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From The Archives -- What Would Abbie Hoffman Have Thought Of The Flag Lapel Pin Debate?

[ Posted Friday, July 3rd, 2020 – 15:25 UTC ]

Happy Almost Independence Day! (Or whatever we are supposed to call "the federal holiday before the actual holiday's date.")

Because it is a holiday, though, there will be no usual Friday Talking Points column, sorry. I really should have warned everyone about this last week, but somehow didn't notice the calendar. As someone recently put it, "everyday is Tuesday now...." Time seems to blend into itself as we all adapt to the new pandemic reality.

Instead, please enjoy the following column, which ran on the Fourth of July, 2008. Just to remind everyone, at that particular point in time Barack Obama had secured the Democratic presidential nomination, but the general election was still months away.

Looking back on it now should remind everyone of how inane and downright stupid the political arguments of the day were. Back then, the huge, enormous, world-shaking debate was about politicians wearing flag pins. Seriously, that's all we had to argue about in those days of yore.

Barack Obama, back then, had been (or would soon be, I'd have to check the exact timing) excoriated for not showing the proper respect for the flag during either the Pledge of Allegiance or the National Anthem. I think it was the latter, but again I'd have to check (and it's just not worth it, my point remains the same). Back then, Republicans were heavily invested in portraying Obama as "not American" or perhaps just "not American enough," and this was one more log on that fire.

Funny how none of the people who (back then) got so hysterically bent out of shape over Obama not putting his hand on his heart or failing to wear a flag pin had a single word of condemnation after the video surfaced of Donald Trump not only not knowing the words to the National Anthem (during the Super Bowl, no less) but actually getting bored and (much like a squirmy five-year-old would) mock-conducting the rest of the crowd, who actually did know the words and were singing them. There wasn't a peep of complaint from a single Republican, just as they stay silent after every time Trump molests a flag on a stage (something which would have immediately spurred impeachment demands, if Barack Obama had ever done it). Abbie Hoffman was right about such selective outrage. But I'm getting ahead of myself here.

I'm running this column again because Donald Trump, a few weeks back, flirted openly with taking America back to the 1990s (or even earlier). Trump announced he'd like a law that would allow him to put anyone who burned a flag in jail for a year. Thankfully, his fellow Republicans have so far ignored this request, probably because they know it's not going to work for them politically the way it did 25 years ago. Also, because they know the Supreme Court has struck such laws down not once but twice previously.

But since the president did introduce the subject and since Trump could always choose to make this a big applause line at his rallies once again (if he ever holds any again, that is...), I thought it was high time to reprint my commentary on the entire flag issue once again. So enjoy, and no matter what kind of Fourth you have tomorrow, I hope it's a happy and safe one for all.

 

Originally published July 4, 2008

First off, happy Independence Day!

I'd like to address, in as patriotic spirit as can be mustered, the wearing of United States flag lapel pins, and the inherent silliness this debate represents. Flag lapel pins are all the rage these days, but the battle over wearing the flag is older than you may have thought. Older than the battles in Congress over flag-desecration amendments to the Constitution (which stretch back to the 1980s... and which even Democrats who should know better still occasionally vote for in Congress... ahem).

In 1968, in the fading years of one of the most un-American chapters in our entire history, the "House Un-American Activities Committee" ("HUAAC" or "HUAC") still existed. This committee was set up to root out (as you can tell from the title) "un-American" activities... which started out as "communism" but soon morphed into "anything the right wing didn't approve of." It was in this later incarnation that, in 1968, it was holding hearings on those unruly and upstart youngsters, the hippies.

These were not patchouli-reeking slackers (OK, well, maybe some of them were), these were the youth of America who were organized, seriously annoyed with the direction of a very unpopular war, and wanted to influence the political debate of the day. They formed their own "political party" in Chicago (at the Democratic National Convention), which they called the Youth International Party -- or, the "Yippies." At the forefront of this movement was the radical leader Abbie Hoffman. And in 1968, he was called before HUAAC to testify on his activities. His testimony followed fellow Yippie Jerry Ruben, who had appeared in front of the committee dressed in (as Hoffman later described it): "Beret by IRA. Black pajama bottoms by Viet Cong. Bandoleers borrowed from the mountains of Mexico were crisscrossed across the bare sexy chest of a yippie warrior -- his body slashed with lavish swatches of red paint."

Needless to say, political theater was very big, back in the day. Why don't we have committee hearings this entertaining today, one wonders...

But the question remained, how could Abbie possibly top this opening act? Again, in his own first-person account (from his book, Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture):

"In exactly two hours I'd do more for the flag than anyone since Betsy Ross. As our star-spangled retinue approached the hallowed halls of Congress, a detachment of police summoned to the scene quickly encircled us. 'You are under arrest for the desecration of the flag. Come with us.' ... Instantly the steps became a swarm of cameramen, cops, and screaming yippies. ... I fought for life and shirt, swinging wildly. Rrrrrrrrrip! 'You pigs, you ripped my fuckin' shirt,' I screamed... The next day I stood before the judge, bare to the waist. The tattered shirt lay on the prosecutor's table in a box marked Exhibit A. 'You owe me fourteen ninety-five for that shirt,' I mentioned. Bail was set at three thousand dollars. 'Get out of here with that Viet Cong flag. How dare you?' the judge intoned. 'Cuban, your honor,' I corrected [Hoffman had painted a Cuban flag on his body]. A few months later this same judge started letting his hair grow long, called for the legalization of marijuana, and began speaking out against the war."

When the trial was held, under a brand-new section of U.S. law (Abbie claims he was the first person tried under the statute, which carried a maximum penalty of a year in jail and a $1,000 fine), the judge, whom Abbie reports "deemed it his duty to find me guilty," allowed him to make a statement. Big mistake, for anyone who knows Abbie Hoffman. Hoffman's response was: "Your honor, I regret that I have but one shirt to give for my country."

The case, of course, was later overturned on appeal (since it was blatantly unconstitutional to begin with), and Abbie never had to serve the month-long sentence handed down. Abbie reports further: "By the time we had [won the appeal], over three dozen people had already been arrested for similar offenses. A vest in Virginia. A bedspread in Iowa. All with the familiar flag motif. In arguing for the government in defense of the law, Nixon's prosecutor stated, 'The importance of a flag in developing a sense of loyalty to a national entity has been the subject of numerous essays.' The first essay the U.S. government quoted was a lengthy passage from Mein Kampf, by history's most famous housepainter, Adolf Hitler."

Hoffman went on to wear a similar shirt on the Merv Griffin Show, which was the first example in television history of a show being broadcast with the video edited out. This proto-pixilation showed the entire screen as a deep blue, rather than subject America to an image of Abbie Hoffman with a flag motif shirt on.

Note that: flag motif. Abbie never cut up a flag to make a shirt, he bought these patriotic items from people who manufactured them. As Abbie relates his appearance with Merv (emphasis in original):

"I told him how I had just been given a thirty-day jail sentence, not for wearing the star-spangled shirt, but for the thoughts in my head; how Ricky Nelson, Roy Rogers, Dale Evans, Raquel Welch, and Phyllis Diller had all worn similar flag garb on television and in movies; how anyone could go to the fashionable boutique a few blocks from the studio where I had bought the shirt and get one just like it."

Get that -- it's not just wearing the flag that will get you into trouble, but your political beliefs while you wear that flag. Starting to sound a little bit familiar?

Abbie's appearance was aired the next night, but with the following disclaimer read by the vice-president of CBS before the broadcast (and before it was visually turned into a completely blue screen) [editorial note in brackets in original, by Hoffman, speaking in first-person]:

"An incident occurred during the taping of the following program that had presented CBS network officials with a dilemma involving not only poor taste and the risk of offending the viewers but also certain very serious legal problems. It seemed one of the guests had seen fit to come on the show wearing a shirt made from an American flag [not true; it was a shirt with a flag motif]. Therefore, to avoid possible litigation the network executives have decided to 'mask out' all visible portions of the offending shirt by electronic means. We hope our viewers will understand."

Pioneering television. Elvis' pelvis was just kept off-screen, but the birth of what would develop later into pixilation had its origins not in hiding inadvertent nipples (a la Janet Jackson), or someone flipping the bird to the cameraman, but to hide a man wearing a shirt with a United States flag motif.

Abbie, however, got the last laugh, as he was so often wont to do:

"In all, 88,000 people were angry enough that night to call and protest the censoring. In the following days stores all over the country sold out their stock of shirts bearing the flag motif, demonstrations were held at CBS offices in three cities, and Merv Griffin publicly apologized, saying he had not been told of the censoring in advance."

The Yippies went on to nominate, during the tumult surrounding the 1968 Democratic National Convention, a pig named Pigasus to run for President of the United States. Like I said, it was the era of great political theater.

Jump forward 21 years. In 1989, the "Flag-Burning Amendment" was in its infancy, but tensions were high. Republicans were successfully using this as a "wedge issue" to show American voters how gosh-darned patriotic as all get-out Republicans were when it came to sanctifying the American flag (an idea which would cause every single one of the Founding Fathers to spin in their graves so severely that their long-dead neighbors in their respective cemeteries would have risen to file complaints about the resulting noise). But Representative Pat Schroeder, the first woman elected to the House of Representatives from the great state of Colorado, had this to say during a hearing of the Civil and Constitutional Rights Subcommittee of the House Judiciary Committee, on the subject of U.S. Flag Desecration:

"Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and I too join in thanking you for calling these hearings. Mr. Chairman, I am very pleased that we're looking at this because I've probably had a little longer experience with this whole flag issue than some of the others. After my exploratory race for the presidency in 1987, one of the women's magazines decided that they wanted to do a documentary about that and we thought about what kind of cover would dramatize my feeling about the process and about America.

And we decided to do one of myself wrapped in the flag in the Sylvester Stallone, Rocky II-type of thing and in the American hockey team type of thing showing the expansiveness of the American system and how exciting it was. We thought it was a very positive, upbeat, love of America type of thing.

Well, I can tell you a lot of people didn't. (Laughter) I got lambasted by all sorts of people for that. And as that little mini-debate raged in America, people started sending me all sorts of clips. Mr. Chairman, I won't bring all the clips but both the pros and cons would send me clips talking about what do we mean when we talk about flag desecration and what are we talking about in this whole area of how do we use the flag or who can use the flag.

Because of all of these clips, which anybody's welcome to look at, I probably have the world's biggest file on the American flag in Washington, and on public officials crying in public, but I won't bring them all out. But let me just show you some of the things that are interesting. We have here Barbara Bush at the foot of the Lincoln Memorial with a flag around her neck during the inaugural. We have someone who made a cashmere flag into a dress for $2500, and we have Abbie Hoffman wearing a flag.

Now, you know, that's a range of things, and it's interesting -- are some of those desecrations? Is the commercial use good or bad? Those are very difficult issues. Then we have the whole thing of what do you do with artistic renditions. Here we have the Washington Times, not exactly a leftist newspaper, putting the President in a flag. Is that proper? I'm not sure. If you look at the American Legion calendar for 1988, they were the first to criticize my use of the flag. I was on the February cover of 1988. Let me show you the January cover of the American Legion magazine's calendar, and I'm not quite sure what the difference is in all of this. It's a little puzzling, but maybe that's okay and I'm not. Again, I am -- have difficulty in knowing where all these lines are.

And finally, here we have an interesting thing where the top picture is one of the recent press photos that many people protested; women using the flag at one of their meetings. However, the bottom picture is the lady's auxiliary of the VFW marching. And I really wonder how we know which of these is desecration and which isn't. They're both women's groups. They're all American citizens and they're all talking about the flag.

So, I guess what I'm saying is, I find this a very complex issue. Do we allow commercial uses of the flag over used car dealers in magazines and advertisements? We've got all sorts of those that I could have brought on board and shown you. What about political parties use of the flag? Should one political party be able to hide behind it or isn't the flag big enough for everybody?

As I've seen America, it's been a wonderful country big enough for more than one opinion, and that flag is a symbol that's big enough to encompass it all. So as we talk about desecration, as we talk about intent, my experience has been these are very difficult issues, and I hope people tell us how we will know who's truly desecrating and who's not. Burning is a lot clearer. What about all these other things? And what does desecration really mean?"

That's right. Twenty-one years after Abbie Hoffman was prosecuted for wearing a flag, the First Lady of the United States appeared in much the same garb. Of course, she didn't face a court case for doing so, reinforcing Hoffman's claim that he was being persecuted, not prosecuted, and his claim that, "I had just been given a thirty-day jail sentence, not for wearing the star-spangled shirt, but for the thoughts in my head." But finally, Democrats were fighting back. The concept of outlawing flag-burning has died down somewhat since those days. With no help, I must admit, from another woman who recently ran for president.

It should be noted (back in the 1980s, when she became First Lady) that nobody arrested Barbara Bush. Or even suggested it. How times change.

Here is the appropriate federal law, still in effect, from (assuming I get this legal citation correct) Title 4, Chapter 1 of the United States Code, titled "The Flag." Paragraph 8 ("Respect for the Flag") reads:

No disrespect should be shown to the flag of the United States of America

. . .

(d) The flag should never be used as wearing apparel, bedding, or drapery.

. . .

(g) The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.

. . .

(i) The flag should never be used for advertising purposes in any manner whatsoever. It should not be embroidered on such articles as cushions or handkerchiefs and the like, printed or otherwise impressed on paper napkins or boxes or anything that is designed for temporary use and discard. Advertising signs should not be fastened to a staff or halyard from which the flag is flown.

(j) No part of the flag should ever be used as a costume or athletic uniform. However, a flag patch may be affixed to the uniform of military personnel, firemen, policemen, and members of patriotic organizations. The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing. Therefore, the lapel flag pin being a replica, should be worn on the left lapel near the heart.

