June 10, 2016

Taking Back the Word "Patriot" From Those Who Shat on It

Back on June 4--a political lifetime ago--I wrote the following about Donald Trump and what's become of the Republican party:

We should think hard about co-opting a word that has been stolen and besmirched by Republicans. Anyone who stands up to Trump should be called a "Patriot." Hillary Clinton? Patriot. Bernie Sanders? Patriot. Barack Obama. Patriot. Marco Rubio? Traitor. Jake Tapper? Patriot.

This was in response to a thread started about Jake Tapper asking Trump 24 or so times if he was being racist with his pronouncements about the Judge in the Trump University case. Now, Tapper will have to continue to ask the hard questions of Trump and Republicans to keep "patriot" status, but anyone who attacks Trump and his brand of racism, misogyny and bigotry deserves some form of gold star.

For too long that word has been polluted by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity.



When I see something like that I want to puke. Then, I think of trying to eat an omelet in the presence of Sean Hannity, and I want to puke again. Republicans have used that word to define bigotry, misogyny, greed, racism, xenophobia, anti-science beliefs, anti-intellectualism, warmongering and unconstitutional actions. Now that boil is coming to a head.

Leave it to President Obama to show us the way. In his just-released endorsement of Secretary Clinton and commendation of Senator Sanders, he used a special word to describe those two:



In the video, President Obama re-purposed the word "patriot" to mean "a person who vigorously supports their country." I think he knew what he was doing:

June 6, 2016

You are my friend if I say you are.

Besides being clueless like a character from Green Acres--watch Sanders' New York Daily News interview--he has also been instrumental in supporting the gun culture in America. If you want to count dead bodies, the wounded, and hospital vigils, I would suggest you consider the 15 million Americans killed or wounded by guns since the first of Senator Sanders' 15 pro-NRA votes, my friend.

And the rest of your argument is a strawman. I have many reasons for voting for Secretary Clinton. Fifteen million reasons is just a start.

June 6, 2016

What Will You Be Wearing to History on Tuesday?

When History is made on Tuesday, after the polls close in New Jersey, and Secretary Clinton is recognized by the media as the Democratic Party nominee for President of the United States of America--the first female nominee for President of a major American political party--what will you wear to History?

I will be wearing a comfortable shoe, probably sneakers or hiking boots. (I could never wear flip-flops or sandals because that little piece of rubber or leather separating the Big Toe from his friends always felt weird to me.). I will have on shorts and a t-shirt, socks and clean underwear.

I would wear pearls, but I'm a guy, and I don't own any. I guess I could borrow a tasteful string for the occasion.

More importantly, I guess, is what will you be drinking to celebrate this Historic Event? Beer? Wine? Some manner of hard liquor? I'm not much of a drinker, but I do have some cooking wine and will probably break it out for a toast to our strong, hard-working, intelligent fighter!

Cheers to us!