If We Can Keep It

This July 4th is important for several reasons.

One, as a (relatively) young nation, it still astounds that we persist. In comparison to the older countries on the planet, we are barely in our teens, and sometimes act accordingly. Second, we are a democracy; imperfect, and created by imperfect people, as ALL people are. In the jingoism that envelops us through our narrative, it is easy to lose sight of that; imagine the naked audacity of a declaration that all men are created equal being disseminated by a landed gentry that owned other human beings and not only didn’t consider them equal, but didn’t consider them human. A 3/5th compromise indeed. Third, and most importantly at this point in time, the republic is at greater peril than at any time since the Civil War, and that peril is being cheered on by those who would gladly re-impose the ’50s (that’s 1850s for those who are paying attention) so long as the fallacy of white supremacy is maintained.

So, on this 4th of July weekend, let us remember those who would deny freedom for ALL citizens so long as they maintain power:

On July 4, 2018, a delegation of seven Republican U.S. Senators and one Republican member of the House of Representatives spent the Independence Day holiday in Moscow.

Of the eight, six are up for re-election in 2022. They’re all pretty well entrenched in GOP strongholds, of course, but wouldn’t it be a pretty thing to dislodge even one or two of these treasonous scum? Anyone on the ground who knows whether that’s even thinkable? They celebrated America’s birthday in Russia. Voters shouldn’t be allowed to forget that.

The Moscow Eight (a refresher):Richard Shelby (AL) — 87 yrs old. In Senate since 1987 (finishing his sixth term). Will not seek re-election in 2022.

Steve Daines (MT) — 58 yrs old. In Senate since 2015 (in his second term). Not up for re-election until 2026.

John Kennedy (LA) — 69 yrs old. In senate since 2017 (completing his first term). Up for re-election in 2022.

John Hoeven (ND) — 64 yrs old. In Senate since 2011 (completing his second term). Up for re-election in 2022.

Ron Johnson (WI) — 66 yrs old. In Senate since 2011 (completing his second term). Up for re-election in 2022.

Jerry Moran (KS) — 67 yrs old. In Senate since 2011 (completing his second term). Up for re-election in 2022.

John Thune (SD) — 60 yrs old. In Senate since 2005 (completing his third term). Up for re-election in 2022.

Kay Granger (TX-12) — the only woman and only House member in the Moscow CoDel. 78 yrs old. Member of Congress since 1997 (currently in her 13th term). Up for re-election in 2022.

Here’s what they, and the Orange Menance wrought:

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Black Hole Son

One of the Trumplets took a trip down to Mississippi last week. Philadelphia, to be precise. If you had “breaking bread with the Confederacy” in your office pool, congratulations!

Trump Jr. decided to enter the flag fray Tuesday by first saying, incorrectly, that there were no American flags at the Democratic National Convention this week, according to WAPT.

The DNC, like the RNC last week in Cleveland, had a digital screen that displayed the American flag. Additionally, the audience in the hall waved hundreds of Stars and Stripes given to them by convention organizers when Hillary Clinton accepted the nomination on Thursday night.

“I saw a bunch of stuff on social media this morning where they didn’t even have the American flag up at the Democratic National Convention, and to me as an American that’s pretty disgraceful,” he told the station. “The fact they’re not even thinking about that as part of their platform, as part of their convention, to me says all you need to know about the Democrats.”

When asked about taking down the Mississippi flag, Trump Jr. responded:

“I believe in traditions. I don’t see a lot of the nonsense that that’s created with these things,” he responded. “So, you know, those are issues and I understand how people feel about some of that, but leaving some of the traditions the way they are in this country, there’s nothing wrong with some tradition.”

He sounds just as incoherent as Hair Furor, but make no mistake – the trip had deliberate intent (feeding the GOP base on a subject that they absolutely LIVE for)

Time To Gear Up

The necrotic dumpster fire that was the Republican National Convention is finally over, and it was every bit as bad as I had imagined it would be. There’s plenty I could say in response to both the party and the gibbering buffoon representing them, but for now I’ll outsource this to Jon Stewart:

The GOP doesn’t just need to be defeated in November; that would be letting them off too lightly.  They need to be DESTROYED.

It’s Like We Never Learn

The lunacy coming from the cowardly right (and their enablers both in the media and on the so-called left) over the last few days makes this song all the more appropriate:

 

A Message From Sentient America

The events of the last few days in Charleston and the media reactions to them are so depressing, so infuriating, so absolutely WTF mind-boggling, that I am beginning to wonder if our so-called “cold” Civil War II* is a misnomer.  It is no surprise, of course, that a certain entertainment channel (in the sense that screaming OOGA BOOGA BOOGA at white people all day long counts as entertainment) could gleefully find a way to simultaneously condemn the shooter for being “evil” AND pirouette away like a Mirror Universe Fred Astaire from the true motivation of that evil.  That’s par for the course for them. No, what has made a definitive mark this time is the degree to which ALL of the “mainstream” press has contorted themselves to avoid the truth, something so obvious no one with more than a few functioning brain cells could miss it.

THIS WAS A RACIALLY-MOTIVATED ACT OF DOMESTIC TERRORISM. PERIOD.

So do me and the rest of Sentient America a favor.

Stop running and face the problem.

No more White Shooter Bingo:

White Terrorist Bingo pic.twitter.com/hcomYIu0jh

— solid gold (@blowticious) June 18, 2015

No more tear-soaked statements of bewilderment over not knowing what causes this when the shooter CLEARLY EXPLAINED EXACTLY WHY HE DID WHAT HE DID. (Also, doing so with the traitorous, treasonous flag flying over your capitol grounds – seriously, enough already.)

No more blaming mental illness for the shooter’s actions – the mentally ill have enough to deal with in this country without getting dragged into domestic terrorism attacks.  Unless you consider ISIS/ISIL/whoever mentally ill too, just STFU about this.

No more pivoting from the victims (if you even acknowledge them at all) to musing about whether the “black community” will “act out” over acts like this.  Ever hear of lynchings of black people in response to real (or more often, imagined) crimes? Here’s a hint: THAT was acting out.

NO. MORE.

No more “but but but what about BLACK ON BLACK CRIME? What about Baltimore?” (Let me tell  you about Baltimore – any cop that espouses the view that there is only one choice – either to let them do whatever the hell they want without accountability or reproach, without being subject to the laws that they are enforcing/departmental policies OR standing back and not doing their jobs, then they need to be doing something else – ANYTHING ELSE – for a living.)

No more victim blaming. That’s right, victim blaming. If you’re stupid enough to say that a victim should have been in favor of allowing members to carry handguns IN A CHURCH in response to a massacre inside A CHURCH, you should really stop talking.

There are some serious problems here, and if they are not addressed, in the end, NOBODY WINS.