If the TSA was targeted at LAX...

I do not write at this blog very often anymore, but given the state of this country and the rampant spread of paranoia, stupidity, and flagrance, I feel compelled to express myself here.

The news is saying that an eyewitness of the shooting at LAX which took place this morning in Terminal 3 claimed the armed attacker asked if he was TSA. If this is true, then it implies the TSA was the shooter's target. I admit speculation at this point is presumptive and dangerous, so without the facts, this post is merely theoretical in nature.

Given the rise of sites like InfoWars and the paranoia present in Right Wing politics, angst toward the Department of Homeland Security and the TSA has skyrocketed. From beliefs that the DHS is arming itself with ammo to speculation that TSA agents will now be armed, paranoia originating at sites like InfoWars has created an unhealthy environment that can only lead to more dangerous outcomes.

The paranoia has evolved into an overt hatred of the government and underneath that umbrella is where  the DHS and TSA both reside. It is no secret that people who are paranoid about the government post day in and day out about how much they do not trust the DHS or the TSA. To these people, it is a war. They are soldiers in a fight against some imaginary New World Order fantasy where their enemies use mind control devices (as in the case of the Navy Yard shooter) and subjugation is their perceived outcome should they choose not to resist.

So in my local environment, I have to deal with extreme Right Wingers and NWO conspiracy theorists. I have to put up with InfoWars fans. I have to put up with lots of crazy nonsense. The thing is, I do not know which one of these people will snap. Nothing tells me which of them is truly insane and which is just paranoid. I have to view all of them as potential Navy Yard shooters as a result.

If the angst toward the DHS and TSA is reaching a tipping point, then as InfoWars fans the flames of paranoia, we should also see a rise in activity amongst its followers.

How many of them are going to act on their impulses?

Who, then, do we hold responsible for fanning the flames?

I understand the need to vocalize dissent, demand transparency, and advocate free speech, but the responsibility is on these crazy sites and political officials to rein in the dangerous verbage. They are inspiring a whole group of people to snap.

Should it be revealed that our latest shooter was one of these crazies, then I think it is time for Americans to wake up to the reality that the enemy is not the TSA or the DHS, but those who are willing to kill based on some conspiracy theory.

A conspiracy theorist would default to the ever popular "false flag" bullshit in response to this shooting. The "false flag" defense is one of convenience and proves to be a self serving blind eye to the insanity they have endorsed. Crying "false flag" absolves them of guilt when I feel we should come down hard on them.

Do not let your local nutjob get away with running his mouth this time. The Navy Yard shooting was a wake up call. We have a mental health problem in this country and these same nutjobs are armed. Make no mistake. If you don't side with them, they are perfectly fine with pointing a gun at you.

Denying they are crazy is denying that we have a mental health problem in this country. Do we have a problem or not? Okay, then. Deal with it. Don't say these folks aren't nuts.

Thoughts on the "threat" of tyranny

In the gun control debate, opponents of gun control often justify ownership of assault weapons in the name of self preservation in the rare chance that the government becomes tyrannical and oppressive. They believe that in order to stand up in the face of tyranny, they must have firepower strong enough to fire back against the military forces that would impose tyrannical rule. However, that hypothetical scenario has some serious flaws, flaws where the reality of the military and our government are in direct conflict with the idea of liberal tyranny.

There are two key features of this scenario which simply do not add up, but seldom will you hear anyone discuss either one because the gun control debate never has a chance to evolve beyond simple sparring. The first is that I firmly believe an American conservative government is more likely to impose tyrannical rule by force than a liberal government. The second point to make is that, should the government use its arm of the military to impose its rule, one has to remember that those who belong to the US military are often conservative.

The first point is the more important one to understand. I concede that a liberal government is equally prone to tyranny by way of legislation as a conservative government might be. In that instance, I would urge you to proceed to the second point I've made. Still, in terms of what we are faced with right now, the Republican party has been hijacked by gun-toting religious fanatics. The militaristic nature of the Republican party alone validates my claim that they are more likely to impose tyrannical rule than Democratic leaders. The funding for the military is more likely to increase under a Republican administration. If anything, a liberal administration would weaken the US military force (if you listen to any conservative talk radio pundit). As a liberal, I should be more afraid of tyranny via Republican rule than Democratic rule. Religion is a powerful player in government all around the world. From Iran to Saudi Arabia, oppressive regimes rely upon religious doctrine to control the population within their boundaries. If a religious movement comes about, it will be of the conservative ilk, not liberal.

The second point, then, is to realize the members of our military are heavily invested in conservative politics. Go to any veteran or currently enlisted member of our military. Ask them if, when ordered to fire upon their fellow American citizens, would they follow those orders or resist?

Then, as a liberal, I have to ask whether I should be more worried about a conservative member of the military shooting me or if a conservative should be more worried about a conservative member of the military firing up on them. Given the rhetoric present in our current political environment, I strongly feel that the threatening language present on the Right would motivate a conservative marine to off me without a second thought, whereas a conservative marine would be sympathetic to a fellow conservative and refuse the order to shoot. Do you see now how a conservative administration is more likely to impose tyrannical physical force upon the populace?

Almost instantly, arguments related to that last question would soon devolve into tangents about how the government has used the military and the FBI to attack certain groups at home. One such example would be the Waco siege in Waco, Texas. What that argument fails to recognize is, the group in question was led by a crazy person. If you are identified as a threat to our security, yes, you very well could face a military force at your doorstep. If you think that the military is going to attack your Constitutional right to organize, then perhaps the organizing you are planning is a tad on the crazy side. You might just be a threat to our way of life at this very moment if your level of paranoia makes that much sense to you.

But if you follow the current conversation over secession, or worse yet, revolution, you will find that rednecks will put down their uniforms and loyalties to the President of the United States and cross the battle lines to fight on behalf of their brothers.

So what I'm saying is, even if tyrannical rule were to be imposed, the safeguard is built in by your own political brethren who serve in the military. You should be more worried that your own elected officials are plotting to impose rigid tyranny. If you want to continue arguing that the Obama administration is tyrannical in its proposed legislation, again, I will refer you to point #2. Your arsenal will be of little necessity since conservatives in the military aren't going to shoot fellow conservatives. You don't need an assault rifle to defend against a military force because you hold much of the military force already.

