Outrage: Statewide ‘Blue Alert’ Issued in Texas

Blue Alerts are issued for wanted persons who are suspected of killing or seriously injuring a law enforcement officer.

Citizens throughout the huge state of Texas received a Blue Alert on their phones at midnight after a Clay County sheriff’s deputy was shot during an attempted traffic stop on Monday night.

That’s like a flood alert issued for the entire Lone Star state because a water main broke in a one-traffic-light town.

Texans received the Blue Alert in the middle of the night with no information. Keep in mind that most Texans don’t know the difference between a Blue Alert and a Blue Light Special at KMART. Some of the more conspiracy-minded Republicans probably thought the Blue Alert signified that one of the AWOL Democratic House Democrats had been spotted in their neighborhood.

I don’t mind if an Amber Alert wakes me up in the middle of the night, because it’s imperative that an abducted child be found as soon as possible.

But I’m not going to lose much sleep over a cop who is seriously injured or killed in the line of duty, after all they knew the risks of the job when they enrolled in the police academy.

It’s a tragedy whenever a law enforcement officer is shot in the line of duty and I hope the suspect is apprehended, but did a Blue Alert really need to be issued?

Trump Will Never Make a Serious Effort to Persuade His Followers to Get Vaccinated

The delta variant of COVID-19 is decimating the red states of Louisiana, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Texas and Florida, and if Donald Trump cared about the health and welfare of his fanatical supporters, he would immediately hold a “MAGA Nation Gets the Vaccine” rally, where he would plead with them to get vaccinated.

Trump is the only Republican with the gravitas and influence to persuade his vaccine-hesitant supporters to get vaccinated. Like every dictator and cult leader worth his salt, Trump doesn’t have a second-in-command with the power to influence his devotees to take an action they find deplorable.

Newsflash: Trump doesn’t give a fuck about his supporters; they are disposable useful idiots who live only to serve him.

Trump and his wife, Melania, secretly received coronavirus vaccinations in January before leaving the White House, and in the weeks and months since he’s made only a couple of perfunctory statements to his people asking them to get vaccinated.

Bottom line: Trump will never make a serious effort to get his cultish followers vaccinated, and barring an edict from their Orange Messiah to do the right thing, they will never get the jab.

Therefore, the only way to persuade these Neanderthals into getting the shot is for employers, restaurants, sporting venues, grocery stores, amusement parks, airlines and shopping malls to enact vaccine mandates that apply to employees and customers,

Ex NJ State Sen. Diane Allen Blames Surge of Coronavirus Cases on Immigrants

“I mean, right now look at all these people with COVID who are coming across the border, and it scares me. They’re put on buses, I suspect some of them are coming up to New Jersey — not a good idea. But the people pulled over from the border are carrying illegal guns or drugs, or whatever.”

Former New Jersey state Sen. Diane Allen, a candidate for N.J. lieutenant governor, uttered these toxic words in an attempt to blame the surge of coronavirus cases on immigrants crossing the southern border.

Allen’s comments are patently false, immigrants crossing the border are carrying infant formula, bottles of water, important documents, and not illegal guns or drugs. They wouldn’t risk asylum by carrying any contraband.

It’s unvaccinated white evangelicals in Louisiana, Florida, Georgia and Missouri who are responsible for the surge in coronavirus cases, not brown immigrants who would gladly get vaccinated if the vaccine were as readily available in their countries as it is in the United States.

Blaming immigrants for spreading diseases is one of the oldest tropes in the racist playbook. These bigots, many of whom are evangelicals, ignore the words of Jehovah in the Old Testament:

“When the alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien.  The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt:  I am the Lord your God.”

Undocumented persons entering the United States are tested for COVID, and it’s unfair and racist to blame them for the surge in coronavirus cases.

Let’s put the blame squarely on the shoulders of those responsible for the huge spike: Republican politicians who downplay the need for masking up and getting vaccinated, and white evangelicals who make a mockery of their faith by selfishly refusing to get vaccinated.

Anti-LGBTQ Bigotry in Evangelical Churches Driving Away Young Christians

According to the Public Religion Research Institute the number of Americans who identify as white evangelicals has declined dramatically, from 23% in 2006 to 14.5% in 2020.

Younger evangelicals in particular are leaving the faith of their fathers, because they just can’t abide their antiquated attitude toward the LGBTQ community.

