I Didn't Say It

Eric Swalwell, Democrat Congressman from California, to his GOP counterparts regarding legislation that would raise the age limit for purchasing semi-automatic rifles from 18 to 21:

“Are you here for our kids, or are you here for the killers? Because if you were here for the kids, you would do all you could to protect the next school shooting that’s about to happen, and we know it’s gonna happen in America. You would vote to raise the age on purchasing an assault rifle, you would vote to ban high-capacity magazines, you would vote to require safe storage and you would vote to address ghost guns, which are ravaging communities across America. But if you’re here for the killers, you would do everything to make it easier for the next school shooting to happen.”

Or simply do nothing other than cash those NRA checks while offering meaningless prayers for the dead.

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Louie Gohmert, Texas GOP Congressman, responding to Swalwell:

“I don’t think that it’s very effective for the children to have people on the other side of the aisle come in and accuse Republicans of being complicit in murder. And that we put our right to kill over others’ right to live, to infer by rhetorical supposed questions, who are you here for, we must be here for the gunman, is an outrage. How dare you. You think we don’t have hearts? We care about people. We care about their lives, and lives have been so trivialized. We care deeply. How dare you. How dare you, you arrogant people, attributing murder to those of us that want to do things to stop it. Because we’ve seen what your ideas do, they create more murder.”

Democrats create murder? This from the party that sucks at the teat of the NRA, Loonie Louie, who has taken more than his fair share of blood money. This from Loonie Louie and his party who offer NO response other than arming teachers or doctors or more Americans as a solution to gun violence

The good news is that Loonie Louis Gohmert will be leaving Congress at the end of the year, hopefully to never be heard from again.

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Bill Cassidy, Louisiana GOP Senator, on a proposed ban on assault weapons … he’s against it:

“If you talk to the people that own it, killing feral pigs in the, whatever, the middle of Louisiana. They’ll wonder: ‘Why would you take it away from me?' I’m law abiding, I’ve never done anything, I use it to kill feral pigs. The action of a criminal deprives me of my right.”

What a typical NRA-loving GOP asshat who thinks there an explosion of feral pigs in Louisiana, and that the the only weapon capable of killing feral pigs is an assault weapon.

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Gabe Kapler, manager of the San Francisco Giants, speaking out about the United States of Guns:

“The day 19 children and 2 teachers were murdered, we held a moment of silence at sporting events around the country, then we played the national anthem, and we went on with our lives. Players, staff, and fans stood for the moment of silence, grieving the lives lost, and then we (myself included) continued to stand, proudly proclaiming ourselves the land of the free and the home of the brave. We didn’t stop to reflect on whether we are actually free and brave after this horrific event, we just stood at attention. When I was the same age as the children in Uvalde, my father taught me to stand for the pledge of allegiance when I believed my country was representing its people well or to protest and stay seated when it wasn’t. I don’t believe it is representing us well right now.

This particular time, an 18-year-old walked into a store, bought multiple assault rifles and hundreds of rounds of ammunition, walked into a school with an armed resource officer and its own police district and was able to murder children for nearly an hour. Parents begged and pleaded with police officers to do something, police officers who had weapons and who receive nearly 40% of the city’s funding, as their children were being murdered.

We elect our politicians to represent our interests. Immediately following this shooting, we were told we needed locked doors and armed teachers. We were given thoughts and prayers. We were told it could have been worse, and we just need love.

But we weren’t given bravery, and we aren’t free. The police on the scene put a mother in handcuffs as she begged them to go in and save her children. They blocked parents trying to organize to charge in to stop the shooter, including a father who learned his daughter was murdered while he argued with the cops. We aren’t free when politicians decide that the lobbyist and gun industries are more important than our children’s freedom to go to school without needing bulletproof backpacks and active shooter drills.

I’m often struck before our games by the lack of delivery of the promise of what our national anthem represents. We stand in honor of a country where we elect representatives to serve us, to thoughtfully consider and enact legislation that protects the interests of all the people in this country and to move this country forward towards the vision of the “shining city on the hill.” But instead, we thoughtlessly link our moment of silence and grief with the equally thoughtless display of celebration for a country that refuses to take up the concept of controlling the sale of weapons used nearly exclusively for the mass slaughter of human beings. We have our moment (over and over), and then we move on without demanding real change from the people we empower to make these changes. We stand, we bow our heads, and the people in power leave on recess, celebrating their own patriotism at every turn.