But paranoia like yours prevents us from having a serious discussion about gun control. We have to entertain arguments like what I just described just to nudge the door of conversation open. We have to entertain ludicrous hypotheticals to simply move on to propose limitations like background checks, mental health restrictions on firearms, and access to firearms that were designed for military use, not civilian protection or recreation. No serious debate can be had until you move beyond these two paranoid delusions I have just discussed above.

An Unstable Conservative Mind

While I will preface this post with an understanding that mental illness and violent rhetoric exists on both sides of the aisle, there is an overwhelming trend among the conservative ilk that continually makes liberals like me fear for our safety.

Tonight, on my local Craigslist, someone posted the following rant displayed in the screen capture below.

I reported it to Craigslist via their more advanced help system because I knew merely flagging the post as prohibited did not address the issue. Myself, nor Craigslist, should ignore violence or threatening behavior.

That said, I have a strong suspicion Craigslist will do nothing about this, so I am posting a screen shot of the deplorable post here in hopes of shedding light on the violence brewing in America, namely the South. I strongly feel that this person is a threat to the safety of those around him/her and saying nothing, in my opinion, is as unacceptable as their post. I firmly believe this person either needs to be in jail or helped by our mental health system.

The Southern Poverty Law Center might be particularly interested in this, as might the FBI.

Link to the post: http://shreveport.craigslist.org/rnr/3346039249.html

I contacted this person via email in hopes of drawing out his identity and more of his insane ramblings. To my surprise, he replied. I have his email and his name, so I know exactly who he is.

More threats to Obama on Topix

One of the saddest excuses for an open forum is a site called Topix. On Topix, people from small towns spread gossip about one another, but the hate and vitriolic rhetoric we came to know from the new breed of Conservative fringe voter is openly expressed on Topix as well. One of the more concerning trends is the open willingness to post threats to President Obama.

Here's just one more example.


I've reported it to Topix and it will probably be removed, but I doubt the FBI will be notified, so I am posting it here.

Such a sad time in America where people post such things, isn't it?

Death threats against Obama should be condemned

While I must sadly preface my remarks with condemnation of the death threats made against Wisconsin lawmakers in the wake of the union busting legislation snafoo, the fact remains that, even prior to his election, Barack Obama was a target of the hate present on the Right, hate rooted in racist ideals. The vitriol within the 2008 election campaigns fed this angst and from it, we were given this new breed of Conservative called the Birther. Beyond Birthers, white supremacist groups and your run of the mill corner drug store racists have gone unpunished. When comments regarding calling for the death of a US President are made, they should be taken seriously.

Remember when the teenager posted the "Kill Bush" thing on her Myspace profile? How much attention did that receive? It made national news!!!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15258484/ns/us_news-security/

So where is the coverage of threats against Obama? I haven't seen many reports aside from stuff from the Southern Poverty Law Center, but anyone who frequents any political discussion board knows just how frequent such comments can be. Go on Yahoo News and read the comments. You'll find some, at least up until moderators remove them. Go on just about any forum where Conservatives comment and you'll find these sad excuses for human beings.

I'm going to post screen shots from a thread on Topix. If you've never been on Topix, rest assured that if you need to gather evidence showing just how psychotic Right Wing zealots can be, Topix is the place. It has everything from white supremacists to religious bigotry posted on behalf of some high profile Christian extremists.

Each of the following screen shots were taken from the same thread. The thread in question was about the Birther Bill being proposed in Louisiana, something I discussed in my last post. Judging by other commenters in the thread, it seems this same person has a reputation for posting death threats. Why is this person allowed to continue? Because we aren't doing anything about death threats directed at Barack Obama.







The thread is located here. By the time you read it, perhaps moderators will have already removed the objectionable posts.

If you want to see more of the same kinds of comments made by the same user, just do a simple search.
http://www.google.com/search?q=site%3Atopix.com+_caes

Why secession no longer equates to leaving

Via a podcast download, I am currently watching Rachel Maddow from 4/12/2011. At this moment in the show, Rachel is covering secession, the Civil War, and state sovereignty. Like many liberal pundits, what Rachel fails to see is the reality behind the words being used by Conservatives. As a rational person, it makes sense to her that when Texans scream for secession, we should see it as a sign that these Texans want to leave the United States of America. What I must do in this post, however, is to introduce the idea that something else is going on that has nothing to do with the old world meaning of secession and more to do with the Confederacy which no longer resides "in the attic."

I won't delay my point until the end. Let's get right into it. When Rick Perry talks about secession, he speaks to a population of people. When Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky all propose laws which nullify anything issued by the U.S. Federal Government, they are collectively sending a message to the rest of us. This is not about leaving. This is about retaking the country. This is the South rising again. I have covered this multiple times in previous posts, but I've been ignored, predictably so, because my blog does not represent a much needed wider epiphany on the Left, and to a lesser extent, the Right.

These states are unified. They speak in one voice, not individual voices. The real irony is, they clamor for individualism, but speak as a collective group.

So while Rachel Maddow is spot on when pointing out how serious considerations regarding secession include loss of military protection, loss of Social Security, loss of financial funding from the Fed, and the risk that comes with going it alone, the reality she will not approach is this idea that collectively, these states will align themselves, essentially forming a new nation that likely resembles the old North/South paradigm, if not all out domination of the entire United States.

This is not about leaving. This is one group ready to take control of the entire country. It's the 2004 and 2008 election rhetoric come to life. There are two Americas. It's the flyover state angst. It's the middle America angst. It's the racism that is no longer under wraps.

In 2000, when George W. Bush was appointed President by the Supreme Court, that same morning, a wave of fear, apathy, and shame overwhelmed me. That morning, I predicted hard times, a situation we are currently enduring. In 2004, with his election, a new prediction was made. I said we were on the verge of a second civil war, although the term "civil war" may be inappropriate by definition. In the symbolic sense, it is fitting and serves to highlight what it is I'm afraid awaits America's immediate future.