There’s a dichotomy between evangelical ministers who rail against “sodomites” from the pulpit, and the millennials in their congregations who accept gays and lesbians as equal members of society and as children of God.

The Jehovah of the Old Testament may have considered gays and lesbians worthy of death, but the Jesus of the Gospels never even mentioned homosexuality. Younger evangelicals are more likely to adopt the laissez-faire of Jesus toward gays and other social outcasts than the judgmental attitude of Jehovah.

Truth be told, the Bible condemns homosexuality but it also condones slavery and genocide. Christians should exercise discernment and wisdom in how they view the Bible, it’s inspired text meant to be interpreted judiciously not a universal penal code meant to be adhered to slavishly.

Angry White Evangelical Men are a Cancer Deadlier Than the Coronavirus Pandemic

The Gospels depict Jesus Christ as a kind and loving spiritual teacher who turned the other cheek and who sought to win the hearts and souls of men and women with the love of God.

White evangelical men are the antithesis of the gentle spirit of Christ, their main characteristic is an anger that manifests itself against everything and everybody who doesn’t subscribe to their narrow religious beliefs.

Their default mode is an angry spirit, and their hair-trigger temper will explode when they see a Democratic politician on TV, a man sporting a Gay Pride T-shirt in a mall, a woman twerking in a club, a pregnant woman entering a Planned Parenthood clinic, a black youth protesting in a BLM demonstration, or really a black person just having the temerity to be alive.

White evangelical men see themselves as soldiers for Christ, and they fancy themselves fighting a crusade against godless liberals. They seek to establish a theocracy of white Christians, by white Christians and for white Christians.

They justify their racism, homophobia, and misogyny as “righteous anger”, when in reality it’s the naked anger and hatred that Jesus condemned.

It’s incumbent upon us who love democracy, inclusiveness and the brotherhood of men to recognize who are enemy is: white evangelicals. It’s incumbent upon is to defeat out enemy by exposing them, repudiating them, and fighting their lies and hatred with the truth and love.

Many Trump Supporters Believe He Will Be Reinstated as President This Month

“Nearly a third of Republicans believe that former President Donald Trump will be ‘reinstated’ to the presidency this year, even as the fantastical August 13 ‘deadline’ for that event approaches with no sign of its fruition.

It has been more than two months since the political media world was set abuzz when The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman first reported that Trump was telling confidants that he believes he’ll be reinstated to the presidency in August, reporting that was later confirmed by other outlets — and fed by delusions floated by Trump allies like MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and attorney Sidney Powell.”

Mediaite.com

Evangelicals believe that Jesus Christ transcended the laws of physics: he walked on water, turned water into wine, restored sight to the blind and even raised the dead.

Evangelicals believe that their modern-day messiah, Donald Trump transcends civil norms, the rule of law and the Constitution.

There is no constitutional mechanism whereby Trump can be reinstated to the presidency this year, but by faith many white evangelicals believe their Dear Leader will make a triumphant return to the White House this month.

Many evangelicals believe that the magical date for their Lord’s return is August 13, 2021.

The grifter-in-chief has moved his base operation from Mar-a-Lago in Florida to his golf resort in Bedminster, New Jersey, for the summer. Trump will be living in his golf resorts for the rest of his life, and he will never set foot inside the White House again.

God, what losers!

Outrage: Matt Damon Only Recently Stopped Using Anti-Gay ‘F-Slur’

“Matt Damon bizarrely admitted in a new interview that he only recently stopped using the ‘the f-slur for a homosexual’ after his daughter wrote a ‘treatise’ on why using the word to refer to people, gay or otherwise, is unacceptable.

After confessing this in an interview with the U.K.’s Sunday Times to promote his new movie ‘Stillwater,’ Damon was the target of many memes as well as pointed criticism as many people online questioned both why he decided to share this information — and also why he was still using such a derogatory term in 2021.

The Boston-born leading man said the ‘f-slur for a homosexual’ was ‘commonly used when I was a kid, with a different application.’”

The Wrap.Com

It boggles the mind that Matt Damon, 50, who works in the entertainment industry where there are many open and proud gays and lesbians, only recently stopped using the slur word, faggot.

I applaud his daughter for having the patience to write a treatise explaining why the f-word is so patently offensive. If I was in Damon’s inner circle and I heard him utter the abhorrent word I would have screamed: Listen you freaking moron, if you repeat that repellent word in my presence again, I will never speak to you again.

