Green Eagle

Well, let's just finish off the year in right wing lunacy, to clear the decks for 2016- which, like global temperatures, promises to set a new record in contentious, ridiculous lies. Today's Wingnut Wrapup of course dedicated to World Net Daily's man of the year: I mean, who else could it be? Matt Barber, Town Hall:  "The Gift of Religious Freedom...Last Tuesday, Kentuckys new governor, Matt Bevin, issued an executive order that eliminates the names of all county clerks from marriage licenses and protects the unalienable constitutional rights and religious freedoms of Kim Davis and all other clerks in Kentucky." Leaving aside that the above is complete bullshit, this and so many other right wing articles forgot to mention that he took the vote away from 140,000 mostly Democratic voters, and lowered the minimum wage. Just for reference about those 140,000 voters, Bevin won the Governor's race by 85,000 votes. Cortney O'Brien, Town Hall:  ...

Not the violence of brown people or people with strange religions.  Today, I am talking about the violence perpetrated with impunity on us by our own police. A little investigation will determine that the approximately 900,000 sworn law enforcement personnel killed somewhere around 1,000 Americans this year.Exact numbers are impossible to obtain, thanks to pressure from police not to collect this information.  On the other hand, the 320,000,000 American citizens killed 42 police officers.   A little calculation reveals that this is a per-capita disparity of about 8,400 to one. As an aside, you might want to remember this the next time some asshole starts spouting off about the higher crime rate in black neighborhoods. Anyway, of course this particular diatribe is motivated by the rigged prosecution and release of the police officer in Cleveland who leapt from his car and within two seconds started shooting down a twelve year old with a toy gun. And let us remember...

We all are dedicated to the rule of law, and therefore I am sure you will be as happy as I am at the news that ISIS clerics are devoting themselves to detailing what is legally acceptable and what isn't: "WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Islamic State theologians have issued an extremely detailed ruling on when "owners" of women enslaved by the extremist group can have sex with them, in an apparent bid to curb what they called violations in the treatment of captured females." Because we all know that the followers of ISIS only want to have sex with their female slaves when it is legally acceptable. I don't want to go over every stricture of this carefully reasoned document, but here are a couple of the sensible restrictions imposed by the clerics who wrote it, to see that a man who purchases a woman and then rapes her does not do it in an unacceptable manner: If a man has a female slave that he is raping, and she has a daughter, he cannot rape both of them. ...

Here is a story that Atrios has been covering for some time, which is a perfect parable of what privatization of government services is all about. So, the Philadelphia school system was having trouble finding substitute teachers.  In fact, for the last year that they were doing this on their own, they were only able to fill 64% of their need.  Well naturally, we all know by now that government can do nothing but screw up, and that private enterprise and the free market are the answer to all of our problems.  So, the school system contracted with a private company, which they agreed to pay a couple of million dollars to take over the task.  The company promised that they would supply 75% of the need on their first day of operation, and quickly raise that number to 90%. The actual numbers?  17% at the start, which they have now managed to raise to a sky-high 37%.  This, in return for those couple of million dollars to do a job that the school system was ...

In an annual Gallup poll, the American people ranked Donald Trump tied with Pope Francis, for their second most admired person in the world. What in the name of all that is holy could lead people to do that?  I could speculate, but I can't bring myself to bother. On the plus side, the two people that the mainstream press and the Republicans assure us are the most hated man and woman in the country, Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, are actually the most admired.  Hillary, incidentally, has won this award 20 times. So, when you are told over and over again that Hillary can't win because so many people hate her, well, just chalk it up as one more gigantic Republican lie.

I guess it is on everyone's mind these days.  No sense discussing the fact that, unless you are using the term in its most restrictive form, to refer to Mussolini, who really popularized the term, and his government, there is really no agreement about what the term means.  There is, however, a very interesting list, compiled in 2003 by Lawrence Britt, of fourteen characteristics of a Fascist government.  Here it is:         Powerful and Continuing Nationalism Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause Supremacy of the Military Rampant Sexism Controlled Mass Media Obsession with National Security Religion and Government are Intertwined Corporate Power is Protected Labor Power is Suppressed Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts Obsession with Crime and Punishment Rampant Cronyism and Corruption Fraudulent Elections Those of you who have never seen this...

And here's Green Eagle's traditional holiday greeting. I hope you are as happy tomorrow as this guy seems to be.

Since no one with a real political voice, not even Bernie Sanders, has had the courage to state the real way out of the current Middle Eastern mess, I guess I will give it a try.  In fact, the answer is not complicated nor is it difficult, except when we run into the hatred and abuse that are the inevitable tools of the right when they want to protect their right to be as subhuman as possible.  Anyway, here's my plan. 1.  Absolutely as a first step, the American people must give up the simplistic notion that the whole problem between us and them is a matter of religious fanatics gone wild, or people who "hate our freedom."  It is time that we all need to accept the fact that the people of the Middle East are perfectly justified in being suspicious and angry toward us.  The West in general, particularly England, France and the United States, has a history stretching back over two hundred years of invading the countries of the Middle East and butchering their pe...