So while my previous post has concerns over big business and the arrival of a fascist state, the alternative that I am much more afraid of is where the blood does indeed refresh a tree, but it won't be a tree of liberty. Blood could be spilled, our nation left in ruins. The reality is, this future will drive this nation into the ground and we will likely never recover from such a disaster of ideas.

Limbaugh Mocks Asians

In a recent broadcast by blowhard, Rush Limbaugh, he expressed commentary related to the recent visit to the White House by President Hu of China. In the midst of this commentary, Limbaugh began imitating Chinese-speak, akin to a religious televangelist speaking in tongues. The gibberish was nothing short of mockery and a California State Senator, Leland Yee, expressed himself in protest, asking advertisers to pull support and asking Limbaugh fans to boycott his show.

Shortly thereafter Yee received not only threatening faxes with noose/pick up truck imagery, but a voicemail which mocked him as an Asian-American.

Making fun of someone's culture by imitating the way they speak is both inappropriate and offensive.

To make my point, let me mock rednecks and see how well they take it.

You've no doubt heard the country music song mockery before.
My wife done left me, my truck don't work, my horse died, and my dog is the only friend I got left.

No? Not offended yet?

Okay.

What about mimicking the southern drawl?

I did dat dere done what for n ah seen mah paw n ah yell yee haw

If I did that down here, I'd have my ass in a sling.

It's called the Golden Rule. If you preach it, live by it.

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=7924592

YouTube: Limbaugh/Chinese
http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=limbaugh+chinese&aq=f

Divided we stand...Wait. What?

Politics in America remains a touchy subject, but for many Americans, the word "touchy" barely even touches on the problems facing us. We are a nation divided. Our politicians are a direct reflection of our own inability to compromise with one another. One side is pitted against the other. Compromise is not a possibility anymore. One side attempts to compromise to the middle and ends up losing, while at the same time, gets framed as uncompromising and so far Left in ideology, the other side has no idea where the middle even begins or ends because they are too far Right in ideology. In the end, nothing gets done and the American people suffer for legislation that has been made ineffectual through backdoor deals and retroactive policies specifically designed to cripple such legislation. Let's face it. We are a mess.

After reading about the horrible event today in Arizona involving Representative Gabrielle Giffords, I went on to read the comments. Depending on the site you chose as your source of information, you were either greeted with comments in line with your political leaning or you were soon enveloped by a sea of vitriol, condemnation, and the rhetoric we have come to know over the past ten years. At that point, whether or not the young man who committed this atrocity was a Democrat or a Republican became moot. Let me repeat that point. This post is not about this young man. It is about our response to the events which transpired.

After reading one comment in particular, it dawned on me. We are likely doomed. We are too divided. We cannot turn back. A major confrontation is inevitable. A war is looming. The comment itself suggested we go ahead and divide our country and be done with it. Let's skip killing off thousands, if not millions of Americans and draw the necessary line. You go where you belong and I'll go where I belong. Let's skip the fighting, the collapse of our economy, and the scuffle over natural resources.

Ah, but that begs the obvious question. Where should this line be? If you follow politics, you might suggest that we go back to the old North and South we knew at the time of the Civil War. I know many Americans in the South want the map to look like that (and if you think I'm exaggerating, you need to spend more time living down here). Unfortunately, the political spectrum of our country has created more of a speckled map of the United States. Republicans and Democrats are neighbors. Individual states are represented by both Republican and Democratic districts. A line dividing us into North and South like that would not go over well. Millions would be left scrambling for their lives just as if there had been an actual war.

What if we allow individual states to actually secede? Secessionists roam the two lane roads just west of here in East Texas. I personally have no problem seeing Texas leave us. Several other states, likely the same ones who have brought cases against the Federal Government over Health Care Reform, would be on this list. Let's set aside the question of whether or not they can sustain themselves on their own. A state with sovereign rights separate from the Union will provide a place for those unhappy with the US Government to go. Let them worry about the anarchy inside their walls.

My point is, I think the only way America can remain standing is if we divide it. United, we are not. We have crossed the line. There is no turning back. You may find my post apathetic and worrisome, but it is the new reality on the horizon. I do not like it and I certainly wish we were not faced with such a scary future. I just don't see how we can recover from the division which has erupted over the course of these past ten years. The threat is very real and while we can stand here hoping it is not true, I do not think hope will carry us for much longer. We need a leader who can simmer down the rhetoric and not only speak the truth, but convince the American people he or she is actually telling the truth without the media spinning the language and feeding the wave of misinformation. Even the strongest and most honest leader I do not think is remotely capable of fighting against such a wave of ignorance and hate.

I do not want anarchy. There is a loud voice in this country which wants out. They do not see that what they are suggesting will create anarchy. Much like their perception of evolution, they believe secession and huge leaps can come overnight. To their dismay, I must be the voice of reason here and remind them that evolution took millions of years. No. Secession and division comes at a price and it will lead to a very long road of recovery.

Some of this post should be read in jest, I admit. At this point in time, I do not see any viable solutions to our problem. Congress needs to be reformed. Our system of elected government needs reform. Election campaign finance needs reform. People like me are not happy, but we are out of ideas. We are just as apathetic about our future as the day Al Gore conceded to George W. Bush. Many of us saw all of this coming. We were unable to stop them.

Welcome Back, Domestic Terrorism

Joseph A. Stack flew 25 miles to an IRS building off of I-83 this morning. He then dove straight into it, Stack, the only death so far. Investigators are still searching for more casualties. Associated with the tragedy was an approximately 3000 word manifesto expressing his thought process for such an act along with the events which lead to his decision.

He repeatedly edited and finally posted a 3000 word manifesto leading up to this morning's disaster. The letter, a rant about taxes and the government, spurred from years of hassles with the IRS. Unfortunately, the language in the document was more than your basic gripe about the IRS.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures."

Desperation and anger sums it up. That is the disturbed paranoia on the Right which has triggered some to consider behaving violently. To deny the existence of such an element is to deny the serious nature of the accusations anti-government groups have made. Those accusations are not without consequence.

The strange part in the tirade was that I could not pin down which side of the fence the guy sat on. Much of his suicide note is obviously anti-government and anti-taxes, yet at the end of the document, he invokes Communism. The letter is peppered with Tea Party style language and other phrases which hint he leans more Right than Left. Strange, indeed. But we should not attempt to rationalize the ravings of a lunatic.

