In what can only be termed as really bad timing and bad judgment, Governor Rick Perry, sell-out to teabaggers and secessionists to keep his job for life, took a group of right wing bloggers to...wait for it...shoot guns at a range in Austin yesterday. The event was part of some "online conference" which was apparently a gathering of conservative bloggers, Perry, his hair, and his handgun.
The ill-conceived field trip occurred 24 hours after a gunman fired shots from a handgun on the south steps of the Texas Capitol, stopped by state troopers. The shooter, Fausto Cardenas, had just visited Dan Patrick's office and had been asked to leave. There are no metal detectors in the Capitol and Perry opposes them even after this incident. Patrick has admitted to regularly carrying a concealed handgun in the Capitol himself. Jesus.
Several bloggers breathlessly reported on the up close and personal handgun session with our Governor, who is clearly committed to beating Mississippi to the bottom. Blogger Robbie Cooper of Urban Grounds enthusiastically reported on the event, complete with photos. Here is one of Perry giving Houston's Kathleen McKinley, our own Rightwing Sparkle, a private lesson:
On her own blog, she was all a-twitter today about the personal encounter with the Good Governor, talking about how he knows how to "connect with his constituency". Yes. By shooting guns, calling for secession from the United States, and underfunding schools and medical programs. Sparkle gets all dewy on occasion, especially when she gushes about encounters with Perry, Limbaugh, and of course, talking about one of her heroes, Allen West, candidate for Congress in Florida. You know West. He's the guy who was fined $5,000 and drummed out of the Army for abusing an Iraqi policeman by firing a pistol next to his ear and threatening to kill him unless he gave up information he didn't have. A shining example, I guess, of compassionate conservatism.
Perry might have taught her something about shooting, but certainly not safety as she was photographed brandishing her weapon, with the slide closed, not aimed downrange, a no-no where I shoot:
I guess that's not so out of character, though, since she posted this threatening picture on her blog in December of 2008 claiming that the election of Barack Obama as President somehow convinced her to become a gun enthusiast to protect her civil rights that she had decided the new President was going to take away:
I don't claim to understand everything that goes on in the mind of today's right wing thinkers. I just find it odd that they seem to spend most of their time waving guns around, carrying them to public meetings with government officials, making wild assertions about a certain person's birthplace and nationality, making up crazy statements about rights that haven't been taken away, taxes that haven't been raised, and "taking their country back" from some unknown usurper. Rather than have a conversation like adults, they go to demonstrations filled with bigots and racists, waving around signs of Obama-as-Hitler, idiotically shouting for the government to keeps its hands off their Medicare. All while grossly overstating how many people showed up. It's befuddling, at minimum.
But beyond all that, I am truly baffled by the dishonesty in the discourse. Many of these bloggers severely restrict and edit comments, not just for abuse, but for just disagreeing. I've received numerous complaints about these bloggers, especially Sparkle. I personally like her, and generally don't publicly criticize her. However, as time has passed since Barack Obama's inauguration, I have seen and heard her, and other conservatives' rhetoric, get more and more strident, complete with wild assertions, following GOP leadership and other conservative mouthpieces. Many report pure opinion as factual news, quoting one opinion to bolster another opinion, and not responding well when corrected on the simple facts.
I've seen conservatives fight tooth and nail against reform that everyone agree is needed, falsely claiming that Republicans are for reform themselves, but ignoring the fact that they never quite get around to ever proposing anything. It's been really sad to witness all of the celebration after health care reformed died this week after conservatives cynically fought it on every front for a year just for the political win. Americans are dying. Children are dying. People are going bankrupt from medical bills. Workers' incomes are going down. The US trails every industrialized nation in longevity, infant mortality, and education while having the highest per capita costs for delivery of health care. Conservatives are hailing this week's SCOTUS decision that opens the floodgates to corporate spending in elections while, at the very same time, decrying the roll of lobbyists paid for by...corporations.
Just what do the conservatives advocate? Small government, except when it comes to bedrooms and wiretaps. Low taxes, except for the middle class. Doing away with public health, occupational health and safety regulations, clean air and water regulations, public schools. Free markets where buyers have no bargaining power to negotiate. Guns for all.
We have serious issues facing us. We need serious people working on them. What we don't need is some glib professional politician and his disciples waving guns around and spouting platitudes while ignoring the plight of Texans all around them.
How about we have a serious talk about the issues? Just once, please.
The ill-conceived field trip occurred 24 hours after a gunman fired shots from a handgun on the south steps of the Texas Capitol, stopped by state troopers. The shooter, Fausto Cardenas, had just visited Dan Patrick's office and had been asked to leave. There are no metal detectors in the Capitol and Perry opposes them even after this incident. Patrick has admitted to regularly carrying a concealed handgun in the Capitol himself. Jesus.
