Maybe better is instead of calling these clearly deranged, pathological people deplorable, maybe they should just be treated as deplorable.
Anyway.
What I found interesting is -- as always -- Porky allowing the demonstrators to exercise a little violence in a way, well, let's just say white privilege. No need to defund the police though; it would hurt their feefees, making them even nastier. All we can do is empower Porky to do what he wants and hope for the, well, not best but the less bad?
OTOH, given my newest old fart theory that we already had the coup long ago and the corpse of democracy is being used as, well, an opiate of the masses to keep them chill about living in a state that hasn't given a fuck about them (which is to say us) in decades. The disregard of the state of the masses is clear and documented -- just look at the national responses to the pandemic: letting people die and tens of millions to be impoverished. Please. You can tell me I'm wrong but not sure I can be proven wrong. Pieces fit too well.
Possible silver lining (or is it a golden shower?): bipartisan support for abolishing the Electoral College. Not likely given its favor for Big Whitey, but a gurl can dream...
I'm waiting for Trump to call on the Proud Boys and other militia types to violently overthrow the government. Sad to say that I think there is a very real possibility that Trump will call for violence and insurrection.
Living in DC, you really do only see the worst people. Having lived in three rural parts of the upper Midwest you do see these people but they're usually dismissed as the local nuts. Which is why they travel to DC to make all their noise. If they did this where they live, their neighbors would go from ignoring them to openly mocking them.
When you see these protests in red states, note that they're always in the capitol cities.
My apologies to everyone who lives in a city and has to put up with the folks whose neighbors wisely discourage them from acting out at home. Sadly, when you live where the power is, that place inevitably becomes a shit magnet.
Most people in rural areas would appreciate if you'd just arrest them and keep them. We don't want them back.
I'll be honest - I thought that sheep's face thing was pretty cool.
Do you go in any sort of disguise, a red white and blue kerchief perhaps or do you stroll amongst them perfectly normal, taking pictures like an Ohio tourist on Venice Beach? However- great photos - Thank you for your service!
That "Child of Darkness" thing was extremely unsubtle. Extremely.
Good thing the Billionaires bankrolling this are too cheap to come off any real money, like say, paychecks for the New Confederate Soldiers. The Civil War lasts just as long as there is vacation days to use - minus the yearly trip to Myrtle Beach.
“And then your own government conspires against you! You see General Flynn was known to the Deep State... because what he did was he spoke truth to power” How? By passing classified information to the Russians?
All the people in these photos are stunningly ugly. The freak show outfits they wear (Grotesque Patriot Chic?) only accentuate their homeliness and make them look even more stupid.
Finally, as a long time resident of the DC area, it makes me sick to have these Nazi assholes commit violence and vandalism on city streets that I'm long familiar with.
Trump is not, and never has been, capable of accepting failure or blame when things go wrong. Caught doing something illegal? Sue more. Caught trying to overturn an election? Assemble crazies to yell dumbshit on your behalf.
That's why this whole thing has been fascinating and dangerous. He's had this asswhippin' coming for decades. Problem is he's reflexively trying to protect himself--and no one else. If the country goes to hell? Oh well. . .
Well, this is their moment. The gun-loving, 2nd amendment-protecting, "tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants"-quoting right-wingers are finally confronted---in their minds---with the fantasy that they've been braying about for decades. They believe a corrupt and tyrannical government has ousted a duly-elected incumbent president by nefarious means, which according to them can be remedied only one way.
But of course, we then have to ask how many of them *really* believe this. And of those who do, how many are *really* about to go out and die trying to overthrow the government. And of those who will, how many will get *really* scared the second the minute they bump against real resistance---like the military. Yes, the Proud Boys are out there and the police are unlikely to stop them, but that's not enough. For anything to get done, all the keyboard warriors have to get out of their recliners, hop on to their Rascal scooter, and be willing to put bullets into innocent people they don't know. I don't think there's anywhere near enough of them.
Which is to say, right-wingers are and always have been full of shit.
Whenever someone links to a truly abominable tweet -- poor people should starve to death, we've got all the guns it's time to start shooting, let's bring back slavery, the worst hateful shit -- the twit profile invariably has something like "Christian dad" or "Jesus is my life" or some such in it. I don't remember any "blessed are the shitheads" beatitude but it's scary-nuts how they seem to. That all this religiosity is in service to Donald fucking Trump leaves one speechless. All the more reason I'm grateful that you not only venture like Gulliver among the whackjobians but document your travels with such great words and pictures.
