Tag Archives: #stampoutstupid

On shitholes.

Let me start with the fact that I’m saddened that I need to use the word “shitholes” at all – much less in a public forum. I was raised and educated (in public schools) to avoid vulgarities in polite conversation, in public, and most especially in professional settings. You don’t use coarse language, because you don’t need that kind of language, and because generally, it’s lazy. It’s called having a sense of decorum.

It should come as no surprise that President Trump lacks a sense of decorum.

But that’s not the sad part of his recent “shithole countries” remark. I expect no better from Mr. Trump. (I DO expect – better – MUCH better – from the President of the United States. But that just is a another log on the “Donald Trump is not fit for the Presidency” fire.)

The sad part is the people trying to defend that statement, generally by suggesting that that’s really what “the forgotten man sitting at the bar” is thinking.

That is wrong on so many levels, that my head is about to explode.

First is the sheer arrogance of that statement. Of course, Dear Pundit, you don’t think that kind of thing – but those poor schlubs in flyover country probably do, and, well, don’t their opinions count for something? (Or could it be that you’re jealous that you can’t say that kind of thing out loud, given your more elite position – so you take comfort in the fact that there must be others who can give voice to your darker thoughts? Nah ….)

Second, so what? Yes, I will gladly acknowledge that there are some people – all across this great land of ours – who harbor exactly those kinds of feelings. Does that mean we promote that? Celebrate it? It’s anti-social behavior, and it’s something we try to root out. “Good citizenship” was graded on when I was in elementary school. “Civics” were taught. Churches preached “love your neighbor as thyself”, and went so far as to treat things like this as sinful. We denounce and shun unprincipled behaviors, not promote and normalize them.

Which leads us to the third point – normalizing bigotry. The bar is being consistently lowered. The bigots are emboldened; and when there are no real consequences to their bigotry, they feel safe to go further. And everyone else becomes inured to it. It’s tiring to keep fighting. And is disheartening to see those in leadership positions not only do nothing about it, but look for ways to condone it. And that’s completely unnecessary. You can promote an agenda – ANY agenda – with dignity, class, and comity. There is no reason to tolerate what is being tolerated – by either side.

This is simply another riff on the “us vs. them” strategy, promoting the thought that “others” are responsible for our troubles. Divisiveness only weakens us. The real “shitholes” in this whole affair are the leaders and pundits driving this narrative and working to promote discord, hatred, and bigotry.

Don’t be complicit. Speak up. Help Stamp Out Stupid.

Just what we need ….

“I’m a Christian first, American second, conservative third and Republican fourth” – Ted Cruz, 20 Jan 2016

 

Ted Cruz

 

Responding to a critique by former Senator and Republican Presidential nominee Bob Dole (who thinks Ted Cruz would be a disaster as the 2016 Republican nominee), Sen. Cruz uttered the statement above.

Let’s think about that one, shall we?

I have absolutely no problem with Ted Cruz feeling this way.  One’s beliefs and personal convictions are one’s own, and it’s not for me or anyone else to malign him in any way for his priorities.

I do, however, believe that the “American second” bit disqualifies him from serving as President of the United States.  After all, the Oath of Office is most definitely NOT

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my Ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States, except where it conflicts with my personal interpretation of the Bible (Southern Texas Evangelical Revised Version)”

If you’re not going to be “American first”, you have no business seeking the office of President.

But beyond that, I question the statement “American second“

Montoya

 

To be clear, I’m not raising the “birther” nonsense here.  No, what I mean is that the bigoted, exclusionary, fear-mongering positions Sen, Cruz espouses does not match what being “American” says to me.  And frankly, I don’t think I’d put “American” as number two on the Senator’s list.

If I were making the list, I’d say that Ted Cruz is a radical Conservative first, an extremist Christian second, a Republican third (because that’s the only home for the first two), and an American only insofar as “American” is defined in radicalized conservative christian terms.

Unfortunately (for Mr. Cruz), the President of the United States needs to be the President of all Americans, not just his fellow travelers.  That means non-Evangelical Christians, Unitarians, Muslims, Jews, the non-religious, straights, gays, conservatives, liberals, moderates, libertarians, women, men, and everyone else who holds American values dear.

And I’m sorry, Mr. Cruz – but if your opening position is “American second“, you just don’t cut it.

#stampoutstupid

 

Stupid of the Day 05 Jan 2016: Televangelists NEED Private Jets ….

