Have I told you how much I hate these people? - Mike Malloy. It is every thinking person’s responsibility not to side with his or her executioners. - Albert Camus. Popular democracy anywhere threatens fascism everywhere. - The Scallion. A fascist junta of neocons using George W. Bush as its shill has taken over America by bloodless coup. What will it take for us to stage a revolution and take our country back? - Dot Calm. Drive a hybrid. Leave a lighter footprint on the planet. - Dot Calm.
Like Granny D, I have watched my own beloved country change, and I am angry beyond words about what I see. I grew up seeing America as the equivalent of the movie good guy, the hero in the white hat who came to the rescue of those in need around the world. I have watched in silent horror as the corporations, the captains and the kings of industry, used a comparatively small outlay of cash to buy the Republicans to use as their shills. George W. Bush is the puppet cowboy-king of shills, the proverbial emperor with no clothes. Every day, I watch these evil men legalize, legitimize, and institutionalize robbing the poor to pay the rich. They are carving up America like a giant carcass and doling out choice chunks of its meat to themselves and their cronies. Since the Democrats have been sipping at the same corporate teat where the Republicans have been gorging for the past generation, the fascists are free to do their worst; there is no longer any opposition. There is no one left to stand up for the rights of the American people, the Constitution, or the democracy, which I fear will be replaced by a fascist dictatorship in my lifetime. Wake up, America: we need a REVOLUTION NOW!
Death to Obama? Someone should assassinate Hillary? That's just what Jesus would say!
Greetings fellow Dot Calm Readers, Freedom Fighters, and Truth Crusaders!
Didja miss me while I was away?
I sure missed you!
So, I had a lovely long weekend visiting friends and family out of town. For the 4th of July holiday, we went to Sonic for milkshakes and watched fireworks. Good times, good times.
The only downside is that my dad and I--both staunch liberals--were surrounded by FOX News Christians.
Yes, I am calling the FOX phuques by their actual name so that anyone googling along to this page will see the association in no uncertain terms.
You might want to sit down and strap in before reading further.
I wished the one couple we were visiting--preppers eagerly awaiting the destruction of civil society--a happy anniversary over a toast; the lady raised her glass and said in reply not the traditional "Thank you" but "Death to Obama!" Not five minutes later, her husband said, "Someone should assassinate Hillary."
And these exemplary Christian values were spoken loudly, clearly, and unabashedly in front of the couple's eighteen-year-old daughter.
What a lovely example to set for her.
Dot Calm would have been appalled if she'd been there. Having lost four loved ones to gun violence, Dot worried that some sick Republican would assassinate O'Bama (as she liked spelling his name). She would have hated adding Hillary to the list of People To Worry About. I'm grateful for her sake that she was not there to witness the hate.
If I'd thought of it at the time, here's what I'd have said to these FOX News Christians:
"Death to Obama?
"Someone should assassinate Hillary? That's just what Jesus would have said!"
I'll certainly remember that line next time.
Think about it, though, friends--this is the America FOX News built.
For as evil as George W. Bush and Dick Cheney were, I never so much as allowed myself to think about hating them, even though I hated what they did to this country. I wished them in jail or in Paraguay (which has no extradition treaty with the U.S.--or at least which didn't when those two rat-bastards drove America into the ground), but I can honestly say that I NEVER wished them dead nor spoke such vehement hatred aloud.
In contrast, though, I'm sure that my Tea Party Christian friend of "Everyone who voted for Obama twice should be shot" fame, who was meeting these two beauties (urk!) for the first time, felt right at home, both with the familiar FOX delusions and the TREASONOUS, TRAITOROUS, UNPATRIOTIC sentiments expressed.
And I'm sure that all three adults--and probably also the thoroughly-indoctrinated, Christian-school-educated teenager--all thought that their hatred was the most Christian, patriotic sentiment on the planet.
FSM bless America.
Seriously, though--this pisses me off. Here is this seemingly nice, normal family...that goes to church every Sunday come hell or high water, confesses their sins, makes themselves feel all pious and godly, and then wishes violent deaths upon people whose politics they disagree with--all before Sunday dinner is even on the table. They were barely home from church for an hour before spewing thoughtless, gruesome verbal filth. This is the kind of people who fuck other people over whenever they feel like it...without much remorse because all they have to do is get right with God...if they do feel a pang of remorse, all they have to do is clasp their hands and pray, "Oh, God, please fix this person I fucked over...Amen!"...because they're too phuquen cowardly to make things right with the real live people they hurt...oh no, it's ever so much easier to hide behind the Invisible and Imaginary and let it wipe your ass for you.