Moments after his name surfaced, Tea Party enthusiasts jumped at the opportunity to use the attack on the IRS to elevate their own anti-government position. The real question to ask then is, will Tea Partyers mistakenly take this act of violence as a green light to take action against the government in a violent manner themselves?

What troubles me even more is how Tea Party supporters and Limbaugh/Beck listeners will sympathize with this man. These same people call critics of the war terrorist sympathizers. I'm sure they feel that this man's violent response represents a legitimate message being sent to the Obama administration. They will defend is insane suicide note as something that represents a growing source of frustration in this country. The problem is, there is no IRS squeeze being put on Joe Taxpayer. The notion has been manufactured and perpetuated via ideology and fear. The Obama administration cut taxes for people in this group.

What they won't say, however, is that the manifesto has clues which suggest Stack may have not been all that kosher when it came to his taxes. I'll get to that in a minute. First, let me focus on the Tea Party reaction to this act.

Search Twitter for Stack sympathizers. These are just some of the gems you'll find.

Mixed feelings? Main stream media misinformation? Well written and poignant manifesto? Tea Party martyr?

Some folks on the Right are even claiming Stack was a wacko from the Left. They claim to have read his manifesto, yet aside from a jab at George W. Bush and a small tirade about health care being a crisis, nothing about his manifesto stinks of straight Liberalism, only Tea Party anti-government angst. Those on the Right consider anyone who criticizes Dubya or our "wonderful" health care system a Leftist. Part of his manifesto actually hinted that he was possibly weaseling around tax laws in order to evade paying. See the part where he talks about tax law readings with neighbors and lawyers and the section where he had undocumented income. He made himself out to be a patriot of all things. Draping oneself in a flag definitely belongs in the Right corner, not the Left. He also made it relatively clear he had a negative impression of unions and of a Democratic politician, Patrick Moynihan. I would personally love to get my hands on some of the letters he claimed to have written to politicians in the past. Perhaps they might shed some light on his thought process and how this dreadful day came into fruition.

So let's give these sympathizers the benefit of the doubt and say Stack wasn't a member of the Tea Party movement. Take all his angst and make a list. All of it resembles things said at speeches during the Tea Party convention. Someone with anti-government angst focused against the IRS does not fit a Leftist profile at all. On the contrary, self proclaimed "true Conservatives" post this kind of nonsense on the net minute by minute. "No taxation without representation" is a tag line of the Tea Party movement, a quote elevated with some importance in the Stack manifesto. Tea Party jargon inadvertently justifies his state of psychosis.

What Tea Party folks need to realize is that their choice of words resonates with more than their own protesters. Talk of revolution and oppression by way of taxes speaks to these lone wolves with psychotic tendencies. It speaks to those carrying signs with swastikas on them and those who play the Socialism card far too often than is necessary. All of those signs we see at Tea Party protests are not the least bit light hearted. They have a clear message directed at a clear target. The Tea Party marks the target. The crazy ones use a scope and fire away. Then the Tea Party gets to act as though they aren't to blame.

Speaking out against the entire US government with vague complaints leaves the uninformed to come to their own ridiculous conclusions. You've fired up the wrong people and now we've suffered as a result. Time to tame your own followers. Time to keep your volatile language in check.

What is ironic is how things are looking to become a self fulfilling prophecy. What do I mean by that? The Tea Party movement and several wingnuts claim the US government will turn into a police state, the likes of which we haven't seen since Communist Russia. I don't think they realize that by advocating revolution and trigging men and women to wage attacks on US soil, they will actually justify actions which would police our freedom.

Some additional points:
He became a Texan, although it would appear he has roots in Pennsylvania. Texas does strange things to people. It's why I really try to avoid driving into Texas altogether. I do give him credit, however, for noticing the over-inflated ego present in Texans.

He complained about all this money lost, yet he had a small plane. Doesn't seem to be hurting that bad. Although it appears that in his younger years, hard times were upon him, real poverty and hard times, he knew not. Who among you owns a plane? Who among you facing hard times owns a web site? That also means he owns a computer and has a decent internet connection. If money is an issue, I certainly wouldn't be throwing it away on a plane and a hosted domain.

My final word:
If his message resonates with you, I am scared of you. I wonder if you will be the next to take your own life and possibly many innocent others. I worry that members of our military will act out in a similar fashion. B52's fly training exercises above the city I live in. Imagine what kind of disaster could ensue should one of our own who swore to defend this country drove a plane like that into the ground. I wonder if I will become a victim of your angst. A body count is nothing to be proud of. You really do terrify the rest of us. Whether you post at FreeRepublic, NewsMax, InfoWars, or any of the many other "Conservative" leaning sites, comments which endorse violence and sympathize with revolution need to be weeded out. Freedom of speech only gets you so far before you become a threat to the rest of society.

I should not fear for my own life on this scale. That is terrorism. Are you a threat? If your answer is yes, you deserve to be on the FBI watch list and no-fly list. It's not oppression or police state when we come after you. You seek to cause physical harm to fellow Americans. Nothing excuses that kind of behavior. Nothing.

This is your "revolution"? You've made Americans afraid again. The language you choose to use to speak to your audience has consequences. They are preparing to take desperate measures. Time to rein in your fringe and send a clear message that this is not the way to solve problems.

"And the South shall rise again"

The morning George W. Bush was announced as the winner of the 2000 election, the first words out of my mouth were "We're going to have hard times ahead of us." In addition, I said we were going to have a war and that it would not be pretty. After eight years, I can honestly say we were put on the path towards hard times and we are now in wars that have not been ideal, not that any war is, but that things were done half-assed. Somewhere in between his first term and his reelection, I was someone who said a civil war was coming. Along the same lines, I was also hinting at the saying those below the Mason Dixon line know all too well.

"The South will rise again."

Only in the last few years have we seen a glimpse of this trend on the national stage with any regularity. Now we are seeing a large movement with principles coming from the old ways of the South. I'm speaking, of course, of the current Republican Party, but the Tea Party movement has benefited from these sentiments more than any other faction of the Conservative base.