BECAUSE DEMONS FLY COACH!

Demon-Fearing Televangelist Kenneth Copeland

 

From Bipartisan Report. Apparently, it’s too hard to walk up and down the aisle and chat with God on a commercial flight, as

  1. Other people on the plane look at you funny, and
  2. There are DEMONS on commercial flights.

Go on—read the article. We’ll wait …..

Beyond the sheer absurdity of the claim, I think these guys need a refresher on their bibles.  Like this verse:

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:5–8)

Even more—the folks who send these guys money need to brush up on their bibles before opening their wallets any further.

And BTW, I fly coach. I’m easy to spot … I’m the demon in the window seat just behind the wing.

#stampoutstupid

Arizona GOP taps creationist chemtrail truther to lead Senate education committee

Source: Arizona GOP taps creationist chemtrail truther to lead Senate education committee

“An Arizona lawmaker who believes the earth is only 6,000 years old and that the U.S. government regularly sprays its citizens with mind-controlling chemtrails has been selected to lead an Arizona legislative committee overseeing education. …

Used to be that people were appointed to important committee roles because of their expertise in the committee’s focus area. Might be just me, but a person who thinks the earth is just over 6,000 years old, wants to mandate church-going, and believes that the government is dusting us all with chemicals from aircraft to make us even stupied (if such a thing were possible) should not be a lead voice in formulating a state’s education policies.

#stampoutstupid !!

Stupid of the Day 27 Dec 2015—The NRA vs. States’ Rights

So the NRA wants us to be up in arms (pun intended) about this:

With the start of the 2016 Virginia legislative session quickly approaching, your NRA is working to address the…

Posted by National Rifle Association on Monday, December 28, 2015

Their premise—they are working to address “the political “activism” and complete disregard for law abiding concealed carry permit holders.” They complain about the Virginia Attorney General’s “Arbitrary” decision to rescind concealed carry reciprocity with 25 states.

The problem is, the decision shows neither disregard for out-of-state permit holders, nor is it arbitrary. Instead, it is simply a move by Virginia to assert its right as a sovereign state to set and enforce its own rules as to who may or may not carry concealed weapons in the state.

Reciprocity is a courtesy extended by one jurisdiction to citizens of another, allowing a license granted in one to be honored across a wide area. But reciprocity is not universal. Some licensing conveys—drivers licenses and marriage licenses are common examples—but others don’t, such as insurance brokers, electricians, plumbers, etc. Reciprocity depends on the rules being essentially the same from jurisdiction to jurisdiction. And this is where concealed carry permits fall short.

Virginia has enacted a set of regulations governing the issuance of concealed carry permits. If you wish to carry a concealed weapon, you need to abide by those regulations. (Note to the NRA: that’s what “law abiding” means …) To be clear, that doesn’t mean you meet Kentucky’s rules, or Idaho’s—you need to show that you meet Virginia’s rules. That’s the whole point of “states’ rights”—which, by the way, is something the NRA likes to use as an argument against Federal gun control initiatives …

The decision to stop honoring some states’ concealed carry permits was far from arbitrary, as the NRA claims. Instead, the Virginia Attorney General’s office reviewed the concealed carry polices of other states and made a determination on a case-by-case basis whether those polices were substantially the same as Virginia’s. Where they were, reciprocity was retained. Those permit carriers were deemed in compliance with Virginia law. Where they were not, reciprocity was denied. That is not abridging the rights of out-of-state concealed carry permit holders; they are, instead, being treated the same way as Virginia residents are. If you want to concealed-carry in Virginia, you need to demonstrate that you meet the conditions set by Virginia. And there is paperwork, for both residents and non-residents, that allows you to do that.

So, the NRA is essentially resorting to scare tactics. (Shocking!) They’re taking a position that is in opposition to a state’s rights to determine its own rules and regulations. It’s another example of their completely stupid position that any gun regulation, no matter how reasonable, is de facto evil and something to be stopped at all costs.

We have to be able to establish reasonable regulations regarding guns in this country, we need to #stampoutstupid.

 

The insanity of America’s gun fixation

 Saw this article in this morning’s Washington Post:

Cars have become a lot safer. Guns haven’t.

Posted by Christopher Ingraham on Thursday, December 17, 2015

 

So let’s talk about guns for a moment. America, as a country, has gotten itself into a stupid place where we can’t talk about guns at all—because apparently, even the mention of the very concept of the consideration of talking about limits on guns infringes on the inalienable right of individuals to arm themselves to the teeth and enter any place the desire so armed.