If this sample of good godly patriotic Americans is not enough of a taste of bizarro world for you, my Tea Party Christian friend later said that LIBERALS are confusing the Constitution with the ten commandments.
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over...!
And this after more than one conversation where he insisted that the Constitution is BASED on the ten commandments and that the Constitution INCLUDES the ten commandments.
Projection, anyone?
Bueller? BUELLER?
It grieves me how blind my poor Tea Party Christian friend is to his own self-deceit. It must suck ass to be so ashamed of yourself that you are compelled never to admit fault. He is incapable of having an honest relationship--which is sad because he really is a great guy. Just because he is hopelessly deluded doesn't preclude him from being smart, funny, and incredibly talented. What a waste.
At least he enjoyed having a gullible new audience to spout his conspiracy theories to. He loved the attention. One uneducated, ignorant blind man "leading" another. Urk.
The two men bonded over FAUX news stories, like how Christians were blamed for the Orlando shooting. Um, only in right-wingnut land and their tiny little minds...not in reality, which has a well-known liberal bias and which called out Mateen as a Muslim from the get-go. It would be comical except FOX News is making these crazy people VERY VERY ANGRY...AND THEY ALL HAVE GUNS.
Dot Calm would be horrified. Hell, she'd have been rolling in her grave if she hadn't been cremated and sprinkled over the union of her beloved Twin Rivers.
If you follow the blog, you already know that my Tea Party Christian friend is a Trump supporter since he can't have DEFEATed Cruz. The husband in the happy hateful couple also lurves Trump--thinks he's the second coming of JEEzus. But what about the lady? She is what we in these here parts call "highly educated." She has not only a university degree but also a graduate degree in legal studies. Dunno about you, but I sure can't imagine anyone who cries, "Death to Obama" ever voting for a Democrat.
How a WOMAN--and a highly educated one at that--could even consider voting for Trump is worthy of a double face-palm.
Or so I thought.
I caught up with her for a minute in private, and she said, "Honestly, I just want to write in 'OTHER' on my ballot this November." She added that both candidates suck so badly that it's hard to tell them apart. I concurred, saying that one would be slightly better for the country but not by much--as you'll hear in one of the Young Turk videos below, Cenk Uygur really calls it: Hillary is "no change"; Trump is "disastrous change."
I'm going to hold my nose and vote for "no change" because I won't be able to fight for progressive values if Trump gets free rein to destroy the nation and the planet.
I can't fight for what no longer exists.
But getting back to the female half of The Couple that FOX Built: the very fact that she dislikes Trump to the degree that she does really does speak both for her education and her ability to think honestly and cut through the bullshit.
Friends, this is what education buys you--and it's why ignorance is so much more deadly and destructive.
Ya wanna know the really sad part?
This lady is an extremely capable leader and should be directing the household with her husband's support, but she bought into the whole Christian "let the man be the head of the house, even if you know that the best he can do is drive the train over the cliff."
It's what she would call "a tactical error," but she has blinded herself to it.
In the process of abdicating her own worth in the marriage, she made a point of adopting her husband's religious and political delusions. In so doing, she changed from being a conventional but very reasonable person who ignored FOX News into a conservative and often unreasonable person who allows herself to be influenced by FOX News, whether she admits it or not (check out the article on FOX brainwashing below).
Even though she's completely bought into the whole Christian "let the man lead whether he can or not," at least she didn't buy into The Adoration of Trump That FOX Built (even if FOX totally disclaims it now...they built it, they own it...sux to be them...the bastards).
So, I find myself celebrating, if you want to call it that, that things are not worse with this particular group of friends and family.
Although my dad and I really did have a great visit, we sure were glad to get back home to sanity.
My dad may be Catholic, but he is still a reasonable man. And I love him for that! He ain't perfect in his understanding of reality, but compared to these True Christian Patriots, he is alright by me! I can have a reasonable, intelligent, honest conversation with him. And that matters.
And that's just the personal front.
What about the rest of the country and the rest of the world?
I'm still reeling from Orlando, but the hate and violence keep on coming...
I don't know how long it's going to take me to wrap my head around all this violence. I wonder what Steven Pinker--whose recent book claims that world violence is decreasing--would say...is this just a short term uptick, or is it all still down in the noise as far as decreasing violent death tolls?