Based on the behavior of the feral GOP officeholders (which is to say, most of them) in recent days, I think something like the following scenario is plausible, although I venture it as a speculation rather than a prediction:
Trump leaves office next month, still insisting that he is the rightful president, still denouncing “fraud” and “theft.” Meanwhile, out in Real America, one or more Republican-dominated states, through their governors and/or legislatures, make official statements (even if these be mere “resolutions”) that the Biden/Harris administration is illegitimate and that any policies and regulations it may promulgate are accordingly null and void and without force of law. And if one brazen state assumes such a stance, others will surely follow, and the right wing media will take up the meme with gusto.
Now, talk is cheap, and I daresay that any serious, consequential attempt by a state to thrust a stick into the federal spokes would generate some meaningful pushback, which even the officeholders must realize, but the mere proclamation will be enough to rile up the mouthbreathers with whom most of these jurisdictions are abundantly provided. It’s hard to see how further stoking the grievances of armed goobers yields anything but, from our standpoint, suboptimal results. Alex Jones knew perfectly well what he was conveying with “one way or another,” and so do the pols.
That fourth photo - the one in which the woman is taking a photo of the helicopter - is emblematic of who these people tend to be. To me anyway. She's probably younger than me, she looks well-nourished but not fat, she's not showing her teeth but I'm sure she has 'em, she's appropriately dressed. She could be my daughter*.
These are "regular" people; they're not hillbilly or rural or dim-witted "others". They're not ignorant (except willfully). Every time I see a parody of them as stupid, ignorant, drawling Southern-Fried half-wits, I want to cry and say "No, no. They're everywhere. They're having fun. They're having the time of their lives". Look at how fiercely thrilled they are. For the first time in their lives they feel exhilarated and they love that we're watching. I grew up with these people, my parents were these people. They're not the majority, but we can't locate them in one particular place in the USandA; they're everywhere.
My question is, Do they mean all this? Do they take it literally? Or is it like an NFL game, going to the stadium and drinking and screaming and carrying on *as if* it really mattered? I'd say "or to church," but I assume most of them DO take that literally, and mean it.
I suppose Trump--like all demagogues--works like this:
1. Validate the individual's aggrievement.
2. Amp it all up by aggregating the individuals into crowds, thus--
3. Relieving each individual of their sense of responsibility, rationality, and common sense.
4. Instructing the mob what to do.
Of course, the same process is sort of at play at any mass entertainment event--sports, movies, musicals, etc. But (mostly) those crowds know it's make believe, and aren't set against enemies outside the theater/arena. Not to be too technical, but these people are NUTZ. And their mania invite and supports a violent faction like the Proud Boys.
I dread, a little, what might happen on Inauguration Day.
I don't worry much about the fucknuts running around various cities showing their ass to everyone. I feel bad for the people who live in those cities though.
I worry about the actual institutional Republican Party having signed on to insurrection, sedition and rebellion. I don't see how the country can survive as currently constituted. I'll keep saying it. The country is ungovernable and such situations do not last.
And Joe Biden will not go big. Nancy will not punish the insurrectionists in the House. Democrats are and always have been cowards so forget any national reconciliation committees or investigations of wrong doing in the Trump administration. Mitch McConnell will be the fuckwad who is actually running the country. Sorry, I don't believe either of the Democrats in Georgia will win so we all get to have McConnell with the USA's nuts in a vice in perpetuity or until McConnell is pushing up daisies. Oh, and the judiciary... Democrat laws and executive orders are all unconstitutional. It's a given.
'This was too much even for crypto-fascist ex-Catholic Rod Dreher, whom events have pushed into the hilarious position of old lefty professors in the 60s crying “It’s your means I question!”)'
Dreher's reaction to the 'Stop the Steal' movement has been one of the more peculiar sideshows (and shitshows) of late. He tried to get down with the Trumpists by supporting Kyle Rittenhouse and warning about 'soft totalitarianism,' only to be caught off-guard by some paranoia that doesn't quite mesh with his paranoia. He must feel like the ad exec in "Joe." He proclaims that the liberals are taking over the 'culture' and then his audience decides to shoot hippies.
Maybe better is instead of calling these clearly deranged, pathological people deplorable, maybe they should just be treated as deplorable.
Anyway.