At least, Republican Christmas.  In case you have never seen this, here is the award winning Spanish short film, "Fist of Jesus." If you are unfamiliar with it, watch it at least through the scene where he raises Lazarus from the dead.

Today's Wingnut Wrapup respectfully dedicated to the thirty percent of Republicans who support bombing Agrabah, the home city of Aladdin in the Disney movie.  Let's lob a few cruise missiles at Mordor next. Actually, the wingnuts have been so piggish lately that I haven't found all that much to laugh at.  That's why the unusually long gap between Wingnut Wrapups.  Trust me- you didn't miss much. Cortney O'Brien, Town Hall:  "New, More Accurately Worded Poll Shows Majority Wants to Defund Planned Parenthood" The old, inaccurate question?  "“Do you think federal funding for Planned Parenthood should be eliminated – yes or no?”  A very large majority of Americans, despite the malicious lie campaigns we have seen the last few months, still answered no to that question.  So, the need to add some mumbo-jumbo about transferring the money to "community operated clinics," something we know will never happen, just to make the question more ...

That's the extortion that we had to pay to the 200 hyper-rich families who control this country, in order for them to allow our government to keep on operating. That's it- I've got nothing more to say about it.

I hope you will take the time to read t he following statement, which I found in a piece by Tom Sullivan at Hullabaloo, and make a guess about where and when it is from: "We assert that during the last twenty years, leaders of the Government of the United States under successive Democrat Administrations, and especially under this present Administration, have failed to perform these several basic duties; but, on the contrary, that they have evaded them, flouted them, and by a long succession of vicious acts, so undermined the foundations of our Republic as to threaten its existence.   We charge that they have arrogantly deprived our citizens of precious liberties by seizing powers never granted.   We charge that they work unceasingly to achieve their goal of national socialism.   We charge that they have disrupted internal tranquillity by fostering class strife for venal political purposes.   We charge that they have choked opportunity and hampered progres...

One of the more malicious obsessions of the mainstream press that has emerged from the latest Republican infomercial is the issue of "carpet bombing," i.e. the question of when it is okay to kill a whole bunch of civilians in order to get a few enemy combatants.  I'm certainly not about to get involved in this stupid and ugly debate, but I would like to write briefly about the supposed historical precedent that is cited to justify this sickening behavior: the Allied bombing of  Germany in the later years of World War II. The gung-ho warmongers (almost all of them Republicans) who are happy to destroy lots of civilians, as long as they are far away, ignore the facts of that Allied air campaign.  First of all, the strategy of mass bombing of civilian areas, mostly associated with the head of English Bomber Command, Arthur "Bomber" Harris, was never universally accepted.  Even at the time, large numbers of officials thought the process was counterproductive, and ...

In the background of a recording of a Trump appearance from yesterday, as they were ejecting a black protester, you can clearly hear people shouting "Sieg Heil." No one in the crowd expressed any displeasure at this occurrence, and Trump himself has had nothing to say about it. I hardly think it is necessary to say anything about what something like this means.

Today, the following article from the Times: "All Politicians Lie. Some Lie More Than Others." An article featuring the following graph: The author of this article, who I will not name to avoid humiliating her, claims to have been fact checking politicians since 2007.  Apparently, there is one thing that she totally failed to notice about this information she compiled, because she sure as hell never mentioned it in her article:  Not one single Democrat on the entire list scored higher as a liar than every single Republican.  That is, apparently, a much more insignificant conclusion to take away from her efforts, than the fact that "Politicians lie." And this is in spite of another unmentioned reality:  anyone who has followed "fact checkers" from mainstream news outlets over the years knows that they fall all over themselves to find an excuse to justify calling out something a Democrat says as false, to falsely balance the daily bombardment of...

I'm so sickened with the outpouring of hatred from the right these days, that I haven't been able to pay much attention to it.  There is one issue, however, which has cropped up among Conservatives once agqain, which I would like to deal with.  That is the malicious notion that the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights are restricted to U.S. citizens only.  This groundless claim has been used in the past, and is being used again, to justify all sorts of plans to promote their nationalistic hatred in one way or another. Debate over Bill of Rights Now, I must admit that certain of the rights enumerated in the Bill of Rights do seem to be reserved for American citizens.  These can be identified, I think, by references to "the people;" which I think can legitimately be taken to mean citizens of the United States.  It is clear why that would be true.  The two most notable examples are in the first and second amendments.  It is obvious, I think, wh...