Whew! At least they left that loophole in there for lapel pins! One almost might think politicians wrote this particular piece of legislation, and left such a loophole for themselves. Ahem.

So -- according to this federal law -- every single car dealership, mattress discounter, tire shop, grocery store, electronics outlet, and other business who uses the flag in any advertising purposes "in any manner whatsoever" should be equally as culpable as Abbie Hoffman in the disrespect shown the American flag. And anyone who uses a paper napkin this weekend with a flag printed on it should be ashamed to call themselves an American. Any athlete participating in the Olympics wearing any part of the flag should be immediately arrested.

Or maybe not. Maybe the flag can survive on its own, as it has been doing nicely for over two centuries. And maybe the Bill of Rights actually means what it says, too. Tinkering around with it only invites turning the Bill of Rights into a political weapon to be used by one faction against another. Personally, I feel that if you give the government an inch, they'll take a mile. You go down this road, and pretty soon Congress will convene committees to determine what is "un-American" and what is not. Which, to me, is one of the most un-American concepts in our entire history.

Because once you start talking about what the "intent" of the flag-wearer is, you have jumped over the Constitution and are now attempting to prosecute Thoughtcrime. The cops would have to figure out whether wearing a flag pin really made you patriotic, or whether it was some sort of protest of some type. And we wouldn't want cops making these distinctions, would we? And we certainly wouldn't want such a silly debate to determine who became our nation's leader. One would think.

So happy Independence Day, for those that have stuck with this polemic to the end. And if you go to a parade today to celebrate our freedom, and see someone there dressed as Uncle Sam -- complete with red-white-and-blue flag motif clothes -- feel free to cheer. Feel free to wear a flag pin. Or not. Or even wear a flag-motif shirt yourself. Because freedom means being able to wear a flag motif in celebration of our 232nd birthday as a nation, and (even more importantly) freedom also means being able to do the exact same action to protest this nation's government. That's what freedom is all about.

-- Chris Weigant

 

Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant

 

181 Comments on “From The Archives -- What Would Abbie Hoffman Have Thought Of The Flag Lapel Pin Debate?”

  1. [1] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    i don't think abbie hoffman could even have imagined a president trumpp.

  2. [2] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    Oh dear, Donny Dingleberry Jr's (clears throat) 'girlfriend' has wound up covid, despite having goat's blood clumsily splashed on her door.

    Had she worn a mask in public, she could have avoided being noticed as ugly, made so by botched plastic surgery.

    ...oh, and the pandemic.

    LL&P

  3. [3] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    FPC

    [37] MtnCaddy wrote:

    [32] nypoet22 wrote:
    @sfbear,

    rattlesnake? really? that's a very extreme analogy to use on a guy just because he likes to post fallacious arguments on a political blog. even those of us who get frustrated by m's shtick generally have to concede that it is entertaining and helps drive real discussion. so who really cares whether or not he qualifies for official troll status? i consider his contribution to be positive on the whole

    I dunno.

    Yes, Michale is smarter than the average troll. And, sometimes, he is entertaining. I wouldn't say he so much "drives the conversation" but rather that he'll escalate his outrageousness until he pisses off somebody like me, and I sally forth.

    But, I do not think Michale' is serious about persuading anyone with the force of his arguments. I therefore don't think he's reachable, and I think that there's too much "bully" in this poor devil that I'd rather not have to scroll god-damned 8,000 words to get to a sentient comment. And deal with the "Democrats want to eat kittens" crap. If'n we don't vote him off the island then we collectively should simply not feed the troll.

    Let Michale' go troll HuffPo, as they appear to be of a sufficient juvenile level that he'll fit right in.

    No, Elizabeth, this is NOT a public forum, and the 1st Amendment addresses only governmental suppression of Free Speech.

    This is Chris Weigant's personal playground, and he is God.

    I can deal with Michale'"Whataboutism" and his dodging either CW's blog or my comments, but I cannot deal with his fucking poison. And did I mention his acres of Fox News quotes in bold?

    So put me squarely into the Death to Michale camp. He is no damned use and I am done trying to deal with this frightened little boy. It's too bad. He had a splendid Weigantian family here to help him on his personal and political journey.

  4. [4] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Yeah, I know. "How do I really feel?

    Pah. Humbug.

  5. [5] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    MtnCaddy

    I raise my glass to you, sir! Salute!

    Russ

  6. [6] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Ah, yeah, this is a public forum so ... deal with it.

  7. [7] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, Chris ain't no God. Heh.

  8. [8] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    So, what do you think of American flag lapel pins and dressing up for the holidays? :)

  9. [9] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Hmmm. I think I still have that outfit, somewhere around here ...

  10. [10] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, Chris ain't no God. Heh.

    If he was, then we'd have a blasted time-sensitive edit function around here, you know.

  11. [11] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    And a vehicle that didn't get in the way of our daily political commentary!

  12. [12] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @liz,

    It's not a public forum, it's cw's private space. That's why nobody but cw gets to vote anybody off the island. CW says michale is welcome to do his own "very special troll" thing, so anybody who doesn't like that can suck it.

  13. [13] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm tired of talking about Michale.

  14. [14] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, this forum is public enough for the non-legal point I was making.

    The problem has always been that a few who have participated along the way fail to understand how to behave meaningfully in a public-private space.

    But, I remain hopeful. :)

  15. [15] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And a vehicle that didn't get in the way of our daily political commentary!

    Yes. That, too! :)

  16. [16] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    American flag pins ("to wear or not to wear") became a so-called controversy back in the Obama days. The Repugs simply had a fit whenever Obama didn't wear one. It was part of the whole GOP's campaign to delegitimize Obama (remember how #MoscowMitch's number one priority was not to clean up after the last Electoral College Repug President's Great Recession but "to make Obama a one term President.")

    Granted, Obama had his own scandals.

    Lest we forget, judge for yourself.

  17. [17] 
    Kick wrote:

    JTC
    2

    Oh dear, Donny Dingleberry Jr's (clears throat) 'girlfriend' has wound up covid, despite having goat's blood clumsily splashed on her door.

    Heh. Every time she is mentioned, I cannot help but think in wonder how she was ever married to Gavin Newsom. Mind boggling. :)

  18. [18] 
    Kick wrote:

    Elizabeth Miller
    6

    Ah, yeah, this is a public forum so ... deal with it.

    "Don't listen to her. :)"

    This is not a public forum.

  19. [19] 
    Kick wrote:

    Elizabeth Miller
    14

    And, this forum is public enough for the non-legal point I was making.

    "Don't listen to her. :)"

    This is not a public forum.

    The problem has always been that a few who have participated along the way fail to understand how to behave meaningfully in a public-private space.

    It's a private space. Your problem has always been you are one of the few who fails to understand that you're not the arbiter of "behaving meaningfully."

    The repetitive trolling generally serves to greatly discourage the flow of political discourse that the comments section was likely designed to generate, and the outright plagiarism and copyright violations of entire articles are both rude as well as quite infinitely illegal. If we all posted like the troll, it would be quite intolerable and most definitely illegal.

    So to recap: The repetitive trolling generally impedes political discourse and discourages others from joining in while encouraging others to leave altogether. Those posters leaving in disgust while someone else is constantly bragging about how long they've been commenting and how many people they've run off is a "dead on balls" giveaway of a troll.

    This ain't rocket science. :)

  20. [20] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Anyone watch Hamilton now it's come to Disney+ ? I never got a chance to see it live, but man it was as good as they say. I highly recommend it. But beyond the quality of the production it does a fantastic job of mixing multi-racial with the patriotic. Considering all the protests, I wonder what effect of a lot of people finally being able to see Hamilton in this moment in time will have on the protest movement?

  21. [21] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Yikes! This is scary stuff...

    It's a Newsweek article about how Trump can thwart a Biden victory in November.

    Comments?

  22. [22] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [19]

    Here here, Kick.

    More than once I bailed on this comments section when it just got too poisonous. That's not good.

  23. [23] 
    Kick wrote:

    MtnCaddy
    16

    Granted, Obama had his own scandals.

    Lest we forget, judge for yourself.

    Watched the entire thing from start to finish. The sheer number of occurrences like no other that rocked the Obama presidency to its core -- scandal, I tell you -- like no other president had done before except all those ones in the pictures. "I can assure you Reagan never did that." Cue the multiple pictures with Reagan wearing a tan suit in the oval office. Oh, the horror!

    As far as "latte salute gate," there was a missed opportunity to post those multiple pictures of George W. Bush saluting service members while holding his dog. In point of fact, there are tons of pictures of presidents not saluting service members at all because Ronald Reagan began the practice of returning the salute in 1981. Presidents prior to 1981 had followed military regulations that civilians and those not in uniform are not required to salute.

    The President of the United States is both a civilian and doesn't wear a military uniform... except George W. Bush on the USS Abraham Lincoln. Can you imagine the horror if Obama put on a combat uniform and landed on a aircraft carrier and then pulled a stunt like that "Mission Accomplished" photo-op day bullshit? Their tiny little heads would explode. But Obama didn't wear a flag lapel pin... cue the Righty outrage. *shakes head*

  24. [24] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Right wing media tells people whatever it takes to get them to vote against their own wallets.

    Are you a greedy bastard who hates paying taxes?

    Are you a religious fundamentalist who wants everyone to live according to your religious beliefs?

    Are you a racist? A gun nut? We've got your back!

  25. [25] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    ...And now for another random act of Canadian.

    Find someone you love and tell them.

    Can't hurt, so it's not part of the problem.

    LL&P

  26. [26] 
    Kick wrote:

    Bashi
    20

    Anyone watch Hamilton now it's come to Disney+ ?

    I saw it live but only once and (of course) it blew me away and had to buy the music and obligatory t-shirt on my way out the door. I also just watched it on Disney+ yesterday.

    I never got a chance to see it live, but man it was as good as they say. I highly recommend it.

    This! The "movie" version is stellar and far superior in many respects to the theater experience -- which was awesome, of course -- but there is simply no substitute for the sheer volume of detail and different angles with which you are presented in the myriad of closeups of the "movie." King George III... Jonathan Groff... OMG:

    When you're gone, I'll go mad
    So don't throw away this thing we had
    'Cause when push comes to shove
    I will kill your friends and family to remind you of my love.

    The drool. The facial gestures. Incredible. But you miss nothing of the crowd experience/audience reaction since they also include the authentic response.

    But beyond the quality of the production it does a fantastic job of mixing multi-racial with the patriotic. Considering all the protests, I wonder what effect of a lot of people finally being able to see Hamilton in this moment in time will have on the protest movement?

    I was wondering the exact same thing after I watched it on Disney. If you haven't watched the "Extras," I highly recommend you do since many of the main cast discuss their thoughts on the current events of the day. :)

  27. [27] 
    Kick wrote:

    MtnCaddy
    24

    Right wing media tells people whatever it takes to get them to vote against their own wallets.

    Check out those Republicans of "The Lincoln Project," though.

    https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/07/04/nation/take-look-dozen-lincoln-projects-most-devastating-anti-trump-ads/

    They seem determined to redeem themselves for past transgressions, and so far they're winning.

    I lost count of the number of Republican groups working against Trump. Heh.

  28. [28] 
    Kick wrote:

    JTC
    25

    Find someone you love and tell them.

    Done.

    Can't hurt, so it's not part of the problem.

    I'm not quite sure what the response was.
    No more alcohol for that one. ;)

  29. [29] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [24]Are you a greedy bastard who hates paying taxes? Unless "you can't take it with you" is secretly untrue (maybe the rich know something that we don't, eh?) why is accumulating extra millions and billions so important? The genius of Henry Ford was that by paying an unheard of amount to his employees, they could afford to buy his cars. Everybody does better when the wealth is spread around. Even rich people.

    The more our national wealth is concentrated in the top 10% the less money everyone else has to spend. And less spending equals less job and wage growth.

  30. [30] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [24]Are you a religious fundamentalist who wants everyone to live according to your religious beliefs? "Freedom of religion" is a lie unless it includes "Freedom from other people's religion." Nowhere near a majority of Americans agree with these fundamentalists, yet they want the law to reflect their minority beliefs.

    Besides, we're only talking about abortions for poor people. Republican or Democrat, if you have money you'll get your abortion. Abortion is like gayness. Both have been around forever and will be around forever, period.

  31. [31] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    Trump cracks me up. Yesterday his soliloquy included a lament about 'the unseen enemy within'.

    Trump literally warned a crowd of zealots that they were beg eroded by the 'them'.

    Trump is making failing upwards into an Olympic class event.

    LL&P

  32. [32] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [24]

    Are you a racist?

    I'm sorry if you are
    because your racism is hurting my country, Dude.

    American racists have fallen for a well worn political trick that promises,

    "You can boss the n*ggers, and we'll boss the money!"

    A variation of that is,

    "Y'all go ahead and hate each other, because you're fighting each other for the crumbs that we brush off our table."

    Children who aren't raised racist don't end up racist. That means racism is learned and that it can be unlearned.

    Everyone who's not Native American comes from immigrant stock. And immigration is how America will not suffer from declining working age population as will Europe, Russia, China and Japan, hello?

  33. [33] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [24]

    A gun nut?

    Look, guns have been part of American culture from day one, and in the hands of the vast majority of Americans they aren't a problem. Even if a majority of voters wanted to outlaw guns, that'll never happen. With over 300 million guns in America there's no way anyone is getting their guns taken away.

    Except…

    Everyone (even most gun owners) supports better background checks, and there's varying support for "red flag" temporary gun confiscation. We can't get the gun out of every nutjob's hands. But every possible life saved, every school full of kids not traumatized by a shooting make it worth at least trying out these common sense reforms.