A few of these signs rest in plain sight. The voting pattern in the 2008 election which put Barack Obama in office clearly had a slant towards McCain in southern states. The overwhelming caucasian demographic of the Republican party is another trend hiding in plain sight.

Let me toss out a few more.

The Tea Party movement specifically refers to their organized approach as a revolution. In recent history, there have never been more threatening words towards our own government by a group of people this large. They feel that as a party and as a people, they are at war.

Along the same lines, members of this particular flavor of the Conservative base feel as though it is their duty to take "their" country back. Let's set aside the fact that the 2008 election was democratic in nature and Obama ended up in the White House as a result of this democratic system. Let's set aside the fact that Americans are Americans, whether they sit Left, Right, or Center. Let's even set aside the possibility that many want to "take their country back" from a black man (who isn't completely black, but a mixed-race individual). There exists the same sort of southern "us against them" mentality which was around at the time of the Civil War. This North vs South thing is evident in the language chosen by the Tea Party movement.

These people are clinging to old ways. Whether it's a religious thing pertaining to gay marriage or a cultural thing related to race, people in the Tea Party movement are clamoring to return to the 50's. Suggesting that the notion is ridiculous by way of a question is simply asking the wrong question. I'll give you the answer. Yes, they do want the 50's. Why? "Simpler times." To a small town local yokel, that kind of life resonates.

As discussed by Rachel Maddow on MSNBC, a speaker at the Tea Party convention suggested having to pass a civil literacy test in order to be able to vote. Instead of granting the rights of all citizens in this great country to vote, a test of this nature has been used specifically to prohibit any black person from having a voice in any election. The test wasn't designed so that the uninformed were not allowed to vote, a notion admittedly present in the minds of many Liberals after W was elected when dumb shits were clearly to blame. While I understand the sentiment, that is not the nation of ideals we were founded on. The literacy test was designed as a form of selection, allowing certain people (white) to vote and others (black) denied. The suggestion to use a literacy test in any form is simply wrong.

The Secessionist movement, or perhaps simply the sentiment, is rooted in the same mentality of southern pride. Even the notion of "Big Government" is related to this idea that the South has this unspoken sovereign power to withstand the northern influence.

Even gun ownership has its own flavor of southern spice. There is a very apparent preparedness of gun toting rednecks to take up arms in some grand stand against the government. The only way you'd know about this sentiment is if you spend any time living in the South or take some time out of your day reading posts online by rednecks who own guns. They are under the impression that since Liberals are for gun control, it would be a quick battle since they, as rednecks, have all the guns. I'd hate to be the bearer of bad news, but gun owners come from many different backgrounds. I can shoot. Rachel Maddow can shoot. If you come shooting, rest assured, there will be people ready to shoot back.

Whether it's elite vs middle of the country, white vs minority (a statistic that will change soon given the growing hispanic population), redneck vs city folk, or Liberal vs Conservative, all show signs of the South rising again.

Anyone who lives outside of the South who enjoys their way of life should be afraid of this movement. Anyone supporting the Tea Party movement should make themselves aware of the language they choose to use among its followers. Such a violent sentiment will rip our nation apart and leave both our economy and infrastructure in ruins. While the Right has a very paranoid element to it, I admit that this post has a paranoid quality to it as well. I'm sad to say that the language on the Right is more pronounced than what you might think and the reality of a revolution in a violent form is a distinct possibility.

Local News Drumming Up Gun Paranoia

Over the last few months, all three local news stations in my area, KTAL (6), KTBS (3), and KSLA (12) have reported on gun ownership worries. What's going on? Assault rifles are flying off shelves. Ammunition is too.

So what's the problem?

The local news frames the worry in light of the recent gun violence. Let me give you an example of poor journalism. Three officers were killed in a shooting in Pittsburgh last week. Instead of our local news covering it as a tragedy, they start out their week end news cast with something like this.

(Paraphrasing)
The gun violence in Pittsburgh has gun owners worried.

So instead of addressing gun violence, the real problem, they drum up right winger paranoia over assault rifle bans.

They completely disregard the fact that no legislation is currently in the works in Congress to institute an assault rifle ban. No legislation is on the table to take away guns. Maybe one or two members of Congress have plans to bring certain ideas to the table, but that's the same as Dennis Kucinich standing in front of Congress pushing for the impeachment of President Bush. It's one guy trying to push an idea that is dead in the water.

But oh no, southerners need to have their paranoia validated and news organizations do it in the name of ratings. When the news reports it, one can only assume it's the truth. Unfortunately, it's not. It's spin. We should demand more from our local news organizations, but we don't.

So KSLA, KTBS, and KTAL, would you mind dusting off those journalism degrees and make an attempt to actually do some legitimate fact checking before making hearsay newsworthy?

Alabama Shootings, Conceal Carry Didn't Help

An argument in favor of concealed carry gun rights has long been a topic of discussion in the scope of massacre shootings. The argument goes like this. If people are allowed to carry a concealed weapon, someone else will be less likely to pull out a gun in fear of being shot themselves. Someone carrying could stop the crime from happening. Proponents typically go on to say concealed carry offers a form of defense in situations where an attacker starts shooting.

It is my understanding that Alabama does permit concealed carry of handguns.
http://www.usacarry.com/alabama_concealed_carry_permit_information.html

Nobody fired back. So in a state where concealed carry is permitted, not one person was packing that day. The tragedy continued to unfold with disastrous consequences.

So for "pro-gun" concealed carry supporters, this should not sit well. If anything, this tragedy will fuel the argument against semi-automatics.

If you recall, the shooting at the Unitarian church in Tennessee only ended when people tackled the guy. In that instance, nobody shot back. People stopped him with their own physical effort. The notion that more guns equates to a safer society has not shown to be true. Those who argue an armed society is a polite society should visit some southern states and tell me how many times someone is rude to them. By all means, visit East Texas. You might actually get shot. They're nuts over there.

The gun debate is a tiresome one, but the facts are on our side, not theirs.