Accomplished by Senate Republicans yesterday:       Another vote to destroy Obamacare       A vote to defund Planned Parenthood       The defeat of a vote making it illegal to sell guns to people on the terrorist watch list. Working for the American people, yes sir.

Don't have enough to worry about these days?  Think two or three million refugees from Syria is about as bad as it can get in the Middle East?  Think climate change is a pack of nonsense?  Consider the following, from the Washington Post: "Persian Gulf may be too hot for human survival by 2090...A study predicting deadly heat waves in the Persian Gulf by the century’s end has underscored concerns about the effects of rising global temperatures on cities in other parts of the world, including the United States.   Monday’s report in the journal Nature Climate Change warned that Persian Gulf cities could experience extreme summer temperatures that are literally too hot for human survival." I heard about this a few weeks ago, and I have been thinking about what it means, and not just to the United States.  Here's a map of the Middle East, showing the area that might be rendered uninhabitable if these predictions are correct- and let's remember that scientifi...

I've been in a strange period of writer's block, trying to respond appropriately to the Planned Parenthood terrorism that is sweeping this country, as well as the almost ignored story of five white supremacists who took guns to a Black Lives Matter demonstration, and found an excuse to fire into the crowd, injuring several people.  In the meantime, I just want to point this out: There is no way that it will be possible to prove that the lunatic policeman who fired sixteen shots into an innocent person was acting "with malice aforethought."  On the other hand, the  guy has unquestionably committed second degree murder.  By only charging him with first degree murder, and not allowing the jury a possibility to find him guilty of second degree murder, the Chicago prosecutors have made it certain that he will be acquitted. And another day passes in the Greatest Country In The World.

So, not only is Russia involved in a major attempt to prevent Islamic lunatics from Syria and Iraq from attacking his own country, but he has a big debt to pay to Turkey.  Here's my suggestion of something that the whole world could do to deal with both problems. This is a map of the traditionally Kurdish areas, stretching from Turkey to Iran: Please note that, if you look online, you will find a number of similar maps, none of which quite agrees with the others about exactly which areas are predominantly Kurdish; this one is typical of them. I am proposing that it is time that a Kurdish state be recognized in this area (perhaps, for political reasons, excluding the territory in Iran.)  This would place a buffer state between Russia and ISIS, which would be highly opposed to any ISIS expansion, and at the same time finally penalizing the Turks for their century-long persecution of the Kurds. In return for international support for this action, which would be highly b...

I started this blog in the Spring of 2008.  That's somewhere about seven and a half years ago. This is my 4,000th post.  And the country is crazier and more filled with hatred than ever.  Maybe I should just switch to posting pictures of Corgis, like this one from The Daily Corgi: No point in linking to the site, because this photo, from a few days ago, is the last one that this blogger posted before suspending posting.  I guess maybe the Corgis didn't help bring people to their senses either. Now we have an out and out racist, promoting violence and oppression toward other groups, leading the Republican pack, and the more disgusting he acts, the stronger he seems to get.  And if, by some sick, cosmic joke he wins the Republican nomination, we will see billions of dollars spent smearing his Democratic opponent.  The people who support him are so past the point of being reached by reason, or any appeal to human decency, that it is foolish to even try...

This important information just in: "Jeb Bush: ‘You can tell when someone is a Christian’ Yeah, you sure can, Jeb.. And this is supposed to be the sane, non hate-filled Republican.

So, in a stunning upset, a Democrat seems to have beaten prostitute diaper boy David Vitter in the Louisiana governor's race, by 647,000 votes to 505,000. I give it about three days before some Republican voting commissioner in an upstate parish finds a forgotten ballot box with about 150,000 votes for Vitter.

The House vote today to deny entry to Syrian refugees: No comment needed, really.

If you are a Republican, of course.  Senator Ted Cruz, demonstrating his skill as a leader, as recorded at Talking Points Memo: "Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) addressed President Obama directly while speaking to reporters Wednesday, telling him to "come back and insult me to my face."  Cruz was responding to Obama's recent criticism of Republicans suggesting there be a religious test for Syrian refugees seeking entrance to the country, a plan he called "shameful" and "not American" while in Turkey for the Group of 20 summit.  "If you want to insult me, you can do it overseas, you can do it in Turkey, you can do it in foreign countries. But I would encourage you, Mr. President, come back and insult me to my face," Cruz said, staring directly into the camera." Nothing but a playground bully, but I guess that's what things have come to in this country.  And we know that, like bullies everywhere, he says this knowing that Obam...

