Category: America
Chad Baker posted this bit of advice on Facebook back in 2018, and I became aware of it yesterday thanks to Tim Tate:
Apparently this tribal knowledge has not been passed down.
If someone at school is bullying you, go to any pawn shop (there’s one in every town) DO NOT GO TO THE RIFLE WALL, TURN AROUND and go to the OTHER wall, and buy one of these:
Or, if your preference is towards keyboards, something like this:
You can purchase one at any age. There is no background check. They are cheap. There is no waiting period. You can open carry them anywhere.
Take it home. Practice. Talk to other dorks that wear the same shirts you do. Start a band. Get loud. Scream about how rotten it is that everyone is against you and no one will sleep with you. Get it all out.
DO NOT KILL ANYONE.
Now don’t get me wrong: guns are cool and fun to fire (my great-uncle’s company is the Philippines’ biggest Winchester importer), but too many people in the U.S. have either made it the god they worship, or at least a core part of their identity. And as a result, the guns come out whenever they feel threatened, or even just slighted — as a response to bullying, the bogus “Great Replacement,” or even when a fellow movie-goer throws popcorn at them.
The old canard that hardcore misinterpreters of the Second Amendment like to pull out after every shooting is “We don’t have a gun problem, we have a mental health problem” (and while mental health does play a role, science — and Science — point out that the issue actually is an over-proliferation of guns).
But let’s assume that it’s just a mental health issue. Want a fix? Get more people to pick up musical instruments instead of guns. We have lots of research and evidence showing the cognitive and emotional benefits of listening and playing music, and lots of research on the deleterious effects of guns and “gun thinking.”
Pick up an instrument. Master a skill that will pay off in so many ways, from dexterity to improved brain function to confidence discipline and time management to creativity to making friends.
Before you buy into yesterday’s statement by Eric Trump — the dumbest of Donald Trump’s sons (and he’s up against some stiff competition) — that Putin’s KGB training allowed him to see that Trump was a strong person…
Eric Trump: Putin was in with the KGB. He can read people and he could tell that Donald Trump was a very strong person pic.twitter.com/1BqhstcUMP
— Acyn (@Acyn) March 15, 2022
…consider for a moment these recent headlines of Trump’s inability to criticize Putin in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine:
- Rolling Stone — Trump Refuses to Condemn Putin Despite Sean Hannity Practically Begging Him To
- Washington Post — Sean Hannity’s remarkable, failed attempts to get Trump to call Putin ‘evil’
- The Guardian — Trump ‘admired’ Putin’s ability to ‘kill whoever’, says Stephanie Grisham
- Vanity Fair — Despite Hannity’s Best Efforts, Trump’s Mouth Is Incapable of Forming the Words “Vladimir Putin Is Evil”
- Politico — ‘I got along’: Trump avoids criticizing Putin
- The Atlantic — Congressional Republicans Have Found Their Red Line
- The Wall Street Journal — Putin’s Groupies Walk Back Their Praise
- New York Magazine — How Trump and Putin Have Been Allies Against Ukraine
- The Independent — Trump dodges opportunity call Putin ‘evil’ in Hannity interview
- CNN — Trump has been on Putin’s side in Ukraine’s long struggle against Russian aggression
- The Daily Beast — Even Hannity Can’t Get Trump to Admit Putin Is ‘Evil’
- Business Insider — Stephanie Grisham says Trump greatly admired Putin and ‘wanted to be able to kill whoever spoke out against him’
- Business Insider — Ex-Trump national security advisor John Bolton says ‘Putin Saw Trump doing a lot of his work for him,’ so he chose not to invade Ukraine
- MSNBC — Trump demurs when encouraged by an ally to criticize Putin
Eric Trump is right, but not in the way he thinks. Putin did read Trump correctly, but Putin’s assessment wasn’t that Trump was a string person, but quite manifestly the opposite. Putin knew he was dealing with someone who was half-man, half-marshmallow.
Just look at the differences in their body language at the 2018 summit in Helsinki, where he chose to listen to Putin over the FBI about Russian election interference:
Trump has said far worse things about allies than he has about dictators. He admires dictators, in that way that weak people admire brutality, in the hope that maybe one day, they’ll get to be the oppressor. That’s not strength at all.
Also worth reading: A whole lot of links on Trump, Putin, Russia, and Ukraine
For your edification, here’s a selection of links that illustrate Trump’s being a Putin fanboy, the Republican Party’s and alt-right’s fandom of Russia, and of course, how it all relates to the current situation in Ukraine.
2016
Washington Post, September 9, 2016 — Trump moves praise for Putin closer to the mainstream of the GOP
Business Insider, December 10, 2016 — ‘A model for civilization’: Putin’s Russia has emerged as ‘a beacon for nationalists’ and the American alt-right
QZ, December 22, 2016 — How Russia surpassed Germany to become the racist ideal for Trump-loving white supremacists
2017
Daily Beast, April 13, 2017 — Meet the Moscow Mouthpiece Married to a Racist Alt-Right Boss
Chicago Tribune, May 3, 2017 — Donald Trump’s peculiar obsession with authoritarian leaders
Newsweek, August 16, 2017 — Charlottesville’s Alt-right Leaders Have a Passion for Vladimir Putin
2018
ThinkProgress, June 10, 2018 — Why is this Pizzagate truther meeting with a Russian neo-fascist?