Kaylon Johnson Update

The local news reported today that a suspect in the Kaylon Johnson beating has been taken into custody. A 25 year old man named Jimmy Booth from Longview, Texas has been charged. At this point, he is only being charged with second degree battery, although the FBI is still figuring out whether or not to consider this a hate crime.

Officials also stated that there would not be any further arrests made. What? I thought at least two guys assaulted him. Is there a plea deal we are not hearing about? What gives? If police said that Booth was with three friends, I think a piece of the puzzle is missing.

Is there still going to be a vigil in Baton Rouge for Kaylon Johnson?

My hunch is that the FBI will call this one a hate crime. There is no way an attack where racial slurs directed towards the victim and Barack Obama could be considered anything other than a hate crime.

Man assaulted for wearing an Obama t-shirt

Saturday, December 6th, 2008
On Bert-Kouns and I-20 in Shreveport, a man was attacked by a group of people for wearing an Obama shirt. According to the victim, the men who attacked him were yelling "F- Obama" among other things. It happened too fast for him to really identify his attackers. The news also reported that the gas station attendant took down a license plate number.

Kaylon Johnson was at a gas station on Bert Kouns when a group of men began taunting him before attacking. Johnson stated that the attack was unprovoked. His injuries appeared to be limited to his face from the news footage. He had periorbital swelling and suffered a fracture to the orbit. Surgery is planned for later this week. The local news coverage has been kind of poor so far. I'm disappointed, but not surprised. Our local news regardless of the station flat out sucks.

It is my understanding that Kaylon Johnson recently opened the Obama Shop where he sells Obama related merchandise, including t-shirts. He was also apparently part of the grassroots support of Barack Obama in the area.

Welcome to Louisiana. Anyone out there still cocky enough to have southern pride?

http://www.ktbs.com/news/Man-says-attack-was-racially-motivated-21301/

Read more at sbc360.blogspot.com
http://sbc360.blogspot.com/2008/12/exclusive-obama-supporter-beaten-by.html


The day I read about the shooting at the church near Knoxville, TN, I knew something like that would happen here eventually. This is why I don't talk politics with anyone I meet in this town. This is why I don't put any bumper stickers on my vehicle. This is why I blog with anonymity. As a resident of Shreveport, I know how strong the redneck conservative voice is down here. It's scary, really, to have to live here and I'm white. I could easily become a target of this sort of hate.

Shreveport PD is investigating, but I am not confident in their work. If you recall, the Shreveport Police Department has been involved in at least two national headline-worthy stories. The first was when Airman Elio Carrion was shot while on leave from Iraq. The incident was videotaped. There was a police chase where Carrion was a passenger. As Carrion began to obey orders to get up, the officer shot him. The second event occurred more recently. Angie Garbarino was pulled over for a DWI and while in police custody, was apparently beaten off camera. One minute she was sitting in a chair, and the next, she was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. The Shreveport PD is not exactly a by the book bunch.

12-12-2008 - An Update
According to KSLA News 12, the FBI is investigating this case. Johnson has undergone two surgeries to repair his eye socket, nose, and tear duct. There is now a fund to help with his health care and legal bills. A candlelight vigil will be held on December 18 from 7 to 8pm on the steps of the Louisiana State Capitol in Baton Rouge. More info on the vigil is available through the Barack Obama web site.

Steve Hall, a senior agent with the FBI Shreveport office is asking anyone with information related to the incident to call the FBI at 318-861-1890 or the Shreveport PD at 318-673-7373.

http://www.ksla.com/Global/story.asp?S=9479629&nav=0RY4Qi7R

I'll try to stay on top of this story, although I will be very busy until Tuesday.

Black Friday Sales Must Come To An End

Black Friday sales are going to have to come to an end. The reports I have heard so far say that one has been killed by shoppers entering a Walmart and two other people were shot outside of a Toys 'R' Us.

Are you kidding me? You want something so bad that you're willing to push and shove your way into a store and trample another human being? Surely stores can come up with an organized way of allowing customers access during these sales.

The good side of Black Friday has to come to an end folks. I know stores rely on these sales to put them into the black financially, but it's not worth someone's life. How many more people need to get trampled before we figure out how to shop like civilized human beings? Why in the world would anyone want to carry a gun to go shopping at a Toys 'R' Us? A lawyer could arguably see that as a form of premeditation. What message are we sending?

Greed is making our nation fall apart on every level. It's time you took a good hard look at your life. Decide what is important. We shouldn't be hearing these stories every year. Want to be thankful for something? Be glad you stayed home and avoided these kinds of shoppers. In other countries, people stampede out of fear. Apparently in America, we trample people to buy useless crap.

We all seem to be on our own little trip of self importance.

I am publicly calling for a moratorium on the Black Friday sales.

Teen shot while TPing a house

This story is why I'm not sold on the notion of using guns to protect your home and property.

I heard it on the local news and don't know all of the specifics. I'm not sure what town this occurred in either. Here's what I do know.

A few teens were toilet papering some guy's house. It was very early in the morning. The home-owner thought they were trying to break into his garage. Well he grabbed a shotgun and fired away. He hit a 14 year old in the chest, abdomen, and lower extremity. At this point, there is no information about what charges are going to be pressed.

I understand the need to protect yourself and your home. The problem is, people with guns are arguably a little on the trigger happy side. Gun enthusiasts always boast that they are responsible with their firearms. It's not the firearm that worries me. It's the brain of the guy or gal holding the firearm that seems to be the problem. Fear dictates your perception. Plain and simple. It sounds as though this home-owner wanted to shoot first and ask questions later.

I've been TP'd before. Kids scatter when you turn on the lights. I never got the impression anyone was breaking into the house. We let the dog loose. We might grab a kid by the collar and call his parents. What we didn't do was fire away into the night at anyone.

If gun enthusiasts weren't so damn trigger happy, I wouldn't be so supportive of gun laws. If I'm not sure and I'm holding a gun, I err on the side of caution. Of course, I'm not trigger happy.

"Pro-Gun" slogan appeals to the simple minded

What the hell is pro-gun anyway?

All gun and no brain? For men, that means all gun and no penis.

If you are pro-gun, here's your sign. Rednecks will get that joke.

Seriously, though...

