Tuesday Thought #3

Random Musings

A thought on the murder—because it was murder—of Philando Castile by Police Officer Jeronimo Yanez.

Castile was doing everything right; offering his insurance proof, and then, when asked for license and registration, he calmly told the officer he had a firearm he was allowed to carry. Then when Castile reached for his wallet, Officer Yanez says he thought Castile was reaching for the gun and fired seven times at close range, with two bullets hitting Castile in the heart.

Here’s my thought: it was all going so calm and smooth; Castile was pulled over for a broken taillight. He was relaxed and calm and doing what the officer said but ...

What if, when Castile told the Yanez he had a gun, if Yanez hadn’t simply said—because there was no altercation, no raised voices, no hint of violence—“put your hands on the door and exit the vehicle.”

Then Yanez could have patted Castile down and removed the weapon—which Castile was allowed to carry—and the process could have gone on, a ticket issued and, thankfully, no one murdered because they were stopped for a broken taillight.

That’s all.

Either Newt Gingrich is a total moron, or he has such chutzpah, but ...

Since ______ has been blasting reports that he is under investigation for possible obstruction of justice, former House Speaker and serial adulterer, Newt Gingrich said the charges won’t stick because:

“Technically, the president of the United States cannot obstruct justice. The president of the United States is the chief executive officer of the United States. If he wants to fire the FBI director, all he has to do is fire him.”

Funny, cuz back in 1998 obstruction of justice was part of the impeachment proceedings that Hypocrite Gingrich led against former President Bill Clinton.

Asshat.

Last week, watching The Graham Norton Show, one of his guests was Anthony Joshua, World Heavyweight Boxing Champion. He is built like a brick sh ... he’s built. But he was also sweet and funny and hot.

Put it all together and he’s this week’s Hot Man Built Like A Brick Sh ...

He’s Hot.

A friend posted this to Facebook about the shooting at the ball field last week, and about Congressman Steve Scalise; he didn't write it and I wish I know who did because it just drips with irony:

"So let's get this straight. A rabidly anti-gay and white-supremacist congressman who recently voted to let mentally ill people have access to guns and who wants to repeal the Affordable Care Act had his life saved by a black lesbian married to a same-sex partner when he was shot by a mentally ill person and is currently under hospital care that is being paid for by government-funded health insurance. Sorry, there is way too much irony here to interrupt it with punctuation. Oh, and Capitol Police officer David Bailey is an immigrant who put his life on the line without hesitation to save all of those Republican Congressmen." 

Snap.

You know, I was all Team Caitlyn during her transition. I spoke up when people said moronic things about “him” both in life and online but ...

While I am still Team Trans, Caitlyn Jenner, since coming out as a transgender female, needs to stop talking. In the wake of the shooting of Steve Scalise last week, Caitlyn said:

“Nobody deserves what happened out there. There’s no justification. There are crazy people. We have to minimize that type of stuff.  ... Fortunately the guy was a really bad shot. Liberals can’t even shoot straight.”

Funny, right? Making a joke about a shooting. So, I Tweeted to Caitlyn:

You know, one other thing that Liberals can’t, and won’t do? Make jokes about gun violence.”

It’s past time for Caitlyn Jenner to sit down. Especially when you learn that Caitlyn also praised Officer Crystal Griner, the lesbian Capital Police Officer who was injured while taking down the shooter, and for not thinking about LGBT issues at the time”

“She did her job. She wasn’t thinking about LGBT issues, she wasn’t thinking about any of those types of things. She did her job and she did it well.”

WTF Caitlyn. Gay folks have been doing their jobs, without stopping to think about LGBT issues for our entire lives, but go ahead and diminish that; make us out to be self-involved and shallow and stupid ...

But that’s just you.

Republicans are complicit ...

For the tenth time in the last several months, this Republicans once again blocked a Democratic to request _____’s tax returns. The measure failed along party lines because, for right now, the GOP loves _____ and will goose-step along with his lies until ...

2018. When We The People vote them out.

Resist.

Speaking of asshat Republicans, this week, out there in Montana, Greg Gianforte—the candidate who choked a reporter for asking a question—was sworn into Congress.

And because, you know, no hard feelings, the Montana Democratic Party sent Gianforte a gift:

“Everyone knows you need plenty of suits to work on Capitol Hill. While millionaire Gianforte can certainly afford his own, we know he has a lot of legal fees to pay. So, we thought we’d help him out and get him started by mailing a new suit to his office in the Longworth House Office Building in Washington. An orange jumpsuit, that is.”