Damon tried to justify himself by saying the f-slur was commonly used when he was a kid, with a different application. I’m sure the word “nigger” was also used when he was a kid, but as a grown-ass man he has enough sense not to utter that racial epithet in public, or private for that matter.

Damon claims that when he used that gay slur as a kid, he used it with a different application. That’s doublespeak, there is no context in which uttering that vile word is acceptable.

There is only one f-word to describe Damon: Fool!

Of Biblical Commas, Biblical Inerrancy and Humility

“There is not a single edit you could make to Scripture to improve it. Anything you would do to amend so much as a biblical comma would drastically demote it. You can’t improve the Word of God. You’d only ruin perfection. Keep your edits on the shelf.”

Tweet by Grace Bible Theological Seminary provost and theology professor Owen Strachan.

Evangelical theologians like Strachan who believe in Biblical inerrancy believe that the Bible in the original manuscripts is without fault or error. Most evangelical theologians also believe in biblical infallibility, the belief that what the Bible says regarding matters of faith, science, geography and history is absolutely true.

They believe that every jot and tittle in Scripture is the inspired word of God and woe is unto any infidel who removes so much as a single comma.

I’m not a theologian or a linguist, but even I know that the original Hebrew Biblical manuscripts were written without vowels and without punctuation. In fact, most modern Hebrew is also written without vowels. Vowels were inserted by translators when they deemed it necessary for reading comprehension and to prevent misunderstandings.

The original manuscripts may have been without fault or error, but what most Christians don’t realize is that over the past 2,000 years, the sacred text has changed a great deal. There is not a single “first edition” extant, what we have are copies of copies of copies of copies …

Of course, Strachan knows that there are no commas in the original Hebrew manuscripts, evidently he places a greater importance on trolling rather than teaching the Bible.

The original holy text simply doesn’t exist, the fact is that what we have are English translations of Hebrew manuscripts that were copied scores of times.  The scribes who copied the Hebrew manuscripts made myriad errors and the translators who translated the Bible from Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek to English made mistakes of their own.

The provenance of Scripture should instill a little bit of humility in theologians and lay Christians. The Bible of today is an imperfect book for imperfect human beings, which means that Christians should be less dogmatic and more loving, tolerant, and understanding.

Why Donald Trump is Furious at Rand Paul

The Grand Old Party isn’t a small-d democratic institution, it’s an authoritarian party that demands absolute allegiance to its Dear Leader.

Donald Trump not only lost the election in an electoral college and popular vote landslide to Joe Biden, but he also lost both chambers of Congress.

Nevertheless, Trump holds an iron grip on the Republican Party, it’s a cult of personality where no member is allowed to deviate from the Trump party line.

This week’s Republican primary in Ohio’s congressional special election was a case in point. There were nearly a dozen Republicans on the ballot: Trump endorsed former coal lobbyist Mike Carey and Sen. Rand Paul rallied behind state Rep. Ron Hood.

All of the Republican candidates, including Hood, were stalwart supporters and defenders of Trump, yet he was furious that Paul had the temerity not to follow his lead and endorse Carey.

An enraged Trump issued the following written statement:

“Do you think Rand Paul will apologize for spending nearly $1 Million on another candidate in Ohio’s 15th District congressional race after I had already endorsed Mike Carey? … Rand’s candidate came in a distant third out of eleven. Rand is a different kind of guy…. Do you think he learned his lesson?”

What’s the lesson that Paul is supposed to have learned?

Republican leaders aren’t allowed to think for themselves, they must blindly follow Trump’s lead. If their Orange Messiah anoints a candidate, it’s mandatory for every other Republican to second the endorsement.

The ‘Trump Card’ Worse than the Mark of the Beast

“Donald Trump wants his supporters to carry ‘Trump Cards.’

Trump’s PAC sent two emails on Wednesday asking supporters to get on board with carrying the red-and-gold cards, which look like credit cards and bear the former president’s signature.

‘The card you select will be carried by Patriots all around the Country,’ the first email said. ‘They will be a sign of your dedicated support to our movement to SAVE AMERICA, and I’m putting my full trust in you.’”

Business Insider

As if the Dear Leader’s devotees needed to carry a Trump Card to identify themselves. I can see Trump supporters a mile away, considering they have a penchant for wearing MAGA hats and other Trump-branded attire. Their vacuous stares singles them out as MAGA cultists more than a MAGA hat or a Trump Card.