Does it mean that no matter the circumstance, you are in favor of guns? Does it tell me that your constituents flock to simplistic slogans? Remind you of the term pro-life? God forbid someone is anti-life, right? Another way to look at the pro/anti dialogue is to phrase it in a different light. Take abortion for example. The current lines are drawn between pro-life and pro-choice. The pro-lifers would have you believe that pro-choice folks are anti-life. I never hear pro-lifers called anti-choice in political slogans. The term isn't even part of the main stream pro-choice crowd. "Anti-life," however, is part of the main-stream Right Wing campaign vernacular. When you put it that way, it should start turning those gears inside your head. It doesn't make any sense when you phrase gun politics in that format, but you fell for the simple slogan anyway.

I am seeing this term used more and more in campaign ads. Sarah Palin states she is pro-gun. I understand that in Alaska, everybody and their grandma has a gun to fend off threatening wild animals. I get it. Still, you don't have to go so far as to say you are pro-gun. A local doctor running for Congress says he's pro-gun. A doctor that is using the term pro-gun? Didn't he do a rotation in emergency medicine as a resident or in med school? So you're telling me that no matter what, Dr. Fleming, you are in favor of guns used for any reason? You have likely personally seen the end result of gun violence in your own medical career. Has that not affected your opinion at all?

Politicians love this slogan because it appeals to a very specific population of voters, yet it has nothing to do with the real issue. They love this slogan because it means they don't have to do anything besides sit on their asses. It's a non-committal pledge, if there is even such a thing. It's meaningless, until you begin asking questions. Responsible voters ask questions. Irresponsible voters simply nod and smile. Guess which ones politicians like most.

Pro-gun is a blanket statement and when you use the term, you get rid of any form of nuance. Any opposition automatically acquires the label "anti-gun." Being pro-gun is far different than supporting the right to bear arms. Being pro-gun doesn't tell me where you stand on gun rights while at the same time gives trigger happy idiots solace in their paranoia that scary Liberals are gonna take away their gun/replacement penis. No line is drawn when you are pro-gun. Anyone that uses a gun for any reason is acceptable under a pro-gun mentality. If that isn't the case, then you are not pro-gun and your stance requires some clarification. That clarification comes in the form of regulation and responsibility for your toys.

Let me put it this way. In essence, the individual who believes a gun is going to get them what they want from the guy across the store counter is pro-gun. The young man who feels getting even by shooting whoever gets in his way is pro-gun. The gun gets him what he wants. When Bill Heavey writes his articles for Field & Stream, he cracks rather inappropriate jokes about shooting things, including people. Anyone that trigger happy does not need to own a gun. They are mentally unstable. When Ted Nugent puts a gun to his head, maybe I'll jump on the pro-gun bandwagon. Until then, you'll have to forgive me when I laugh at your pathetic excuse for a slogan and cross my fingers you shoot your own head off one day. Darwinism still works on some level you know.

I've said it once and I'll say it again. Conservatives are simple minded. They have to use slogans which appeal to simpletons. You know, local yokels. Either you have a small penis and like to shoot stuff like a big man or you're a pussy, right? There's no in between on this issue then.

If you are a politician using this term, you are intentionally appealing to the simple minded. If you vote for someone who is pro-gun, it's likely that you are a simpleton. Demand more from your elected officials!

Research has shown Conservatives do in fact tend to think more in terms of black and white and have difficulty dealing with change. You cannot break down issues into purely pro and anti categories because there are important subtleties that seriously need to be taken into consideration, unless the slogan itself uses wording which recognizes some nuance, ie. pro-choice.

When Fascism comes to the United States, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a gun.

(Although the above quote has mysterious roots and I've added my own adaptation, the substance of the quote mirrors that of the current state of America)

Knoxville Church Shooting: A Wake Up Call

Knoxville Shooting
http://edition.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/07/28/church.shooting/index.html

I'm a little late to the party on this one, but it strikes a very personal nerve with me. Just punch in "Knoxville Church Shooting" into Google and you can read all about it including several heated discussions on the subject. Many are condemnations of such behavior, but a few are examples of mindsets which lead people down the same disturbed path. This should serve as a wake up call to conservatives in this country planting the seeds of hate.

Mr. Jim Adkisson holds the belief (by his own personal statements to authorities) that all liberals should be killed. He left a four page manifesto if you will in his vehicle and from most online articles, I discovered the letter was a full fledged written expression of hatred for the liberal movement as well as homosexuals. Somehow his disgust with the liberal movement was also linked to his inability to acquire a job.

Why some in Knoxville and around this country are surprised this happend baffles me. I am all too familiar with the gun toting redneck movement in this country. They hide behind the right to bear arms and say horrible things behind closed doors about liberals, gays, and African Americans. Get these people in good company and they'll spill their evil guts. Put them in the public eye and they suddenly become good Christians. For the record, I have spent some time among the more rural community just outside of Knoxville and I must tell you this region and its residents have a very backwards theme.

In his home, several right-wing forms of literature were found including works (unconfirmed) by Bill O'Reilly, Michael Savage, and Sean Hannity among others. While I'm sure these guys will come out and say they don't condone such violence, behind closed doors, I'm sure something completely different is said.

Every liberal in this country should be very concerned about something like this happening to them. Mr. Adkisson is not an isolated incident. There is a growing very violent anti-liberal sentiment among the backwoods boys of this nation. Thing is, they aren't as backwoods as you'd want. They are your neighbors, barbers, and even soldiers sworn to defend this country. Take note that according to Knoxnews.com, Adkisson had served in the Army's 101st Airborne. I live in a part of the US where I am really scared for my life on a regular enough basis that tells me this country is in real trouble. I shouldn't live with this kind of fear because of my political beliefs.

For the conservatives who are so opposed to welfare, humor me on this one. This guy was unemployed and on food stamps according to a CNN article. Not exactly the kind of moocher you like to portray is he? For someone so strongly conservative, I find it conflicting that he would use food stamps. It only reminds me to point out that people on welfare and food stamps are not lazy bums on the couch watching cable television wasting taxpayer dollars. This guy had an associates degree in mechanical engineering and had also worked as a truck driver.

