Chilling. This is the shit that saw me move from texas to Italy a month ago. It still doesn't feel far enough away. People over here just shake their heads, like Americans are a different species. I tell them it's only republican Americans. They still shake their heads.
I can't imagine being in Texas now. The possibility that gunfire will break out at any time, and the governor smiling idiotically throughout all of it.
All true & well said as always. But how did we omit, as Republicans' top & ubiquitous value, raw, unmediated power? Power over every last human, mammal & other life that scares them, which is to say, every life-form trying to survive. Democrats seek power because we want to help everyone to live in dignity and free of privation & oppression. Republicans demand power to have those things for themselves & other white people only.
What a great rundown, Greg. Makes a handy "pamphlet" to refer to when I'm stuck for something to say to my extended MAGA family. Not that I converse with them much. My older sister and a cousin sent me (separately) one of those emails that makes the rounds every so often. It's a "What Would You Choose" story of the parent of a disabled child (Shay) who asks the head of a kids' baseball team to let his child play on their team. They were losing badly, but the kid relents. By the 9th inning, "with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?"
So the story goes that Shay's team allows Shay to play. By this time, the winning team is in on the ruse. The pitcher makes it so Shay could hit the ball. Shay's low grounder brings the ball back to the pitcher who threw the ball over the first baseman's head, allowing Shay to make it to first base. And on it goes until Shay makes it back to home plate, winning the game for his teammates. All the while, the entire crowd was cheering for Shay.
So, here's where I become offended by this email, and my "loved ones" who sent it to me.
"We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.
"The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces."
WTF? This "Thoughts and Prayers" email lecture is rich. If I were to suggest that we get behind the Biden Administration's efforts to provide funding for children with disabilities, I'd be screamed at for being a socialist.
Sorry for taking up so much space to comment, but this has been bugging me for several days now.
FFS! I had to delicately stop a customer service representative once, for one of our biggest shipping clients (*cough* Blockbuster, based in TEXAS *cough*) from sending me right-wing claptrap with her emails. For no reason I can understand, she thought I'd be welcoming of that shit. But then the company went belly-up, and that ended. And that's what right-wing nonsense will bring you -- one of the largest companies in the world going under. Tell your relatives! LOL
Lucky you they went belly-up, Steve! I'll keep that in mind to share for when it's needed.
So just sent a reply to my sister and cousin, saying "Great story! Seems like Medicaid is a wonderful program to help kids like Shay get the care they need." Then I linked two articles. One, where the Department of Education released $3 billion from American Rescue Plan to support children with disabilities; and, two, how Medicaid provides health coverage for people with disabilities.
Blockbuster always sucked. Plus the owner owned the Marlins who won the World Series and then broke up the team immediately afterwards because he didn't want to pay to keep the players on the roster. Cheap fuck.
That is a vexing email, I agree. It's decent to include the kid in the activity, but I'm not so sure it's "decent" to fool the kid into thinking he'd done something great when it was all a lie. What if he finds out and feels humiliated? That sounds like something that mostly makes all the other kids, and the parents, feel like they're swell people. Certainly it's not the example of absolute, unimpeachable decency she thinks it is. And of course, as you point out, GOP hates giving out support to anyone like that.
Only 16? Surely there's 100s more, and I'll stop calling you Shirley. Greg, you are at your absolute best when you go on a rant like this. Republicans are known for their hate, power-grabbing, and othering of everyone who isn't a straight WASP, while Democrats are known for being rhetorically so far above Republican histrionics, that usually have no basis in fact, that most of the time, they seem to be a different species. It is, therefore, VERY good, that once in a while, we can show EXACTLY what we're thinking without a lot of dressing it up to be more palatable to the right -- they are, after all, proven themselves to be especially delicate when you hit them with truth bombs like this, with receipts attached. EXCELLENT column! Bookmarked, for sure.
I was revelling going through the countdown. Greg's good...he's very, very good in both the written form and oral speech (Prevail podcast and The Five/8)
Thanks, Steve. I should probably do one for Democrats, too. "Making a big deal about sticking to the rules even as Republicans change the rules to inch the country towards fascism" would be high on the list, up with "belief in institutions even though the institutions have been corrupted."
Yeah, the Dems are not on my list of favorites right now. The DCCC sent a donation letter to my mom yesterday that scared her to death with all the talk of the Republicans gutting Social Security and Medicare. I had to talk her down from that one. "See, Mom? It says 'agenda,' not that they can actually just DO IT RIGHT NOW!" Ugh! And they're addressed to her because I'm a registered Independent, so I never get mail, otherwise I'd toss them out without opening.
But then, also yesterday, I got an email from Gavin Newsome, asking for $3 to Colin Allred, who's running against Ted Cruz next year. THAT email was great! The last line was something like, "...and wouldn't it just be nice not to have to hear 'Senator Ted Cruz' anymore?" I sent $10. lol
Sadly, but that about sums it up. The mission statement of the"deplorable" maga crowd. To support & defend the above enumerated items...with their "god," guns & flapping gums.