The Trump card is just another fundraising gimmick from the grifter-in-chief, clicking on a link to vote for your favorite design of the Trump Card leads to a fundraising page.

The Trump card is more evidence that being a Trump supporter isn’t about political principles or an ideology, it’s all about the worship of the Orange Messiah. The Trump card bears images that are similar to Nazi symbols, I can’t imagine a more horrible fate than being a card-carrying Trump sycophant. In fact, given a choice between being forced to carry a Trump card or being branded with the Mark of the Beast, I would beg them to tattoo 666 on my forehead.

Democrats Slam Kevin McCarthy Over Joke About Hitting Nancy Pelosi With Gavel

“I want you to watch Nancy Pelosi hand me that gavel. It’ll be hard not to hit her with it.”

Kevin McCarthy

The House Minority Leader uttered these disturbing words at a July 31 event with Tennessee Republican state lawmakers.

Hopefully the Republicans won’t take over the House in the 2022 midterms, and McCarthy will remain the Minority Leader and he won’t be in possession of the Speaker’s gavel anytime in the future.

Many Democratic representatives are calling him to resign or at least apologize for his contemptible remark.

“It’s been 24 hours since @gopleader McCarthy threatened violence against @SpeakerPelosi. RT if he should apologize or resign,” Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) tweeted Sunday night.

To be clear, McCarthy wasn’t threatening violence against Pelosi, his comment was a pathetic attempt at a joke. But at the very least he should apologize for his intemperate remark. He may not have been actually threatening to hit Pelosi upside the head with a gavel, but some of Trump’s base may interpret his words as a call to action to physically assault the Speaker.

After all many Democratic congressional leaders are already receiving death threats associated with the January 6, 2021 Capitol insurrection.

Our democracy is polarized around political lines, and we need a statesman to serve as Speaker of the House, and McCarthy’s sick joke is all the evidence we need that he is unworthy to wield the Speaker’s gavel.

#FearGod is Trending on Twitter and That’s a Damn Shame!

#FearGod is trending on Twitter, and this is an indictment of our secular democracy.

I would understand if #FearGod was trending in a theocracy like Iran or Saudi Arabia where the clerics hold all the levers of power in government, the media and academia.

The mullahs in these Islamic authoritarian countries create an environment where to fear the Almighty is synonymous with fearing the government.

In America evangelicals and conservative Catholics seek to create an environment where to fear God is synonymous with demonizing gays and lesbians, ostracizing immigrants and opposing a woman’s right to choose.

What’s troubling is that it isn’t politicians who decide the trending topics on social media platforms, it’s regular folks who caused #FearGod to trend.

Conservative politicians and evangelicals, who are nothing more than useful idiots, may be praising God because #FearGod is trending but those of who realize that evangelicals are an existential threat to our way of life are muttering curses.  

Mark Meadows Says ‘President’ Trump is Meeting With His ‘Cabinet’

“Donald Trump may no longer be president, but his allies are still acting like he is as he plots his political comeback, saying he’s been taking meetings with his ‘cabinet’ officials in preparation for a potential 2024 presidential.

‘We met with some of our cabinet members tonight,’ Mark Meadows, his former White House chief of staff, told Newsmax on Friday.

‘We actually had a follow up member meeting with some of our cabinet members and as we are looking into that, we are looking into what does come next. I’m not authorized to speak on behalf of the president, but I can tell you this: we wouldn’t be meeting tonight if we weren’t making plans to move forward in a real way with president Trump at the head of that ticket.’”

Yahoo News

It’s axiomatic that Donald Trump’s base is made up of gullible evangelicals, brain-addled rednecks, brainwashed QAnon cultists and other assorted riff-raff. They accept as Gospel the Big Lie that their messiah was cheated out of his election victory and that he’s still the legitimate president.

But many Republican congressional leaders and former Trump administration officials are also parroting the Big Lie.

They reside in an alternate universe where Joe Biden managed to thwart the will of God and cheat his way into the White House, and where God’s anointed will soon be reinstated to power.

Mark Meadows, the former Trump White House chief of staff, still refers to Trump as “the president.” Trump lost to Joe Biden in an electoral college and popular vote landslide, and he should be called “the former president”, “the twice-impeached ex-president”, or simply as “the big loser”, but he should never be addressed as “the president.”