Every time I place my hand over my heart and remove my hat, I’m participating in a self-congratulatory glorification of the ONLY country where these mass shootings take place. On Wednesday, I walked out onto the field, I listened to the announcement as we honored the victims in Uvalde. I bowed my head. I stood for the national anthem. Metallica riffed on City Connect guitars.

My brain said drop to a knee; my body didn’t listen. I wanted to walk back inside; instead, I froze. I felt like a coward. I didn’t want to call attention to myself. I didn’t want to take away from the victims or their families. There was a baseball game, a rock band, the lights, the pageantry. I knew that thousands of people were using this game to escape the horrors of the world for just a little bit. I knew that thousands more wouldn’t understand the gesture and would take it as an offense to the military, to veterans, to themselves.

But I am not okay with the state of this country. I wish I hadn’t let my discomfort compromise my integrity. I wish that I could have demonstrated what I learned from my dad, that when you’re dissatisfied with your country, you let it be known through protest. The home of the brave should encourage this.”

That is everything Americans need to know.

That and registering to vote, and casting a vote against each and every politician who takes blood money from the NRA.

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I Didn't Say It

Gina Peddy, a top administrator with the Carroll Independent School District in Southlake, advising  teachers that if they should teach “both sides’ of the Holocaust:

“Just try to remember the concepts of [House Bill] 3979 and make sure that if you have a book on the Holocaust, that you have one that has an opposing, that has other perspectives.”

Seriously. Both sides?

Jane Ledbetter, Superintendent of the Carroll County School District has apologized for this lunacy and pointed out that even in Texas, there is no opposing viewpoint on historical facts.

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Hannah Gadsby, comedian , who has had comedy specials on Netflix, on Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos defending Dave Chappelle’s transphobia:

"Hey Ted Sarandos! Just a quick note to let you know that I would prefer if you didn't drag my name into your mess. You didn't pay me nearly enough to deal with the real world consequences of the hate speech dog whistling you refuse to acknowledge, Ted. F**k you and your amoral algorithm cult … I do shits with more back bone than you. That's just a joke! I definitely didn't cross a line because you just told the world there isn't one."

Gadsby's response came after Sarandos cited her as an example of Netflix's commitment to LGBTQ+ inclusivity in his response to the Chappelle controversy. But um, Ted? Just because you have LGBTQ+ talent on your network doesn’t mean you get a pass on bigotry.

Hate is never funny.

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Tucker Carlson, Fox News liar, saying that having the vaccine kills people:

“Like almost everyone his age, Colin Powell was fully vaccinated against COVID. And yet according to his family and doctors, Colin Powell died of COVID. Of course, that fact does not make his death any less sad nor is it unusual. Many thousands of vaccinated Americans have died of COVID. Former CDC Director Robert Redfield announced just today that about 40% of all recent COVID deaths in the state of Maryland, for example, are among those who’ve had both shots. So, what does that tell you, exactly? Well, it tells you, you’ve been lied to. Vaccines may be highly useful for some people, but across a population, they do not solve COVID. That’s not speculation, it is an observable fact. People who’ve been fully vaccinated can still get the virus, they can still transmit the virus to others, and they can still die from COVID. Colin Powell is hardly the only example of that.”

First off, I don’t see Tucker, er, Fucker running for the hills even though he had the vaccine, mandated by his employer, so it sounds like another lie.

To be fair, Colin Powell was vaxxed, but he was eighty-five and suffered from Multiple myeloma cancers and Parkinson’s.

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Sarah Hyland, actress who has a chronic condition called kidney dysplasia—she has had kidney transplants in 2012 and 2017—on the vaccine and vaccine mandates:

“[Getting vaccinated] means the world to me. I’m alive today because of science. With the medical field and where medicine is right now, it’s just lifesaving. Because I’ve gotten my booster shot, I feel even more comfortable than I did after receiving my two doses. To those that are on the fence, you can do as much research on Google as you want, but it’s science and they’re true medical professionals making these vaccines. If someone like me with such a compromised immune system is not only eligible to get it, and very much willing to do so, it’s safe for you out there. It can only protect you.”