    But they are opposed by the "Leave No Gun Unsold" NRA.

    Yeah, the possibly Russian tainted NRA.

    BTW did you know that the NRA started out as a gun safety educational organization?
    *shaking head*

  34. [34] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    MtnCaddy [16]

    The DailyShow did an incredible job with that video! I have used it countless times whenever I hear conservatives try to argue that both parties make a huge fuss over things that the President from the other party does. I just ask them if Democrats getting upset over Trump accepting Russian help during the election or Trump telling our ally that we would not provide them military aid until they agreed to help Trump smear his opponent in the upcoming election really seems on the same level as Mustard-Gate?

  35. [35] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    Guns, guns, and more fucking guns.

    I had to snicker, I saw a video of a husband and wife posturing in front of their palatial 'two up two down', she a delightful thing, and her derringer, he and his hideously beweaponed assault rifle.

    What sad laughable creatures they set.

    When I was 'cough' more active, you brandished a weapon, you crossed the Rubicon, it was time to put the deed to delivery.

    Otherwise, you'd be petard pate.

    Otherwise, otherwise, carry-on.

    LL&P

  36. [36] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    By my standards, this is borderline spam.

    My shame is concurrent. I prophesied CW's blog-flog of Mr.Hunt would fall short its mark.

    Yet here we are, Michale is consolidating his position as a complete plonker.

    "the dream is over, what can I say?"

    John Lennon

    LL&P

  37. [37] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [11]

    nypoet22 wrote:
    And a vehicle that didn't get in the way of our daily political commentary.

    One would assume that Chris's vehicular mission succeeded because we didn't get another "Program Note...because his truck ran outta gas" haha

  38. [38] 
    John M from Ct. wrote:

    MtnCaddy [21] you linked to a Newsweek article about how Trump and his enablers could screw around with the election and win a second term despite a clear Biden popular and electoral victory in November. The basics are that Trump says the election was influenced by Chinese interference and vote-counting fraud, declares an emergency, and details the Justice Dept. to start investigating. Following his lead, the Republican dominated legislatures of four key swing states (AZ, MI, PA, and WI) refuse to certify their states' electoral votes by the deadline of December 14. With those votes missing when the Congress meets to count them in January, neither candidate has a majority, and the election goes to a state-by-state decision in the US House, as per the constitution. A bare majority of states have Republican dominated delegations, and they proceed to vote to re-elect President Trump.

    I saw links to this in several online forums this past week. Finally, one of my most reliable blogs, Electoral Vote, addressed its likelihood in their regular Saturday column of Q&A from their readership. I hope it's OK if I reprint their response here, as a link would be to their entire column of twenty or so questions.

    Q: My sister and mother are convinced Trump will figure out a way to steal the election. You've already answered why this isn't possible describing the safeguards in multiple scenarios. My sister just forwarded this article [Same as MtnCaddy linked to - JMfCT]. In your opinion, is this a reasonable scenario? M.B., Melrose, MA

    A: We got more questions about this article this week than we got about any other single subject, so we are going to address it, even though we think the authors who are contributing to this growing genre are doing more harm than good by helping to encourage needless anxiety.

    Anyhow, the short answer to your question is "No. It is not reasonable." While we cannot say with 100% certainty that Trump won't try some shenanigans, we are going to raise four objections to this particular "analysis":

    It's really complicated: Those who read the piece, or who have already read the piece, will notice that the scenario involves twelve different parts, and that for many of those parts, things have to break just the right way. For example, it requires that Joe Biden win only a particular set of swing states, and that he win them by only nominal margins. The odds of so many things unfolding in just the right way are very, very small.

    It's predicated on factual inaccuracies: For example, step number 6 is "All four swing states have Republican control of both their upper and lower houses of their state legislatures. Those state legislatures refuse to allow any Electoral College slate to be certified until [a] 'national security' investigation is complete." The problem here is that state legislatures in those four states don't have power to decide whether or not election results are certified. In the four states the authors mention, that power is vested in the governor (PA), the state elections commission (WI), the secretary of state (MI), and the secretary of state in the presence of the governor and state AG (AZ). The AG of Arizona is a Republican, and three of the six election commissioners in Wisconsin are Republicans, but all of the other folks named here are Democrats, and would not be influenced by dubious "investigations." The four Republicans named probably wouldn't be either.

    Maybe the legislatures of all four states could convene in late November and give themselves this power, but that would not be easy to pull off, and is yet another thing that would have to go just right for the 12-step scenario to come true.

    It's predicated on the assumption of one-way actions: The authors' presumption is that dishonest Republicans would do all sorts of shady things, and that the Democrats and the court system would apparently sit on their hands and watch it unfold. But, of course, that's not what would actually happen. For example, if Biden won Wisconsin, but the state refused to certify the results while "investigating," an army of lawyers working for the Democratic Party would go to the Supreme Court, would point to Bush v. Gore, and would insist that SCOTUS require the states to certify the results immediately. Chief Justice John Roberts might not like helping Joe Biden out, but he would like the damage that would be done to SCOTUS' reputation even less if they tried to dance around the Bush ruling to help Trump steal an election.

    Implausible endgame: Recall that Trump does not like being president. Recall also that many Republican officeholders don't like having him as president. Meanwhile, stealing an election would, at very least, utterly undermine the legitimacy of the Trump presidency and the Republican Party. At worst, it would be the beginning of the end for the Party, and perhaps for the American democracy. We just don't see how all of the players that would have to get on the same page to make this happen would believe that the cost-benefit analysis adds up. Maybe Bill Barr would. Maybe even Trump. But a sizable number of senators, representatives, state legislators, etc.? Dubious.

    In short, it is really hard to steal a presidential election. This article does nothing to move us off that position.

  39. [39] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I like your bottom line!

  40. [40] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [23]

    The sheer number of occurrences like no other that rocked the Obama presidency to its core -- scandal, I tell you -- like no other president had done before except all those ones in the pictures. "I can assure you Reagan never did that." Cue the multiple pictures with Reagan wearing a tan suit in the oval office. Oh, the horror!

    This is a good example for those Trump people who are maybe trying to get over their personal version of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Who are questioning their Dear Leader over a depression and a mountain of dead.

    Perhaps asking themselves, "If Fox News is 'Fair and Balanced' why are they giving Obama a hard time for something Saint Ronnie did?"

  41. [41] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    []

    Muchas gracias, Amigo, fer putting my mind at ease. Longest of shots at best.

  42. [42] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Achhh...

    [38]

    Muchas gracias...

  43. [43] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    ...And now for something completely different.

    If Kennedy had Camelot, Does Trump have Spamalot?...
    His aides do 'have to push the pram a lot'...

    :P

    LL&P

  44. [44] 
    John M wrote:

    [17] Kick wrote:

    "Heh. Every time she is mentioned, I cannot help but think in wonder how she was ever married to Gavin Newsom. Mind boggling. :)"

    He is hot and sexy with that beard. The only good thing about him. :-) Otherwise you are right, it is mind boggling given their wildly different politics. I wonder which one she has less in common with?

  45. [45] 
    Kick wrote:

    MtnCaddy
    40

    This is a good example for those Trump people who are maybe trying to get over their personal version of Trump Derangement Syndrome. Who are questioning their Dear Leader over a depression and a mountain of dead.

    It's undoubtedly a great example... but for the fact that introspection generally isn't exactly the strong suit of the rank-and-file of Right-wing followers. Obama wore a tan suit, and the useful idiots don't care if there are multiple photos of Reagan doing the exact same thing. You could show them 100 pictures of Ronald Reagan wearing the exact same suit (in a much larger size, of course), and it wouldn't move the majority of their hypocrisy meters one iota. They don't generally need to think because they've got Fox News and right-wing conspiracy propaganda media to do all their thinking for them while they drink it down like Kool-Aid and spew back the invented sewage.

    And how about that utter asinine QAnon drivel? Yes, even some of that garbage has made its way into the mainstream on Fox News and been regurged back on this very forum as the GOP goes ever further off the bullshit propaganda deep end. With the GOP and their decades of cultivation of a woefully uninformed electorate that eschews science and is suspicious of intellect and education, it should surprise no one that any leader they'd choose wouldn't have the tools that it takes to govern.

    But I digress.

    So what if Fox News covered Trump the way it covered Barack Obama? It isn't hard to imagine:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-cZG81-MPQ

    Perhaps asking themselves, "If Fox News is 'Fair and Balanced' why are they giving Obama a hard time for something Saint Ronnie did?"

    They'd have to admit that it was neither "fair" nor "balanced," but that would require thinking and introspection... which isn't generally their strong suit (see above).

    So I covered the bad news, and now I'll give some time to the good news. What generally moves the Righty rank and file is when something affects them personally. Let's see if I can think of a good example of this. *takes moment*

    Okay, got it: Rob Portman.

    [requires another link]

    ... continued

  46. [46] 
    Kick wrote:

    continued...

    Rob Portman was against gay marriage until it became a personal issue for him.

    https://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Politics/DC-Decoder/2013/0325/Coming-out-How-Sen.-Rob-Portman-s-gay-son-charted-his-path

    Chief Justice John Roberts has a cousin who is a lesbian. Does it affect his decisions? I would wager it somewhat could, but would Roberts admit that it has or does? Not in a million years. But look at his recent decisions, and you decide.

    So ---> cut to the chase: SARS-CoV-2 and resultant COVID-19

    You could be one of the greatest opportunists and scam artists of all time, but you cannot con a pandemic of which your sheer incompetence and mishandling has affected the lives and livelihoods of so many Americans while you've spent month after month ignoring science and referring to the very real virus as a "Democrat hoax" and repeatedly claiming that the whole thing would all magically disappear "one day." Full stop.

    So to recap: The GOP rank and file aren't generally known for their introspection and self-awareness because they've been cultivated for decades by the GOP propaganda to mistrust science and education, and now it's coming back to bite the GOP in the ass because their base is ignorant and is prone to electing dumb asses who aren't really capable of governing.

    However, you can only gaslight and con people for so long until the gig is eventually up because it's hard to convince the majority that SARS-CoV-2 is a "Democrat hoax" when it shows little signs of abatement and has to date killed tens of thousands of Americans and otherwise has affected almost every individual in America in one way or another.

  47. [47] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    So, what's the matter with a tan suit?

  48. [48] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I mean, these days, I think a tan suit would look horrible on Senator Biden. Though, it would certainly be dependent upon the tie and shirt he would choose - perhaps the look would require a flashy ascot, as well - and whether any of that would work with a US flag lapel pin. Because, you just know he'll be wearing one of those!

  49. [49] 
    John M wrote:

    [21] MtnCaddy wrote:

    "Yikes! This is scary stuff...

    It's a Newsweek article about how Trump can thwart a Biden victory in November.

    Comments?"

    I would say this is extremely unlikely also. EVERYTHING would have to go just RIGHT.

    And for Biden to win BOTH the popular vote AND the electoral college vote and still not be declared president? Remember, ALL the networks would have publicly announced Biden's win live and on air, before the Trump administration could even get rolling. That would trigger a constitutional crisis and a public revolt not seen since the Civil War. It would make the recent protests look tame and small by comparison. Democrats already had a hard enough time with Bush's Florida win, no way they would stand for that again. It would be open warfare in the streets. Do you really think the military would follow Trump's orders with such a huge question of his legitimacy?

  50. [50] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Biden was wearing US flag lapel pins before, you know, US flag lapel pins were cool.

    Back when I was wearing my infamous US flag printed blue jeans. Ah, would that I could still get into those ...

  51. [51] 
    John M wrote:

    [47] Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    "So, what's the matter with a tan suit?"

    Mmmm, stains are too obvious maybe?

  52. [52] 
    Kick wrote:

    James T Canuck
    43

    ...And now for something completely different.

    Sweet!

    If Kennedy had Camelot, Does Trump have Spamalot?...

    I'm not sure if I want to admit this, but okay; I'll take the plunge. I have actually had that exact same thought, that the Trump administration should be referred to as "Spamalot" because of its eternal gaslighting.

    Go ahead then... ask me the five questions. ;)

  53. [53] 
    Kick wrote:

    John M
    44

    He is hot and sexy with that beard.

    That explains it. ;)

  54. [54] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    The poorly executed 'beard of sage council' aside, it's become apparent that Don the Lesser's girlfriend is slowly morphing into a carbon copy of his step-mother the second.

    It's creepy shit.

    I thought all the Trump women were supposed to emulate Iwanka in looks and style.

    LL&P

  55. [55] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [52]

    Kick wrote:

    Go ahead then... ask me the five questions. ;)

    Ooo...what five questions? Am I busting into some private conversation?

    Oooo! I like secrets!

  56. [56] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [36]

    JTC wrote:

    ...I prophesied CW's blog-flog of Mr.Hunt would fall short its mark.

    Yet here we are, Michale is consolidating his position as a complete plonker.

    "the dream is over, what can I say?"

    John Lennon

    Help we out, here.

    Apparently I don't speak passable Canadian anymore (I grew up across the river from Windsor, and but it's been 37 years.)

    Who is Mr. Hunt?
    What's a "complete plonker?"

    And...what does John Lennon's dream have to do with any of this?

  57. [57] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    So, I was guessing that the CW Sunday Music Festival and Dance Party would have been well underway by now ...

    So glad I haven't missed anything!

    Let's get started off with this gem of an old favourite of mine - just try sitting still ... :)

    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=nsync+bye+bye+bye+youtube&view=detail&mid=3268328141B01DCAA3E33268328141B01DCAA3E3&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dnsync%2bbye%2bbye%2bbye%2byoutube%26cvid%3d54f9e2991bc844e5939d2ba2be311c9b%26FORM%3dANAB01%26PC%3dU531

  58. [58] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Hey, the bar is officially open - what'r y'all having!?

