My Pillow Law, Poor Eric, Poor Rudy, Vaccine Salad, Filibusted, Patriotism

From February 2, 2020
One president, who professes never to touch alcohol, drunkenly reacts to the National Anthem:
 

  • In MadMikesAmerica, founder Michael John Scott follows the logic of anti-maskers as they are interviewed by Jordan Klepper of Daily Show fame.
     
  • tengrain at Mock Paper Scissors reacts as former General, and grateful recipient of a Donald Trump pardon, Michael Flynn warns the world of the latest QAnon-esque theory: that salad dressing is a liberal vaccine conspiracy.
     
    Seems those damn liberals will stoop to ANY sneaky thing to save conservative lives. But I draw the line at the Ranch Dressing in my pantry!
     
    Makes me go all Michael Corleone!
     

    In my pantry…
     
    The pantry in my kitchen.
     
    (shouting) In MY KITCHEN!
     
    Where my WIFE AND I FIX OUR SANDWICHES!
     
    (Softly)Where my grandchildren eat their milk and cookies.
     
    In my kitchen!
     
  • Iron Knee at Political Irony explains why vaccinated people he talks with are increasingly impatient with those who refuse to get vaccinated.
     
  • Wisconsin conservative James Wigderson points out that Senator Ron Johnson’s anti-vax messages are not harmless fun, but are deadly dangerous.
     

  • At The Moderate Voice, Joe Gandelman has a short take on religious objections to the vaccine.
     
  • So Insurance companies plan to apply substantial co-pays and limitations to hospital treatment for those who come down with COVID.
     
    NOJO has a great deal of sympathy for those who don’t deserve the new financial burden. Medical or logistical hardship keeps some from being vaccinated. And there exists a small but significant few breakthrough cases.
     
    But for most of those who will end up paying a high, high price for not getting a free vaccination? NOJO seems to have little compassion.
     
  • Imani Gandy explains how current moves to outlaw abortion rights came from giving up too easily on the right to vote.
     
  • Libertarian Michael A. LaFerrara makes a fairly good case that low voter turnout favoring Republicans and high turnout favoring Democrats may be all wrong. He quotes mainstream press to make his point.
     
    Fair enough.
     
    Seems the arguments he posts, his and those from whom he quotes, all miss the most important point.
     
    Voting without obstruction is not a party right. It is a voter right. High participation favors the democracy part of our democratic republic.
     
  • CalicoJack in The Psy of Life dives into personality types, as he attempts come up with the real reasons Senators Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sinema reflexively defend the Senate practice that may well destroy democracy in America.
     
  • Bill Palmer urges us to avoid despair. Federal protection of the right to vote and national infrastructure investment are very much alive in the House and Senate.
     
  • So the Biden infrastructure bill may yet pass. Part of the bill mandates that, sometime in the future when technology gets to the point where it can be reliably done, new automobiles detect whether a driver is intoxicated or impaired.
     
    Cato Institute’s Julian Sanchez questions how that could work and has concerns about privacy. Giving premature authority to the executive branch before technology is here, says Julian, is the policy equivalent of reckless driving. Nicely phrased.
     
  • John Scalzi at Whatever studies up on climate change by watching a video. Don’t laugh. It’s more than most of us do. So can individual action make a difference? Short answer – No. Longer answer – Yes.
     
  • Vixen Strangely at Strangely Blogged sees the recent horseback cattledrive type treatment of Haitian refugees (whips by any other name?) as part of a larger conservative pattern of you don’t see what you see, with banning books, CRT, and attacks on welcoming miniscule numbers of those rescued from Afghanistan, those whose only crime was supporting, sometimes saving, members of our military.
     
  • Tommy Christopher watches a news briefing as amused White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki is called upon to assure Fox Network personality Peter Doocy that pregnant women are not a big threat to the border. Strange people, these Fox folk.
     
  • M. Bouffant at Web of Evil does not much like Mark Elliot Zuckerberg and does not care for Facebook, especially with the newest revelations of FB corruption.
     
  • So conspiracy theorists want to plot their own right wing conspiracies? PZ Myers reacts to the massive data-spill from a prime conspiracy site with a bit of advice. When recruiting fellow conspirators, don’t do it online.
     
