Maybe Tucker Carlson isn’t a necrophiliac…

But he does support positions that would result in a lot of people dying through lack of access to health care. Mind, this writer has no degrees in psychology, and so can not diagnose the man. One does have to wonder why a non-necrophiliac would advance causes that would increase the number of dead people, though.

It is highly unlikely that Tucker Carlson gets his jollies by viewing snuff porn. But he does support positions that would result in a lot of people dying through lack of access to health care. Mind, this writer has no degrees in psychology, and so can not diagnose the man. One does have to wonder why a non-snuff-porn-freak would advance causes that would increase the number of people getting killed, though.

It is almost inconceivable that Tucker Carlson finds his pulse quickening, his palms sweating, and his jockey shorts tightening when viewing news stories about the miseries suffered by the uninsured. But he does support positions that would result in a lot of people people being very miserable indeed through lack of access to health care. Mind, this writer has no degrees in psychology, and so can not diagnose the man. One does have to wonder why someone not so perverted would advance causes that would increase the number of miserable people, though.

This writer was at the gym yesterday, walking on treadmills and pedaling exercise bikes, and had the great good fortune to be stuck in front of a TeeVee that was tuned to Fox “News”, which was in full “F*** ObamaCare” mode. FTucker’s “solution” was to get rid of the ACA, and ditch the few pathetic bits of pre-ACA regulations and oversight as well.

And that course of action would result in a lot of dead and miserable people. And it does seem that anyone who supports those actions and their resulting outcomes would have to have some sort of screw loose. So, FTucker my laddie, how in the Hell do you explain your despicable and loathsome positions, if they do not stem from some sort of truly demented perversion?

Mr. Blunt and Cranky

Why the Right is Wrong (And Will Always be Wrong)

Anyone who has spent time in business or the military knows the difference between strategy and tactics, and that some positions should be occupied by tacticians and some by strategists. Unfortunately, politics seems to be infested with the wrong sorts of people in the wrong sorts of roles. This is why our country is so severely f***ed up.

The Right Wing (which has controlled the “Republican” party since the late 1970’s) is composed primarily of two groups of people: profiteers and Fundagelical “Christans”. Both of these groups are fundamentally incapable of long-term strategic thinking.

Profiteers are concerned with maximizing short-term financial gain. They are not concerned with the long-term stability or viability of the economy, be it macro or micro, local or global. Regrettably, many Right-Wing business types have been “helping” our government with business regulation for decades now.

Fundagelical “Christians” (“fundies”) are convinced that Jesus will at any moment (probably very soon) rapture all the fundies up to heaven where they will dwell in an eternal paradise. For this reason, they do not concern themselves with destructive policies, starving babies, global climate change, and so on. They, after all, will not be around to deal with such problems.

Both of these types of people (some among the Right fall into both categories) are not fully in touch with the real world. This explains two phenomena: the lack of concern for consequences, and the lack of understanding of our complex world. They just don’t (and won’t) see reality because they aren’t invested in it. Indeed, they oftentimes don’t even believe in it.

Our nation needs people who can and do think long-term, with a strategic mindset. Our leaders must not flinch from the complicated and difficult challenges we face.

As long as the Right insists on not thinking past the next profit statement or prayer meeting, they cannot be trusted to run things.

Mr. B & C

Hey, American Family Association: Let’s Blame You Instead

As noted yesterday, the incredibly misnamed “American Family Association” has decided to blame all sorts of “liberal” organizations for the recent horrific events in Aurora, Colorado: said organizations including Mr. Blunt and Cranky’s ancestral church, which in fact is decidedly NOT liberal (one of its nicknames is “God’s Frozen People”, which should give you a fair idea of how ossified an organization it is).

Let’s put the shoe on the other foot for a moment. This writer could make the case that the erosion of personal responsibility could just as easily be blamed on groups like the AFA (who blamed “liberals”) and individuals like Russell Pearce (who blamed the theatre audience for not stopping the shooting).

In each case, they shift responsibility away from the actual perpetrator and place it on others.  By so doing, they take the shooter off the hook to some extent: “the shooter was encouraged by (liberals or fake Christians or fill-in-the-blank) to take this action”. 

Firstly, these loudmouths have no idea what was going on the shooter’s mind, so they have no business saying such crap (unless there is case-specific, documented evidence to support what they are saying). Secondly, it creates an environment in which personal responsibility is diminished, because offenses committed by criminals become the fault of said loudmouths’ political and cultural “enemies”.

When everything becomes a tool for partisan advantage (even the acts of criminals and the grief of their victims), we find ourselves in a world that tells would-be mass murderers that they will not bear the blame alone. We tacitly assure these scumbuckets that others will have at least part of the responsibility foisted upon them, whether deservedly or not; all in the service of political gamesmanship.

So, we have shifted the blame from the criminal (and liberals and audience members) to the AFA and Russell Pearce. How’s that shoe feel, now that it is on your foot, gentlemen? Does it fit? Is it comfy? Do you like “wearing” the responsibility for mass murder? No, you say? Imagine that.

Your curmudgeonly neighborhood blogger most humbly suggests that we all shut the f***ing f*** up about how factor x or y is responsible for the actions of criminals (unless there is actual data to support such a claim), and instead let criminals know that they, and they alone, will take all of the blame and bear all of the punishment imposed for their crimes.

Mr. B & C