Trump isn’t president and he doesn’t have a cabinet, what he does have is a motley crew of sycophants, fluffers and hangers-on. And they only thing they are discussing is whose turn is it to change the Big Guy’s diaper.

Trump’s Republican Support is Eroding

Like an old-time circuit rider evangelist Donald Trump is traveling the country, but other than his fanatical base no one’s paying attention to the circus. Even Trump-friendly Fox News doesn’t air his MAGA rallies and speeches to conservative audiences.

Trump’s evangelical base still worships their orange-tinged messiah, they still accept all of his vain babblings as the Gospel and they still promulgate all of his conspiracy theories.

The Dear Leader’s hold over congressional Republicans, especially House Republicans, remains secure. House GOP leaders regularly make a pilgrimage to his palaces in Florida and New Jersey. The two GOP representatives who actively oppose the Big Lie, Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger, are treated like lepers and apostates by their conservative brethren.

But the short-fingered vulgarian’s sway over Republicans at large seems to be diminishing.  Trump prides himself on the power of his endorsements to influence the electorate, he makes a Hollywood production over issuing endorsements. He acts like the Pope issuing Papal honors to the most devout Catholics. Trump’s anointed candidate in the special House election in Texas lost on Tuesday to another Republican, embarrassing him to no end. On Wednesday, 17 Republican senators voted to advance a bipartisan infrastructure deal that he had railed against for weeks. Every other week in the Trump administration was infrastructure week, and if Biden manages to sign an infrastructure bill into law it will devastate him.

Trump is still the undisputed leader of the Republican Party, and his base will remain loyal to their cult leader to the bitter end, but there’s enough erosion in his support overall to ensure that if he runs again in 2024, he will lose in a bigger landside than 2020.

To Preserve Democracy We Must Defeat the GOP and White Evangelicals

The priorities of white evangelicals are ending abortion, opposing vaccines, protecting 2nd amendment rights, limiting the reach and authority of the federal government, restricting immigration, denying climate change, crusading against critical race theory and demonizing the LGBTQ community.

The aforementioned priorities of white evangelicals are the same as the policy preferences and principles of the Republican Party, so it’s not surprising that over 80 percent of Republicans voted to reelect Donald Trump.

The subjects that evangelicals are enthralled with have nothing to do with answering the existential questions that religion is supposed to answer: what is the meaning of life, how can I be a moral person, how can I best serve my community, what does God expect of us …

When the mission statements of a political party and a religious movement are almost identical there is something rotten in Denmark.

A religion is supposed to think in terms of the eternal, whereas politics is concerned with the current news cycle. A spiritual person expects the rewards of fealty to his faith to be peace of mind, love for his fellow man and a sense of unity with the divine. A politician expects the rewards of loyalty to his party to be temporal power and influence.

White evangelicals and Republicans have the same objectives: the subjugation of religious, racial and political minorities, and by any means necessary keeping the white power structure intact.

Striving to form a more perfect union means being cognizant of the existential threats to democracy: authoritarian political parties and intolerant religious groups that seek to impose their religious views on citizens.

White evangelicals and the Trumpian Republican Party are anathema to democracy.

The Media Should Acknowledge That Evangelicals Pose an Existential Threat to Democracy

“Over the weekend, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch editorial board penned a scathing indictment of evangelical preachers who told their followers to view former President Donald Trump’s potential victory in the 2020 election through the lens of Biblical prophecy — and thus making them blind to the reality of Trump’s loss.

‘Editorially, we try to avoid opining about religious faith,’ wrote the board. ‘But invoking divine guidance to advance partisan causes smacks of the worst kind of manipulation, opening the door to abuse and financial exploitation. Pentecostal and charismatic Christian leaders have laudably begun insisting that the false prophets among them cease and desist.’”

The Raw Story

Religion shouldn’t be immune from criticism and mockery by the media, educators, scientists and responsible citizens, especially when faith groups intertwine their dogma with politics.

Evangelicalism and the Republican Party are synonymous, it’s almost an article of faith for white evangelicals to align themselves with the GOP.

I applaud the St. Louis Post-Dispatch for not treating religion like a sacred cow and lambasting evangelical prophets for telling their followers that God anointed Trump as the leader who will lead our nation to righteousness and that he would win reelection.