  59. [59] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, if it's a little inspiration you're longing for, then look no further than Luther Vandross's version of the Impossible Dream - I dare ya to listen and not have a tear well up in your eye ...

    The theme song for 2020,
    https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=chords+luther+vandross+the+impossible+dream&view=detail&mid=7FF12BBC539DC2C993E17FF12BBC539DC2C993E1&FORM=VIRE0&ru=%2fsearch%3fq%3dchords%2bluther%2bvandross%2bthe%2bimpossible%2bdream%26cvid%3d1b7957536f3b48ba97e727360e37efdb%26FORM%3dANAB01%26PC%3dU531

  60. [60] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Okay, you guys, I'll have another - and, you can go ahead and make it a double.

  61. [61] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    There are other versions in this series of the Impossible Dream, including one very special one by Cynthia Erivo, sung to ... well, Camelot.

  62. [62] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I have another really inspirational song but, I think I'll save it for next Sunday. I still have the surprise that I promised for a little later on this evening ...

  63. [63] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    i've been craving a beer for days and been too exhausted from watching the baby and the toddler to run out and get one.

  64. [64] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    as promised, here's the song i was talking about before. basically, it's the hip toronto version of saying if you keep acting like a schlemazel, it's inevitable that some schlemiel in your life is going to spill their drink on you. or something like that, with added romantic implications. oh hell, just listen to the song and read the lyrics.

    https://youtu.be/4fHUtUC8nDI

  65. [65] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Hey, Joshua ... here's a cold one for you, straight outta the ice!

    I just listened to the song, and surprise of all surprises, my speakers didn't clank out.

    I think I'm feelin' the vibe ...

  66. [66] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    ... it could be near time for my surprise.

  67. [67] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    i'm glad you're here, it was starting to get real lonely

  68. [68] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Well, the first official CW Sunday Music Festival and Dance Party is almost in the books - in my time zone, at least and, I'm beat.

    But, here is something that surprised me ... a 17-minute song released as we were all in the throes of Pandemic I by none other than Bob Dylan and, on Twitter, ironically.

    It's about the aftermath of the JFK assassination - immediate and never-ending, the impacts of which are with us today. Just when I thought the murders, most foul, were finally, at long last, out of my system ...

    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/27/bob-dylan-murder-most-foul-review-jfk-assassination-john-f-kennedy

  69. [69] 
    Kick wrote:

    MtnCaddy
    55

    Ooo...what five questions? Am I busting into some private conversation?

    The five questions (three questions) so we may continue our quest, of course.

    ARTHUR: There it is! The Bridge of Death!

    ROBIN: Oh, great.

    ARTHUR: Look! There's the old man from Scene 24!

    BEDEVERE: What is he doing here?

    ARTHUR: He is the keeper of the Bridge of Death. He asks each traveler five questions--

    GALAHAD: Three questions

    ARTHUR: Three questions. He who answers the five questions--

    GALAHAD: Three questions

    ARTHUR: Three questions may cross in safety.

    ROBIN: What if you get a question wrong?

    ARTHUR: Then you are cast into the Gorge of Eternal Peril.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0D7hFHfLEyk

  70. [70] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Sssssssssssssss

    thuck

    "M-m-message for you, Site?"

  71. [71] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Sire

  72. [72] 
    Kick wrote:

    MtnCaddy
    56

    Apparently I don't speak passable Canadian anymore (I grew up across the river from Windsor, and but it's been 37 years.)

    Who is Mr. Hunt?

    Often when I am reading his posts and laughing my arse off, I am wondering if anyone else is getting it. He does speak in riddles that can fly right over your head if you're not careful and quick on your feet. I mean, a person could be insulted beyond measure by JTC and not even know it.

    So then, who is this inimitable Mr. Hunt? How about a visual representation:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnpqFXuNzc

    What's a "complete plonker?"

    The diametrically opposed visual representation of Mr. Hunt... you know a "plonker"... a winkle, a tadger, Mr. Wang.

    Right then... clear as mud? ;)

  73. [73] 
    Michale wrote:

    In an impassioned press conference Sunday night, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms issued a full-throated call for citizens to stop "shooting each other up on our streets," after an eight-year-old girl was shot and killed on the Fourth of July near a Wendy's that has become a flashpoint of anti-police Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests in the city.

    Bottoms, a Democrat who is considered a potential running mate for Joe Biden, made the remarks as she fought through tears -- and the nation endured a new bout of urban carnage. Sixty-three people were injured and 17 killed in Chicago, including two children, over the weekend; and in New York City, 44 were hurt and at least six killed.

    “Enough is enough," Bottoms said. "Enough is enough. We have talked about this movement that's happening across America and this moment in time when we have the ears and the interests of people across this country and across this globe who are saying they want to see change. But the difference in this moment in time with the civil rights movement -- the civil rights movement, there was a defined, common enemy. We're fighting the enemy within when we are shooting each other up on our streets."

    She continued: "You shot and killed a baby. And there wasn’t just one shooter; there were at least two shooters. An eight-year-old baby. If you want people to take us seriously, and you don't want us to lose this movement, then we can't lose each other."

    "It has to stop," Bottoms added, according to FOX 5 Atlanta. "You can't blame this on police officers. It's about people who shot a baby in a car. We're doing each other more harm than any officer on this force."

    Secoriya Williamson, the father of eight-year-old Secoriea Turner, told reporters that his daughter had been killed after at least two people in a crowd of armed people opened fire on a car she was riding in with her mother. Authorities said the mother had attempted to drive through illegally placed barricades in the area when the vehicle came under fire Saturday night.

    Bottoms said there have been problems with protesters in the area putting up barriers to close off the street. She said she received a message that the barriers were back up less than an hour before she was informed that the eight-year-old girl had died.

    "They say Black Lives Matter. You killed your own," Williamson said. "They killed my baby because she crossed a barrier and made a U-turn? You killed a child. She didn't do nothing to nobody. Black Lives Matter? You killing your own. You killed an eight-year-old child. She ain't did nothing to no one of y'all. She just wanted to get home to see her cousin. That's all she wanted to do."

    This is EXACTLY why you people will never get it..

    This is why The Democrat Party/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter will never have any more power..

    This is why I am not welcome here..

    Because I speak the facts and the FACTS prove ya'all wrong at every turn..

    And ya'all just can't stand that..

    But, don't worry.. I'll be around..

    And when something like this happens that is so horrible or so wonderful or is so pathetic that it totally and utterly puts you terrible people (NEN) in their place and exposes ya'all for the utterly horrible people ya'all are I'll be here to make sure you pathetic and people people know about it..

  74. [74] 
    Michale wrote:

    "Police shot 9 unarmed Black people all of last year. 25 black people were shot just in Atlanta. Yesterday. By other black people"

    You people just don't fucking get it..

    And none of you ever will...

  75. [75] 
    John M wrote:

    [74] Michale wrote:
    "Police shot 9 unarmed Black people all of last year. 25 black people were shot just in Atlanta. Yesterday. By other black people"

    You people just don't fucking get it..

    And none of you ever will...

    You know Michale, you are the one who just doesn't get it. Trying to use one statistic to minimize and trivialize the other, is one of the MAJOR hallmarks of systemic racism.

  76. [76] 
    John M wrote:

    [74] Michale wrote:

    One does not make the other any less significant or serious enough of a problem. The very fact that you can't see that simply points out how wrapped up you are in your own white privilege. You can't empathize because you don't even have to worry about experiencing either one on a daily basis. Either police bias that makes you afraid of every little trivial encounter, or white on white on white crime (in your case) that makes you insecure for your safety every day.

  77. [77] 
    John M wrote:

    [74] Michale wrote:

    Because you live in such poor, under served, government and white society neglected, deliberately marginalized as a matter of designed policy, conditions. (In terms of the black on black crime that you like to gleefully point out as a way of not having to deal with the very real anti black police bias.)

  78. [78] 
    Michale wrote:

    You know Michale, you are the one who just doesn't get it. Trying to use one statistic to minimize and trivialize the other, is one of the MAJOR hallmarks of systemic racism.

    Blaaa blaaa blaaa...

    You know, JM.. You have been using that same line of bullshit as long as I have known you.. ALL of you have.

    And it's just a bullshit line so you don't have to face up to the failures of the Democrat Party..

    There IS no systemic racism in our society..

    If there were, you could PROVE it.. But you can't because it's doesn't exist..

    I can give you THOUSANDS of examples that PROVE systemic racism doesn't exist and you can't give me one simple fact that even INDICATES it does..

    So, by all mean, keep living in your dream world.. It makes it easy for you to delude yourself...

    But we have President Donald Trump exactly BECAUSE ya'all are living in that dream world..

    Ya'all are living in a Matrix of ya'all's own creation where systemic racism is every where.

    But, here in the REAL world, it doesn't exist..

    And The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter will continue to lose...

    Live with that...

  79. [79] 
    Michale wrote:

    Let's look at the actions of your Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party, JM..

    Justify for me the destruction BY YOUR PARTY of the Thomas Jefferson Statue who was the author of the Declaration Of Independence....

    Justify for me the destruction BY YOUR PARTY of Abraham Lincoln statutes, a man who freed the slaves..

    JUSTIFY for the destruction BY YOUR PART of Ulysses S Grant Statutes, the General who defeated Southern Democrats..

    Can you justify ANY of those actions, taken with consent of YOUR Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party??

    No you cannot...

    Let's talk black American voter suppression.. You want to talk about that?? OK, let's talk about that??

    Do you know that the BIGGEST operation of black voter suppression is nearly the NUMBER ONE platform of the Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party??

    Did you know that.. It's factually accurate..

    It's called ABORTION and it kills almost 1 MILLION potential black voters EVERY YEAR...

    Do you know that the NUMBER ONE KILLER of black American voters is not HIV... It's not cops... It's not even black on black crime....

    It's a program that is fully funded and supported by the Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party. THAT program is the number one killer of black Americans in this country and it is abortion..

    HOW can you say with a straight face that Black Lives Matter when you support abortion, JM???

    You can't because it makes you a hypocrite...

    I know, I know.. CW is enforcing the rules that favor ya'all so to make it easier for ya'all to best the only guy here who actually has the facts on his side..

    So, these comments will all likely be deleted..

    I hope before they are that ya'all really THINK about the side you support.. The lies... The deaths... the babies killed.. Children in the street gunned down with their mothers and their fathers..

    REALLY think about it.

    Because it's not President Donald Trump doing that.. It's not Republicans doing that..

    It's YA'LL'S fucking Democrats that are doing that...

    Next time ya'all want to spew bullshit about President Trump and Russia, go on and on hysterically about the Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party's faux impeachment coup...

    Just think how man AMERICANS were killed over this 4th of July weekend.. How many of them were killed by people who were DEMOCRATS.. ANTIFA... BLACK LIES MATTER...

    And then spew your unbelievable horse shit, your moose poop that, somehow.. by some twisted delusional fantasy, it's ALL President Trump's fault..

    And THEN maybe pull yer heads out of yer asses and see the world for it really is..

    Everything that is bad and horrible and pathetic and despicable in this country is because of The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party..

    These are the facts of the case.. And they are undisputed...

  80. [80] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale,

    Your comments won't be deleted. Well, they won't be read, either - by me, at least. But, they will stay where you put them for all who come here to see what you are.

    Thanks, by the way, for showing up last night. The whole point of the exercise and impetus for it was for you and others like you to take a break. From the usual chit-chat that passes for discussion around here. Typical, I suppose, that y'all wouldn't show up.

    And, watch your language.

  81. [81] 
    Michale wrote:

    And on a personal note, I find it frakin' HILARIOUS that for the last 3 or 4 days, practically EVERY comment was about me..

    Hell, 'Nuck went on and on that, if yer talkin' about Michale (which he was doin' right then and there) then Michale lives in your head!!!

    I find that so hilarious.... :D

    But then I get sad again when I think of how many children your Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party had killed over the weekend..

    I'll be waiting to see if ANYONE can PROVE systemic racism in this country without the use of stats.. Cuz stats are just another way to spin the facts by cherry picking data sets... Choose the ones that support the bullshit and ignore the ones that don't..

    So, ya'all PROVE systemic racism in this country without the use of stats..

    You can't do it cause it just ain't so...

    But I can give HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of facts to support this ISN'T a racist country...

    I can PROVE my position with FACTS... Ya'all can't prove your claim whatsoever...

    It's really that simple...

  82. [82] 
    Michale wrote:

    Thanks, by the way, for showing up last night.

    Uh.. I didn't show up.. I was watching THE AMERICANS with my lovely wife..

    The whole point of the exercise and impetus for it was for you and others like you to take a break.

    I don't like to take breaks with people who are part and parcel to a Political Party that guns down small children and their parents in the street..

    I guess I am fucking funny that way...

  83. [83] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Don,

    We missed ya last night!

    I, for one, can't get your Brain Damage out of my head. Heh.

  84. [84] 
    Michale wrote:

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EcMs5_QWoAQmn0B?format=png&name=360x360
    An 8-year-old girl was shot and killed Saturday night in Atlanta near the Wendy’s where Rayshard Brooks died last month.

    Police identified the child Sunday as Secoriea Turner.

    That's how The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party "honor" Rayshard Brooks..

    They gun down an 8 year old little girl in cold blood...

    This is the Party ya'all support....

    It's disgusting...

  85. [85] 
    Michale wrote:

    Well, I guess JM ran away instead of accepting the challenge to prove the US has systemic racism..

    Shit, it would be so easy to do..

    All he had to do was point to Affirmative Action..

    But JM chose to run away...