Made me lol. Brilliant...with one missing item...they value themselves over everyone else. This ties in with #2, assault weapons. Here's the logic:
Fascists believe they are superior to everyone else, and if everyone else can't get on board with that, then the dissenters deserve to be killed. (Think Hitler, etc)
No sane reason exists for the proliferation of assault weapons. The only explanation is narcissistic fascism. Because they are soooo special, like gods!, these pricks believe themselves impervious to being shooter victims (and they horde wealth to keep their distance from the masses), but secretly are gleeful when the rest of the nation's inferior beings are splattered.
Watch their sick fuck faces when they squeeze out their turdy thoughts and prayers in response to that day's mass shooting. Do they look compassionate?
1. The root cause of the Republican embrace of cruelty and suffering is Number 15 and their inability, to put it delicately, "get it on". It also explains their obsessive hatred of Bill Clinton. They are so jealous of him. I believe even Republican women recoil from them. If only someone would take one for the team.
2. I fully expect that Republicans will launch a new branding initiative around Number 16 - "Freedom From Childhood". Followed by "Freedom To Marry", "Freedom To Give Forced Birth", and "Freedom To Support Gram and Gramps When We Free Old People From Intrusive Government Programs Like Social Security and Medicare!
3. "Fetalmania" ("Feel The Magic!") (Number 3). Republicans will propose legislation mandating that fetuses be armed which will create demand for "Tiny Weapons". I smell reality show juggernauts!
Thank you! I agree that shame (along with denied therefore projected self judgments) fuel their hatred and rage. This is why questioning their logic is futile. We're dealing with something more primal and dangerous.
Words fail me
Words are not among their priorities...
Goddamn that’s all I can say except TRUTH
You made me laugh out loud!
Keep up the bad work. I love it.
Thanks!
I love it when you go on a tear...
Not usually my style, but it had to be done.
Just take off the gloves, bro.
He does like to sugar coat things a bit! /s
Ha!
The UN may be at the top of the go untouchable list.
Great piece except it's Harlan Crow, not Crown.
Monarchical slip; 'Crown' is uncomfortable close to the way many such billionaires act.
I had my coronation thread on the brain, clearly...
I was certain Crown was intentional...
Thanks...I fixed it!
Chilling. This is the shit that saw me move from texas to Italy a month ago. It still doesn't feel far enough away. People over here just shake their heads, like Americans are a different species. I tell them it's only republican Americans. They still shake their heads.
I can't imagine being in Texas now. The possibility that gunfire will break out at any time, and the governor smiling idiotically throughout all of it.
All true & well said as always. But how did we omit, as Republicans' top & ubiquitous value, raw, unmediated power? Power over every last human, mammal & other life that scares them, which is to say, every life-form trying to survive. Democrats seek power because we want to help everyone to live in dignity and free of privation & oppression. Republicans demand power to have those things for themselves & other white people only.
Good point, Richard. A huge omission.
You would have seen it soon, it's just that there always comes a time when one must stop writing & send the little oeuvre on its way.
This is so good. Just wow.
Thanks!
What a great rundown, Greg. Makes a handy "pamphlet" to refer to when I'm stuck for something to say to my extended MAGA family. Not that I converse with them much. My older sister and a cousin sent me (separately) one of those emails that makes the rounds every so often. It's a "What Would You Choose" story of the parent of a disabled child (Shay) who asks the head of a kids' baseball team to let his child play on their team. They were losing badly, but the kid relents. By the 9th inning, "with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat. At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game?"
So the story goes that Shay's team allows Shay to play. By this time, the winning team is in on the ruse. The pitcher makes it so Shay could hit the ball. Shay's low grounder brings the ball back to the pitcher who threw the ball over the first baseman's head, allowing Shay to make it to first base. And on it goes until Shay makes it back to home plate, winning the game for his teammates. All the while, the entire crowd was cheering for Shay.
So, here's where I become offended by this email, and my "loved ones" who sent it to me.
"We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices, people hesitate.
"The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces."
WTF? This "Thoughts and Prayers" email lecture is rich. If I were to suggest that we get behind the Biden Administration's efforts to provide funding for children with disabilities, I'd be screamed at for being a socialist.
Sorry for taking up so much space to comment, but this has been bugging me for several days now.
FFS! I had to delicately stop a customer service representative once, for one of our biggest shipping clients (*cough* Blockbuster, based in TEXAS *cough*) from sending me right-wing claptrap with her emails. For no reason I can understand, she thought I'd be welcoming of that shit. But then the company went belly-up, and that ended. And that's what right-wing nonsense will bring you -- one of the largest companies in the world going under. Tell your relatives! LOL
Lucky you they went belly-up, Steve! I'll keep that in mind to share for when it's needed.
So just sent a reply to my sister and cousin, saying "Great story! Seems like Medicaid is a wonderful program to help kids like Shay get the care they need." Then I linked two articles. One, where the Department of Education released $3 billion from American Rescue Plan to support children with disabilities; and, two, how Medicaid provides health coverage for people with disabilities.