Eight months after the election many white evangelicals refuse to accept reality and acknowledge that Joe Biden won and Donald Trump lost, they believe that men and women of faith will proclaim that their Orange Messiah is the real president.

Why haven’t other newspapers and other news media platforms condemned evangelical ministers for using religion as a cover to support Trump and his anti-immigrant, homophobic, misogynist and undemocratic policies?

Organized religion is the biggest obstacle to achieving world peace, democracy and defeating racism and climate change, and it’s incumbent upon the media to recognize religion as the enemy.

WWJD? He Would Get the Damn Vaccine

“In the Book of Matthew, Jesus is asked: ‘Master, which is the great commandment in the law?’ He answers: ‘Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.’ But the second admonition, Jesus adds, ‘is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’

Think about that. ‘All the law,’ Jesus says. All his teachings flow from two simple ideals: Loving your Lord and loving your neighbor.”

Niagara Gazette

WWJD? If he were alive today, unlike most evangelicals who claim to follow him, he would set a good example by getting the COVID vaccine.

The core of the teachings of the Gospels, and indeed the entire Bible, can be distilled into two all-encompassing commandments: Love God and love your neighbor.

Evangelicals believe that Jesus was 100% man and 100% God, and thus he was susceptible to viruses and bacteria that bedevil humankind, if vaccines were available during his time, he would have been first in line to get a jab. The Lord would scoff at the “Jesus is my vaccine” mentality of modern-day evangelicals.

If evangelicals respected the teaching of the Gospels, they would demonstrate that they love the Lord and their neighbors by getting the COVID vaccine.

But evangelicals have contempt for the truth of the Bible and enmity for their neighbors, and they exhibit this evil spirit by putting their community at risk of illness and death by refusing to get vaccinated.  

Evangelical ministers are too afraid of alienating their congregations and refuse to preach that being a good Christian and a solid citizen requires their followers to get vaccinated.

Evangelicals are proof positive that sin will never be vanquished, but viruses can be overcome with vaccines.

Do the right thing, and get vaccinated!

Joe Biden and Donald Trump Are Too Damn Old to be President

Septuagenarian, soon to be an octogenarian, Joe Biden mocked 75-year-old Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Virginia.

Biden stopped mid-speech to drink from a glass of water. “Excuse me,” he said before putting the glass to his mouth using one hand in a none too subtle dig at Trump’s penchant for using his two tiny hands to hold a glass of water.

Biden’s schtick drew loud cheers from the crowd at the rally being held in Arlington, Virginia to support Democrat Terry McAuliffe’s gubernatorial campaign.

But Biden doesn’t deserve any cheers, it’s a notable achievement he didn’t raise the glass of water to his ear instead of his mouth.

Biden, 78, shouldn’t be president, the old geezer oozing white privilege and entitlement, refused to gracefully step aside and let younger qualified Democratic presidential candidates battle for the nomination.

Biden is a quantum leap improvement over Trump, but let’s face it, they’ve both lost more than a step. Biden’s mental acuity may be suspect, but at least he’s not a senile, corrupt, obscene, dictatorial, amoral piece of shit like Trump.

The law should be changed to prevent anyone who would be 65 or older on inauguration date from running for president.

Jeff Bezos Blasts into Space on a Dick-Shaped Rocket

Jeff Bezos blasted into the edge of space on his rocket company’s first flight with people on board, becoming the second billionaire in just over a week to fly in his own spacecraft.

The Amazon founder was accompanied by his brother, an 18-year-old from the Netherlands whose daddy paid almost $30 million for the seat and Wally Funk (the only crew member worthy enough to be mentioned by name) an 82-year-old female aviator, astronaut and Goodwill Ambassador.

“Best day ever!” exclaimed Bezos when his capsule touched down after the 10-minute vanity flight. It may have been the best day ever for the gazillionaire and his lucky passengers, but I was put off by all the attention lavished on a filthy rich man playing at being an astronaut.

If a 10-minute flight onboard a spacecraft that briefly (for a couple of minutes) touched the edge of space entitles you to be called an astronaut, then the maintenance guy who cleans the rocket deserves to be called a rocket scientist.

The enduring image of Bezos’ vanity enterprise won’t be his out-of-this-world smile but the 60-foot-tall phallus-shaped rocket. What an appropriate shape for the world’s richest man’s spacecraft, after all he’s just trying to prove how manly he is by flying into space.