Because Gianforte should be in prison for assault, but in Montana they send you to Congress.

So, _____’s planned visit to the United Kingdom has been cancelled for the foreseeable future and it was the Queen who broke the news.

Leave it to a Queen to ban _____., but, what really happened is that ______ didn’t want to face the huge protests against him and so he is gonna stay home where ... what ... people like him?

Seriously, if he wanted to avoid places where people protest against him ... um, the Moon?

So, I’m’a just lay this out there and let y’all decide if it seems fishy ...

Remember back, last summer, when Liar, er, Speaker of the House Paul Ryan finally endorsed _____ for the Republican nomination? Ryan had been a holdout for many months, questioning whether _____ really was the right man to lead the GOP in the 2016 election, but in June something changed and suddenly Ryan was all _____.

Wha’ happened? Perhaps this ...

Earlier this week Scott Dworkin, the Co-Founder of the The Democratic Coalition Against Trump, revealed some rather interesting documents.

On August 29th, shortly after Ryan publicly endorsed _____, two of _____’s biggest campaign donors, Miriam and Sheldon Adelson, gave ... wait for it ... $20 million to Paul Ryan’s super PAC, Congressional Leadership Fund.

Those two donations represent about 40% of all the donations received by the Congressional Leadership Fund for all of 2016.

Fishy?

Random Musings

This weekend is supposed to be very cold in Smallville, and there is a chance of snow.

Brrrrr but ... we’ll in Miami for a week so ... yeah, take that, snow storm ... even though, truth be told, I love a Smallville snow.

At any rate, we’re gone, and while I have some preplanned things for y’all for the next week, I won’t be back, blogging or commenting—I’m going off the grid, so to speak—until late next week.

Be nice, y’all, and #Resist!

Earlier this week I posted about gospel singer Kim Burrell’s hate-filled rant, masked a sermon of some sort—see post HERE.

Burrell was set to appear on Ellen this week to sing her song from the film, Hidden Figures, but Ellen isn’t having it, or Burrell:

“For those asking, Kim Burrell will not be appearing on my show.”

Thanks Ellen!

This is our New Year’s Day meal ... it’s said that one should eat Black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day because they bring luck, but I am never one to follow tradition, superstition except ...

I made a Black-eyed Pea soup, with Andouille Sausage and Kale, and then some homemade Sausage and Onion Cornbread.

It may not bring us luck but it filled our bellies!

Donald ____ took to Instagram—I guess his Twitter account was exhausted—to post a meme saying his “administration will follow two simple rules: Buy American and Hire American!"

And then, well, hypocrisy ... because Donald _____ just won approval to hire 64 foreign workers for his Mar-a-Lago property through the government’s H-2B visa program. And not only is _____ hiring foreign workers while telling y’all that his stance is “hire American” he is also paying those foreign workers less money than he’d pay American workers.

So, remember that; he is telling you what the country should do and then he does the exact opposite because it’s best for his bank account.

Oh, and let’s not forget that his clothing line, and that of his daughter, and possible First lady ... ick ... Ivanka, is still being manufactured outside this country although he says he’ll bring back jobs to America.

I cannot understand how those fools who voted for him can still be foolish enough to think that he’ll do what’s best for America when all he wants to do is what’s best for him and that family of his ... oh wait ... fools.

Could this be true? Is Will & Grace coming back to TV?

Leslie Jordan, who played Karen Walker’s frenemy Beverley Leslie—"Well well well, if it isn’t Karen Walker. I thought I smelled gin and regret"—seemingly confirmed last week that the show is returning to NBC for 10 episodes:

“It’s back. NBC has ordered it. They have ordered 10. It will be for next season, and they’ll add the guest cast. I will get a phone call ... I’m not a regular.”

Last September, the main cast sparked revival rumors after they appeared in a 10-minute episode encouraging viewers to vote. A month later, it was rumored that Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes were all in talks to reprise their characters for an abbreviated season.

But maybe Beverly spoke to soon ... Debra Messing has walked back Leslie Jordan’s confirmation of a revival, Tweeting an answer to a fan’s tweet about the new seasons saying:

“Sadly Leslie was wrong. Nothing beyond talks.” 

Get it together ... I’d like some W&G again.

2017’s First Cat Fight .... "Morning Joe" host Joe Scarborough took to Twitter to blast a former CBS reporter for suggesting Joe “partied” with President-elect _____ on New Year's Eve.