Good on her for speaking out. We need more people to realize that the vaccine might save their life, but also the lives of those around them.

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Bill Cassidy, GOP Senator from Louisiana, on saying aging leaders of all three branches of government should take cognition tests:

“It’s usually noticeable. So anybody in a position of responsibility who may potentially be on that slope, that is of concern. And I’m saying this as a doctor. I’m told that there have been senators in the past who, at the end of their Senate terms were senile. I’m told that was true of senators of both parties.”

And there have been presidents in your own party who have been demented due to STDs and yet you never suggested this before.

Go have a chat with Miss Lindsey about the Brazilian fashionistas flooding our borders and tell him to take a test.

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Pete Buttigieg, Transportation Secretary, on the right’s outrage, and homophobia, over him taking paternity leave after he and Chasten had twins:

“Look, paid family leave is important. It’s important as a matter of family values. It’s important to our economy. And one more thing that I think is maybe underappreciated. When somebody welcomes a new child into their family and goes on leave to take care of that child, that’s not a vacation. It’s work. It’s joyful, wonderful, fulfilling work, but it is work. And it’s time that our nation join pretty much every other country in the world and recognize that.”

And it isn’t lost on anyone with active brain cells, that the people attacking Pete are from the so-called Family Values party.

Only, not for same-sex families, I guess.

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I Didn't Say It ...

David Cicilline, Rhode Island Congressman, and Senator Jeff Merkley of Oregon, both Democrats, reintroduced the Equality Act, which guarantees explicit, permanent protections for LGBTQ +people under existing civil rights laws; Cicilline said:

“In 2021, every American should be treated with respect and dignity. Yet, in most states, LGBTQ people can be discriminated against because of who they are, or who they love. It is past time for that to change. I’m proud to introduce the Equality Act today, and I look forward to continuing to work with Senator Merkley to get this bill signed into law.”

And Merkley added:

“All of us go to work and school, go home, and go shopping, and none of us should have to keep our families hidden or pretend to be someone we’re not to do those things. But in 29 states, Americans can still be evicted, be thrown out of a restaurant, or be denied a loan because of who they are or whom they love. We all love the vision of America as a land of freedom and equality, but are we willing to take the steps to make that vision closer to reality? Let’s make 2021 the year the Equality Act crosses the finish line and is signed into law by President Biden.”

Seriously, it’s 2021 and we’re still fighting for simple equality?

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Hig Roberts, a two-time national champion in Alpine skiing, coming out as gay:

“Not being able to be who I am and not be able to be openly gay as a professional athlete was truly hindering my performance. I just woke up one morning and I said, ‘Enough is enough.’ I love this sport more than anything—I’m so lucky and privileged to be doing this—but I can’t go on another day not trying to achieve the person that I am meant to be. Which I think for each and every one of us, one of those main goals needs to be happiness and authenticity. It’s part of me and I’m proud of it, and I’m ready to be happy.”

Welcome out, Hig, and please accept as our gift from HOMO HQ the Official Coming Out Toaster Oven and your own copy of the Gay Agenda.

Welcome out.

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Jeff Flake, former Arizona Republican who quit because of the former president, saying IMPOTUS should have been convicted:

“My fellow Republicans, to make our way back from this four-year detour will require a dose of honest self-reflection. We were once the conservative party. Our party chose to vacate any claim to that mantle when we gave ourselves over to a reality TV figure whose commitment to anything other than his own self-interest has always been hard to discern. He cared so little about anyone or anything other than himself that we now know that he couldn’t even be stirred to defend his own Vice President when his life was in danger. We didn’t convict him. We should have, but we didn’t. Let’s not compound the grievous injury to the country and our party by continuing to embrace him.”

Perhaps you shouldn’t have run when the going got tough, sir. Perhaps you should have grown a spine, stood up to the former president and the sycophants in the party, instead of quitting.

Your words have no meaning.

