal country against job-killing regulations, and welcome the ongoing shift towards clean coal. In addition, the construction of the Keystone XL and Dakota Access oil pipelines will promote North American energy independence …”

Ms. Greene literally has zero qualifications to be in Congress, and even fewer qualifications to opine on things of which she has no knowledge.  Her ‘caucus’ is based solely on emotions, personal opinions, and uneducated views.  I had hoped that the people of her district in Georgia would vote her out next year and rid us of this terrible disease, but reportedly, she is raking in the campaign donations, so perhaps that dream is dead.

Ms. Greene’s ideology, such as it is, would close us off from the rest of the world, make this nation isolated and shielded from new ideas, cultural sharing, and protection of neighbors and allies.  And it would disenfranchise nearly half of the people in this nation.  There is no place in this country for the type of hateful ‘nationalism’ (another word I deplore) that Ms. Greene and her cohorts are proposing.  NONE!

A Response …

Posted on by under Election 2020, Law and justice, Political commentary

Yesterday morning I contacted my Republican representative, Warren Davis and Republican senator, Rob Portman, sending both the following short email …

As a representative of the district (state) in which I live and pay taxes, I expect you to support the will of the people.  Joe Biden won the office of president on November 3rd in a fair and honest election.  Donald Trump’s claims of voter fraud are lies and are in themselves fraudulent.  Joe Biden will take the Oath of Office on 20 January, and I fully expect you, Mr. Davidson (Mr. Portman), to vote to certify the electoral results on Wednesday.  If you do not, then you are trying to undermine democratic processes and take away the people’s right to choose their leaders.  Think about that and think about your responsibility to We the People.

Just as I call out these same people when they act in ways that are unconscionable, I thought it only fair to commend them when they do their job and actually represent We the People.  I share a portion of the response I received later that afternoon from Senator Portman …

In accordance with the Constitution and federal law, the Electoral College cast their votes for President on December 14, 2020. I think we need to respect this process the Founding Fathers established, and we must respect the will of the voters.

The orderly transfer of power is a hallmark of our democracy, and although I supported President Trump, the Electoral College vote makes clear that Joe Biden is now President-Elect.

The presidential election was contentious and hard fought. Roughly half of America was bound to be disappointed with the outcome. My hope is that all of us, as Americans, regardless of who we supported in the campaign, will be willing to accept the result because a thorough process was followed, and the final vote count was clear.

Our country faces serious challenges, from the public health and economic crises brought on by COVID-19, to an epidemic of drug addiction, to our growing national security threats. To solve these problems, we need to come together and rise above the dysfunction in Washington. I know if we work together, we can deliver results and make a real difference in the lives of Ohioans and all Americans.

Though I quite often disagree with Senator Portman, I greatly appreciate his views on the election certification, and he has gained a bit of respect in my eyes.  Ted Cruz, Josh Hawley, Ron Johnson, Marsha Blackburn and many others could take a lesson from Senator Portman.  As of this writing, I have not had a response from Warren Davidson, which is fairly typical … perhaps he only responds to favourable comments.

The Sedition Continues

Posted on by under Election 2020, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary

Never in my wildest imaginings could I have thought how terribly inhumane, corrupt, and unconscionable an entire half of the United States, including the entirety of the Republican Party, could become. I am sickened and disgusted by every single Republican in Congress today, and also by the 74 million people who apparently would prefer to chant “Heil Trump” than to have a real president. Jeff tells of some of the absolute inanity the “GOP” is attempting to take away the right to vote and have our vote tallied. He, like myself, is sick and damn tired of all the shenanigans. Thanks, Jeff, for this heartfelt post … I share your every thought on this.

On The Fence Voters

So another 11 senators signed on to the ridiculous challenge of what used to be a mere formality counting of certified state elector ballots on January 5, joining seditious and treason-like Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri.

Of course, this buffoonery follows on the heels of the idiotic Supreme Court challenge signed by 126 Republican House members that were utterly and swiftly dismissed a few weeks ago. You can now increase that list of treacherous scoundrels to 140, as that’s how many who are now saying they’ll also challenge the certification process.

Oh, and we might as well mention imbecilic Rep. Louis Gohmert’s lawsuit against Mike Pence, trying to force him into accepting other illegitimate elector’s ballots from rogue radicals in some of the swing states like Pennsylvania and Arizona. That one didn’t go anywhere either.

Once again, in the United States of America, we have a group of Republican lawmakers…

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Snarky Snippets For A Dreary Grey Day

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2020, Law and justice, Political commentary

Okay, folks, the holidays are over and I for one am more than ready to return to my normal routine.  Let’s get the tree down, pack those decorations away, finish all those leftovers, and get back to whatever passes for ‘normal’ in your household!  My psyche doesn’t handle disruptions well at all.

