Look Elsewhere For Your Jingoism...

...for you shan't find it here.

I'm not in a patriotic mood right now.

We have the Trump Oligarchy, aka the Fourth Reich, that sold our democracy to Putin and the Russians.

We have Hair Furor embracing and pandering to Nazis and white supremacists, spitting on the graves of our forefathers and foremothers who fought these degenerates for the freedom of all people.

We have seen freedom of religion usurped by worship of the Almighty Dollar.

We have seen the Fourth Reich commit unspeakable cruelties upon a whole race of people because of the color of their skin.

We have seen the Fourth Reich try repeatedly to strip us of our freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

No, there is not much to celebrate this Fourth of July.  Today, as every other day, will be another day in the ongoing effort to win our independence back again.

If you don't like it, go shove a sparkler up your ass.

Happy Birthday America, It's Been A Good Run!

By Jeff Simpson

Happy Independence Day, we started out with this great American fighting crazy dictators

In a matter of 241 years we went full circle to forcing the Tories out to the Tories retaking over our country and electing this guy!

Here is #45 with his then 15 yr old daughter! 

I think the people who voted for this clown, and now support him blindly(I am looking at you Paul Ryan), owe the rest of us an apology!    I am also tempted to say we should make then wear Big Red T around their neck so that we all know who was responsible for this dark time in our history!

PS:  Capper had a better idea!

T

Scott Walker's Ignorance

By Jeff Simpson

Scott Walker (or one of his less educated staff members) tweeted this yesterday:  H/T -FDLFVR:

I will just say that a general "school house rock" understanding of the America that we know, would show why this statement is utterly ridiculous done by someone random person but borderline a resignable offense by a career politician who wants to be President.  

On July 4th 1776, our Founding Fathers declared Independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain which was ruled by a King George III. 

We then through some time of negotiating and growing our country, ratified and adopted our US Constitution on September17, 1787 of which we created our Constitutionally Limited Democratic Republic of which we now live under.  

So either Scott Walker thinks either - A. that we declared independence from a democracy or B. that we still live under King rule or C. That he really just does not think.   Yet still tweets something this dumb.  

Scott Walker makes some Miss America Contestants seem like policy wonks!

Yet this guy wants to be President?  

Maybe we should have a law that ALL politicians need to pass a test to work in our Government! 


 

Scott Walker Vs Independence Day

It's no secret that Scott Walker and holidays don't mix well.

On President's Day, he gets stuck in the sediment of Abraham Lincoln.

Walker managed to make Christmas a train wreck.

About the only thing he hasn't done - yet - is celebrate Channukah with some hot ham and rolls.

Independence Day fares no better with Walker's ineptitude.

An example of this is the email blast that came from his gubernatorial/presidential campaign:

Freedom.
Endowed by our Creator. Defined by the Declaration of Independence some 237 years ago. And protected each and every day by the men and women who proudly wear the uniform of these United States of America.
Please take time on the 4th of July to thank the service members and veterans in your community. Thank them for the freedom we enjoy today
On behalf of our family, please have a safe and fun Independence Day!

Scott Walker

Notice that first line, something about "endowed by our Creator?"

Now, with a thank you to blue cheddar,  look at this quote from John Adams:

Oops.

And there was the infamous line from Walker a few months ago, which he is trying really hard to make into a soundbite:

It's why we celebrate the 4th of July and not April 15th. In our country, we celebrate true independence because more freedom and more prosperity are what drive the American Dream.

As one of our commenters on Jeff's post this morning pointed out, the Declaration of Independence isn't about freedom from government, but the freedom to form our own government.  And the way that Walker has "reformed" government is pretty much against everything the founding fathers had intended.

I'm not the only one to notice this either.  Chris Walker (no relation) of Political Heat has also noted that Walker is having a problem treating the holiday with the proper respect.

And last, but not least, is this video from Lipstick Liberal.  It's from last year and so it's a little dated, but it's still pretty dead on and funny:

July 4th Tribute to Gov. Scott Walker, Hero of Independence! - watch more funny videos

If You Can Keep It

 

By Jeff Simpson

“Well, Doctor, what have we got—a Republic or a Monarchy?”

  “A Republic, if you can keep it.” 

Ben Franklin

Well that was in 1787 and we know now that what Our Founders truly gave us was a Constitutionally limited democratic republic.    See as James Madison pointed out, you could use the words democracy and republic interchangeably so the distinction is not there the way some uninformed "tea partiers" like to pretend it is.  However that is for another day.

The focus of this post is another part of this quote:

"If You Can Keep It"!

With the Republicans running this country......I highly doubt it!

Happy Independence Day!

Independence Day Wishes

As the gentle reader knows, Thursday is the Fourth of July, aka Independence Day.  The day in which a dwindling number of Americans take the day off - I'm not aware of any business but banks who are closed on Independence Day - to celebrate our rights, our freedoms and, of course, our independence.

But there are a lot less of those things in recent months and years.  It seems that you can't go a day without hearing about some group - or several groups - losing their rights in the growing corporate takeover of America.

