In 2022, many Democrats running with a narrow margin will perhaps be sending the Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott a “Thank You” note for helping them win. Women’s Marches took place all across the nation in many cities yesterday (Sat 2nd). What is very clear is that right across the political spectrum, women are quite rightly rather pissed. Many placards were held aloft declaring just how deeply bizarre it actually is …
“Texas: A state where a deadly Virus has reproductive rights, but women don’t”
I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this factors into the results in 2022 at the ballot box in a very decisive manner.
This week’s Mike Lindell update comes directly from Republican Bonner County Clerk Mike Rosedale in Idaho a few days ago. He is extremely upset with Lindell. The backstory is that Lindell’s “Big Lie” document lists what it claims are the IP addresses that did the hacking to switch votes from Trump to Biden in Bonner County. The local media has a response from Mike, the Bonner County Clerk. In it we discover just how daft and absurd Lindell’s claim actually is …
“Idaho’s election equipment is not in any way, shape or form connected to the internet, we have what is called an ‘Air Gap’ expressly for this purpose. There is no connection to the outside world at all with our scanners or tabulators. No Wi-Fi. No Bluetooth. No cable. Nothing.”
“Seven of our counties actually don’t use scanners or tabulators … any electronic computing equipment at all … they hand count using paper tally books. I’m not sure how Lindell’s organization claims to have been able to get an IP address for paper tally books … Those precincts have what the Secretary of State calls the ‘Flintstone Gap’. It didn’t happen.”
“What is really infuriating is that nobody from the Lindell group ever called Bonner County Elections to even find out what type of equipment we use, that we weren’t connected to the internet, how we communicated with the Secretary of State, nothing. No verification or validation of claims. For the sake of apparently trying to make a big splash, he tarnished the reputations of possibly thousands of counties across the USA. Smooth move Mr. Lindell.”
Idaho Bonner County Clerk Mike Rosedale
One other big news item this past week (for some) is that Pat Robertson has announced that after 60 years of hosting the 700 club, he is now stepping down.
- CBN News: Pat Robertson Steps Down as Daily Host of The 700 Club After 60 Years of History-Making TV Ministry
Beyond all the usual stuff such as homophobia, and anti-abortion, other notable hits that Pat has given us over the decades includes these truly wondrous gems …
- Back in 2001 just after it happened, Falwell and Robertson mulling over who was responsible for 9/11. This is what they came up with …”the ACLU has to take a lot of blame for this” in addition to “the pagans, and the abortionists, and the feminists, and the gays, and the lesbians [who have] helped [the terror attacks of September 11th] happen.” (listen here to this rather silly musing that resulted in even Bush being upset with them).
- In 2005, Pat declared that Hurricane Katrina, which killed 1,836 people, was God’s punishment in response to America’s abortion policy.
- In this alternative universe, we also saw Pat explain that the 2010 Haiti earthquake was due to their “pact to the Devil” (See here)
- He also, starting in 1982, established a long track record of making event “predictions” that God had supposedly told him about – they all failed to happen. In other words he was doing the failed “prophecies” gig long before some of the modern failed “prophets” were even born.
Pat was, and still in, truly a pioneer. Absurdly batshit insanely crazy claims was his shtick long before it all went mainstream.
So what else has happened during this past week?
Below you will find a selection, not from the last decade or even the last year or last month, but simply from the last 7 days. Satirists are now redundant and out of work. Much of it is so bizarre and weird that they simply can’t compete. So, with a hat-tip to my main source, Right-Wing watch, it is time to dive in.
The Big Lie
Kat Kerr Says Those Who Stole the Election Will Be ‘Put on a Meat Hook Next to Hitler’ in Hell
- Since the election was not stolen, then absolutely nobody needs to be worried about this.
- Meanwhile those that look the nation in the eye and keep repeating the false claim should perhaps be seriously worried about this.
- Reminder: Kat is one of those self-appointed “prophets” who repeatedly guaranteed that Trump would win reelection, and thus demonstrated on a truly epic scale that they were, and still are, false prophets.
InfoWars Conspiracy claim – judgement day
This is a really good news item.
Last Thursday Alex Jones Lost 2 Sandy Hook Cases – A judge issued default judgments — a rarity in the legal world — against Jones and Infowars after the conspiracy theorist failed to produce discovery records.
Jones has been found liable for all damages and a jury will now be convened to determine how much he will owe the plaintiffs.
If you are unfamiliar with what is going on here, the backstory is this. Jones vigorously promoted the claim that nobody died at Sandy Hook and that it was a false flag operation. The net impact was that the parents of kids who died have had to deal with continued harassment from those who followed Jones. After years of enduring it all and hoping the nightmare would go away, they reached a point where they sued Jones because he would not stop.