    Typical...

  86. [86] 
    TheStig wrote:

    MntnCaddy - 3

    All unmoderated comment sections eventually become toxic. It is the Tragedy of The Media Commons. Trolling is easy, moderation is hard. There is an entire business empire devoted almost exclusively to trolling called Twitter. Virtually all comments on YouTube seem to be written by 8 year old boys - but for some reason I find it easy to just ignore them.

    Wankers are going to wank. They cannot help themselves. They are sad.

    Trolling results in comment nannyism. That quickly becomes sad too. So, I am aware this comment is sad.

    I'm suppose CW gets useful feed back from The Comments...why else would he have not dumped the feature long ago?

  87. [87] 
    Michale wrote:

    I'll be waiting to see if ANYONE can PROVE systemic racism in this country without the use of stats.. Cuz stats are just another way to spin the facts by cherry picking data sets... Choose the ones that support the bullshit and ignore the ones that don't..

    So, ya'all PROVE systemic racism in this country without the use of stats..

    OK, I'll throw ya'all a bone...

    I WILL allow ya'all to use stats to try and prove systemic racism in this country beyond Affirmative Action..

    BUT...

    ANY stat you use **MUST** incorporate the criminality factor as one of it's datasets.. In other words, if you want to show that cops kill xx number of black people vs xx number of white people and you have a population data set, you MUST include the criminality data set.. IE xx black people commit crimes vs xx white people commit crimes..

    So, now you should have it easy..

    IF.... IF systemic racism in this country is as obvious and plentiful as ya'all claim, it should be EASY to prove with stats.. ***AS LONG*** as one of the data sets includes criminality percentages..

    There.. Ya'all CAN'T prove systemic racism...

    So quit talking about it as if it's a thing..

    Systemic racism in this country is like spiderman or god or the boogerman...

    Fictional creations...

    Unprovable because they do not exist..

    It's really THAT simple...

  88. [88] 
    Michale wrote:

    Stig,

    So, I am aware this comment is sad.

    Well, at least you finally admit what I have been telling you all these years... :D

    You can't win..

  89. [89] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    TS,

    All unmoderated comment sections eventually become toxic. It is the Tragedy of The Media Commons. Trolling is easy, moderation is hard.

    Oh, yeah, moderation is near impossible for most people around here.

    So, don't try to put this on Chris!

  90. [90] 
    Michale wrote:

    OK..

    So, we are all agreed..

    Beyond Affirmative Action, there is no systemic racism in the United States..

    I am glad we can find common-ground on this issue..

    Now, can ya'all get to work on getting black Americans to quit killing other black Americans, especially black American children??

    Please??

    It's YA'ALL'S Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party...

    Do something about it..

  91. [91] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm suppose CW gets useful feed back from The Comments...why else would he have not dumped the feature long ago?

    Seriously?

  92. [92] 
    Michale wrote:

    So, don't try to put this on Chris!

    Yea!! Shame on you, Stig!!!

  93. [93] 
    Michale wrote:

    REPRINTED WITH PERMISSION

    Colin Kaepernick was ripped on social media over the weekend over his tweet denouncing the Fourth of July holiday -- which comes about nine years after he was celebrating America's independence.

    Kaepernick posted a video showing the Ku Klux Klan, police brutality, slavery and lynchings. He denounced the nation’s 244th birthday as a “celebration of white supremacy.”

    Ironically enough, all the KKKluckers and Police and those doing the lynchings and all the slave owners???

    They were all Democrats..

    Aren't ya'all so proud..

    “Black ppl have been dehumanized, brutalized, criminalized + terrorized by America for centuries, & are expected to join your commemoration of ‘independence’, while you enslaved our ancestors. We reject your celebration of white supremacy & look forward to liberation for all,” he wrote.

    Again, all the white supremacists that Cuppernutz is talking about are DEMOCRATS... That's ya'all's Party, iddn't it??? :D

    Of course, 9 years ago, Cuppernutz had a different 4th Of July Message...

    Social media sleuths dug up a Kaepernick tweet from nine years ago where the former San Francisco 49ers quarterback was asking everyone to have a “blessed day.”

    “Happy 4th of july everyone I hope everyone has a blessed day,” he wrote at the time.
    https://www.foxnews.com/sports/colin-kaepernick-mocked-hypocritical-tweet-fourth-of-july

    What a total moron and dickhead.. 9 years ago, Cuppernutz WANTED to celebrate White Supremacist Day and have it be "blessed" for everyone..

    Whatta turd...

  94. [94] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    @m,

    i for one am glad you're still around, and i think it's safe to say liz is too. but do heed CW's advice and only post one paragraph of each article you cite - and any article you do cite in more detail should involve a separate e-mail to CW certifying that you have the author's permission to do so.

    that's not CW trying to shut you up; it could create legal issues for HIM, so by not sanctioning you for it he's trusting you to hear and comply. my guess is that's the main reason he's gotten a bit snarky with our favorite V.S.T. ;)

    JL

  95. [95] 
    nypoet22 wrote:

    "institutional" racism is gone, but there is absolutely still "systemic" racism. that goes back to the way the system was initially set up, during and immediately following jim crow. even if the pieces of the system didn't have a single consciously racist individual, it would still be a racist system because it disadvantages black people based on geography and bureaucracy.

    if you're interested in the read, this might help:

    https://www.tolerance.org/magazine/fall-2018/what-is-white-privilege-really

  96. [96] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    i for one am glad you're still around, and i think it's safe to say liz is too. but do heed CW's advice and only post one paragraph of each article you cite

    Absolutely, positively, unequivocally!

    I'm just a little upset right now, that he didn't even show up last night, not even to slap me upside the head, for crissake. :(

  97. [97] 
    Michale wrote:

    i for one am glad you're still around, and i think it's safe to say liz is too. but do heed CW's advice and only post one paragraph of each article you cite - and any article you do cite in more detail should involve a separate e-mail to CW certifying that you have the author's permission to do so.

    If it was just that, I wouldn't have a problem.

    It's the fact I am required to only comment on the subject of the Commentary.. So, all CW has to do is pick safe Democrat topics and I'll never have any argument.. He is stacking the deck against me because ya'all can't compete... I know you and Liz don't really WANT to compete but the lamers like Stig and 'nuck and Vick and Voice etc etc need all the help they can get and CW delivered it with a silver bow..

    of course, THEY can talk about anything they want (as this weekend proved) so apparently, the enforcement of the rules only apply to me..

    Again, stacking the deck against me.. It's 1 against 20 and CW seems to feel the 20 need more help..

    that's not CW trying to shut you up; it could create legal issues for HIM, so by not sanctioning you for it he's trusting you to hear and comply

    Oh com'on... Do you honestly believe that any of the authors I quote (Goodwin, Schlichter, etc etc) will read cw.com and take offense to how I use their work to kick Left Winger's ass??? On the other hand, I can totally see Vick of Voice or 'Nuck in a fit of anger having just got their asses kicked AGAIN, to try and make trouble with some of those people for CW because of me.. I can definitively see that happening..

    But then, I have told CW I have permission to use the works, so legally CW is covered.. His legal defense is sound and assured...

    "He told me he had permission, Mr Goodwin.." "I had no reason to doubt him Mr Schlichter.." and viola..

    It's all on me..

    No, it's patently obvious that the Weigantian Peanut Gallery is burning the email oils to CW and he is getting tired of it.. I can't say I blame him.. As whiney as they are in the forums, I can imagine how much of a pain in the ass they are over email.. So, I don't blame CW in the slightest for giving in and giving a leg up to the WPG because they need help so desperately...

    And, what's so ironic is all I needed was 4 more months... Actually a couple days less than 4 more months...

    My plan was to be here til the election, rub ya'all's (NEN) nose in President Trump's phenomenal win with 60% of black American vote.

    Of course, there would be interim wins (SCOTUS decides in favor of President Trump on the taxes issue, black American support for President Trump continues to rise, etc etc) that I could crow about..

    That's it...

  98. [98] 
    Michale wrote:

    Having said all of that...

    but do heed CW's advice and only post one paragraph of each article you cite - and any article you do cite in more detail should involve a separate e-mail to CW certifying that you have the author's permission to do so.

    If this is what CW truly meant and my restrictions doesn't involve limiting my subject matter???

    I mean, let's face reality..

    If I am never allowed to talk about anything that hurts The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party, then what honestly do I have to talk about???

    Because EVERYTHING that is happening is hurting The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party...

    So, if things are as you state above, then I feel like six different kinds of ass :D...

    And I can live with those kinds of restrictions... If anything, I'll simply find a different way to say what I read and put them down as my own words that make the same point..

    I spose that would be OK, eh???

    So, I guess I'll shut up until I hear from the Grand Poobah...

  99. [99] 
    Michale wrote:

    So, if things are as you state above, then I feel like six different kinds of ass :D...

    Which, I have to admit, is a new feeling for me.. :D

  100. [100] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Heh.

  101. [101] 
    Michale wrote:

    "institutional" racism is gone, but there is absolutely still "systemic" racism. that goes back to the way the system was initially set up, during and immediately following jim crow. even if the pieces of the system didn't have a single consciously racist individual, it would still be a racist system because it disadvantages black people based on geography and bureaucracy.

    It DID disadvantage black people.. There is no evidence to show it still does.. If all black people are disadvantaged, explain Dr Martin Luther King.. Hermann King.. Clarence Thomas...

    Give me the facts of a black person's life in prison and I can show you exactly where his life went wrong.. No racism involved..

    Just as give me the facts of Clarence Thomas' life and I can point to all the good decisions that made him the man he is today..

    Did you ever wonder why 99% of all successful black Americans are conservative???

    http://sjfm.us/pics/3men.jpg

    Each of those black Americans all had the exact same opportunities... The factors that made them where they are today are solely and completely a factor of their decisions they made...

    There are no black Americans.. They are no brown Americans.. There are no yellow Americans.. There are only AMERICANS...

    Until The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party understand that, they will always be second best..

    If you want to talk about geographical issues..

    Why was it that we saw Wakandan shuttles in the streets of Oakland but not in the foothills of Kentucky???

    Geography simply is..

    It CAN'T be racist anymore than a giant asteroid that hits Harlem and not Bel Air is racist..

    It just IS....

    Further, I would point out that there is very little difference between "systemic" and "institutionalized"..

    But I guess you DO concede that there is no institutionalized racism..

    That's a start and a LONG way from where we were over the 16 years you and I have been discussing this topic..

  102. [102] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And I can live with those kinds of restrictions... If anything, I'll simply find a different way to say what I read and put them down as my own words that make the same point..

    Now, THAT would be some kind of refreshing!

    Besides, you know I always click on your links, right??

  103. [103] 
    Michale wrote:

    Absolutely, positively, unequivocally!

    I'm just a little upset right now, that he didn't even show up last night, not even to slap me upside the head, for crissake. :(

    Thank you, Liz... I apologize for being a prick to you this morning..

    I wasn't here yesterday because I honestly felt I was no longer welcome here..

    By the only people that count...

  104. [104] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    All the more reason for you to show up for the CW Sunday Music Festival and Dance Party, you know.

  105. [105] 
    Kick wrote:

    John M
    75

    You know Michale, you are the one who just doesn't get it. Trying to use one statistic to minimize and trivialize the other, is one of the MAJOR hallmarks of systemic racism.

    Yes, sir; perfectly stated.

    I would simply add that the continued plagiarism/posting without attribute and copyright violations of huge chunks of articles after being asked multiple times not to do that by the author of this blog are MAJOR hallmarks of an inconsiderate troll.

    The tone of the troll's post is one of the MAJOR hallmarks of the kind of poison (props to MtnCaddy) and seething hatred that on a long-term basis can lead to vasoconstriction, hypertension, transient ischemic attacks, and resultant mental decline (props to Bashi).

    So, to recap: Pathetic but usual and customary display of victimhood, anger/hatred, insolence, and total inability to comprehend simple written English.

    Medication and education recommended.

  106. [106] 
    Michale wrote:

    Did you ever wonder why 99% of all successful black Americans are conservative???

    http://sjfm.us/pics/3men.jpg

    Each of those black Americans all had the exact same opportunities... The factors that made them where they are today are solely and completely a factor of their decisions they made...

    There are no black Americans.. They are no brown Americans.. There are no yellow Americans.. There are only AMERICANS...

    We need to start judging Americans by their character and their actions..

    NOT the color of their skin..

    Rayshard Brooks, George Floyd, Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Eric Garner...

    ALL of them and tons more..

    The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party judges them ALL by the color of their skin...

    NOT by their character and their actions..

    THAT needs to stop...

  107. [107] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm sorry, too, Michale - I always assume your skin is as thick as mine, or something ... :)

  108. [108] 
    Michale wrote:

    I'm sorry, too, Michale - I always assume your skin is as thick as mine, or something ... :)

    Normally it is.. But I have been hot and cold and sick and fine for the last week or so.. My sister in law and niece have covid, my wife is crawling the walls and it's just been crazy...

    So, I plead diminished capacity... :D

  109. [109] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Michale, you must also learn how to ignore as good as me. Heh.

  110. [110] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I'm so sorry to hear that, hang in there! I knew there was something wrong ...

  111. [111] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Joshua, thanks for posting that link on "White Privilege" ... something everyone of us would do well to read!

  112. [112] 
    Michale wrote:

    You know Michale, you are the one who just doesn't get it. Trying to use one statistic to minimize and trivialize the other, is one of the MAJOR hallmarks of systemic racism.

    BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Really???

    So, if I used the stat that EVERY Global Warming Prediction has been WRONG and therefore minimize and trivalize the entire Global Warming con..

    THAT is systemic racism????

    BBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Thank you for proving my point so perfectly, JM...