  • France is pretty ticked off at the United States for undercutting their submarine production deal with Australia. Infidel753 takes a strategic view, that the US deal is a rejection of a milder version of 1930s style appeasement. Democracies in the Pacific seem to be coalescing to counter the military aggressiveness of China’s dictatorship.
     
  • Want to see yet another example of a dual-tiered justice? Our favorite Earth-Bound Misfit takes a brief look at the decades long path to a too, too long delayed conviction of Robert Durst for a murder that occurred more than 20 years ago.
     
    Lots and lots and lots of appeals to go. Guy has stayed out of jail this long, and he’s 78.
     
  • In The Life and Times of Bruce Gerencser, atheist Bruce is asked whether he knows any evangelical preachers who are thoughtful, decent, kind human beings.
     
  • In Nan’s Notebook my sisters and brothers in Christ, and I, are taken to task for assigning responsibility for what we do to forces outside of ourselves. Variations of the devil made me do it. Fair enough.
     
  • North Carolina pastor John Pavlovitz watches horrible public positions and actions by conservative Christians and asks what Jesus they believe in.
     
  • Sarah Cooper gets personal:
     

  • Reductress lives through a life-changing kitchen trauma.
     
  • In The Journal of Improbable Research, a noted scientist conducts a series of experiments to determine why bicycles in motion remain stable.
     
  • @momwino98 knows how to take a break from working out
     

    @momwino98

    Endorphins…..##CandyCrushAllStars ##foruourpage ##fyp ##tiktokmom ##postworkout

    ♬ Bitch You Doin A Good Job – Destini Ann

  • SilverAppleQueen has a couple of cute cats. I like the way she photographs them through tall grass.
     
  • My long time friend, Darrell Michaels at Unabashedly American, lists some of what he says we leftists have taught him.
     
    The first two items give us an idea of what follows:
     
    Burning cities and fomenting violence by BLM and Antifa are acts of social justice.
    and
    Nearly all cops are racist.
     
    Oddly enough, I don’t recall any national leader saying anything like that. I certainly have not. I do remember reading from those who count such things that 92% of BLM demonstrations were without any untoward incidents at all, and that most of those that involved disturbances were quelled by protesters themselves. Those that were violent did get news coverage, of course. If it bleeds, it leads.
     
    That sort of thing being what he learned from my side of the fence, my friend is either a very poor pupil or he should swap out his current circle of leftist instructors.
     
    He uses a tactic not uncommon in ideological circles. We ascribe the most bitter extremes to even the most moderate opponents, then debate the imaginary positions rather than what is real. In college debates, we used to call that setting up a strawman, then knocking it down.
     
    One point does strike me as iconic:
     
    The Left claims that they love America and are sometimes even comprised of “old fashioned Americans” and yet they find fatal flaws in our nation, its founding, and its governance. America is a racist, homophobic, sexist, xenophobic nation since its inception according to the left, and yet they still love it supposedly. If I truly believed all of those things as a conservative, I would not love my country either.
     
    Throughout my long life, I have witnessed conservatives investing a great deal of energy twisting themselves into pretzels as they try to redefine the early days of our nation as devoid of such characteristics.
     
    Decades ago, Condoleezza Rice was attacked for describing slavery as America’s birth defect. Mention of slavery and national passive tolerance of post-civil war lynchings that extended to my lifetime is suppressed as Critical Race Theory. But, my friend, such racism was very much an integral part of our nation’s history.
     
    I was born in Seneca Falls, NY, which is said to be the birthplace of the women’s movement. That 1848 convention is commemorated in that upstate village with a nationally recognized Women’s Rights Historical Park and Museum. Those early activists fought for such basics for women as the right to vote and own property.
     
    I’m not sure in what extraordinarily tolerant part of the country my friend was raised. In my youth, homophobia was not even a word. It shames me to acknowledge that it was not even controversial. Homosexuals were to be regarded as perverts. Everyone knew that.
     
    At various points in our history, non-whites of any sort were subject to discriminatory laws, social isolation, and frequent violence.
     