Jones has worked really hard for this and so it is indeed truly well deserved. Personally I’m hoping that the damages will now totally bankrupt him.
COVID-19
Radical anti-vax right-wing commentator Josh Bernstein has been sick with COVID-19 and stuck in quarantine for the last week, and he is not handling it well, lashing out with an expletive-filled rant against Right Wing Watch and others for reporting on his illness.
- It is about now that he perhaps wishes that he had access to some way for him to protect himself against COVID.
- If only that was possible.
In July, Stew Peters said it would be a “false flag” if anyone shot someone offering vaccines door-to-door. Last night, Peters vowed to shoot anyone that comes to his door and tries to vaccinate him or his family.
- Nobody is “forcing” anybody to be vaccinated, everybody is free to choose. Refusal is however resulting in consequences for some.
It is being reported that Steve Quayle, who earlier this year claimed that COVID-19 tests were part of a plot to turn people in flesh-eating zombies, is currently hospitalized with “pneumonia-like symptoms.”
- So very preventable and yet also utterly inevitable for the Steve’s of this world.
Homophobia
Kent Christmas says that “suicide amongst the homosexuality community” is prevalent “because of the guilt.” “They know that it’s not right, but they are bound and they hate doing it.”
- Er … no Kent, you are not dodging your own responsibility here. Denying people basic human rights and generally making their life hell is the root cause. This is on you, own it.
Truly Bizarre
Rep. Madison Cawthorn Is Waging a ‘Spiritual Battle’ Against ‘Evil and Vile’ Washington, DC
- He is an elected official in Washington, DC. Is he claiming to be at war with himself?
- Incidentally, what the heck is a “spiritual battle”, what does that even mean?
- He also claimed “These people hate us.” – yep, we all do indeed, but not because of their religious belief, just their crass stupidity, ignorance, and total lack of basic human empathy.
- Rep. Madison Cawthorn should also perhaps explain how David, Daniel, and Esther—Jewish figures mentioned in the Hebrew Bible hundreds of years before Jesus—supposedly … “influenced the governments of their day to uphold Christian principles.”
Right-Wing Media, Activists Slam Biden for Replacing Lee Greenwood on National Arts Council
- Fact Check: It’s not a job for life, just a fixed term. His official term expired in 2014, over 7 years ago.
Matt Walsh Pretends to Be Virginian to Make Anti-Trans Speech at School Board Meeting
- Background: Loudoun County’s school board has been a target of right-wing organizing and disruptions after the school board adopted transgender-inclusive policies and right-wing hysteria over critical race theory reached an all-time high.
- Matt leased some property so that he could turn up and rant at them.
- So how did his “protest” go? Like this … “Matt Walsh Smears School Board Members as ‘Predators’ and ‘Child Abusers’ Over Trans-Inclusive Policy“
- These school board meetings appear to have become a bit of a circus; all the clowns turn up to perform.
Former President Donald Trump called into the religious-right “Flashpoint” program Thursday night, where he bragged that “nobody has done more for Christianity, or for evangelicals, or for religion itself” than him.
- He is indeed fundamentally correct. Nobody has done as much as he has in exposing them for who they really are.
The False Profit$
Mario Murillo declares that God is going to burn away America’s atheism, “wokeism,” and communism: “The judgment on those who would destroy America is coming!”
- Will this “burning” involve tying folks to stakes and setting fire to them, or does he have something else in mind?
- He also appears to be the only one that a God has advised about this. None of the other members of the “God says” squad have been told any of this.
Self-proclaimed “prophet” Robin Bullock claims to have received a very convenient word from God for former President Donald Trump, instructing Trump not to listen to his political advisers who are advising him not to listen to the prophets.
- I’ve just received a word directly from God advising Trump as follows “Thus saith the Lord, Robin Bullock is full of shit and does not speak for me“
- My credentials that entitle me to speak for God are as equally valid as his. The only difference is that I’m right and Robin is wrong.
Radical right-wing pastor Tony Spell misrepresents the book of 2 Peter to insist that Christians have no right to criticize him in his capacity as “God’s anointed.”
- To help you grasp just how bizarre this is, the word “Christ” is a Greek word that literally means “Anointed one”. He is literally claiming that he is Christ.
Bias?
I stand accused of bias by some for these weekly postings. In one sense, perhaps yes, I am indeed guilty of that.
The problem I observe is that the combination of extreme religious fundamentalism with right-wing autocratic beliefs blends into a very toxic combination – namely people who not only sincerely believe crazy stuff, but also think that they must impose it all on the rest of us by force.
Am I biased against that?
Damn right I am, and so also should you be. There is absolutely no scope for tolerating their intolerance.
Meanwhile, what is perhaps the best response is to laugh at utter absurdity of it all and mock these silly clowns who turn up week after week and put on a full circus show for us to enjoy.