How many hurricanes and superstorms has the United States been hit by lately? Cities destroyed, Puerto Rico without power and practically leveled, escalating tension with North Korea, and we just barely survived another attempt by the death cult of human suffering to take health insurance from millions of Americans. But what is really important that we have to endlessly debate this week? The NFL, and growing protests among players to seriously address the systemic racism and violence by police because they are "disrespecting the flag and the country" by kneeling during the national anthem. In a democratic society we could actually address the above problems and discuss in a civil manner how to reduce racial tensions. But the democratic society in America has very little power, instead we have an aristocratic constellation of the very wealthy and corporations constantly waging war on democracy. The eruption of AstroTurf counter-protest this week starting with doughfacedonny against the "spoiled young millionaires" used by the aristocrats to instill discipline in the right wing authoritarian followers shows what a raw nerve the protests have touched.Ugh, that's as far as I could get. Some kind of block just set in, like "by the time you finish this it will be old news" and then that new news will be old and so on. News cycles in the age of the doughface have turned into gerbil wheels that just spin faster and faster while getting bigger. While there is no shortage of things to write about and no shortage of readers ready to consume it, writers far above my pay grade seemed to be slowing down. As though fatigue at the breakneck pace of outrage generated by doughfacedonny and his minions in the death cult of human suffering is starting to catch up with them. I do not blame them one bit.
Then a "retired grandfather," as I have seen him described on Twitter, started shooting at people from from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas and many, many people got a shot of adrenaline to start talking again. About gun control. I hate to say it guys, maybe it's just the gloomy historian bobbing to the surface again but that term is a complete loser and will not go anywhere. Just as Donny's fans seemed to start losing interest and drift away, he got them all riled up with the racism everyone can love; ragging on the spoiled, overpaid thugs on the football field. Sure, a normal person is quite activated when news hits about the most deadly mass shooting in American history but nothing liberals have tried thus far has moved the needle one inch on gun control. So we'll lead with our chins once again, shout at trees, tilt at windmills, whatever your preferred metaphor for the futility of passing even the most basic public safety measures into law that could have at least hindered the ability of an individual to acquire an arsenal of deadly weaponry.
Meanwhile, the real payoff of all the lying, chicanery, ratfucking, treasonous footsie with the Russians, truckloads of money spent, and voter suppression has finally arrived. Third time is the charm, the US Federal Government has been dealt two knockdowns by past Republican administrations, this one will be the Technical Knockout if Donny can get those tiny fingers around a pen to sign every billionaire's fantasy of a tax cut. It almost doesn't matter what the specifics of the giveaway are, if it's republican and it has to do with taxes it will blow out the deficit and hugely benefit the filthy rich and corporations. Yes, we have to mourn the dead in Las Vegas. Yes, we have to express condolences and support the survivors. Yes, it would be great if some public safety action came out of this but the bottom line is we cannot get distracted from the entire point of republican "governance" i. e. bankrupt government with tax cuts and force it to stop doing anything to help American citizens that aren't rich.
As tragic as the shooting deaths were, this last weekend the GOP death cult of human suffering was so busy polishing tax "reform" turds that they "forgot" to reauthorize CHIP. As Brother Charlie Pierce put it:
Christamighty, these gossoons spent so much time trying to strip health care from 32 million Americans that they ran out the clock on health care for nine million kids. This is terrible if it represents simple legislative incompetence, but it’s even worse if—as I suspect—it was deliberate...I don’t think it unreasonable to assume that they will use it as a bargaining…er…chip in the upcoming slanging match over the budget, thus making the health coverage for nine million kids a hostage to, say, the elimination of the estate tax. Are they above doing this? Are you kidding me?As has been making the rounds on social media this week, the cyclical nature of republican administrations in my lifetime has been:
- Cut taxes for the rich and corporations
- Cut social spending
- Increase military spending by far more
- Send the economy into recession and leave the mess for the incoming Democrat
- Raise hell about the deficit
- Scream about the need to cut Social Security
- Repeat