His target was Sopan Deb, who posted a screenshot from a New York Times report noting that Scarborough and his co--host Mika Brzezinski were at _____'s party; then Joe shrieked:

“Partied? You’re very good at pushing fake news. You should write for CNN. Apparently making up facts is fine if you’re writing about us.”

Scarborough then criticized Deb, and then called him “a hack” for suggesting he partied with Trump, but, and here’s the gist of the story, Scarborough was at Mar-a-Lago, though he says he was there before the party to set up an interview with _____.

"Nothing that Mika and I did in setting up this meeting was any different than what all good reporters and news hosts try to do daily. I hope we get the interview."

Deb eventually responded to Scarborough, but wondered, as I did, what the difference between partying with _____ and “attending” the party might be.

So, Joe was there, but before the party which still begs the question: why go all the way to Mar-a-Lago on New Year’s Eve to request an interview, Joe? That could’a been done by phone or email on any other day.

Oh, and there is a photo of Scarborough working the red carpet at the party.

Uh huh. sure Joe.

Carlos’ father is not too keen on the whole gay son thing, and especially not on the whole gay son married to another man thing, and he hadn’t spoken to Carlos in decades. But this year, in April, on Carlos’ birthday, after Carlos’ mother wished him well, his father, Carlos Sr., got on the phone to say Happy Birthday.

I suggested that maybe Carlos Sr. is getting old now and wants to remedy all the bad feelings between father and son—Carlos Sr., has also mended fences with his sister, our beloved Tia Gloria—and Carlos just shrugged.

Well, over the weekend Carlos called his parents in Mexico City to wish them a Happy New Year; he spoke to his mother briefly and then hung up. A few minutes later our phone rang and it was Carlos Sr. wishing Carlos a Happy New Year.

Carlos was very pleased—though he tried to hide it—and then he said, “Of course he didn’t ask about you at all.”

I said, “Look, it’s taken him thirty years to speak to you again, I can wait.”

Still, it does my heart good to know that they’re talking.

We watched the movie Race over the long holiday; the story of Jesse Owens’ performance at the 1936 Berlin Olympics amid the rise of Nazi Germany.

Naturally, since Owens was a black man, Hitler was none too pleased that Owens was the star of the games and even refused to meet the athlete or stay in the stands after Owens had won his four gold medals.

Still the film had some hotties ... clockwise from the top ... notably Stephen James as Jesse, and Jason Sudeikis—who I find very attractive in a snarky smirky way—as Jesse’s coach, Larry Snyder. Sharmier Anderson played Jesse’s chief rival for the spot on the US Track team, Euface peacock, and David Kross was Carl ‘Luz’ Long, a German athlete who befriended Jesse and even, egads, shook his hand and hugged him on the field after a victory.

That alone made life quite difficult for Long after the games. And much was made of Adolf Hitler’s refusal to meet Jesse and yet nearly nothing was said about the fact that, after the games, our own president, FDR, did not invite this four-time gold medal winner to the White House.

Interesting story; fairly good film; hot guys. Win.Win.

This will be our President ...

Donald _____ took to Twitter to kvetch about North Korea:

“North Korea just stated that it is in the final stages of developing a nuclear weapon capable of reaching parts of the U.S. It won't happen!”

Okay, childish because that’s so not presidential, but then he took to Twitter to bash China:

“China has been taking out massive amounts of money & wealth from the U.S. in totally one-sided trade, but won't help with North Korea. Nice!”

But then his real issue came out, the thing that really pisses him on, and it isn’t nukes and it isn’t China, it’s photography:

“@CNN just released a book called "Unprecedented" which explores the 2016 race & victory. Hope it does well but used worst cover photo of me!”

Yup, that our future president. Not North Korea ... not china ... but an ugly picture of his fugly mug.

After acting to gut the Office of Congressional Ethics [OCE] this week—see post HERE—House Republicans scrapped their plans after _____ stepped in ... ALLEGEDLY ... and it looked like maybe the OCE would stay.

Don’t count on it ... while the House GOP withdrew their planned changes, they say they will “study” changes to the office and make them before the August deadline.

So, while I gave them a slow clap this week for doing the right thing, as usual, I have also taken it with a grain of salt, because you cannot trust the GOP as far as you can throw them.

And, while the GOP is suggesting they stopped because of _____, that’s a lie; _____ didn't object to gutting the ethics office, he just wants to do it later ... once someone tells him what “ethics” means.

Just sayin’.