If you haven't read Betty Bowers lately, now's the time to catch up. CCC and CADOF are also on fleek this week, as is Facebook God, who always makes me smile despite all the crap going on in the world.
Peas...catch yas on the flip side. Hug yourselves and each other for me--please and thank you!
Gift For Trump: Mexican American Mariachis Sing Star Spangled Banner And It's Amazing! Proud, powerful, and packed with heartfelt love for America the Beautiful. Brought tears to my eyes...too awesome...just glorious. This video is a year old, but I think it only went virally recently--in response to Trump's racist rhetoric. I hope Trump chokes on his taco salad over it! Please click the link and check out the video--it's short, and you will LOVE it!
OK...I can't find a link at the moment, but I saw a headline about an old white woman accusing the Muslim woman quietly standing in the check-out with her: "You're Muslim--you must be with ISIS." The Muslim woman could have offered one of two appropriate replies: "You're Christian--you must be KKK"...or..."WALALALALALALALA!!!!!"
Petition to Congress: "Do not cut America’s health care benefits by supporting the
Republican plan to raise the Medicare eligibility age at a time when
millions of Americans have no retirement savings."
Add your name:
-----------------------------------
Sitting on Governor Rauner's desk right now, without his signature,
is a bill that would ensure all Illinois women have access to 12 months
of insurance coverage for contraception.
This legislation would protect the basic right of Illinois women to
make their own health care choices, without insurance companies limiting
their options.
The petition to Congress reads: "Americans deserve the right to know what’s in their food,
including genetically modified ingredients. Protect real GMO labeling
and reject Monsanto’s last ditch effort to prevent clear, on-package GMO
labels."
Add your name:
-----------------------------------
From Change.org--support the military's climate change program
The petition to the Environmental Protection Agency reads: “Toxic neonicotinoid pesticides are killing off honeybee
populations at an alarming rate. Ban the use of neonicotinoids
immediately to prevent further widespread bee colony collapse.”
Add your name:
-----------------------------------
From CREDO via Daily Kos--keep TPP OUT of the Democratic Party platform, no if's, and's, or but's!
The job of the Platform is to “advance progressive Democratic values” –
not demonstrate loyalty to an outgoing president by supporting his
anti-worker, anti-environment trade deal.
We have a huge opportunity in the coming days to pressure the
Full Platform Committee to reverse course and take a stand against the
TPP before it finalizes the Platform on July 9 in Orlando.
Submit a public comment to the U.S. Forest Service: “I oppose any mining by the Resolution Copper project, which
would harm or destroy the land of Oak Flat – considered sacred and holy
by the Apache tribe – and its natural resources.”
In Iraq, the death toll from Saturday's
car bombing in Baghdad has topped 250, making it the deadliest car
bombing in Iraq since the 2003 U.S. invasion. While Iraq is ... Read More →
In
the last week, more than 300 people have been killed in attacks by
militants in Iraq, Turkey, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia. The wave of
violence came as Muslims across the ... Read More →
While
Iraq is marking a third day of mourning, a long-awaited British inquiry
into the Iraq War has just been released. The Chilcot report is 2.6
million words long—about ... Read More →
The
king of Saudi Arabia has promised to strike with an "iron hand" against
those responsible for a suicide attack near the Prophet's Mosque in
Medina on Monday. Militants ... Read More →
In 2004, Tariq Ramadan accepted a job at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, and Time magazine listed him among the top 100 thinkers in the world. But nine days ... Read More →
Bangladesh is continuing to mourn a deadly attack that killed 20 people on Friday, after militants seized control of a trendy cafe in the diplomatic district of the capital, wielding ... Read More →
With
the Republican National Convention opening in Cleveland in less than
two weeks, the party's presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, is facing a
new wave of ... Read More →
With
the Republican National Convention opening in Cleveland in less than
two weeks, the party's presumptive nominee, Donald Trump, is facing a
new wave of ... Read More →
Wayne
Barrett is considered the preeminent journalist on Donald Trump. He has
been tracking Trump for decades. His 1991 biography of Trump was just
republished as an ... Read More →
About a thousand housekeepers, cooks, bellmen and servers at Trump's Taj Mahal Atlantic City casino went on strike on Friday and through the weekend demanding ... Read More →
Throughout
the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump has repeatedly faced charges of sexism,