But seeing how yesterday was the birthday of this here blog and tomorrow is the birthday of this great (but not as great as it could be) nation, I will take the liberty of blowing out the candles and making some wishes:

I wish women the independence of control over their own bodies, without some misogynistic Teapublican trying to impose legalized sexual assault.  I also wish women the right to equal pay as well as the right to equal promotion in whichever careers they might choose.  And I wish women the right to have their voices heard as clearly and with the same respect that anyone else might expect.

I wish children the right to be taught to be critical thinkers so that they might keep their own independence as they grow up.  I also wish them the right to be treated as humans and not as chattel to be fed on by the parasitic profiteers who want to privatize their schools, stealing their futures as well as our tax dollars.

I wish the workers the freedom to organize without interference from the corporations or their wholly-owned politicians.  I wish them the right to get fair pay for their labor, as well as safe working conditions and being treated with respect.  And if they were to lose their job, I wish the workers a strong safety net that will allow them to survive until they find another job.  Add to that, the wish that the state was actually creating good, family-supporting jobs.

I wish the voters their unimpeded constitutional right to vote, regardless of race or socioeconomic status.  Furthermore, I wish them the ability to have a good candidate, who will represent them and not the big-money special interests or the dark overlords of ALEC.  And for the voters in Milwaukee County, I also wish them a representative government be restored to them.

I wish Mother Nature the respect due to her and the the land, animals and other assets be cherished and protected as they should be.

I wish the people to have an honest, objective media which will do investigative journalism and not just regurgitating press releases or trying to squelch information. I also wish that all the people have access to affordable health care, a fair and impartial justice system and a government that will actually provide services - such as social safety nets, a functioning public transit system and a well maintained infrastructure - instead of acting as a collection agency for the corporations.

And lastly, I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday weekend.

Walker's Hypocritical Email In Picture Form

For some reason, this image reminded me so much of Scott Walker's hypocritical email and vice-versa:

Source

Scott Walker's Ironic Independence Day Email Is Ironic

Walker's campaign sent out an Independence Day email which was stunning for its irony and a classic example of Walker's hypocrisy and lack of insight. It reads as follows, with the italicized part his, the bold section is mine:

Not too long ago, I visited Independence Hall in Philadelphia and was struck by the great presence imposed on me by that historic site. When I was young, I always imagined our Founders to be larger-than-life figures, almost superhero-like in stature. But only when I stepped into the small, humble Assembly Room, did I truly realize that these were ordinary men who exhibited extraordinary courage. They were willing to sacrifice their lives in order to advance the cause of human freedom and self-governance.

July 4, 2012 marks the 236th Anniversary of our nation’s inception as a free and constitutional republic, and I am reminded of this passage from Thomas Jefferson’s exceptionally eloquent Declaration of Independence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.

Those words give us the great lesson of our republic. We must always remember that we the people have the power over our government and that the will of the people is the law of the land.

Today, we celebrate another year of freedom and remember the lives of those lost who fought to protect that freedom. We must never forget the ultimate sacrifice so many Americans made to protect our way of life. Today, as we gather around our barbecues and watch outstanding fireworks displays, we pay homage to those heroes who are no longer with us. We must honor them not only today, but everyday that freedom prevails over tyranny.

Tonette, Matt, Alex, and I wish you and your family a blessed and happy Independence Day!

Sincerely,

Scott Walker
45th Governor of Wisconsin

A few things pop out at me immediately.

He obviously didn't write this himself since there aren't nearly as many spelling and grammatical errors as we have come to expect when he tries to write something.

It absolutely sickens and enrages me that this man, who is at the beck and call of the corporations, and whose every action is to benefit the corporate interests that bought the governor's seat for him - twice - regardless of how many real people might get hurt, should now try to utter such hypocrisy that he gives a damn about what the real people have to say or what their desires are.

And it's particularly disturbing that a man who has assailed just about every single right we have* should even speak of freedom much less it prevailing over tyranny.

Telling women what they can and cannot do with their bodies or their health is not freedom, it's tyranny.  Teaching kids only the things you want them to know is not freedom, it's tyranny.  Telling workers they don't have the civil rights they've fought so long for and which has made the state the success it was until a year and a half ago is not freedom, it's tyranny.  Telling people they do not have the right to the Freedom of Speech and cannot hold up a sign of protest is not freedom, it's tyranny.  Sending state troopers to arrest political opponents is not freedom, it's tyranny.  Denying or hindering people from exercising their right to vote is not freedom, it's tyranny.

And the list goes on and on.

Yes, what Walker is foisting upon us isn't freedom. It isn't the will of the people. It's a corporate-backed tyranny.  And Walker is a puppet tyrant.  Or a dictator if you'd rather.

*I can just hear the pro-Walker acolytes and apologists denying that their rights have been impacted or diminished, but this is only symptomatic of their cognitive dissonance and how deeply in denial they truly are. Sadly, when they do realize that they've screwed themselves by supporting Walker, they'll form some sort of twisted rationale that it's really the Democrat's fault somehow.

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Independence Day! Thanks to everyone for welcoming me here!

"These are the times that try mens’ souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." Thomas Paine.

This Independence Day

A-focking-men!

Scott Walker: Hero of Independence

From Lipstick Liberal:



Heh!