Andrea Dick Ordered to Remove ‘Fuck Biden’ Signs or Face $250 Daily Fines

“A trial date has been set for a Roselle Park homeowner who has been cited over profanity-laced anti-President Joe Biden flags outside her residence.

The Willow Avenue property owner was issued a summons earlier this month over three of six flags that her daughter, Andrea Dick, has on display outside the home, including one that says “Fuck Biden” and another that shows former President Donald Trump raising middle fingers.”

NJ.Com

Donald Trump supporters tend to take on the demeanor and character of their orange messiah, consequently their arguments in support of him are generously sprinkled with obscenities. Their Trump merchandise and campaign posters often includes profanity, that’s just how they roll.

Trump followers, many of whom are evangelicals, have a tendency to be evangelical in the support of their Dear Leader. Eight months after the election many of these cult leaders still have Trump flags and signs on their front yards.

To put it mildly, Trump sycophants are annoying assholes, but the price of living in a democracy requires us to put up with them.

Joe Biden won. Trump lost. Trump cultists have a constitutional right to believe in conspiracy theories and to put up obscene signs on their property. Andrea Dick has a constitutional right to be a dick.

Dick’s signs are an affront to decency, common sense and civility, but they do serve a practical purpose: They demonstrate the stupidity, ignorance and fucked-up spirit of Trump devotees.

Trump Has Destroyed the GOP and the Evangelical Movement

It’s axiomatic that former president Donald Trump has taken over the Republican Party, even mainstream establishment Republicans pay homage to him.

Only a handful of congressional Republicans like Sen. Mitt Romney, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, Rep. Liz Cheney and Rep. Adam Kinzinger refuse to bend the knee to the orange messiah, and they are determined to save their party from Trumpism.

Any Republican who doesn’t demonstrate unquestioned loyalty to Trump is treated like an apostate. Witness the sad example of Mike Pence, for four years his mouth was permanently affixed to his boss’s rear end, but his act of betrayal on January 6 – refusing to oppose the Electoral College votes that certified President Joe Biden’s victory – is the unpardonable sin for which there is no forgiveness in every future election.

Trump has not only taken over the GOP, he has taken over the white evangelical movement as well. Trump is the Dear Leader of the Republican Party and the Messiah of white evangelicals.

White evangelicals have adopted the temperament of Trump, and they are consumed with hating their enemies instead of loving their neighbors.

The truth that white evangelicals cherish more than any other is belief in the Big Lie that the election was stolen from their cult leader. When their delusion that Trump will be reinstated soon doesn’t pan out, I wouldn’t rule out the possibility that some of the most devout among them might launch a violent crusade to restore their messiah to power.

Trump had done indelible harm to the Republican Party and the Evangelical movement, and I doubt that either organization will survive in the long run as a direct consequence of their infatuation with him.  

Porn Star Brandi Love Banned From Turning Point USA Youth Gathering After Some Complain

“Turning Point USA (TPUSA), the right-wing youth student organization led by Charlie Kirk, found itself in an unusual controversy Friday night after ‘conservative pornstar’ Brandi Love was allowed into a Florida conference and welcomed as an ‘Adult VIP,’ sparking backlash.”

Salon

Turning Point USA is a nonprofit organization that advocates for conservative values on high school, college, and university campuses. The founder of TPUSA, Charlie Kirk, is a vehement defender and supporter of Donald Trump, which makes him and his organization persona non grata in establishment Republican circles.

TPUSA events often feature controversial right-wing speakers including white nationalists, so I’m not surprised that adult entertainer Brandi Love was allowed into their conference and welcomed as an “Adult VIP.”

A porn star is a perfect guest for a political event that draws white nationalists, QAnon conspiracy theorists and evangelical Christians, because these groups love watching porn on the down low. Residents of red states in the Bible Belt are the biggest consumers of pornography, but these hypocrites hit the roof when they found out that Love was a guest. Shortly thereafter, Love was banned from the gathering.

Love would be well-advised to consider changing her allegiance to the Democratic Party. Democrats are less hypocritical than Republicans, and they will either freely admit to watching and enjoying pornography or they will be against it on the grounds that it objectifies women, reduces them to body parts, and depicts them as playthings for men to violently abuse.