Sorry, Louie, but the answer is ‘NO’

I told you earlier this week about a lawsuit filed by the ignoble representative from Texas, Louie Gohmert and others, that sought to attempt to pressure Vice President Mike Pence to overturn the results of the election.  The suit was a bad joke, for there were no grounds whatsoever for it, and most every political analyst and constitutional law expert said it was doomed to fail.

Well, fail it did.  Yesterday, Judge Jeremy D. Kernodle of the Eastern District of Texas ruled that Gohmert and other republican lawmakers lacked the proper standing to sue Mr. Pence in the matter.  The real kicker in this ruling, though, is the fact that Judge Kernodle was appointed by Trump himself!  And, to heap insult onto injury in the eyes of Trump, the Department of Justice, representing Pence, had asked the Judge to reject the lawsuit.  I hear that Trump is not a happy camper about these latest developments, and Gohmert claims he intends to appeal, but with only five days before Congress meets to certify Joe Biden’s electoral win, I doubt there is time, nor is there willingness on the part of any judges to open themselves to what would follow if Pence were forced to take away the people’s will.

Score one for justice.toon-2

They never give up, do they?

This just in, as I was writing the above snippet – several republican senators, led by Ted Cruz of Texas, have signed a statement saying that they will refuse to certify the electoral votes for Joe Biden unless a ten-day audit is performed.

good grief

More grandstanding, and a move that is destined to fail, for frankly the votes of these idiots are not requisite for a majority vote to certify the results of the Electoral College.  The democrats have a majority in the House of Representatives, and in the Senate, a number of republicans have already acknowledged Joe Biden’s win and will not align themselves with these spoiled brats.  The ones who have signed the statement are:

  • Ted Cruz – Texas
  • Ron Johnson – Wisconsin
  • James Lankford – Oklahoma
  • Steve Daines – Montana
  • John Kennedy – Louisiana
  • Marsha Blackburn – Tennessee
  • Mike Braun – Indiana
  • Cynthia Lummis – Wyoming (senator-elect)
  • Roger Marshall – Kansas (senator-elect)
  • Bill Hagerty – Tennessee (senator-elect)
  • Tommy Tuberville – Alabama (senator-elect)

And, of course, good ol’ Josh Hawley from Missouri said last week that he intends to contest the results.  These people make me literally sick.  They are elected to do what is in the best interest of the people of this country, not to kiss the ass of the idiot-child trying to hold on to the Oval Office by lying, cheating, and bullying.  They are perfectly willing to say to us … “you do not matter, your vote does not matter, we don’t feel one whit of responsibility to you”, for that is exactly what they are telling us!

Their efforts will fail, on Wednesday, January 6th, Joe Biden’s electoral win will be certified and two weeks later, on January 20th, Joe Biden will be inaugurated the 46th President of the United States.  However, what they ARE doing is demoralizing us, keeping our angst stirred, and slapping us repeatedly in the face.  They are putting their own desires and fortunes ahead of ours, and THAT is simply wrong!  I hope the people of those states begin demanding that they be held accountable, either through impeachment or other means.

He’s stabbing his own in the back

As you all know, the Georgia runoff races for the U.S. Senate are in just three days.  Polling is erratic, but one thing is for certain, that both races are looking to be remarkably close.  So, what does Trump do to help his side?  He basically tells republican voters not to bother, that the elections are “illegal and invalid”.  This is one time that I’m applauding his false claims, for if he convinces republicans to stay home on Tuesday, so much the better for the nation.

In addition, he has been verbally attacking Georgia’s Governor Brian Kemp and Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger, both republicans, for the past month over their honesty in certifying the election in Georgia.  He claims they owe it to him to overturn the voice of the people, but both Kemp and Raffensperger remember that their loyalty is to the people of Georgia, not a two-bit madman who is attempting to hijack the election.

Last month, Trump attended a rally in Georgia (did he do any real work in 2020?) where he proceeded to spend most of his time lamenting his own situation, making his tiresome false claims about voter fraud, and yadda yadda yadda.  He did Loeffler and Perdue, the two republican candidates, no favours then, and he is doing them none now.  He’s scheduled to attend another rally on Monday, the day before the elections, where he is likely to further hurt their cause.  I suppose we ought to thank him for the help he is giving the two democrats, Warnock and Ossoff!