    The conversation in that clip is fictional. The description of the character, John Harris Behan, is accurate. Heading a group dedicated to persecuting those of a different ethnicity was considered a distinctive accomplishment through much of our history.
     
    Abraham Lincoln was defeated in his run for the Senate by a similar argument. If you want to change the country in a more accepting direction, you are unpatriotic.
     
    Lincoln’s view later prevailed and is embraced by patriots today. Our loyalty is to the uneven, but relentless, American trajectory: The ideals of equality and justice that have not yet been achieved. Love of country does not necessitate blind historical pretense.
     
    I don’t think I am betraying a confidence when I point out that Darrell Michaels has served his country, our country, with distinction.
     
    It is with good reason that I choose not to believe that my friend’s patriotism is as weak as he confesses.
     
  • Our friend Dave Dubya takes a different approach, starting with actual quotes and going to the public record, asking what the reaction would be if Democrats had thought about doing what Republicans actually did and are doing, out in front of God and everybody.

– Podcasts –
 

13 thoughts on “My Pillow Law, Poor Eric, Poor Rudy, Vaccine Salad, Filibusted, Patriotism”

  1. The Borat episode is immortal, equaled only by the dildo-parking-lot press conference. But Giuliani seems determined to heap further embarrassments on himself. Eventually he may manage to surpass even those humiliations. A sad end for a man who showed genuine greatness on 9-11.

    The AUKUS deal is by far the most important accomplishment of Biden’s presidency (so far). It’s too bad Macron is in such a snit about it, but that’s a very peripheral issue.

  2. Darrell has asked me to leave his blog.

    His notice came immediately after his sidekick posted:

    “DAVE,

    Don’t want to be called a commie, then don’t act like one.

    Commie racist Dave, very upset. Totally irrelevant response from him to follow.

    Has Dave ever told us where he disagrees with communism?

    Didn’t think so.”

    Another “Triumph of Trumpism”.

    1. I mean, he did give up on that whole common sense thing, Dave.

      But don’t let it dishearten you. To quote someone Darrell once purported to idolize:

      “To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.” – Thomas Paine

      He’s comfortable in his ignorance and lack of self awareness and self reflection. Those that frequent his blog and agree with him are just segregating him further from reality. It’s sad, but you’ve got to move on. You can throw a lifeline to a drowning person, but you can’t make them grab on.

      1. Trey,

        You’re right, if he even embraced common sense in the first place, which was rare indeed.

        Trumpism and the radical Right fit every definition of a cult. An extremely dangerous cult, though.

        I left him these final words:

        I say this with all honesty, and in a sincere effort to convey the truth. I care about our country and its people, but many are lost in these dark times.

        You can deflect, deny and dismiss reality all you want, but it is there, and it will be there for the rest of your life.

        From a sober perspective, a supporter of a man who incited an insurrection and then PRAISED the terrorists, isn’t exactly qualified to blame, accuse and judge others as “hating America”.

        It comes off as projection.

        Overturning the will of the American people by illegal means is the opposite of patriotism. HE PRAISED THEM FOR TRYING JUST THAT.

        You wrote this at my blog on Jan 8, 2021: “Dave, Trump was wrong to give encouragement and a wink and a nod to the protestors and delaying any attempt to rein them back. He was complicit. Sadly this ego maniacal narcissist tarnished the myriad of good things he has done for our country with this latest escapade.”

        It was sometime after that when you detached from reality. I’m sure peer pressure and pro-Trump propaganda had an effect on your thought process. I’d be fascinated to see that train of thought. But you really did embrace his Big Lie and jump whole heartedly on the Trump train.

        This is what you wrote on May 15, 2021: “Trump instigates a riot according to the left and the media, but then I repeat myself. (He didn’t.)”

        Your radicalization was complete.

        Ban me, ban the truth, and ban what’s left of your conscience. It shows you have surrendered your soul to Trump. Embracing his lies and hate reveals this.

        I know it’s likely this will be deleted, but I have your words forever. Sorry buddy, they are on your permanent record. 🙂

        Your words of hypocrisy are preserved, and you will be reminded of them, if not by me, then I hope by your rediscovered conscience and restored common sense.