What I found interesting is -- as always -- Porky allowing the demonstrators to exercise a little violence in a way, well, let's just say white privilege. No need to defund the police though; it would hurt their feefees, making them even nastier. All we can do is empower Porky to do what he wants and hope for the, well, not best but the less bad?
OTOH, given my newest old fart theory that we already had the coup long ago and the corpse of democracy is being used as, well, an opiate of the masses to keep them chill about living in a state that hasn't given a fuck about them (which is to say us) in decades. The disregard of the state of the masses is clear and documented -- just look at the national responses to the pandemic: letting people die and tens of millions to be impoverished. Please. You can tell me I'm wrong but not sure I can be proven wrong. Pieces fit too well.
Possible silver lining (or is it a golden shower?): bipartisan support for abolishing the Electoral College. Not likely given its favor for Big Whitey, but a gurl can dream...
I'm waiting for Trump to call on the Proud Boys and other militia types to violently overthrow the government. Sad to say that I think there is a very real possibility that Trump will call for violence and insurrection.
Living in DC, you really do only see the worst people. Having lived in three rural parts of the upper Midwest you do see these people but they're usually dismissed as the local nuts. Which is why they travel to DC to make all their noise. If they did this where they live, their neighbors would go from ignoring them to openly mocking them.
When you see these protests in red states, note that they're always in the capitol cities.
My apologies to everyone who lives in a city and has to put up with the folks whose neighbors wisely discourage them from acting out at home. Sadly, when you live where the power is, that place inevitably becomes a shit magnet.
Most people in rural areas would appreciate if you'd just arrest them and keep them. We don't want them back.
I'll be honest - I thought that sheep's face thing was pretty cool.
Do you go in any sort of disguise, a red white and blue kerchief perhaps or do you stroll amongst them perfectly normal, taking pictures like an Ohio tourist on Venice Beach? However- great photos - Thank you for your service!
That "Child of Darkness" thing was extremely unsubtle. Extremely.
Good thing the Billionaires bankrolling this are too cheap to come off any real money, like say, paychecks for the New Confederate Soldiers. The Civil War lasts just as long as there is vacation days to use - minus the yearly trip to Myrtle Beach.
“And then your own government conspires against you! You see General Flynn was known to the Deep State... because what he did was he spoke truth to power” How? By passing classified information to the Russians?
All the people in these photos are stunningly ugly. The freak show outfits they wear (Grotesque Patriot Chic?) only accentuate their homeliness and make them look even more stupid.
Finally, as a long time resident of the DC area, it makes me sick to have these Nazi assholes commit violence and vandalism on city streets that I'm long familiar with.
Yes, they’re right, dark forces are conspiring to destroy America. Can you say, “Republican Party?” - I know you can.
Trump is not, and never has been, capable of accepting failure or blame when things go wrong. Caught doing something illegal? Sue more. Caught trying to overturn an election? Assemble crazies to yell dumbshit on your behalf.
That's why this whole thing has been fascinating and dangerous. He's had this asswhippin' coming for decades. Problem is he's reflexively trying to protect himself--and no one else. If the country goes to hell? Oh well. . .
Well, this is their moment. The gun-loving, 2nd amendment-protecting, "tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants"-quoting right-wingers are finally confronted---in their minds---with the fantasy that they've been braying about for decades. They believe a corrupt and tyrannical government has ousted a duly-elected incumbent president by nefarious means, which according to them can be remedied only one way.
But of course, we then have to ask how many of them *really* believe this. And of those who do, how many are *really* about to go out and die trying to overthrow the government. And of those who will, how many will get *really* scared the second the minute they bump against real resistance---like the military. Yes, the Proud Boys are out there and the police are unlikely to stop them, but that's not enough. For anything to get done, all the keyboard warriors have to get out of their recliners, hop on to their Rascal scooter, and be willing to put bullets into innocent people they don't know. I don't think there's anywhere near enough of them.
Which is to say, right-wingers are and always have been full of shit.
''Try to imagine this kind of wounded worship offered to any other President.''
Yeah. Usually they have to be dead for a while before we start slobbering over them to this degree. Give people time to forget.
Whenever someone links to a truly abominable tweet -- poor people should starve to death, we've got all the guns it's time to start shooting, let's bring back slavery, the worst hateful shit -- the twit profile invariably has something like "Christian dad" or "Jesus is my life" or some such in it. I don't remember any "blessed are the shitheads" beatitude but it's scary-nuts how they seem to. That all this religiosity is in service to Donald fucking Trump leaves one speechless. All the more reason I'm grateful that you not only venture like Gulliver among the whackjobians but document your travels with such great words and pictures.