from implying Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly was asking tough
questions ... Read More →
Wayne
Barrett began covering Donald Trump in the late 1970s. He continues
today even though he is largely homebound due to lung cancer. "He's
really not qualified to ... Read More →
In
a Fourth of July holiday special, we begin with the words of Frederick
Douglass. Born into slavery around 1818, Douglass became a key leader of
the ... Read More →
In
an extended interview, world-renowned spoken word artist Saul Williams
discusses his career of mixing poetry, music and acting; reads some of
his poetry; ... Read More →
Actor Jesse Williams is best known for his role on the TV show Grey's Anatomy. In June he earned a standing ovation when he addressed the BET Awards. As ... Read More →
As
Puerto Rico is set to default today on a key debt repayment, President
Barack Obama has signed into law the so-called PROMESA bill that puts in
place a federally ... Read More →
We
speak with two transgender women who made history this week when they
won their primary elections in Utah and Colorado to challenge Republican
incumbents for U.S. ... Read More →
We turn now to an act of civil disobedience on climate change in the West Roxbury neighborhood of Boston. On Wednesday, a dozen protesters with the group Resist the ... Read More →
Funerals
have begun in Turkey for some of the 42 people killed in a triple
suicide bombing Tuesday targeting Turkey's main airport in Istanbul. The
attack also left 239 others ... Read More →
"It's
not been easy for me. It has not been easy for me. I started off in
Brooklyn. My father gave me a small loan of a million dollars." Those
were the words of presumptive ... Read More →
On Wednesday,
23 people were arrested protesting Spectra Energy's fracked gas
pipeline in West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Longtime climate activist Tim
... Read More →
With
a statewide referendum looming in November, Massachusetts voters will
have to decide just how much school privatization they're willing to
bear. READ MORE»
He
earned his nickname as the vigilante-loving mayor of Davao City. Now,
Rodrigo Duterte encourages citizens to kill drug dealers themselves. READ MORE»
Unanimous
City Council vote is about good, healthy jobs, and not jobs that will
lead to the development of respiratory illnesses in workers, says
Earthjustice's Irene Gutierrez. READ MORE»
Comedian
Aida Rodriguez tells “The Young Turks” host Cenk Uygur about the time
she was approached to play the part of a Latina secretary for the Trump
campaign.
READ MORE»
"He
has diarrhea of the mouth, but a lot of things that he says are things
that a lot of people may think,” says one Bernie-or-Buster. Wait, what? READ MORE»
Google
has launched a series of new transparency features to provide users
with more control over what personal information the company keeps. READ MORE»
Clinton
understands that a more empathetic and compromise-driven leadership
style is better suited for the multilateral challenges of the 21st
century. READ MORE»
As
GOP lawmakers try to shield Exxon from a state attorneys general probe
into alleged climate fraud, the DNC calls for a separate Justice
Department investigation. READ MORE»
Journalist
Paul Mason discusses post-capitalism, Middle East correspondent Patrick
Cockburn explores ISIS, and Laura asks what’s missing from the LGBTQ
Pride celebrations. READ MORE»
A
federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s
Republican-drawn state legislative district lines could have sweeping
implications for gerrymandered districts nationwide. READ MORE»
******************************************** Don't Trump our Democracy: learn from Brexit... even protest votes count! ********************************************
Movies
Bernie Sanders warns the Democratic establishment
How Saint Ronbo Raygun of The Holy Gipperness is trolling 2016 Republicans from the grave
Trump LIED Big Time about giving millions to charity
Hillary sold a very important intelligence board seat to a rich donor
Trump is illegally fundraising from foreign governments
Elites oppose Trump for the worst possible reasons
NRA spends $2 Million on bogus Benghazi ad
Wow--MSNBC does two whole minutes of Trump fact checking!
Trump's campaign is just a front for his money-making scheme
Samantha Bee saw something, said something...by traveling to Dearborn, MI, to speak with Muslims who have the audacity to have done nothing wrong
Samantha Bee on the rape kit backlog--this will frustrate the piss outta ya!!!!!
Samantha Bee: there is no God at CPAC
Slippery Hillary avoids criminal charges
Idiot father kills son, spouts NRA talking points
Human body parts washing up at Rio Olympics sites
Ex-VA Governor Bob McDonnell took $175k in gifts for political favors, but, hey, it isn't a bribe....
Poor babies don't DESERVE diapers!
John Oliver on the Secret Service
And now...in case you missed it (and just because I needed to see it again), here's the holiday happy-making with our friendly patriotic Mariachis!