        Let me know when you see the light, brother. I will welcome you back from a dangerous cult and into the light of day. And you can still be a conservative. Win/win.

  3. Cannot… stop… laughing.

    The lack of self awareness, projection, and smug self righteousness would be amusing if our nation were not suffering from so many Americans that seem to be similarly afflicted while holding demonstrably erroneous ideas on how to build back better our country.

    1. So Darrell’s response is that I am guilty of lack of self awareness, projection, and smug self righteousness?
      Yeah, I’m pretty bad. I hate having to deal with a good judge of character.

      Still, my argument stands unrefuted:

      My old friend says if these well documented historical facts were true, he would not love his country.

      My answer:

      Our loyalty is to the uneven, but relentless, American trajectory: The ideals of equality and justice that have not yet been achieved. Love of country does not necessitate blind historical pretense.

      I don’t think I am betraying a confidence when I point out that Darrell Michaels has served his country, our country, with distinction.

      It is with good reason that I choose not to believe that my friend’s patriotism is as weak as he confesses.

    2. It’s sad that while the majority of his fellow Americans look on in horror at how far down Trump fans and Trump’s political appeasers and sycophants want to drag this nation, Darrell laughs. What’s even sadder is his use of language and the utter irony of using smug self righteousness, projection and lack of self awareness as descriptors for people he hates with such a burning passion that it leaves him blind to his own lack of self awareness, the literal projection his comment is and the actual smug self righteousness that it was written in.

      And to him this is all amusing. And he…. cannot…. stop…. laughing.

      You know. Like a sociopath.

      Yeah, it’s sad. It’s sad that you waste so much confidence on being so wrong. It’s sad what “right wing” media has done to the selfish, self entitled minority in our great country. And it’s sad to watch in real-time someone who was once somewhat reasonable in their arguments about their “beliefs” devolve into someone who cannot… stop… laughing while he points fingers of blame at anyone and everyone other than himself and “conservatism” for the perceptions he’s been led to have.

      Though he bemoans “cities burning” and the “violence” of BLM and Antifa, something tells me (Considering it was his blog post following the January 6th Insurrection that led me to never go to his blog again) that he just couldn’t…. stop…. laughing while his ideological allies knocked out windows, busted down doors, carted away with mementos, and live streamed a violent insurrection on our Capitol.

      He cannot… stop… laughing while the rest of us cannot… stop… shaking our heads in shame at people like him.

      I’d end with another Thomas Paine quote, but he wouldn’t recognize it for the additional irony that I would intend it to be. If he ever had Common Sense, he probably burned it to “own the libs”.

  4. IF there are “so many Americans that seem to be similarly afflicted while holding demonstrably erroneous ideas on how to build back better our country”, then it is very unfortunate that people like Darrell are unable to show evidence they are so clearly mistaken.

    Accusing them of being America-hating commies wanting to turn the US into Venezuela spectacularly fails to show their views are grounded in reality. Especially when such invectives are cast by those who support overturning our election because their guy is a pathological liar and sore loser.

    The “law and order president” lied about the election being stolen, interfered with the election, rallied a mob to “stop the steal”, and PRAISED THE TERRORISTS after their assault on the Capitol!

    These are called facts.

    But these facts would seem to be what Darrell would call the “the tactic of repeating lies until the public accepts them is simply a part of leftist Alinsky-type tactics”.

    No wonder the Left is so confused.

  5. Burr, my friend, my previous comments were not directed at you. Although we often disagree, you attempt to make your points without nasty invective but rather with good humor typically. It was to the other two smug leftists to whom that comment was directed. You I consider to be a liberal. There is a huge difference. I can and do respect well-intentioned liberals.

    As my friend and deserving of a response as you still debate in good faith, let me say the following:

    I acknowledge that the history of our country is riddled with evils and injustices, particularly to native Americans and those that were enslaved. Further, I think that our history should be taught to our children about these evils so that we never travel those paths again, but I also think that all of the good and greatness of our history should also be taught. I think that the fact that our founding principles are ideals that were not realized at the inception of our nation, nor are the fully realized today, and further they may never be completely satisfied does not negate the FACT that over our short history we have worked mightily as a country towards those sacred ideals and have made great gains accordingly.