I feel so much better now!
Good for you!
Blockbuster always sucked. Plus the owner owned the Marlins who won the World Series and then broke up the team immediately afterwards because he didn't want to pay to keep the players on the roster. Cheap fuck.
That is a vexing email, I agree. It's decent to include the kid in the activity, but I'm not so sure it's "decent" to fool the kid into thinking he'd done something great when it was all a lie. What if he finds out and feels humiliated? That sounds like something that mostly makes all the other kids, and the parents, feel like they're swell people. Certainly it's not the example of absolute, unimpeachable decency she thinks it is. And of course, as you point out, GOP hates giving out support to anyone like that.
Only 16? Surely there's 100s more, and I'll stop calling you Shirley. Greg, you are at your absolute best when you go on a rant like this. Republicans are known for their hate, power-grabbing, and othering of everyone who isn't a straight WASP, while Democrats are known for being rhetorically so far above Republican histrionics, that usually have no basis in fact, that most of the time, they seem to be a different species. It is, therefore, VERY good, that once in a while, we can show EXACTLY what we're thinking without a lot of dressing it up to be more palatable to the right -- they are, after all, proven themselves to be especially delicate when you hit them with truth bombs like this, with receipts attached. EXCELLENT column! Bookmarked, for sure.
I was revelling going through the countdown. Greg's good...he's very, very good in both the written form and oral speech (Prevail podcast and The Five/8)
: )
Thanks, Steve. I should probably do one for Democrats, too. "Making a big deal about sticking to the rules even as Republicans change the rules to inch the country towards fascism" would be high on the list, up with "belief in institutions even though the institutions have been corrupted."
Yeah, the Dems are not on my list of favorites right now. The DCCC sent a donation letter to my mom yesterday that scared her to death with all the talk of the Republicans gutting Social Security and Medicare. I had to talk her down from that one. "See, Mom? It says 'agenda,' not that they can actually just DO IT RIGHT NOW!" Ugh! And they're addressed to her because I'm a registered Independent, so I never get mail, otherwise I'd toss them out without opening.
But then, also yesterday, I got an email from Gavin Newsome, asking for $3 to Colin Allred, who's running against Ted Cruz next year. THAT email was great! The last line was something like, "...and wouldn't it just be nice not to have to hear 'Senator Ted Cruz' anymore?" I sent $10. lol
Sadly, but that about sums it up. The mission statement of the"deplorable" maga crowd. To support & defend the above enumerated items...with their "god," guns & flapping gums.
They do defend all of this, even as most of it does not help them or make their lives better. Sad, really.
Made me lol. Brilliant...with one missing item...they value themselves over everyone else. This ties in with #2, assault weapons. Here's the logic:
Fascists believe they are superior to everyone else, and if everyone else can't get on board with that, then the dissenters deserve to be killed. (Think Hitler, etc)
No sane reason exists for the proliferation of assault weapons. The only explanation is narcissistic fascism. Because they are soooo special, like gods!, these pricks believe themselves impervious to being shooter victims (and they horde wealth to keep their distance from the masses), but secretly are gleeful when the rest of the nation's inferior beings are splattered.
Watch their sick fuck faces when they squeeze out their turdy thoughts and prayers in response to that day's mass shooting. Do they look compassionate?
Yes! Themselves! Yes yes! So much of today's GOP is libertarian bullshit, and libertarianism is just a fancy word for selfishness.
And sounds better than its natural evolution to fascism.
Thank You! Shared, with this bit:
"The easiest way to eliminate rape, obviously, is to decriminalize it.¹"
Thanks!
Random thoughts.
1. The root cause of the Republican embrace of cruelty and suffering is Number 15 and their inability, to put it delicately, "get it on". It also explains their obsessive hatred of Bill Clinton. They are so jealous of him. I believe even Republican women recoil from them. If only someone would take one for the team.
2. I fully expect that Republicans will launch a new branding initiative around Number 16 - "Freedom From Childhood". Followed by "Freedom To Marry", "Freedom To Give Forced Birth", and "Freedom To Support Gram and Gramps When We Free Old People From Intrusive Government Programs Like Social Security and Medicare!
3. "Fetalmania" ("Feel The Magic!") (Number 3). Republicans will propose legislation mandating that fetuses be armed which will create demand for "Tiny Weapons". I smell reality show juggernauts!
Thanks, Kathleen.
1. It is grounded in shame, the shame they are conditioned to feel with any mention of sex.
2. Don't give them any ideas!
3. "Fetalmania" is fucking BRILLIANT.
Thank you! I agree that shame (along with denied therefore projected self judgments) fuel their hatred and rage. This is why questioning their logic is futile. We're dealing with something more primal and dangerous.
Yes, a serious predator.
And like with a confrontation with any apex predator, you want to know if it is coming for you.
Maybe not at the moment, but, yes, it is.
Humans have a long ancestral memory of being stalked in all three layers of the brain.