Based on the behavior of the feral GOP officeholders (which is to say, most of them) in recent days, I think something like the following scenario is plausible, although I venture it as a speculation rather than a prediction:
Trump leaves office next month, still insisting that he is the rightful president, still denouncing “fraud” and “theft.” Meanwhile, out in Real America, one or more Republican-dominated states, through their governors and/or legislatures, make official statements (even if these be mere “resolutions”) that the Biden/Harris administration is illegitimate and that any policies and regulations it may promulgate are accordingly null and void and without force of law. And if one brazen state assumes such a stance, others will surely follow, and the right wing media will take up the meme with gusto.
Now, talk is cheap, and I daresay that any serious, consequential attempt by a state to thrust a stick into the federal spokes would generate some meaningful pushback, which even the officeholders must realize, but the mere proclamation will be enough to rile up the mouthbreathers with whom most of these jurisdictions are abundantly provided. It’s hard to see how further stoking the grievances of armed goobers yields anything but, from our standpoint, suboptimal results. Alex Jones knew perfectly well what he was conveying with “one way or another,” and so do the pols.
That fourth photo - the one in which the woman is taking a photo of the helicopter - is emblematic of who these people tend to be. To me anyway. She's probably younger than me, she looks well-nourished but not fat, she's not showing her teeth but I'm sure she has 'em, she's appropriately dressed. She could be my daughter*.
These are "regular" people; they're not hillbilly or rural or dim-witted "others". They're not ignorant (except willfully). Every time I see a parody of them as stupid, ignorant, drawling Southern-Fried half-wits, I want to cry and say "No, no. They're everywhere. They're having fun. They're having the time of their lives". Look at how fiercely thrilled they are. For the first time in their lives they feel exhilarated and they love that we're watching. I grew up with these people, my parents were these people. They're not the majority, but we can't locate them in one particular place in the USandA; they're everywhere.
* I forgot to have one.
My question is, Do they mean all this? Do they take it literally? Or is it like an NFL game, going to the stadium and drinking and screaming and carrying on *as if* it really mattered? I'd say "or to church," but I assume most of them DO take that literally, and mean it.
I suppose Trump--like all demagogues--works like this:
1. Validate the individual's aggrievement.
2. Amp it all up by aggregating the individuals into crowds, thus--
3. Relieving each individual of their sense of responsibility, rationality, and common sense.
4. Instructing the mob what to do.
Of course, the same process is sort of at play at any mass entertainment event--sports, movies, musicals, etc. But (mostly) those crowds know it's make believe, and aren't set against enemies outside the theater/arena. Not to be too technical, but these people are NUTZ. And their mania invite and supports a violent faction like the Proud Boys.
I dread, a little, what might happen on Inauguration Day.
I don't worry much about the fucknuts running around various cities showing their ass to everyone. I feel bad for the people who live in those cities though.
I worry about the actual institutional Republican Party having signed on to insurrection, sedition and rebellion. I don't see how the country can survive as currently constituted. I'll keep saying it. The country is ungovernable and such situations do not last.
And Joe Biden will not go big. Nancy will not punish the insurrectionists in the House. Democrats are and always have been cowards so forget any national reconciliation committees or investigations of wrong doing in the Trump administration. Mitch McConnell will be the fuckwad who is actually running the country. Sorry, I don't believe either of the Democrats in Georgia will win so we all get to have McConnell with the USA's nuts in a vice in perpetuity or until McConnell is pushing up daisies. Oh, and the judiciary... Democrat laws and executive orders are all unconstitutional. It's a given.
Can't last. It won't.
'This was too much even for crypto-fascist ex-Catholic Rod Dreher, whom events have pushed into the hilarious position of old lefty professors in the 60s crying “It’s your means I question!”)'
Dreher's reaction to the 'Stop the Steal' movement has been one of the more peculiar sideshows (and shitshows) of late. He tried to get down with the Trumpists by supporting Kyle Rittenhouse and warning about 'soft totalitarianism,' only to be caught off-guard by some paranoia that doesn't quite mesh with his paranoia. He must feel like the ad exec in "Joe." He proclaims that the liberals are taking over the 'culture' and then his audience decides to shoot hippies.