    You people (NEN) are so fuc... frak'ed up racist you see racism in EVERYTHING...

    Especially things that have absolutely NOTHING to do with race whatsoever..

    You are the perfect Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party Drone, JM...

    Quintessential.... :D

  113. [113] 
    Michale wrote:

    Joshua, thanks for posting that link on "White Privilege" ... something everyone of us would do well to read!

    White Privilege is like intersectionality and Obstruction Of Congress....

    Made up words that have absolutely NO MEANING beyond The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party and it's utterly delusional view of the world...

  114. [114] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    LizM,

    it was starting to get real lonely

    I'm just a little upset right now, that he didn't even show up last night

    lol. It's was actually quite obvious that your kumbaya party was destined to flop. People generally attend parties to have fun. When the party organizer has a cozy relationship with and desperately begs a toxic shithead to attend and everyone else knows it, the outcome is preordained.

  115. [115] 
    Michale wrote:

    lol. It's was actually quite obvious that your kumbaya party was destined to flop. People generally attend parties to have fun. When the party organizer has a cozy relationship with and desperately begs a toxic shithead to attend and everyone else knows it, the outcome is preordained.

    Thus spaketh the toxic shithead.. :D

  116. [116] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Now that two trolls have been warned and have both decided to do exactly what Chris has asked them to stop doing, it looks like anything goes here. Liberty!

  117. [117] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    84

    This is the Party ya'all support....

    It's disgusting...

    You're disgusting.

    If somebody farts in a city in America, that isn't your cue to post it and direct your poison and hatred towards everyone else on this forum who doesn't agree with your conspiracy theory bullshit.

    Moving on.

  118. [118] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Shocking. Positively shocking.

  119. [119] 
    Michale wrote:

    One Paragraph

    No need to plead guilty
    The fashionable doctrine of ‘white privilege’ is fatally undermined by the facts

    It seems pretty obvious that Peggy McIntosh has confused class privilege with racial privilege. That is, she has led such a pampered existence and had so little contact with people outside her Harvard-Radcliffe bubble that she assumes all whites enjoy the same advantages as her — and not just in the United States, but across the Western world. Which is pretty offensive if you’re a victim of America’s opioid epidemic known as the “white death” because it disproportionately affects white people in the American South. One wonders how many victims Dr McIntosh has known? A survey of white adults born after World War II showed that between 1980 and 2000, just 18.4 per cent of white Baptists and 21.8 per cent of Irish Protestants — the main white ethnic groups to settle in the South — managed to get college degrees, compared to a national average of 30.1 per cent. Among those Americans of Chinese and Indian descent, the average was 61.9 per cent.
    https://thecritic.co.uk/issues/december-2019/no-need-to-plead-guilty/

    You see, this is the problem with made up words and concepts like "white privilege" and "intersectionality" and "Obstruction Of Congress"..

    They all have one thing in common..

    Because they are made up, they are situationally dependent and can mean whatever anyone wants them to mean..

    They have absolutely NO BASIS in fact that can be agreed upon and are a "one size fits all" for any lame and factless point a Left Winger wants to make.

    They are the BJ Honeycutt of politics...

    "What does the BJ mean??"
    "It means anything you want it to mean."

    -M*A*S*H

    Ask 30 Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party drones the meaning of "white privilege" and you'll get 30 different answers..

    If it can mean anything, it actually means nothing..

  120. [120] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    I know. It might as well be Facebook.

  121. [121] 
    Michale wrote:

    You're disgusting.

    Yea, that's yer continued accusation......

    Yet, you have no facts to support your claim and I have a dead 8 yr old little girl in Atlanta and almost a million dead black American babies every year that proves my claims about your Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party...

    Facts hurt, don't they Vick..

  122. [122] 
    Michale wrote:

    Now that two trolls have been warned and have both decided to do exactly what Chris has asked them to stop doing,

    I am abiding by CW's instructions as laid out by JL, someone who has more credibility here in his little toenail than you do in your entire empty soul..

    If I misunderstood JL or JL misunderstood CW than I'll accept CW's decree when he wakes up.....

    In short, sunshine.. This isn't your blog to police...

    If ya don't like it, ya know where the door is.. You already bailed once.. But like the luser who always gets bitch-slapped you just don't know when ya been beat... :D

  123. [123] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    97

    It's the fact I am required to only comment on the subject of the Commentary.. So, all CW has to do is pick safe Democrat topics and I'll never have any argument.. He is stacking the deck against me because ya'all can't compete...

    Ever the whiny victim and poster child for grievance.

    I know you and Liz don't really WANT to compete but the lamers like Stig and 'nuck and Vick and Voice etc etc need all the help they can get and CW delivered it with a silver bow..

    Oh, boo effing hoo. Did CW make up fake quotes about you or endow you with attributes and feelings that never crossed your mind? You poor baby. You sure do whine about other posters a lot. Ever the perpetual whiny little victim of everyone else. I've never seen a troll quite like you who trolls an entire forum and disrupts political discussion yet constantly whines about how you're the victim.

    Oh com'on... Do you honestly believe that any of the authors I quote (Goodwin, Schlichter, etc etc) will read cw.com and take offense to how I use their work to kick Left Winger's ass???

    I agree with Mike on this. I don't read the vast majority of his repetitive spew so why would anyone else he could possibly name actually read it? We're all far too busy scrolling through the repetitive shit to actually read it... and since we're all here mostly not reading it in the same manner the authors wouldn't be here reading it, how exactly is it kicking anyone's ass? It isn't. It's just a whole lot of plagiarism and spam, spam, spam, spam that no one is actually reading.

    On the other hand, I can totally see Vick of Voice or 'Nuck in a fit of anger having just got their asses kicked AGAIN, to try and make trouble with some of those people for CW because of me.. I can definitively see that happening..

    Please seek professional help for your pathological lying, victimhood and conspiracy theory gullibility issues.

    But then, I have told CW I have permission to use the works, so legally CW is covered.. His legal defense is sound and assured...

    *laughs*

    No, it's patently obvious that the Weigantian Peanut Gallery is burning the email oils to CW and he is getting tired of it..

    You have a screw loose. Seriously.

    I can't say I blame him.. As whiney as they are in the forums, I can imagine how much of a pain in the ass they are over email.. So, I don't blame CW in the slightest for giving in and giving a leg up to the WPG because they need help so desperately...

    *laughs*

    And, what's so ironic is all I needed was 4 more months... Actually a couple days less than 4 more months...

    Post or don't post. I don't think the majority gives a shit whether you do or not as long as you stop with the damn walls of effing spam, spam, spam, spam that no one is reading and gets in the way of actual political discussion.

    My plan was to be here til the election, rub ya'all's (NEN) nose in President Trump's phenomenal win with 60% of black American vote.

    You're clueless.

    So to recap: You a clueless ass. Get over yourself.

  124. [124] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    98

    I feel like six different kinds of ass :D...

    Oh, don't sell yourself short, Mr. Hunt. You are definitely at least six dozen different kinds of ass... and ever the whiny aggrieved victim. :)

  125. [125] 
    Michale wrote:

    Vick,

    Re #131

    Blaaa Blaaa Blaaaa

    You thought you got rid of me..

    The day is young..You still might..

    But for now.. As usual... I OWN YOU...

    And you STILL have no facts to support your claims

    And with you.. EVERYTHING is about me.. :D

    But, by all means.. Continue to go on and on about how I don't matter to you at all..

    EVERY COMMENT you made today has been about me.. :D

    PWNED

    :D

  126. [126] 
    Kick wrote:

    John From Censornati
    114

    lol. It's was actually quite obvious that your kumbaya party was destined to flop. People generally attend parties to have fun. When the party organizer has a cozy relationship with and desperately begs a toxic shithead to attend and everyone else knows it, the outcome is preordained.

    Very well said, sir. Quite right.

    Anyone giving orders over and over ad nauseam that nobody on the forum can discuss political issues in the comments section of a blog actually designed for that very purpose and then requests the attendance of the most hateful toxic person on the forum in a manner recently contraindicated by the board's owner shouldn't be surprised if nobody shows.

    The sense of entitlement is mind boggling.

  127. [127] 
    Kick wrote:

    John From Censornati
    116

    Now that two trolls have been warned and have both decided to do exactly what Chris has asked them to stop doing, it looks like anything goes here. Liberty!

    Yes, sir. That ever-present sense of entitlement. #SSDD

  128. [128] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    "I wasn't here yesterday because I honestly felt I was no longer welcome here..."

    That's odd, you always effervesce charm and probity. I can't imagine why you would feel unwanted or superfluous.

    Who's to say what constitutes prattle and mithering in the big scheme of things?

    I do hope this CV19 loosens its grip on you lot down there, the only person I know that became infected was my cousin, a strapping 240lb, six and a half foot tall ex-professional football player, he came within hours of being taken off a respirator. To think upper echelons in the US are playing a game of chicken with this virus staggers belief.

    Trump's game of 'herd the cats' is putting people in early graves. One would have to be fucking blind not see what a complete debacle trump, his lackeys, and his 'down-ticket' dunces have made of this crisis.

    For the present administration to be hailing their efforts as anything but a complete clusterfuck that they themselves are wholly to blame is abhorrent.

    Almost as despicable is quietly trying to dismantle the healthcare of millions of people during a pandemic. It's just fucking lunacy and anyone who can't get past their partisanship to see it for what it is has the same blood on their hands as Trump. End Of.

    It's mindboggling that Trump and his supporters still think they have skin in the next election game. Trump's popularity has flattened and can't rebound, there will be a quarter of a million people dead by November. If that doesn't bite with the electorate, then nothing will. I have more faith in democracy, even that messy version in the US, to work and see Trump gone in disgrace and complete failure.

    LL&P

  129. [129] 
    Michale wrote:

    That's odd, you always effervesce charm and probity. I can't imagine why you would feel unwanted or superfluous.

    I know, right..

    :D

    People who deserve it get treated with respect..

    I have never kept it a secret.. I treat people exactly how they treat me..

    If yer a prick, guess what?? That's what you get back...

    "For those who would be our friends, you will find no more faithful friend than the United States.. For those who would harm our citizens and make war on us?? We can be faithful to that as well.."
    -President Jack Ryan

    To think upper echelons in the US are playing a game of chicken with this virus staggers belief.

    And yet, you had no words of caution when all the protests were going on, eh??

    Funny how that is... Going out and actually living one's life is "playing chicken".. But you can sure go out and kill little girls and have protests and destroy American statues and monuments.

    THAT is as safe as can be...

    Do you realize how transparent your ideological agenda is???

    It's mindboggling that Trump and his supporters still think they have skin in the next election game. Trump's popularity has flattened and can't rebound, there will be a quarter of a million people dead by November. If that doesn't bite with the electorate, then nothing will. I have more faith in democracy, even that messy version in the US, to work and see Trump gone in disgrace and complete failure.

    Yea, you said that almost word for word about this same time in 2016....

    And then you disappeared after President Trump kicked Hillary's ass...

    Are you going to stick around when President Trump wins again???

    Or run away and hide again like in 2016???

    Just let me know.. :D

  130. [130] 
    Kick wrote:

    Elizabeth Miller
    118

    Shocking. Positively shocking.

    Get some new material, dear. You've worn that one totally out.

  131. [131] 
    Michale wrote:

    Kinda ironic..

    Of all the FACTS that I have laid out today and in the past one glaring fact has never been touched by ya'all..

    President Trump has done more for black Americans in his first 2 years of office than the entire Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party has done in 4 decades..

    At least that's what the niece of Dr Martin Luther King says..

    And if you don't believe her, that must mean yer racist...

    OK, that's not fair.. I shouldn't stoop to using Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party tactics..

    But it's clear that Ms King is dead on ballz accurate..

    Funny how no one here disputes Ms King's facts, eh?? :D

  132. [132] 
    Michale wrote:

    Vick,

    Get some new material, dear. You've worn that one totally out.

    "This is not your blog to police"

    :D

  133. [133] 
    Michale wrote:

    Here is another interesting factoid..

    The top 10 most violent cities as listed by Forbes are all run by Democrats...

    And now Democrats want to run the country..

    On what PLANET is that a good idea??

  134. [134] 
    Michale wrote:

    De Blasio blames NYC weekend violence on coronavirus, vows to 'double down' to keep city safe

    The mayor blamed the violence, in part, on people being 'cooped up' amid the pandemic
    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/de-blasio-blames-nyc-weekend-violence-on-coronavirus-vows-to-double-down-to-keep-city-safe

    I am sure all the protests DaBlowHole allowed had NOTHING to do with it... :eyeroll:

  135. [135] 
    Michale wrote:

    Yunno, it's interesting..

    There are several issues that are important to the Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party...

    Black Lives Matter
    Voter Suppression
    Racism

    And yet, the Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party also supports abortion most of all...

    Now, let's look at the illogic of the Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party's position...

    Abortion is the NUMBER ONE KILLER of black Americans..

    So, right there.. Supporting abortion PROVES that, to The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party, Black Lives really DON'T matter..

    Abortion kills hundreds of thousands of potential black American voters.. So, logically, voter suppression is really no big deal to The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party....

    Racism... Big concern of The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party.. And yet, by supporting abortion, The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party supports a program that kills THOUSANDS more black Americans than white Americans..

    So, basically what I have just done is totally decimated the ENTIRE Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party positions on everything they hold dear...

    "The illogic of waste, Mister Spock. The waste of lives, potential, resources, time. I submit to you that your Empire is illogical because it cannot endure. I submit that you are illogical to be a willing part of it."
    -Captain James T Kirk, STAR TREK, Mirror Mirror

    I submit to ya'all that your Party is a waste of lives, potential and resources. And that ya'all are illogical for being a willing part of it..