I’m sorry, that is a complete and utter crock.

Now, I’m not a gun hater. I took my daughter to the pistol range at age 13 to let her shoot. We enjoyed ourselves, we’ve gone back, and I look forward to continuing going to the range with her in the future. Guns have an appeal to them.

By the same token, guns are dangerous. Period. They are objects whose function is to kill. There are many things that are dangerous and CAN kill—but killing is an unintended (and unwanted) result of improper use, malfunction, etc. With a gun, killing is the intended result of proper use. That makes guns dangerous.

With anything else that’s dangerous, we do certain things to reduce the risk of using them. We do safety research. We license use. We require training. We may restrict access to certain types of things until competency is demonstrated. And we work to improve the technology to make things safer.

We do it with cars. People don’t feel as if their rights are threatened by having to take a test and get a license to drive—or to need special training for driving semis or motorcycles …

We do it with professions. We don’t let just anyone wire up a house, or connect up a gas line; we insist they get trained and certified before setting up shop.

But guns? For all the talk about “responsible gun owners,” we seem loathe to consider ensuring that gun ownership is indeed responsible. And that is stupid.

When you look at the Post article linked above, the points I want you to take from it are these:

  • Gun deaths have surpassed automobile deaths not because gun deaths have risen (they have, slightly), but instead because automobile deaths have declined consistently;
  • Gun deaths COULD be on the decline if similar efforts to characterize the risks, ensure user competence, and improve the technology were undertaken;
  • The gun lobby has systematically worked to prevent research, data collection, and technology implementations that would increase safety and reduce deaths.

We don’t need to have a conversation about guns because a radicalized Christian American shoots up a Planned Parenthood facility in Colorado. We don’t need to have a conversation about guns because a radicalized Muslim American shoots up an office party in California. We need to have a conversation about guns because people are being killed, in ones and twos, daily, all across the country—and we take that as routine.

Not talking about it—not finding a way to reduce the needless loss of life—is the epitome of stupid. Let’s talk. Let’s #StampOutStupid.

Stupid of the Day 15 Dec 2015

Really?

Posted by Stamp Out Stupid on Tuesday, December 15, 2015

… you really CAN’T make this stuff up!

The “War On Christmas”

 

Polar Bear cookies

I saw this image on Facebook and had to laugh—it’s a clever take on the whole Starbuck’s Red Cup / War on Christmas thing. But underlying this is a sad fact—there are people out there who are searching for a reason to be offended at this time of year.

NEWS FLASH, PEOPLE—THERE IS NO “WAR ON CHRISTMAS” !!!

If somebody wishes you “Happy Holidays” or “Season’s Greetings” rather than “Merry Christmas,” it’s almost a certainty they are NOT disrespecting you or attacking your religious beliefs. Instead, they’re (gasp) wishing you joy and happiness. The point of well-wishes is to be an expression of good will from the well-wisher, not to be an acknowledgement of the recipients beliefs. Especially as those beliefs just might not be known to the well-wisher. The polite thing to do is to accept the wishes offered gratefully, in the spirit intended.

Instead, I’m seeing a lot of people posting “Merry Christmas” messages and images, not in the spirit of the season, but as an aggressive gambit, almost daring you not to say it back. It’s a volley in the made-up “war,” and frankly, it’s irritating as all hell.

Now, I’m not going to deny that there’s a fringe out there who think that “Merry Christmas” is politically incorrect and want to see its use avoided in public. Well, that’s just stupid. (Yes, Virginia, there is liberal stupidity, too …) But to suggest there’s a liberal “War on Christmas” because of a fringe position is like claiming there’s a conservative “War on whatever” because of a Westboro Baptist Church protest. The fringe is not representative. The fringe is often the stupid that needs stamping out.

 

So this holiday season, help #stampoutstupid by accepting greetings of the season in the spirit intended, and by offering greetings in a spirit of good-will, and not to make a political point of things. The correct response to “Merry Christmas” is “Thank you,” with an optional “and the same to you,” regardless of your religious beliefs. The response to “Happy Hanukkah” is exactly the same. Ditto for Happy Holidays, Season’s Greetings, Happy Kwanzaa, or whatever. Being offended by a holiday greeting is a choice—and a pretty stupid one, if you ask me.

Happy Festivus.