    Some Americans of color will inevitably experience racism directed against them today; however, I truly believe that SYSTEMIC racism in our country is a thing of the past. It is why people of color have achieved wonderful things for the benefit of all Americans these days. It is why Clarence Thomas, who was raised by his poor and illiterate grandfather in the deep south could rise to the bench on the Supreme Court of the United States. It is why Barack Obama could rise to the most powerful office in the world… and then be re-elected to it. It is why a poor kid in the inner city raised by a single mom could grow to be a world class brain surgeon and cabinet officer for the Trump administration (Ben Carson). It is why untold millions of other folks of color have achieved amazing things. Yes, each one of these people often had to overcome prejudice and even hate, but that made them stronger. I, along with you, I know, would love to eradicate such hate and injustices, and we are making great strides towards doing so. But we are a far greater country today in that regard then we were even a generation ago.

    It is for these reasons that I said that IF I truly believed what agenda-driven leftists spew today about the United States of America STILL being a systemically racist, homophobic, and sexist nation and that it has been since our founding, then I too would not love my country. Luckily, those things are aberrations and not the norm today. Those lies are NOT the truth. It is because of this FACT that I do love my country very much and why I fought for everyone, including the Dave Dubya’s and Trey’s of the world, to be able to exercise their constitutional rights including that of free speech, regardless of how nasty or misguided they may be. And I was proud to do so. It is why I still pray for our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines, including your Marine all the time.

    Burr, you claim to be “elderly”, as if you are at some disadvantage. Perhaps this is to disarm those that may have the temerity and lack of sense to cross swords with you in debate, my friend; however, I know you have a good heart and want only the best for you, yours, and our country no matter how nutty your politics may sometimes be. It is why you are still my friend.

    As for leftists that angrily and hatefully do not want to debate in good faith, I must remind myself that no answer to their spewed venom is sometimes the best answer since there truly is not an answer that will satisfy or satiate their appetite for greater malice and invective.

    God bless, my friend!

  6. It’s obvious I’m a target of Darrell’s vicious accusation of hating America.

    Darrell has divided us into “decent liberals” and “America hating leftists”. This is his “Prager University” education.

    He distorted the fair assertion, supported by the majority of Blacks, that systemic racism exists in America, to the claim of “America STILL being a systemically racist, homophobic, and sexist nation”. And from this, he concludes people like me “hate America” for wanting to address real issues.

    He dismisses my own words about loving this country for its “promise of democratic representation and opportunities”.

    I tried to show him what the Left really supports:

    “Leftists are pro-democracy, pro-voter rights, pro-equality, pro-equal justice under law, pro-public healthcare, pro-public education, and pro-environmental protections. They support taxing those who benefit most from our system that clearly works in their favor.

    They support fair elections with fair representation.

    They are anti-corruption, anti-police brutality, and anti-racism. They support a free press and favor the principle of consent of the governed. Finally they support Constitutional taxes, regulation of commerce, and provision for the general welfare.

    So the radical Right accuses them of hating America for those views.”

    It’s OK for him to admit that “ideals that were not realized at the inception of our nation, nor are the fully realized today. and Some Americans of color will inevitably experience racism”.

    Right, “some Americans of color”. But Darrell and the Right support shutting down the academic study and teaching of the history and effects of racism, calling it “Marxism”. Watch the manufactured outrage and reactions to the letters “CRT”.

    Darrell imagines he has a better understanding of racism and its effects than “some” Blacks. He doesn’t. Most Blacks know otherwise:

    Poll: Americans’ Views of Systemic Racism Divided by Race
    https://www.uml.edu/News/press-releases/2020/SocialIssuesPoll092220.aspx

    Race in America 2019
    Public has negative views of the country’s racial progress; more than half say Trump has made race relations worse

    https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2019/04/09/race-in-america-2019/

    He prefers to misrepresent my words into his own straw man. Despite my pleas to quote my words that he disputes, he manufactures his own version to attack.