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Bill Cassidy, Louisiana GOP Senator, on why he voted to impeach, and on being censured by the state’s GOP leadership:

“It was clear that he wished lawmakers be intimidated. And even after he knew there was violence taking place, he continued to basically sanction the mob being there. And not until later did he ask them to leave. All of that points to a motive and a method, and that is wrong. He should be held accountable. That’s the trust that I have from the people who elected me, and I’m very confident that as time passes people will move to that position. I was elected to uphold an oath to support and defend the Constitution. The majority of the people in Louisiana want that to be the case. And I have respected that trust. I have voted to support and defend the Constitution. Rather than defending the Constitution, [the former president] was actively subverting the peaceful transfer of power, which is a bedrock principle of the Constitution. I voted to convict [the former president] because he is guilty. That’s what the facts demand. I have no illusions that this is a popular decision. I made this decision because Americans should not be fed lies about ‘massive election fraud.’ Police should not be left to the mercy of a mob. Mobs should not be inflamed to disrupt the peaceful transfer of power. I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution, and I take that oath seriously. This was, is, and will remain my commitment to you.”

This is how you put the country over the party and its racist, insurrection inciting criminal boss. And for the party to censure him for having balls, a spine, and an opinion to do the right thing, shows exactly who the GOP, er, GQP works.

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Sean Duffy, Fox News contributor and former US Congressman, laying blame for the insurrection at the wrong feet:

“If you dig too deep, I don’t think Democrats wanted to see what we were going to find. What did Nancy Pelosi know? When did she know it? If she knew that there was attack on Capitol, why didn’t she secure it earlier? Why didn’t she bring in the National Guard? What did Mitch McConnell know? What did AOC know? They don’t want to look there, Pete. They want to keep the focus on [the former president], not on what they didn’t do to protect the Capitol.”

Funny, how this former asshat doesn’t realize the job was to protect the Capital from your leader? There’s a reason you’re a former Congressman you conspiracy theory spreading QAnon loon.

You’re dumb.

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ISBL Asshat of the Week: Bill Cassidy

Not many people know the name of Bill Cassidy, a Republican state Senator from Louisiana, but here’s a little background on the man.

Cassidy, like Mama Grizzly Bore™ before him,  is one of those “abstinence-only” crusaders who, just last year, co-sponsored the Abstinence-Only Reallocation Act that awards grants and special funding to public and private schools that teach only abstinence in their sex education programs. The bill was authored by, oh lucky me, South Carolina’s resident Republican loon, er, Senator Lindsey Graham and has been tabled in Congress though teenagers in Louisiana aren’t in the clear.

Despite efforts by some legislators and educators to discuss sexual behavior, birth control, condoms, and the like in schools, Louisiana is one of the leading abstinence-only promoters in the country. In about 305 of schools in the state, students are taught exclusively abstinence. No safe sex. No birth control. Nothing but “Don’t do it.”

And, since most teenagers don’t listen to their parents, or some of their teachers, it should come as no surprise that Louisiana currently has the 6th highest teen pregnancy rate in the nation; in fact, while most of the country has seen major declines in teen births, Louisiana’s has hardly changed.

So, why does this make Bill Cassidy an asshat? His own daughter, in her teens, is pregnant and, well, of course, Bill wants y’all to know that he’s just fine with it:

“Earlier this year, Laura and I learned we will become grandparents this summer. Our children have been the greatest blessing of our lives and we welcome our grandchild as a joyous addition to our family. Our daughter now faces a more challenging future than her peers. She has our unconditional love and support.”

How lovely that Bill Cassidy and his wife will support their daughter, um, because they have to support her; she’s a pregnant minor so, yeah, it’s their responsibility just like teaching her that abstinence is the only way to go.

And doesn’t it just smack of the Mama Grizzly Bore™ and her abstinence-only stance, even while her seventeen-year-old daughter Bristol was banging Levi?

I mean, here we have the post politicians for abstinence who can’t bother to instill that lesson into their own children, but they want to legislate it into law that you have to do it for your children.

Pot.Kettle.STFU.

Bill Cassidy, ISBL's Asshat of the Week.

Sidenote: Yes, abstinence is the only 100$ surefire way to avoid teen pregnancy, and STDs and HIV and all sorts of things, but it’s clear that many teens, and adults, aren’t adhering to that ideal, so wouldn’t it be best to arm them with knowledge about sexual behavior? Or is that too much common sense for the GOP and Bill Cassidy and Mama Grizzly Bore™?

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