Second Verse, Same As The First …

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary

It may be a new year, but frankly it feels the same as the old one did, with threats of violence planned by fools and idiots who call themselves the “Proud Boys”, a Republican-run Senate voting against helping the people who need it most, and a few jerks in Congress attempting to declare the United States to be a dictatorship by cancelling the votes of 81 million people to keep a mentally deranged madman in the Oval Office.  Yep, folks … it’s true what they say … the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Moscow Mitch strikes again …

The House of Representatives approved raising the individual stimulus amount from $600 to $2,000.  There are people in this country who cannot pay their bills, cannot afford to buy food for their family, or to see a doctor when needed, and Congress has already wasted months playing games, so it’s time to move on this.  So, the House passes the addendum, sends it to the Senate, and what happens?  It shouldn’t surprise anybody that Mitch McConnell is holding it up, likely to burn it or rip it to shreds today or tomorrow.  Why?

Mitch McConnell claims that $2,000 checks are “socialism for the rich.”  Tell that to the mother of three who lost her job due to the pandemic and is struggling every day to keep her children fed!  I have had just about enough of Mitch McConnell and I must question the intelligence of those who elected him yet again two months ago.  Damn you, Mitch McConnell … you’ve never known a day when you had to choose between paying the electric bill or buying food … you’ve always been an overweight priviledged white male of means.  Don’t you dare call a lousy $2,000 stimulus check ‘socialism’.  You apparently lack any understanding whatsoever of what ‘Socialism’ even is!

Now, if we really want to talk about ‘socialism for the rich’, let’s look for a minute at some of the tax rebate checks that were issued under Trump’s tax plan:

Amazon: $129 million

Delta: $187 million

Chevron: $181 million

GM: $104 million

IBM: $342 million

That’s socialism for the rich!  Oh, and one other example:  Mitch McConnell with an estimated net worth of $22.8 million, takes taxpayer money in the form of a base salary of $193,400, not including perks such as travel and meals.  Talk about socialism for the rich!!!  This nation does not need people like Mitch McConnell making decisions that rule our lives, and in many cases may cost us our lives.

Retaliation or fabrication?

Sunday, January 3rd is the one-year anniversary of the murder of Iranian General Qassem Suleimani by a U.S. drone strike.  Logic tells us that if Iran intended to seek revenge beyond what they did last year, they would have already done it.  But those of us who are able to see the logic here are not sitting in the Oval Office.  The person who does sit in that office claims he expects Iran to seek revenge on that one-year anniversary of the murder.  Certainly, they would be well within their rights to do so, but the Iranian leadership is not quite as stupid as our own, and almost certainly have no such plan.

Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, on Thursday accused Donald Trump of attempting to fabricate a pretext to attack Iran, and said Tehran would defend itself forcefully.

“Instead of fighting Covid in US, @realDonaldTrump & cohorts waste billions to fly B52s & send armadas to OUR region. Intelligence from Iraq indicate plot to FABRICATE pretext for war. Iran doesn’t seek war but will OPENLY & DIRECTLY defend its people, security & vital interests.”

Under ordinary circumstances, I would accept the word of the president that there was some plot afoot, but … people, we haven’t had ordinary circumstances in nearly four years now, and we all know that Trump is not above lying through his teeth for the sake of his own self-interest.  And what, you ask, could he possibly gain from taking the nation to the brink of war with Iran?  Nothing, but he is leaving no stone unturned in his efforts to remain in office.  If he were to declare a state of emergency and implement martial law …

Think about that one.

And speaking of which …

I was pleased yesterday to read that Mike Pence asked a judge to reject the lawsuit filed earlier this week by Louie Gohmert and others that aims to expand Pence’s power to use a congressional ceremony to overturn the presidential election, arguing that he is not the right person to sue over the issue.  I would have preferred hearing him say that it was not the right thing to do, period, that President-elect Joe Biden is the next president of the United States, but hey … I’ll take what I can get, which is little enough these days.

More than a few times in recent days, I have seen Republicans say “74 million American votes matter”.  Sure, every vote matters, but the bottom line is that while 74 million people, and I use the term loosely, voted for Trump, 81 million voted for Biden.  Biden won, Trump lost … what the Sam Hell is so difficult about that concept?