    Genocide: Black Abortions in America
    https://www.grrtl.org/genocide/

  136. [136] 
    Michale wrote:
  137. [137] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Oh, the hysteria!

    Was that the shortest take your ball home in a huff episode in the history of this blog?

    The only facts I see are that you don't understand the history or makeup of political parties. Black lives matter are probably mostly democrats, but Anti-fascists are just those who reject fascism. Could be democrats, could be republicans, could be those of no political party affiliation, but the hardcore anti-fascists are a strange mix of anarchists and communists. The far far right of the far right mixing with the far far left. Strange bedfellows but hey, fascism sucks. But neither of those two groups are democrats.

    As far as your stats on blacks killed by police, are you sure? It's not the official numbers that people are protesting, it's the general feeling backed by some evidence and many anecdotes that when the cameras are turned off or no one is around to film via cell phone, stories change, reports become fraudulent, stuff happens and cops cover their collective asses and don't do their job. Even as a white guy, I've experienced it. And I've seen many examples during protests. There are very long youtube videos going around of nothing but cops not doing their job during the current protests, when they know the cameras are rolling. I mean if they can't even control themselves then, what are they doing when no one is watching? Cops have power and are abusing it. A lot of that abuse is directed at African Americans. That is why there are protests.

    Because they are made up, they are situationally dependent and can mean whatever anyone wants them to mean..

    You mean like your entire rhetorical shtick?

    132,007 Americans dead from Coronavirus and counting...

  138. [138] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    125

    Blaaa Blaaa Blaaaa

    I speak several languages, but Trollvish ain't one of them.

    You thought you got rid of me..

    Actually, you have no idea what I think unless I tell you. However, your standard projection of your modus operandi onto others is again duly noted.

    The day is young..You still might..

    Stay... or don't. You have just as much right as anyone to post your opinion... ignorant, repetitive, and trollish as it may be. I will say CW is right about you throwing sand repeatedly; it just makes you look stupid and kicking someone's ass, alright... except it's your own admitted bigly bottom. Read what CW wrote; he did you a solid by explaining how ridiculous you sound.

    But for now.. As usual... I OWN YOU...

    You own a tiny intellect, an unmatched ignorance, a repetitive stale routine, a deep and toxic hatred, and the complete and total inability to see yourself exactly how near everyone else here says you are.

    And you STILL have no facts to support your claims

    I rest my case on that stale routine.

    And with you.. EVERYTHING is about me.. :D

    Seek professional help; I'm not kidding. You insert yourself into near every conversation on the board and disrupt the flow of actual political discussion with the same repeated dialogue over and over ad nauseam, and then you whine like a toddler that everyone makes everything about you... and that's the hallmark of a troll seeking attention.

    So to recap: You're a troll.

    Michale [14] -

    Don't put on airs. You are a troll, but a more amusing one than most. Plus, you salt your trolling with sci-fi movie references. And you pay your way, at the end of the year in the pledge drive. So you're a very special troll... but a troll nonetheless.

    Deal with it.

    http://www.chrisweigant.com/2020/06/29/p-d-b-answers-needed-p-d-q/#comment-162641

    *

    Your troll bona fides are as well established here as your pathological lying bona fides. Congratulations on your well-earned status. It fits you to a "T" :)

  139. [139] 
    Michale wrote:

    Frederick Douglass statue vandalized in New York park on anniversary of famous Fourth of July speech
    Statue taken on anniversary of one of Frederick Douglass' most famous speeches

    https://www.foxnews.com/us/frederick-douglass-statue-vandalized

    A great black American's statute torn down..

    Oh, he must have been a Confederate... :eyeroll:

    It's clear that the entire Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party agenda is simply about destroying America and her culture..

    And ya'all think that will get patriotic Americans to vote Democrat???

    On what planet???

    Can anyone explain to me the "logic" of destroying the statue of Frederick Douglass???

    Anyone at all???

  140. [140] 
    Michale wrote:

    As far as your stats on blacks killed by police, are you sure?

    Absotively..

    It's not the official numbers that people are protesting, it's the general feeling backed by some evidence and many anecdotes that when the cameras are turned off or no one is around to film via cell phone, stories change, reports become fraudulent, stuff happens and cops cover their collective asses and don't do their job.

    Oh, so you don't have ANY facts.. It's just about yer feelings.. :eyeroll:

    Yea, that's what I figured..

    Even as a white guy, I've experienced it.

    I am sure you have... Being the scumbucket that you appear to be, I have no doubt you have attracted the attention of police..

    DUIs perhaps?? Domestics??

    I have NO DOUBT you have done things that drew the attention of the cops..

    Oh, yea.. I am sure you are completely innocent.. :eyeroll:

    132,007 Americans dead from Coronavirus and counting...

    Yea.. That's yer gleeful claim..

    Still have NO FACTS to back it up...

  141. [141] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    It's called ABORTION and it kills almost 1 MILLION potential black voters EVERY YEAR...

    BOO HOO! You swallow about 1 MILLION potential Trump voters at every truck stop you frequent.... so what??!!?? And there weren’t 1 million abortions performed in this country across all races last year according to the CDC, so once again your FACTS are lies.

  142. [142] 
    Michale wrote:

    That's what's so hilarious about Vick & Blathy et al...

    They NEVER have **ANY** facts to support their claims.

    Even Blathy admitted that it was all about "feelings"...

    All they have is personal attacks... Never a lick of relevant fact about anything..

  143. [143] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Frederick Douglass statue vandalized in New York park on anniversary of famous Fourth of July speech
    Statue taken on anniversary of one of Frederick Douglass' most famous speeches

    Sounds like white power pissants decided to get revenge for taking down their Confederate statues. “Blame it on AntiFa and BLM!”

    You are working overtime to avoid talking about Trump’s failure to even address the coronavirus, his continued refusal to speak out against Russia’s hiring Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers, or his crazy hate-filled speeches over the 4th of July weekend.

  144. [144] 
    Michale wrote:

    Russ,

    It's called ABORTION and it kills almost 1 MILLION potential black voters EVERY YEAR...

    BOO HOO!

    So, in other words, black American lives don't REALLY matter to you..

    Glad we have that on the record..

    And there weren’t 1 million abortions performed in this country across all races last year according to the CDC, so once again your FACTS are lies.

    According to the CDC!!???

    BBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

    Of course the CDC (AKA Center For Gun Control) are going to pad the stats for The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party..

    DUH.....

    The FACTS say something completely different, Russ..

    Abortion Statistics
    Current United States Data*
    Total number of abortions in the U.S. 1973-2018: 61.8 million+
    186 abortions per 1,000 live births (according to the Centers for Disease Control)
    U.S. Abortions in 2017: ~862,320 (Guttmacher Institute)
    Abortions per day: 2362+ (GI)
    Abortions per hour: 98+ (GI)
    1 abortion every 96 seconds (GI)
    13.5 abortions / 1000 women aged 15-44 in 2017 (GI)

    The Guttmacher Institute totals are actually the more accurate since the Institute conducts private research on abortion providers throughout the country and because not all states are required to report to the CDC. In fact, California and New York, where high numbers of abortions occur, are not included in CDC figures.

    Once again, you have Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party propaganda....

    And I have the FACTS....

    61.8 million abortions every year..

    Abortion is the NUMBER ONE KILLER of black American lives...

    Given these FACTS, it's clear that you don't really care about voter suppression or racism or black American lives..

  145. [145] 
    Michale wrote:

    Sounds like white power pissants decided to get revenge for taking down their Confederate statues. “Blame it on AntiFa and BLM!”

    You are working overtime to avoid talking about Trump’s failure to even address the coronavirus, his continued refusal to speak out against Russia’s hiring Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers, or his crazy hate-filled speeches over the 4th of July weekend.

    So you have NO FACTS to address why The Democrat/AntiFa/BlackLiesMatter Party would destroy Fredrick Douglouss Statue, eh???

    Do you have any facts that any group BESIDES AntiFa and BlackLies Matter are in the statue/monument destroying business these days??

    No??

    Of course not.. you NEVER have any relevant facts of ANY kind...

    Yer funny that way.. :D

  146. [146] 
    Michale wrote:

    And there weren’t 1 million abortions performed in this country across all races last year according to the CDC, so once again your FACTS are lies.

    In fact, California and New York, where high numbers of abortions occur, are not included in CDC figures.

    Once again.. Michale DECIMATES ya'all's bullshit claims with ***FACTS***

    Gods, I missed this.. :D

  147. [147] 
    Michale wrote:

    And a sad day..

    The devil went down to GA for the very last time..

    Country music legend Charlie Daniels dies at 83

    RIP Charlie Daniels

  148. [148] 
    Michale wrote:

    OK, Gotta take my little kitty Raven to the vet...

    http://sjfm.us/pics/RavenRajah2.jpg

    Raven is the black kitty on the left..

    They say heart surgery changes a person...

    I'll say it sure does..

    I am a cat person now....

    Never would have thunked it.. :D

    See ya'all in a bit..

    Maybe... :D

  149. [149] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    Bashi,

    It's not the official numbers that people are protesting, it's the general feeling backed by some evidence and many anecdotes that when the cameras are turned off or no one is around to film via cell phone, stories change, reports become fraudulent, stuff happens and cops cover their collective asses and don't do their job. Even as a white guy, I've experienced it. And I've seen many examples during protests. There are very long youtube videos going around of nothing but cops not doing their job during the current protests, when they know the cameras are rolling. I mean if they can't even control themselves then, what are they doing when no one is watching? Cops have power and are abusing it. A lot of that abuse is directed at African Americans. That is why there are protests.

    Curious about what exactly you have experienced? When you claim that the police are “not doing their jobs” during the protests, what are you referring to? I have seen video of police officers letting the crowd get to them with their words and responding with pepper spray, which is just stupid to let someone goad you into acting against them, but wondered what else you have seen.

    I want to back up and address this first part: It's not the official numbers that people are protesting, it's the general feeling backed by some evidence and many anecdotes that when the cameras are turned off or no one is around to film via cell phone, stories change, reports become fraudulent, stuff happens and cops cover their collective asses and don't do their job.

    I am thrilled that you recognize that these protests are not necessarily about the actual events and are more about what these events represent. I had a conversation with a person who claimed to be on BLM’s staff recently about my issue with BLM — that the martyrs they claim were unjustly murdered by police were killed by their own actions and the police responses were justified by law, I thought I had them cornered with the argument that BLM was not actually concerned with the facts about Michael Brown’s death, they were more interested in promoting what Brown “represents” (AKA the fictional version of Brown’s death).

    I admit that I was not prepared for them to respond, “Yes, what Brown has come to represent IS FAR MORE important than the actual details!” I have to say that on one level, I respect the hell out of them for their willingness to admit that was true; but as I tried to point out to them, unless you are willing to honestly debate the facts of the case, then you are not seeking “justice”!

    If black children are being told that Michael Brown did NOTHING wrong and that it was just the evil police man who murdered Brown for no reason, then the next young black man that believes it’s his right to refuse to obey an officer and then is killed when he attempts to take the officer’s gun — his death in on YOU!

    Police reform will not stop that child from dying!

    Also, I would like to point out that the media loves to say that “officers had turned off their cameras” when there is no video recorded. But it is more factual to state, “officer’s had not turned their camera on”. Do you see how the two paint different pictures of the officer’s intentions? Any officer that turns their camera off while on a call better have a damn good reason for why because that’s a fireable offense in any department that has body cameras! (There are legit reasons to cut it off — sexual assaults where they need to put the victim at ease, a teenager that hung themselves so the family never has to view their child like that again, etc.)

    As for police officers having each other’s backs... of course they support their own until they are provided with evidence that would cause them to withdraw that support...just like you do with everyone that you view as being part of “your people”. And they really do when they are being accused of wrongdoing where it is not about whether they actually did anything wrong and is instead focused on a perceived wrong based on anecdotal evidence! (Do you see how this is kind of a problem!?). But that does not mean that they cover for each other!

    Think about it: would you risk your career and possibly your freedom to cover up a criminal act that does not benefit you in any way for a co-worker that you might not even like? No, of course you wouldn’t. And neither would most police officers. Also, remember that most of these Officer-involved controversies are isolated events that happen in real time... there is no way for “good cops to turn in the bad cops”.

    Sorry if I rambled at times, but I felt your comment deserved being responded to by someone other than the troll.

  150. [150] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    And I have the FACTS....

    61.8 million abortions every year..

    Oh, this is so much fun! Hey, dumbass....look at your post again!

    Total number of abortions in the U.S. 1973-2018: 61.8 million+

    From 1973 -2018, an estimated 61.8 million abortions occurred... that’s over 45 years; not one year! Tell me again how you have the facts!

    You actually believed that last year there were as many abortions performed as in the previous 45 years combined! Geez, you seriously suck at this!

  151. [151] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    132

    "This is not your blog to police"

    Giving my opinion that someone's material is stale is an opinion I'll post when I please. It would be quite different altogether if I endeavored to tell Elizabeth Miller that posting her political opinion was off limits on Sunday night because I said it was forbidden.

    If you can't tell the difference between an opinion and and the kinds of orders that Elizabeth Miller feels she is entitled to force on the entire forum, then you are exactly the effing moron most everyone here claims that you are.

  152. [152] 
    ListenWhenYouHear wrote:

    And I have no problem with you choosing to use the Guttmacher Institute’s stats... because they reported that we haven’t had a million abortions in a single year since 1997!

    Wow! You really just cannot bother to think before you post, can you!?!?

  153. [153] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    It's actually a reading comprehension issue.

  154. [154] 
    John M wrote:

    [85] Michale wrote:

    "Well, I guess JM ran away instead of accepting the challenge to prove the US has systemic racism.."