...The only way we seem to get it these days.  The following is an absolutely unbelievable article published in the Onion in the year 2003.  I know I am violating any sense of fair usage by quoting the whole thing, but it is so important for us to realize that the truth about invading the Middle East was clear to anyone to see, if they only cared to face reality.  I hope they will forgive me.  Please read on: "This War Will Destabilize The Entire Mideast Region And Set Off A Global Shockwave Of Anti-Americanism   George W. Bush may think that a war against Iraq is the solution to our problems, but the reality is, it will only serve to create far more.   This war will not put an end to anti-Americanism; it will fan the flames of hatred even higher. It will not end the threat of weapons of mass destruction; it will make possible their further proliferation. And it will not lay the groundwork for the flourishing of democracy throughout the Mideast; i...

All sorts of Republicans seem to now be demanding that the United States declare war on ISIS. I just can't wait to see what happens when the dreaded Obama appears before the Republican Congress asking them to place the military in his hands, by declaring war. Keep away from there- that's my advice.  The cognitive dissonance may be enough to blow the whole capitol building to smithereens.  Unless the Republicans can find a way to both demand that Obama act and totally prevent him from acting at the same time, so they can get some electoral mileage out of his "weakness." Well, at least this is something to keep in mind for the next few weeks, as we are sickened by the orgy of Republican jingoism to which we are about to be subjected. Funny, remember back in 2002, when all of the Republicans hated France?

As I mentioned, I have just suffered from a fairly spectacular computer collapse, which turned out to be nothing but corroded contacts on some ram, so here I am again.  The material in this Wingnut Wrapup was gathered before last night's Paris attacks, so I won't have anything about that here.  I am, however, announcing that two competitions are now open: 1.  The grand Green Eagle award for excellence in blaming this attack on President Obama:  Note to potential entrants:  This will involve points both for introducing the most right wing talking points, and for sheer piggishness, so without these essential elements, don't even bother entering- the competition is going to be stiff enough with just those who follow the rules 2.  The tiny little Yasir Arafat memorial cup, for the most creativity in blaming it all on Israel.  This too is expected to be hotly contested, as you would expect. Well, on we go... Today's Wingnut Wrapup absolutely has to ...

I get so impatient with having to say the same thing over and over again.  Unfortunately, the current state of our political life is just that- one specimen of Republican jackassery after another, on and on ad infinitum.  So I thought I would take a chance to write briefly about one of my most fundamental beliefs, which I think is directly related to the ability of Republicans to keep up their idiocy for ever. Here's the thing about lies:  People, in general, do not believe lies because they are plausible; they believe them because it suits their interest to do so.  And the funny thing is that, for the vast majority of people, it is a short journey to actually believing whatever is convenient. Well, it is a clear result of this fact that there is no one easier to lie to than yourself, because there is no one on earth that has as much interest in believing your lies as you do. Don't want to pay taxes?  Just tell yourself that cutting taxes increases governm...

And who says the Palestinians have no commercial sense?  I can see branches of this store in Gaza opening up all over the place: To quote the article, from the International Business Times: "A clothing store in Gaza City named Hitler 2 is displaying mannequins with knives strapped to their hands as an homage to the upsurge in stabbing attacks on Israelis by Palestinians.   Hijaz Abu Shanab, a 20-year-old shopper, said: "The name of the shop is 'Hitler' and I like him because he was the the most anti-Jewish person...I like the clothes and the name, it is fantastic." Young enterpreneurs, there is a real opportunity waiting here for you.

And yet he leads the pack of Republican Presidential contenders.   Case in point, uncovered by Talking Points Memo: an address this man delivered to a Seventh Day Adventist college several years ago, in which he discussed the Pyramids: “My own personal theory is that Joseph built the pyramids to store grain...when you look at the way that the pyramids are made, with many chambers that are hermetically sealed, they’d have to be that way for various reasons," Carson said. "And various of scientists have said, ‘well, you know there were alien beings that came down and they have special knowledge and that’s how-’ you know, it doesn’t require an alien being when God is with you.” The purpose of the Pyramids, and their development over a thousand years from earlier Mastaba tomb types, is an irrefutable fact.  The fact that they are 95% solid rock should make even the most gullible person know that they were not built to store grain, or anything else except the bodies and poss...

Here's a story you may have missed.  This comes from USA Today, although it did receive fairly wide coverage: "JACKSON, Miss. — A man is charged after allegedly setting off an explosive at a Mississippi Walmart Sunday morning. Marshall W. Leonard, 61, of Tupelo, will be charged with placing an explosive device.  A supporter of the Mississippi flag, Leonard railed against anyone who wanted it removed because it contained the Confederate battle flag. He spoke out against Walmart when the retail giant stop selling items that contained the Confederate battle flag. Last Wednesday, Leonard posted threats on the Daily Journal Facebook page. “Journal corporate, you are on final warning,” he wrote Oct. 28. “You are part of the problem. As a result of this, y’all are going down, along with Walmart, WTVA, Reeds department store, and all the rest of the anti-American crooks. I’m not kidding. No messing around anymore!” And here he is, just in case you were wondering: ...