Washington Post, July 16, 2018 — Trump is a Putin fanboy. Someday we’ll know why.
Politico, July 16, 2018 — Putin: I wanted Trump to win the election
League of the South, July 17, 2018 — To our Russian friends
Angry White Men, July 22, 2018 — Russia Insider Mixes Pro-Putin And White Nationalist Propaganda
2019
Politico, September 21, 2019 — Trump Didn’t Bribe Ukraine. It’s Actually Worse Than That.
American Progress, October 2, 2019 — Trump’s Extortion of Ukraine: A Complete Government Shakedown
New York Times, November 12, 2019 — Trump, Ukraine and Impeachment: The Inside Story of How We Got Here
Just Security, November 26, 2019 — Trump’s Hold on Ukrainian Military Aid was Illegal
NPR, December 6, 2019 — Why The Trump Decision To Delay Aid To Ukraine Is Under Scrutiny
Center for Public Integrity, December 13, 2019 — Timeline: How Trump withheld Ukraine aid
Foreign Policy, December 18, 2019 — In Historic Vote, House Impeaches Trump Over Ukraine Scandal
BBC, December 19, 2019 — Trump impeachment: How Ukraine story unfolded
Wikipedia’s entry on the Trump-Ukraine scandal
2020
USA Today, January 30, 2020 — Trump is being impeached over an extortion scheme, not a ‘policy dispute’
BBC, February 5, 2020 — Trump impeachment: The short, medium and long story
Just Security, February 6, 2020 — Confronting Russia’s Role in Transnational White Supremacist Extremism
Forbes, August 18, 2020 — Trump Wrote Putin To Congratulate Him On Being Named TIME Person Of The Year
2021
The Atlantic, August 1, 2021 — What I Heard in the White House Basement [by Alexander Vindman]
Business Insider, August 20, 2021 — Trump told Putin ‘I’m a big fan of yours’ and asked him to be the guest of honor at a Miss Universe pageant, in a series of fawning letters
Forbes, December 8, 2021 — Tucker Carlson Accused Of Promoting Russian Propaganda As Putin Masses Forces On Ukraine Border
2022
MSNBC, January 21, 2022 — It’s not just Tucker Carlson. The right’s soft spot for Putin is also well documented.
“I gotta be honest with you, I don’t really care what happens to Ukraine…I do care about the fact that in my community right now the leading cause of death among 18-45 year olds is Mexican fentanyl that’s coming across the southern border.” – @JDVance1 #OHSen pic.twitter.com/nf6MUzdWM5
— JD Vance for U.S. Senate Press (@JDVancePress) February 19, 2022
Haaretz, February 19, 2022 — Tucker Carlson, Josh Hawley and Donald Trump: Putin’s Dream Team, but America’s Worst Nightmare
NBC News, February 22, 2022 — Trump praises Putin’s ‘genius’ as GOP fissures grow on Ukraine crisis
Yahoo! News, February 24, 2022 — Trump, who was impeached for withholding nearly $400 million in military aid from Ukraine, said ‘this deadly Ukraine situation would never have happened’ if he were in office
Politico, February 24, 2022 — How the Ukraine invasion connects to Trump’s first impeachment — and where the players are now
Vice, February 25, 2022 — US Extremists Have Picked a Side in Ukraine: ‘Lol Putin Is Brilliant’
Vice, February 25, 2022 — Why Putin’s M.O. Feels So Right to Trumpists
New York Times, February 27, 2022 — How the American Right Stopped Worrying and Learned to Love Russia
The New Yorker, March 1, 2022 — The Ambassador Caught Between Ukraine and Trump
Slate, March 2, 2022 — Zelensky’s “Perfect Phone Call” With Trump in 2019 Explains a Lot Right Now
AP News, March 5, 2022 — Trump’s praise of Putin, ‘America First’ view tested by war
Newsweek, March 6, 2022 — Liz Cheney Blasts ‘Putin Wing of the GOP’ After Ret. Col. Macgregor’s Zelensky Remarks
The Hill, March 6, 2022 — Russia and the Republicans
Boston Globe, March 7, 2022 — With Ukraine under attack, Trump’s first impeachment is suddenly much more relevant
CNN, March 8, 2022 — This Republican is trying to rewrite the history of Trump’s ‘perfect’ call with Ukraine
NPR, March 8, 2022 — Russia’s invasion puts a new light on Trump’s Ukraine pressure campaign
Rolling Stone, March 8, 2022 — Fox News’ Invasion Expert Is a Trump-Appointed Putin Propagandist Who Thinks Russia Is Being ‘Too Gentle’
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Turkey Drop
Even though I myself was the college boyfriend who displaced a high school one, I still said “DAAAAAAMN” after seeing this tweet…
…only to say “DAAAAAAMN” again when I read this response:
I began to wonder why there wasn’t a comedy film on the subject with the name Turkey Drop, but it turns out that one exists! It’s from 2019 and is largely forgotten. Here’s the trailer: