I bet you've had a few times in your life when you had to deal with cops.
I know I have.
Sometimes the cops were cool. Sometimes the cops were partial, or complete, assholes.
I never got shot, though.
Because, well, you know...
White Privilege.
Today, thanks to the wonders of technology, a week does not pass without photographic proof that cops kill black people all of the time.
Male and female, young and old, belligerent or not.
Cops kill black people.
Shoot them. Choke them. Beat them.
To pretend that this is not the case, or that this is rare, or that the same thing happens to white people with the same frequency*, is just pure nonsense.
To pretend that this is not a serious problem, and that we don't need to completely reassess how we hire and train policeman, including in-depth psychological evaluations, is insane.
And any politician or pundit--or cop, for that matter--who tells you otherwise is a goddamn liar.
*I have noticed that recently the cops seem to be trying to catch up with their abuse of white folks; but they still have a long, long, long way to go.
Monday, July 27, 2015
Thursday, July 23, 2015
A Hero Ain't Nothing But A Sandwich
Once and for all, John McCain, R-Hensley, is not a hero.
He flew a plane. He got shot down. He was a POW.
He suffered greatly and he survived.
End of story.
Since then, as an elected representative of the good people of Arizona, using his actual suffering and his mythical "heroism" as crutches every step of the way, he has done very, very little, almost nothing in fact, nada, zip, for the state.
Of course, you are not allowed to mention that.
To be fair, he did loose on the world the free form comedy stylings of one Sarah Palin, for which we should be eternally grateful.
But still...
This doesn't make Donald J. Trump any less of an asshole. However, it should be noted that the hypocrisy of the Republicans in l'affaire Trump v. McCain is truly breathtaking.
This is the party, after all, that warmly applauded the Swift boating of John Kerry.
And let's not forget what they did to Max Cleland, either.
But those were Democrats, and therefore, by Republican Tea Party standards, prima facie un-American traitors.
He flew a plane. He got shot down. He was a POW.
He suffered greatly and he survived.
End of story.
Since then, as an elected representative of the good people of Arizona, using his actual suffering and his mythical "heroism" as crutches every step of the way, he has done very, very little, almost nothing in fact, nada, zip, for the state.
Of course, you are not allowed to mention that.
To be fair, he did loose on the world the free form comedy stylings of one Sarah Palin, for which we should be eternally grateful.
But still...
This doesn't make Donald J. Trump any less of an asshole. However, it should be noted that the hypocrisy of the Republicans in l'affaire Trump v. McCain is truly breathtaking.
This is the party, after all, that warmly applauded the Swift boating of John Kerry.
And let's not forget what they did to Max Cleland, either.
But those were Democrats, and therefore, by Republican Tea Party standards, prima facie un-American traitors.
Monday, July 20, 2015
The "Permanent War" Party
The President's Iran deal is bad because, well...
War is the only American export we can always rely on!
And if you take that away from us, and by us I mean our defense contractors, who will be able to bribe our congressmen at the level they've come to expect?
Besides the Koch brothers, I mean.
After all, steak dinners at The Palm don't pay for themselves.
Remember when old Ike warned us about the Military Industrial Complex? (Eisenhower, by the way, was our greatest general who never actually saw combat--which makes him a model for all Republican chickenhawks past, present and future.)
Of course, he warned us as he was going out the door. And after allowing 8 years of non-stop growth for the Complex and their good buddies over at the CIA.
But still...
Anyway, JFK, who had seen combat, was in the process of removing us from Vietnam and reaching out to both Cuba and the USSR when he went down to Dallas.
LBJ quickly undid all that. And some of his Texas buddies made a killing building military bases in Southeast Asia.
Nixon gave us more of the same in Vietnam. Though detente and the opening with China must have scared some of our war lovers silly. Ford was a cypher and a punchline. Carter started the supplying of the mujahedin. Reagan was a godsend for defense contractors, what with the Evil Empire, Iran-Contra, and Star Wars. Like pigs in slop. Old Bush had his war. Clinton was the best Republican president of my lifetime. Dumb Bush/Cheney was another godsend for the war machine, after September 11th gave us a shiny new enemy to carry us forward.
And Obama wants to take some--not all--but some of that, away!
What, is he crazy?
War is what we do best. We've had a lot of practice.
Thank God we have the brave (well, chickenhawk brave) men and women of the Republican Party, and their partners over at Fox News, to stand in the way of anything even remotely looking like peace.
War is the only American export we can always rely on!
And if you take that away from us, and by us I mean our defense contractors, who will be able to bribe our congressmen at the level they've come to expect?
Besides the Koch brothers, I mean.
After all, steak dinners at The Palm don't pay for themselves.
Remember when old Ike warned us about the Military Industrial Complex? (Eisenhower, by the way, was our greatest general who never actually saw combat--which makes him a model for all Republican chickenhawks past, present and future.)
Of course, he warned us as he was going out the door. And after allowing 8 years of non-stop growth for the Complex and their good buddies over at the CIA.
But still...
Anyway, JFK, who had seen combat, was in the process of removing us from Vietnam and reaching out to both Cuba and the USSR when he went down to Dallas.
LBJ quickly undid all that. And some of his Texas buddies made a killing building military bases in Southeast Asia.
Nixon gave us more of the same in Vietnam. Though detente and the opening with China must have scared some of our war lovers silly. Ford was a cypher and a punchline. Carter started the supplying of the mujahedin. Reagan was a godsend for defense contractors, what with the Evil Empire, Iran-Contra, and Star Wars. Like pigs in slop. Old Bush had his war. Clinton was the best Republican president of my lifetime. Dumb Bush/Cheney was another godsend for the war machine, after September 11th gave us a shiny new enemy to carry us forward.
And Obama wants to take some--not all--but some of that, away!
What, is he crazy?
War is what we do best. We've had a lot of practice.
Thank God we have the brave (well, chickenhawk brave) men and women of the Republican Party, and their partners over at Fox News, to stand in the way of anything even remotely looking like peace.
Thursday, July 16, 2015
Signor Baseball's Mid-Season Update
Well, as Al Pacino was heard to shout, repeatedly, in Heat, "whadda ya got?"
Out in the NL West, your Arizona Diamondbacks, where it should be noted that Randy Kendrick, the wife of principal owner Ken Kendrick, just loves her some Koch Bros to death*, are better than I thought they'd be. Especially with that starting pitching. They also have a couple of legitimate young stars. The San Diego Padres are not nearly as good as I thought they'd be. Pitching problems here, too. And they brought in a bunch of talent that just doesn't fit together. Colorado is in last, where they belong, and so once again it's Dodgers vs Giants. Ho hum. The only question is which round of the playoffs will Clayton Kershaw fail in this time?
In the Central, the Cardinals are starting to come back to the pack a little. The Pirates look like they have enough pitching to stay with St. Louis the rest of the way, and at the very least grab a Wild Card. In Cutch we Trust. The Cubs are still a year away. And both Cincinnati and Milwaukee are major disappointments. Look for fire sales soon from the Reds and Brewers...
In the East, Washington is by far the strongest team. But since they haven't really won anything yet, it's hard to pick them to go all the way to the Series. The Mets have great pitching and very little offense, the Braves always find a way to hang around, and the Marlins still have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of young talent and probably the worst owner in MLB. And that's saying something. Overall, however, it looks like this is the Nationals' division to win or lose. Finally, in the City of Brotherly Love, the poor Phillies will have a "going out of business sale" very soon. Pray that your team gets Cole Hamels.
In the AL West, Seattle and Oakland have underperformed so far. That Robinson Cano contract is starting to look like a disaster for the Mariners, even sooner than predicted. But since Houston (!) is starting to fade, (sorry end-timers, but I think you'll have to "wait until next year" for that Astros vs Cubs World Series that was prophesied in the Book of Revelations), Texas is mediocre at best, and despite Trout and Pujols putting up huge numbers, Los Angeles isn't that good, should either team play just a little bit better, they'll be right back in the race.
In the Central, Cleveland and Chicago are the Cincinnati and Milwaukee of the American League. Fortunately, they haven't dug quite as deep holes. So, win a series here and there and there's still hope. Unless, of course, the Royals play .600 ball the rest of the way. The surprising Twins are short of pitching and should fade over the next few weeks. And Detroit has way too much talent to not be in the race until the bitter end. Unless, of course, the Royals play .600 ball the rest of the way.
Finally in the East, the Yankees may be in first place, but every team still has a shot at winning this division. There are no superior pitching staffs, each team is flawed in some serious way, and even the Red Sox, who sucked for the first two and a half months, aren't out of it. It's beginning to look like a "decided the last weekend" kind of year. There might even be a Wild Card team from the East, based on how the other divisions are muddling along.
*Where would we be without really stupid rich people to keep us entertained? Nowhere, mon frere!
Out in the NL West, your Arizona Diamondbacks, where it should be noted that Randy Kendrick, the wife of principal owner Ken Kendrick, just loves her some Koch Bros to death*, are better than I thought they'd be. Especially with that starting pitching. They also have a couple of legitimate young stars. The San Diego Padres are not nearly as good as I thought they'd be. Pitching problems here, too. And they brought in a bunch of talent that just doesn't fit together. Colorado is in last, where they belong, and so once again it's Dodgers vs Giants. Ho hum. The only question is which round of the playoffs will Clayton Kershaw fail in this time?
In the Central, the Cardinals are starting to come back to the pack a little. The Pirates look like they have enough pitching to stay with St. Louis the rest of the way, and at the very least grab a Wild Card. In Cutch we Trust. The Cubs are still a year away. And both Cincinnati and Milwaukee are major disappointments. Look for fire sales soon from the Reds and Brewers...
In the East, Washington is by far the strongest team. But since they haven't really won anything yet, it's hard to pick them to go all the way to the Series. The Mets have great pitching and very little offense, the Braves always find a way to hang around, and the Marlins still have a seemingly inexhaustible supply of young talent and probably the worst owner in MLB. And that's saying something. Overall, however, it looks like this is the Nationals' division to win or lose. Finally, in the City of Brotherly Love, the poor Phillies will have a "going out of business sale" very soon. Pray that your team gets Cole Hamels.
In the AL West, Seattle and Oakland have underperformed so far. That Robinson Cano contract is starting to look like a disaster for the Mariners, even sooner than predicted. But since Houston (!) is starting to fade, (sorry end-timers, but I think you'll have to "wait until next year" for that Astros vs Cubs World Series that was prophesied in the Book of Revelations), Texas is mediocre at best, and despite Trout and Pujols putting up huge numbers, Los Angeles isn't that good, should either team play just a little bit better, they'll be right back in the race.
In the Central, Cleveland and Chicago are the Cincinnati and Milwaukee of the American League. Fortunately, they haven't dug quite as deep holes. So, win a series here and there and there's still hope. Unless, of course, the Royals play .600 ball the rest of the way. The surprising Twins are short of pitching and should fade over the next few weeks. And Detroit has way too much talent to not be in the race until the bitter end. Unless, of course, the Royals play .600 ball the rest of the way.
Finally in the East, the Yankees may be in first place, but every team still has a shot at winning this division. There are no superior pitching staffs, each team is flawed in some serious way, and even the Red Sox, who sucked for the first two and a half months, aren't out of it. It's beginning to look like a "decided the last weekend" kind of year. There might even be a Wild Card team from the East, based on how the other divisions are muddling along.
*Where would we be without really stupid rich people to keep us entertained? Nowhere, mon frere!
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Stay Classy, Donald. Stay Classy!
The thing you have to remember about one Donald J. Trump, Republican, is, that while he may not believe everything he says, the vast majority of the Republican base does.
That's the beauty of this thing.
He is, knowingly or not, intentionally or not, unmasking them for what they truly are.
They are birthers, they are racists, they are xenophobes, they are ignorant in so many different ways and in so many different areas. They are, more often than not, batshit crazy.
I've said it before and I'll say it again:
Once you take the stopper out of the crazy bottle, it's impossible to put it back in.
Enjoy!
That's the beauty of this thing.
He is, knowingly or not, intentionally or not, unmasking them for what they truly are.
They are birthers, they are racists, they are xenophobes, they are ignorant in so many different ways and in so many different areas. They are, more often than not, batshit crazy.
I've said it before and I'll say it again:
Once you take the stopper out of the crazy bottle, it's impossible to put it back in.
Enjoy!
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Jeb!
Is this a great country, or what?
Case in point:
Here's a guy whose grandfather happily did business with the German banks that backed Hitler. And, if that wasn't enough, he also was reportedly part of a plot to overthrow FDR.
Whose father was a CIA stooge.
Whose brother is the only true imbecile we've ever had as President.
And yet, given all that, and believe me, there's more, Jebber Jabber is considered the "serious" Republican presidential candidate by both the Republican establishment and the mainstream media.
Like Don King says, "only in America!"
Case in point:
Here's a guy whose grandfather happily did business with the German banks that backed Hitler. And, if that wasn't enough, he also was reportedly part of a plot to overthrow FDR.
Whose father was a CIA stooge.
Whose brother is the only true imbecile we've ever had as President.
And yet, given all that, and believe me, there's more, Jebber Jabber is considered the "serious" Republican presidential candidate by both the Republican establishment and the mainstream media.
Like Don King says, "only in America!"
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Clown Time Is Never Over
Time flies, and before you know it, registered Republicans across this great land of ours will have to make the difficult decision of choosing which disastrous current or former governor to anoint as their party's presidential candidate.
Of course, they could pick from the covey of past and present truly awful U.S. senators running for the job.
Then there's always the business woman who almost ruined a major American corporation.
Or the noted surgeon who has the political intelligence of a salamander.
What about the bigoted blowhard billionaire, who makes the noted surgeon look like Thomas Jefferson?
So little time and so many buffoons to choose from!
Of course, they could pick from the covey of past and present truly awful U.S. senators running for the job.
Then there's always the business woman who almost ruined a major American corporation.
Or the noted surgeon who has the political intelligence of a salamander.
What about the bigoted blowhard billionaire, who makes the noted surgeon look like Thomas Jefferson?
So little time and so many buffoons to choose from!
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