So, on Wednesday, January 6th, Congress convenes to certify the Electoral College votes, 306 of which are for Joe Biden as compared to the 232 for Donald Trump.  At least one Senator, Josh Hawley of Missouri, and several Representatives (again, I use the term loosely, for they sure as hell don’t represent We the People) plan to contest the results, ensuring that there will be further delays and more of the ulcer-inducing chaos we have been subjected to for months now.  Joe Biden will be certified by Congress, of that I am 99.8% certain.  However …

Also, on Wednesday, January 6th, at least four large rallies have been planned by those who would see the election overturned in one way or another.  The events will be headlined by Trump’s most ardent supporters, including recently pardoned George Papadopoulos, a foreign policy adviser to Trump’s 2016 campaign who pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI during its Russia investigation, and longtime ally Roger Stone, whose sentence for seeking to impede a congressional probe into Russian election interference was commuted by Trump in July before being upgraded to a full pardon.

Formal rallies are planned most of the day and will draw pro-Trump demonstrators to the Washington Monument, Freedom Plaza and the Capitol. But online forums and encrypted chat messages among far-right groups indicate a number of demonstrators might be planning more than chanting and waving signs.

Threats of violence, ploys to smuggle guns into the District and calls to set up an “armed encampment” on the Mall have proliferated in online chats about the January 6 day of protest. The Proud Boys, members of armed right-wing groups, conspiracy theorists and white supremacists have pledged to attend.

Trump, meanwhile, has continued to issue calls to supporters to converge on D.C. “JANUARY SIXTH, SEE YOU IN DC!” he tweeted Wednesday.  My friends … this is not how this nation behaves.  This is the most juvenile, abominable behaviour and surely even his supporters cannot support this madness.  WHY do we have to put up with this?  First, he drags this nation down in the eyes of the world, then he bungles the response to a pandemic so badly that we have the world’s highest death rate … nearly a half-million people in this nation have died from the coronavirus.  And now this.  It’s time for it to end.  January 20th cannot come soon enough, and frankly I think he needs to be removed from office immediately in order to ensure the safety of this nation.

Welcome to 2021, the continuation of 2020.

Time For The Silent Majority To Speak — LOUDLY

Posted on by under Election 2020, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary

This morning it was announced that Senator Josh Hawley from Missouri will contest the votes of the Electoral College when the U.S. Congress meets on January 6th to certify those votes.  I am outraged.  How can a ‘man’ who took an oath to protect and uphold the U.S. Constitution attempt to deny the people of this nation the right to choose their president?  The following is the email I sent to Mr. Hawley early this afternoon …

You, Mr. Hawley, are in breach of your oath to protect and uphold the U.S. Constitution.  WE THE PEOPLE have spoken.  We voted, fairly and honestly, for our next president to be President-elect Joe Biden.  We are sick and damn tired of the buffoon who has occupied the Oval Office for the past four years and we need a government that functions, a president who cares about the nation and its people, not about his own personal whims.  For you to contest our votes, to take away our right to choose our leader, is simply unconscionable.  You better think long and hard about what you’re doing, for you will face the consequences of your actions.  At noon on January 20th, Joe Biden WILL become the next president of the United States, else there will no longer BE a United States.

Hawley’s reasoning, or so he claims, is that “some states, particularly Pennsylvania, failed to follow their own state election laws.”  What he refers to are the accommodations, such as postal voting, that were made by the states in order to enable more people to vote in light of the pandemic, a scourge made far worse than it needed to be by the very lying, bungling person Hawley and others are attempting to keep in the highest office of the land.  There was no criminal activity, no voter fraud, just people voting from the safety of their home rather than being exposed to a deadly virus while standing in line at the polls for hours.

What Mr. Hawley is doing, as well as what Representatives Mo Brooks and Louie Gohmert are doing in their efforts to silence the will of the people, is not only unconscionable, but is against the Constitution, is against the law of the land.  I believe with 99% certainty that their efforts will fail, but the efforts themselves are criminal, are acts of sedition.  Not only that, but they are keeping us all on pins and needles, keeping us from being able to enjoy this holiday season, costing us sleep and our health, just so they can play these foolish games with our lives!

Our friend Keith wrote an excellent letter to several newspapers regarding ‘Representatives’ Brooks and Gohmert’s efforts to change the outcome, to rob us of our voices. Keith has kindly given us permission to alter as needed and use his letter … I strongly suggest we all take him up on that offer, for if enough of us make ourselves heard, make it clear that we will not stand for this circus the GOP is putting on, perhaps others will follow suit.  These people do not deserve their seats in Congress, for they do not represent the people of this nation, they only pander to the whims of the madman who has destroyed much of what was once good about this country.

The United States was founded on the notion of “government of the people, by the people, for the people”, as President Abraham Lincoln so famously noted in his Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863.  Hawley, Gohmert, Brooks and others are attempting to take “the people” out of that equation. It is time for We the People to rise up, to make our voices heard so loudly and clearly that we override those of the fools in Washington who are lining their own pockets while draining ours.