Biz Markie, the Clown Prince of Hip-Hop Dead at 57

Biz Markie, the “Clown Prince of Hip-Hop” best known for his 1989 global smash “Just a Friend, has died, and news of his death has infected millions of his fans throughout the world with the “Just a Friend” earworm.

Biz started his career in show biz as a human beat box, and his 1988 debut album which highlighted his beatboxing skills achieved nominal success peaking at No. 90 on the Billboard 200.

The following year Biz achieved superstardom with his monster album which featured “Just a Friend. The playful, silly song sampled the hell out of Freddie Scott’s 1968 song “You Got What I Need”

The video was just as wacky as the song, it begins with Biz and his homies exchanging “Your Mama” jokes and it depicts him wearing a Mozart wig and banging the hell out of a piano like a Liberace on crack. The video achieved heavy-rotation on MTV at a time when not many videos of black artists of any genre were played.

Everybody and their mama sang along with the deliberately (?) out-of-tune chorus, and we didn’t even need to be blissed out on weed to sing along.

Markie wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder, he was an inspiration and a role model to all of us who weren’t as cool as the rap stars of the era like Big Daddy Kane (a pal and collaborator of Markie). I didn’t have the nerve to rap along with the hits of Big Daddy Kane, but I had no problem getting my nerd on and singing along with Markie.

The angels in heaven are beatboxing like it’s the 1980s welcoming Biz Markie to sing along with the heavenly choir.

The Word That Best Describes Donald Trump is ‘Shitshow’

“The latest additions to Dictionary.com include a series of race- and virus-related terms, such as ‘Black Code’ and ‘long hauler,’ as well as increasingly common expressions like ‘yeet,’ ‘oof’ and ‘shitshow,’ the online lexicon revealed Wednesday.”

AOL.Com

I will die without ever uttering the slang words “yeet” or “oof”, but I will probably die muttering the words “what a shitshow.”

Dictionary.Com defines shitshow as “a person or thing that is a total mess, failure or disaster.”

Urban dictionary defines shitshow as “a description of an event or situation which is characterized by a ridiculously inordinate amount of frenetic activity. Disorganization and chaos to an absurd degree. Often associated with extreme ineptitude/incompetence and or sudden and unexpected failure.”

If you look up shitshow in the dictionary you will most likely see a mugshot of Donald Trump.

During the four years of the Trump shitshow I often used a shit emoji to represent him. When I texted a friend an emoji of a pile of crap and the word “sucks”, they knew I was referring to the orange clown.

There is no substance or gravitas to Trump, he has the viscosity of dung. When an aide or a Cabinet member had the misfortune of having an interaction with the crappy Dear Leader, they felt defiled as if someone had just taken a shit on them.

A poop emoji is insufficient to represent the depravity and corruption of Trump, only the word “shitshow” used as a descriptor of the incontinent septuagenarian does him justice.

When you’re walking on the sidewalk and you step on dog excrement in ruins your entire day, but living in the age of Trump is like being caught in a shitshow downpour. The fecal matter that emanating from the Trump White House was unrelenting, and it ruined the last four years of my life.

America has suffered enough! We’re tired of this excrement! What do you do with poop? You flush it down the toilet. Time to flush Trump straight to hell.

Gillian Anderson Pledges Never to Wear a Bra Again! You Go Girl!

“I don’t wear a bra anymore. I can’t wear a bra. I’m sorry I don’t care if my breasts reach my belly button. I’m not wearing a bra, it’s just too f***ing uncomfortable.”

Gillian Anderson

The X-Files actress uttered this declaration of independence in a video she posted on Instagram.

Anderson got plenty of support online for her decision to stop wearing a bra. In fact, during the pandemic many women worked from home and they opted for more casual attire: pants or sweatpants and a T-shirt sans a bra. After a year or so of freedom from the cumbersome attire, they don’t see a compelling reason to start wearing the torture device again.

Bras aren’t a utilitarian garment; they don’t serve much of a purpose. Only well-endowed women need the support that a brassiere offers. We may live in a society where women enjoy equal rights, but let’s face it women wear uncomfortable underwire and pushup bras to please men.

Anderson is 52 and if she goes braless her boobs won’t approach her nether regions, only when she hits 70 or 80 will she look like her knees are swollen when she skips wearing a bra.

I hope Anderson starts a trend and women ditch the bra, if they’re seeking to please men there’s nothing that turns on a man more than an attractive woman who wears a blouse without a bra.