    Mmmm, yet again I have to remind you that some of us do still have to work for a living Michale. We have lives and jobs outside commenting on this blog.

  155. [155] 
    Kick wrote:

    Russ
    141

    BOO HOO! You swallow about 1 MILLION potential Trump voters at every truck stop you frequent.... so what??!!??

    Heh! Facts are facts, right Russ?

    The vast majority of abortions since 1971 have been performed on poor uneducated whites... basically your Trump voting MAGAt profile.

    http://www.johnstonsarchive.net/policy/abortion/usa_abortion_by_race.html

    And there weren’t 1 million abortions performed in this country across all races last year according to the CDC, so once again your FACTS are lies.

    Yes, sir... nailed it! :)

  156. [156] 
    Kick wrote:

    Russ
    143

    You are working overtime to avoid talking about Trump’s failure to even address the coronavirus, his continued refusal to speak out against Russia’s hiring Taliban fighters to kill American soldiers, or his crazy hate-filled speeches over the 4th of July weekend.

    Yep!

  157. [157] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    144

    So, in other words, black American lives don't REALLY matter to you..

    Wrong. What he actually said was you swallow them whole by the millions at every truck stop in that shithole you live in. You didn't deny it... so it's a fact. You're a black baby killer by the millions. Thanks for clearing that up.

    And I have the FACTS....

    So you're saying you swallowed all the Black and the Orange babies. Glad we cleared that up, you baby murderer.

  158. [158] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    ListenWhenYouHear-

    The last time I was harassed by police was when I was working grave yard. On my off days I kept similar hours. My "crime", driving at 2:30am...

    Every new Sheriff deputy had to pull me over to fish for a DUI. Got to the point I was driving through that town at exactly the speed limit, exactly in the center of the lane, about as perfect as possible, more perfect than I've ever seen a cop drive, and I would still get pulled over. One time the excuse was my license plate light was out. One of them, I had two. Boy did that get old fast. But I have experienced this kind of thing my entire life, starting at about the age of 8. Luckily I'm white and naturally polite so it's never developed in to something more.

    Search youtube, there was some really questionable stuff. One has a cop pinning a protester to the ground, grabs a stick, puts it in the protesters hand and then proceeds to beat the shit out of him because he was "armed". Cops walking up to peaceful protesters and just unloading pepper spray into their faces. Way too many members of the press have been attacked by police as well.

    Keep in mind, it's not the single act that causes these protests. The single act is merely the spark for a whole lot of perceived grievances. Usually the tender event is quite questionable. To focus on the specific spark and ignore all the other stuff is Michale territory...

    If black children are being told that Michael Brown did NOTHING wrong and that it was just the evil police man who murdered Brown for no reason, then the next young black man that believes it’s his right to refuse to obey an officer and then is killed when he attempts to take the officer’s gun — his death in on YOU!

    The flip side is what were Michael Brown's life long interactions with the police that made what he did seem like a good idea at the time?

    “officer’s had not turned their camera on”

    Well why the hell not?!. I noticed that a few got fired for exactly that, not turning on their camera when required. If it's optional, then it offers little protection for the rest of us or the police. There have been a few stories I've read recently about cell phone footage brought to light after the incident that seems to contradict the official police report...

    Think about it: would you risk your career and possibly your freedom to cover up a criminal act that does not benefit you in any way for a co-worker that you might not even like?

    If it means by not doing so you are singled out and will have a hard time moving up in your career, or make an enemy of the cop you turned in who will just be protected by the police union, it's not so easy a call...

  159. [159] 
    Kick wrote:

    Mike
    146

    In fact, California and New York, where high numbers of abortions occur, are not included in CDC figures.

    Neither is Florida, where you've admitted you murder them by the millions at truck stops all across the shithole state.

    Once again.. Michale DECIMATES ya'all's bullshit claims with ***FACTS***

    Once again, you're full of baby gravy up to your eyeballs, the admission for which you have been awarded the Weigantia "pull it sir prize." Winning!

    Gods, I missed this.. :D

    Because you're a troll... the resident spooge troll who doesn't give two shits about political debate.

  160. [160] 
    BashiBazouk wrote:

    Michale,

    That's just jibber jabber, fool. My rap sheet is as clean freshly fallen snow, criminal or civil, what about yours?

  161. [161] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    "Yea, you said that almost word for word about this same time in 2016...

    And then you disappeared after President Trump kicked Hillary's ass...

    Are you going to stick around when President Trump wins again???

    Or run away and hide again like in 2016???

    Just let me know. :D"

    What colour is the sky in your world, Michale?

    I assure you, I was nowhere hereabouts in 2016 or 17 for that matter. I stumbled into the CW home for aspiring trolls two years into Trump's mess, redirected as it happened, by an article in the Huff. I like writers who don't punish the reader week in and week out with stale syntax and boorish repetition in the stating of a case. (I chuckled at CW's malapropism a couple of columns back, more because both words curiously satisfied the gist of the point being made, than it was a rare mistake)...

    I digress.

    I fail to see the need to drag the US abortion devolution into the mix, it's quite obviously a shameless distraction from the unforced, needless death count of CV19. I, therefore, dismiss the entire argument because it's completely irrelevant, ergo, we're still left with 130k useless corpses where there was once 130k misinformed and lied to contributors to the collective experience. Were I to follow the asinine argument down its hole into its warren, I could easily say trump fucked all 130k of those deceased without a prophylactic and has been blithely walking them into the abortion clinics of CV19.

    [Before it's even suggested, I believe women have the right to preside over their reproductive engine, however, I am vehemently against abortion as a form of birth control. It's not for any religious bullshit consideration, it's because I don't believe in living with regrets and I certainly have no truck with the notion that life is so valueless that it can be stubbed out like ducks-arsed fag-end.]

    You do your nation a disservice when you conflate this pandemic with anything else other than that of 1918.

    I don't even want to discuss Trump's latest foe...The Left-Wing Fascists. Like most of Trump's delusional nemesis', there's no such movement as the Left-wing Fascists.

    The stable genius should stick to shoveling horse shit and leave the thinking to the educated, lest he takes the hit as a scathing indictment of the American School system on top of all his other monumental catastrophes.

    I close with this; Michale, you mentioned heart surgery in an earlier helping of spam... Were you having one put in, or one removed? The statement was ambiguous at best.

    :]

    LL&P

  162. [162] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    I almost forgot, the etymology of the word 'decimate' dates back 2500 years to the early Roman Army (or late Etruscan, depending on how precise you wish to be). Decimation was a punishment for legionaries who had deserters in their ranks or just plain cowardice while in battle. Decimation was the counting out of every tenth man who would then be set upon by the other nine and brutally killed.

    So, if Michale is hitting a clip of 10% success in the refutation of all other claims but his own, I'd say he's about on par with his pet in the White House. Whereas, I simply claim, as do most here, that his arguments are all absolute rhetorical republican sewage spewage.

    Had to clear that up, it annoys me when folk use words they don't understand.

    LL&P

  163. [163] 
    Kick wrote:

    President Donald Trump’s determination to preserve iconic statues and monuments is so profound and all consuming that he’s apparently extending his policy abroad.

    In a round of new digital ads, the Trump re-elect asks people to support the president as he stands up to the angry mobs trying to tear down iconic memorials. In one specific ad, the endangered statue that the campaign spotlights happens to be the famous Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

    “The President wants to know who stood with him against the Radical Left,” declared dozens of ads run over the weekend on pages for Trump and Vice President Mike Pence. The ads featured a graphic with an image of the Christ the Redeemer statue above the text, “WE WILL PROTECT THIS.” The photo appears to have come from an online database of free stock images.

    https://www.thedailybeast.com/trump-camp-vows-to-protect-brazils-most-iconic-statue-from-left-wing-mobs

    Can't help but wonder the number of sheer blinding dimwits in the Dumbass Donald campaign who saw this asinine drivel yet not a single one of them could identify the iconic world famous statue located in another effing country.

    "WE WILL PROTECT THIS"

    The poor MAGA rubes are outraged -- I tell you -- outraged that the angry mobs are going to tear down Christ the Redeemer in Rio!

    Jesus, these Trump morons are stupid!

  164. [164] 
    Kick wrote:

    Russ

    Have you seen "Poor Deplorable Troll" yet?

    The President says "Cut out all that testing!"
    A notion health officials find bizarre.
    But see, he's terribly annoyed
    By all the dead and unemployed
    Because he only cares about his own PR!

    ~ Randy Rainbow

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y4599acmA1Q

    *
    He's going to be your president because some people don't love me maybe! ~ Donald Trump, the perpetually aggrieved victim explaining his escalating flailing verbal diarrhea propaganda

  165. [165] 
    Kick wrote:

    ^^^ EDIT ^^^

    Duh! Wrong link above. Direct from Randy Rainbow:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lJondUzeKk

  166. [166] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Hey, Kick!

    Are you always so hard to get along with or is it that you just don't like music?

  167. [167] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    In other words, lighten the frak up! :)

  168. [168] 
    Kick wrote:

    Elizabeth Miller
    167

    4Q

  169. [169] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    I hope that means you'll be making an appearance at the CW Sunday Music Festival and Dance Party next week!

  170. [170] 
    John From Censornati wrote:

    Yeah. That's what that means.

  171. [171] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Excellent.

  172. [172] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    And, you'll be there, too, JFC?

  173. [173] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    It'll be lots of fun, the more the merrier, I always say ... :)

  174. [174] 
    Kick wrote:

    Elizabeth Miller
    166

    Are you always so hard to get along with or is it that you just don't like music?

    Mommy Dearest:

    I've been playing piano fluently since I was 6 years old and own a Bechstein Grand M.

    Do you think inventing utter asinine bullshit about other people and typing it into the form of a question makes it any less troll-like?

    You seem as equally interested in political debate as the trolls you routinely enable. Take your stale board mother routine and sod off.

  175. [175] 
    Kick wrote:

    John From Censornati
    170

    Made me laugh. Kumbaya. The end is near ;)

  176. [176] 
    Elizabeth Miller wrote:

    Nevermind. :(

  177. [177] 
    James T Canuck wrote:

    [163]

    "Jesus, these Trump morons are stupid!"

    What I find astonishing is there are downwards of 40 million Americans to-ing and fro-ing that actually believe the US is leading the world with its response to CV19, despite the reality before them to the contrary. What leaves me scratching my melon is, there's a whole segment of American society being systematically pulverized by lies and has been beaten into a mass with a shared delusion of Trumpian infallibility. And that huge obvious lie (or for want of a real honest to goodness use of the word 'Hoax') is standing right next to reality gainsaying every crystal truth for all to witness.

    Here's a touch of irony that Trump masterminded all on his own. It seems like only yesterday he was referring to places like Rwanda as shithole countries, today that shithole has reduced its myriad of plagues and poxes to the point where its people may travel freely within the EU and elsewhere. Today, Americans aren't allowed off the continent, shit, we just jettisoned a herd of lepers for not sticking to our quarantine observances.

    I'm so glad I have New York immediately to my south.

    I'm being deliberately provocative because the time has passed to be subtle.

    CV19 is turning into a culling in the US and no one seems to give a fetid dingo's kidneys.

    Fuck the statues, fuck the union flag, and fuck all 'left-wing fascists'. I would start worrying about the big picture shit now, CV19 is jumping Trump rally-goers and rioters equally, that is, without care for whom it swallows up.

    LL&P

  178. [178] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    [72]

    So then, who is this inimitable Mr. Hunt? How about a visual representation:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VjnpqFXuNzc

    What's a "complete plonker?"

    The diametrically opposed visual representation of Mr. Hunt.. you know a "plonker"... a winkle, a tadger, Mr. Wang.

    Right then... clear as mud? ;)

    You sound like a Brit.

    Um, I think? your referring to, er, a "male front part," as they got my little grand-niece calling it.

    Ahem.

    "Ahm from 'Murica. You Canucks shore talk funny."

  179. [179] 
    Kick wrote:

    JTC
    177

    Very well said, sir, exponentially so.

    I'm so glad I have New York immediately to my south.

    One man's North is another man's South. World perspective... go figure.

    I'm being deliberately provocative because the time has passed to be subtle.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    In New York you can be a new man.
    In New York.
    Just you wait.

    Alexander Hamilton
    We are waiting in the wings for you
    You could never back down
    You never learned to take your time
    Oh, Alexander Hamilton
    When America sings for you
    Will they know what you overcame?
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    CV19 is turning into a culling in the US and no one seems to give a fetid dingo's kidneys.

    Fuck the statues, fuck the union flag, and fuck all 'left-wing fascists'. I would start worrying about the big picture shit now, CV19 is jumping Trump rally-goers and rioters equally, that is, without care for whom it swallows up.

    And it's swallowing up my South while they do nothing.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    I'm past patiently waitin'
    I'm passionately smashin' every expectation
    Every action's an act of creation
    I'm laughin' in the face of casualties and sorrow
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Okay, I just watched "Hamilton" again, and I am definitely not throwing away my "shot." :)

  180. [180] 
    Kick wrote:

    MtnCaddy
    178

    You sound like a Brit.

    You'll have to pardon my accent, MC, but I've spent a lot of time in the mother country, and I have a way in even though they're not lettin' US in. Right then.

    Can't help myself. Just watched "Hamilton."

    "Ahm from 'Murica. You Canucks shore talk funny."

    Darling, I am from South America...
    Scratch that... make that: South, America.
    Punctuation can make such a big dang difference,
    You can hang your hat on it,
    Bet the farm on it,
    Take it to the bank, and
    If that ain't a fact, God's a possum. ;)

  181. [181] 
    MtnCaddy wrote:

    Eeeeeee Hawww, you go, Gurl!

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