Jared Louis Valezquez, a gay porn star who goes by the name Tyce Jax—seriously? Tyce?—is on probation for beating, choking and pulling a knife on his partner Bobby Hamill; Valezquez has been arrested on domestic violence charges five times before.

Valezquez is said to have become enraged after ... wait for it ... it’s rich ...,. wait for it ... finding Hamill watching porn on an iPad.

Yup, the porn star was furious that his boyfriend was watching porn.

Now, unless it was straight porn ... ewwww .... I’ve.Heard.Everything.

God and Mother Nature Have a Sense Of Irony

Some folks say ‘Karma is a bitch’; I like to think that sometimes Karma is a hoot and a half.

Let’s go back a moment …

In 2010, Tony Perkins, the Head Bigot-and-Homophobe of the Family Research Council, once praised Uganda’s Kill The Gays Bill, calling it an effort to “uphold moral conduct that protects others and in particular the most vulnerable.”

He also blamed the Boston marathon bombing on "sexual liberalism" in Massachusetts.

And last year when “Christian prophet” Jonathan Cahn was a guest on Perkin’s radio show and claimed that Hurricane Joaquin was a sign of God’s wrath for the legalization of same-sex marriage, Tony Perkins agreed, saying that while “those on the left like to mock these things,” many throughout history know “God is trying to send us a message” through natural disasters.

You don’t say, Tony. Then, please to explain how a massive flood destroyed your own home this past week in Southern Louisiana.

What was God saying, Tony?

Well, Tony, who called into his own radio show to describe the floods as being of “biblical proportions” and said that he and his family will have to live in a camper — actually a luxury RV — for 6 months until the damage is repaired, wants y’all to know that this flood wasn’t because of the gays, but rather an “incredible, encouraging spiritual exercise to take you to the next level in your walk with an almighty and gracious God who does all things well.”

Uh huh.

I like to think it was God looking down on Tony Perkins and his ilk and saying,

“Have a seat, Tony. You should be quiet now.”

DeadState

NCRM

♫ ♪ Isn't It Ironic ♪ ♫

Former sheriff Richard Mack has been called the “Constitutional Sheriff” because, well, he’s all about the guns, and all about hatin’ The Gays and all about opposing Obamacare.

So … we could spend time talking about his involvement with the Cliven Bundy Mad Rancher Crisis last year, where Mack suggested using women as shields against those “rogue” federal officers so the images of women getting shot would be televised worldwide and he would be spared.

Or we could spend time talking about Richard Mack posing alongside his friend, Las Vegas shooter Jerad Miller — also a “defender” of Bundy Ranch — who, along with his wife, murdered two police officers in Las Vegas, draping a TeaParty flag over their bodies.

And maybe we could talk about how he demanded an uprising against LGBT rights in Utah because, well, something about Boy Scouts and teachers and The gays shoving something down his throat.

Instead, we’re going to talk about how Richard Mack, a vocal opponent of Obamacare, had a heart attack and has no insurance. We’re going to talk about Dawn Mack, his wife, who has her own health issues, and no healthcare. We’re going to talk about the GoFundMe page created by Mack’s son where he’s asking for  family, friends, and complete strangers to pay t5he Mack’s medical bills for them “because they are self-employed, they have no medical insurance and are in desperate need of our assistance.”

Mack, who is on the board of Oath Keepers — a nonprofit organization that advocates that its members [mostly and former U.S. military and law enforcement personnel] to disobey any orders that they are given if they believe they violate the Constitution of the United States — and is the founder of the Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association, does not like the idea of people receiving help to pay for medical insurance, but he has no problems with creating a website beg in order to pay his own bills:

“Since it appears that recovery will take a good deal of time with associated expenses, I struggle to not feel stress – both the stress of thinking about huge hospital and other medical bills as well as regular living expenses while I am unable to work — and also the stress of not being able to accomplish what I am so passionate about doing for others. It is difficult and humbling to say that we need your help, but we do."

Mack’s GoFundMe campaign has raised nearly $20,000 so far, though a great many more people have taken to the page, and Twitter, to question his money beg when , well, had he just signed up for Obamacare, he might not need to ask for our coins for his bills.

I feel bad for Mack, and his wife, but there is that old saying, ‘You’ve made your bed, now go lie in it.” Mack has worked and worked to fight the federal government in every which way, and fight Obamacare in every which way, and now, well,, after he made the decision to opt out of health care, he needs our help to pay his bills.

As they said on Addicting Info, and I’ll paraphrase: Richard Mack can go ‘fund’ himself.

via Addicting Info