Some are trying to argue that had everyone in church been packing heat, this wouldn't have happened. Three things to point out in response. Church is the last place any of us would want or need a gun. Second, this guy was able to enter the church and begin firing before anyone even noticed he had a gun. Third, he was subdued without the use of a firearm. We shouldn't be using this example as a reason for right-to-carry. We shouldn't have to live in a society where we even think we need a gun at any given moment to defend ourselves. That's not to say I'm completely against guns. I have to have a 22 rifle handy with some bird shot to kill unsavory poisonous snakes out here in the country. I understand the need for a firearm in that context. There is however, a healthy balance between a nut like Ted Nugent and taking away guns completely. Common ground anyone? Unlikely. The ones with the guns would rather shoot the opposition first it seems.

I would pray for those involved, but I am not an advocate of prayer.

Louisiana Death Penalty Commotion

So the Supreme Court on Wednesday morning ruled that child rapists cannot be sentenced to death for their crimes. I'll use this post to illustrate a few points. Redneck Conservatives are generally resistant to change, dimwitted, slow thinking, and simplistic in nature. Don't like what I just said? Tough. Grow some balls and take the criticism like a man if you're so tough. Now read what I have to say and join us in civilized society or perish.

Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal claims it is an affront to the people of Louisiana among other things. Oh. Poor baby. Sounds more like a bruised ego than a rational acceptance of law. It was a Supreme Court ruling. It's been deemed unconstitutional. Are you telling me Louisiana citizens are willing to push for something unconstitutional just to heal a bruised ego? As Governor, you're calling a Supreme Court ruling an affront to the people of Louisiana. I think you have the order of power reversed Piyush. Jindal you dipshit. Pandering to the masses methinks. You're an empty shell of a man and nothing more than a talking head.

Let's not even get into the reality that the death penalty by itself does not deter crime. The death penalty for simple southern folk, and Texans I might add, appears to be more about getting revenge than actually punishing someone for a crime. It's a simpleton's law. That's right. I said simpleton. Do something wrong. Kill them. It might be okay for Neanderthals, but we live in a civilized society now. Their beef with this ruling is all ego and no brain. Justice Anthony Kennedy said it all. Expanding the death penalty to other crimes is far too risky. Wrap your head around that one for a while. This is why people like rednecks really advocate the death penalty. They are angry, hurt, and may or may not be grieving. They don't know how to handle those emotions like an adult. Now they want revenge in a simplistic eye for an eye sort of manner. They'd much rather act like this is high school and they have to defend their pride with violence out by the bicycle rack. Like many before me have told people of this nature...

You do realize what they do to child rapists in prison, don't you?

I am convinced the redneck/Texan style Conservatives in this country want it to be like the old west. Let's tie in another story in the news about the Virginians and gun rights because the mentality is related. They open carry their firearms proudly. Did you notice all of them were white? Let's see how they feel about young black males being able to open carry and watch how their ignorance and stereotypes suddenly spring to life. You know they'd somehow use that to justify their own right to carry a gun and twist it in their favor without actually answering the question. That's just how they think. It's also how fascism starts to seed into a society.

They can't reason with anyone and see things like guns and killing as suitable replacements for civil discourse and humane punishment. They don't have the capacity for thinking at that level. I will continue to call these people stupid. I don't want stupid people making decisions about who lives and who dies. We want the smart people to make those decisions. For the religious reader, shouldn't we be leaving it up to God to pass judgment? In that respect, it is not our place to decide who lives or dies.

• Another School Shooting

I keep telling you that I say things you're not going to hear from most people, including the media. I'm not going to sit here and condone the behavior, but what I will say might tick you off. Let me just run through some recent history for you. You've got the shooting at VA Tech and Columbine. There's that fight between black students and white students in Jena. Even more recently, a student at a junior high was killed. He was described as an outsider that came to school in some feminine clothing and make up. The 14 year old that killed him is getting charged with both premeditated murder and a hate crime. Now you've got a very smart young man at Northern Illinois shooting people. You rarely hear the side of things I'm going to talk about. The news always likes to portray these shooters/victims as troubled young people with a history of violent behavior, substance abuse, or mental illness. Let's hear about the side of them that was ridiculed their entire lives by the "in" crowd.

This will serve as a warning to every parent with a child involved in athletics, cheerleading, or any other socially popular crowd. They treat anyone different like crap. The mean jokes and sick humor these young people are capable of creating set the stage for another similar event. One of these days, the guy or girl you ridiculed is going to get pushed over the edge and act on all that anger and abuse they've felt. Whether or not killing is right or wrong isn't going through their mind at that point. What they're thinking is revenge will make them feel better. How do I know? Personal experience. I know those thoughts all too well.

If you don't want your kid to beat you to the grave, then teach them how to treat people with respect and kindness. You could argue that the kids that get picked on just need to get thicker skin, but the reality is thicker skin only covers up the real problem. It doesn't address the root of the problem. Here's what I see in our future if you don't get serious about this. There is going to be a lot of acting out as a result of rejection and ridicule in adolescent life. You're going to see a lot more school shootings. You're going to see a lot more hate directed at gays and blacks. The fat girls are going to develop eating disorders or kill themselves. The guys who get rejected over and over again are going to end up registered sex offenders after venting their frustration through sexual assault.

You can't blame Hollywood on this one. You're going to have to smack some sense into your snot nosed uppity teen before they turn into someone who makes fun of anyone that is different. Video games and music don't start the fire. Some of it may feed the flame, but the spark is your little snot of a child.

The more time I spend in the workplace, the more I'm beginning to notice how much adult life resembles all the bullshit we went through in high school. If you want things to change, it has to start with you, mother and father. No solution cooked up in government is going to make a damn bit of difference. Religion isn't going to solve things either. The responsibility is in the hands of the parents. Just get off your butt and do it. Otherwise you'll get no sympathy from me when your son or daughter gets a bullet in the head because they or their friends treated someone like crap.

Are you a motivational speaker? Are you a church leader? Are you a youth counselor? You need to break it down this way. Respect and kindness is going to get you a lot further than lectures on ignoring bullies and talking to someone if you feel depressed. If you can't get down and dirty like I told you, you're just wasting a lot of time.