    “Spewed venom” for Darrell means my presentation of documented evidence, (dismissed as “leftist propaganda”) of a fair election, or evidence of Trump inciting a violent mob to overturn the election. Or any other facts I shared. He had no evidence to show them to be false. All are summarily rejected, ignored and dismissed with prejudice. That is his indoctrination, of course. He continues to support the Big Lie and the man who refused to stop the insurrection, and then PRAISED TERRORISTS after their attack on our democracy.

    And he obviously condones this assessment of myself, in defense of his “good faith” intentions.

    “DAVE,
    Don’t want to be called a commie, then don’t act like one.
    Commie racist Dave, very upset. Totally irrelevant response from him to follow.
    Has Dave ever told us where he disagrees with communism?
    Didn’t think so.”

    Serves me right, for being a Leftist that “angrily and hatefully does not want to debate in good faith.”

    His response was to ask me to leave. He apparently sees this as affirmation of his wretched and demonizing lie that I hate America.

    Yours,

    “Commie-racist-America-hating-Leftist” Dave

  7. “DAVE,
    Don’t want to be called a commie, then don’t act like one.
    Commie racist Dave, very upset. Totally irrelevant response from him to follow.
    Has Dave ever told us where he disagrees with communism?
    Didn’t think so.”

    Those are not my words. Nor do I condone them anymore than I condone many of the nasty accusations Dave has made towards me and others on my blog, which is the real reason after all of these years why I no longer wished him to partake in the debates at my site. Anyone that knows me and has been to my blog, knows that I welcome and am frequented by commenters that are left of center, including on rare occasions, my friend Burr Deming. All will continued to be welcome if they can remain reasonably civil in debates. Frankly, I am frustrated that I even have to waste time responding to Mr. Dubya, but I want it clear that I did not say those words nor do I condone them. This is just one more item that is incorrectly stated by him, albeit by implication.

    1. Thank you, Darrell, for not agreeing with your pal’s false accusation and hateful insult. I’m relieved to see you at last indicate any disagreement with him.

      Not that I EVER called you, or that person, the equally vile term “Nazi racist”. I did note your remarks and ideas that resonate with white nationalists, such as “replacement theory”, and blaming Obama and BLM for exacerbating racism. The fact that you do happen to share opinions with them regarding certain racial issues doesn’t necessarily make you a white supremacist.

      You have your standards. Among them is the standard where I cannot reciprocate such a sentiment as above, nor vehemently contest your insinuation that I “hate America”. By accusing someone of hating America, it gives you and others license to hate that person. You’ve done just that.

      And you deeply resent my dissent and defense.

      But I get it. You are weary of my snark and sarcasm. That’s what happens when absurdities and false accusations meet facts, evidence, and some common sense seasoned with my sick sense of humor. 😉

      If you could imagine for a minute that Biden won fairly, you might also imagine how it looks like Trump and his insurrectionist mob are the ones who really hate America. Leftists have never stormed the Capitol to overturn an election because their sore loser leader refused to accept defeat at the polls.

      So yes, you are entitled to your standards and your opinions. You remain loyal to Trump and his Big Lie despite the utter lack of evidence he won, or that the election was “stolen”. You would surely vote for him again. Your willingness to overlook the fact your “law and order” president praised the violent mob who tried to overturn the election kind of tells us what your standards really are. And his.

      This hardly entitles you to accuse me, and those who agree with me, of hating America. This is what set your boy up to play his “commie racist Dave” card. It reflects a hateful absurdity that ignited the intensity of the dialogue leading to my eviction.

      I continue to hope you reflect on your opinion, reject Trump’s lies, and maybe come to understand progressives don’t hate America. As I explained above, we love it, but recognize our nation’s shortcomings. We want a more perfect union, just as the founders intended.

      However, I understand it’s only logical and typical that a Trumpist, or any true believer in a cult, would become infuriated with being challenged.

      I’ll give you a break, and enjoy my exile. It’s quite pleasant out here in an atmosphere of facts, reason and reality.

  8. “DAVE,
    Don’t want to be called a commie, then don’t act like one.
    Commie racist Dave, very upset. Totally irrelevant response from him to follow.
    Has Dave ever told us where he disagrees with communism?
    Didn’t think so.”

    To be clear. Not condoned, but unlike my remarks, deemed acceptable for “fair discussion” on the Right, apparently.

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