Several bloggers breathlessly reported on the up close and personal handgun session with our Governor, who is clearly committed to beating Mississippi to the bottom. Blogger Robbie Cooper of Urban Grounds enthusiastically reported on the event, complete with photos. Here is one of Perry giving Houston's Kathleen McKinley, our own Rightwing Sparkle, a private lesson:
On her own blog, she was all a-twitter today about the personal encounter with the Good Governor, talking about how he knows how to "connect with his constituency". Yes. By shooting guns, calling for secession from the United States, and underfunding schools and medical programs. Sparkle gets all dewy on occasion, especially when she gushes about encounters with Perry, Limbaugh, and of course, talking about one of her heroes, Allen West, candidate for Congress in Florida. You know West. He's the guy who was fined $5,000 and drummed out of the Army for abusing an Iraqi policeman by firing a pistol next to his ear and threatening to kill him unless he gave up information he didn't have. A shining example, I guess, of compassionate conservatism.Perry might have taught her something about shooting, but certainly not safety as she was photographed brandishing her weapon, with the slide closed, not aimed downrange, a no-no where I shoot:
I guess that's not so out of character, though, since she posted this threatening picture on her blog in December of 2008 claiming that the election of Barack Obama as President somehow convinced her to become a gun enthusiast to protect her civil rights that she had decided the new President was going to take away:
I don't claim to understand everything that goes on in the mind of today's right wing thinkers. I just find it odd that they seem to spend most of their time waving guns around, carrying them to public meetings with government officials, making wild assertions about a certain person's birthplace and nationality, making up crazy statements about rights that haven't been taken away, taxes that haven't been raised, and "taking their country back" from some unknown usurper. Rather than have a conversation like adults, they go to demonstrations filled with bigots and racists, waving around signs of Obama-as-Hitler, idiotically shouting for the government to keeps its hands off their Medicare. All while grossly overstating how many people showed up. It's befuddling, at minimum. But beyond all that, I am truly baffled by the dishonesty in the discourse. Many of these bloggers severely restrict and edit comments, not just for abuse, but for just disagreeing. I've received numerous complaints about these bloggers, especially Sparkle. I personally like her, and generally don't publicly criticize her. However, as time has passed since Barack Obama's inauguration, I have seen and heard her, and other conservatives' rhetoric, get more and more strident, complete with wild assertions, following GOP leadership and other conservative mouthpieces. Many report pure opinion as factual news, quoting one opinion to bolster another opinion, and not responding well when corrected on the simple facts.
I've seen conservatives fight tooth and nail against reform that everyone agree is needed, falsely claiming that Republicans are for reform themselves, but ignoring the fact that they never quite get around to ever proposing anything. It's been really sad to witness all of the celebration after health care reformed died this week after conservatives cynically fought it on every front for a year just for the political win. Americans are dying. Children are dying. People are going bankrupt from medical bills. Workers' incomes are going down. The US trails every industrialized nation in longevity, infant mortality, and education while having the highest per capita costs for delivery of health care. Conservatives are hailing this week's SCOTUS decision that opens the floodgates to corporate spending in elections while, at the very same time, decrying the roll of lobbyists paid for by...corporations.
Just what do the conservatives advocate? Small government, except when it comes to bedrooms and wiretaps. Low taxes, except for the middle class. Doing away with public health, occupational health and safety regulations, clean air and water regulations, public schools. Free markets where buyers have no bargaining power to negotiate. Guns for all.
We have serious issues facing us. We need serious people working on them. What we don't need is some glib professional politician and his disciples waving guns around and spouting platitudes while ignoring the plight of Texans all around them.
How about we have a serious talk about the issues? Just once, please.
We disagree on most things political, but I definitely agree that Rick Perry is an idiot.
Hope you're doing well.
As I have said before, Rick Perry knows GOP primary voters. Sparkle is an excellent example and, worse, she is so damned proud of it.
Personally, I just find it just inconceivable that they are the majority in Texas. Rick Perry got just 39% of the vote last time around, a solid majority of us wanting someone else for our governor. But he recently polled at 50% against Bill White. What on earth is going on? Are there really that many ignorant gun-toting rednecks in this state? Or is the average voter really too lazy to learn anything about issues and candidates?
Evidently range safety rules, like proper bra fitting, smack of regulation and are therefore rejected.
I figured that ole Sparkle Plenty was just remembering the rule about never pointing a gun at anything you don't intend to shoot. And it's pointed right at us.
Like someone once said, why bother going into a battle of wits with an unarmed man, or woman?
It's especially telling if they're holding a gun at a camera that none of them in the room are very bright.
The discourse has been reduced to nothing more than a circus side show. A bunch of trained seals and clowns running around for our amusement. Any kind of real legislation is diluted by corporate interests and money.
The problem is simple. You are either on the side of exploitation or decency. The conservative ideology, while touting themselves as moral, support things like torture. While the other side support things like habeas corpus.
Its not rocket science girls and boys. We are dealing with an amalgam of various industries, and their bought and paid for political party, the GOP. While no single individual within these organizations are bad per-say. Their small contributions equate to a maelstrom of misery and destruction.
This bloodless coup de grace has been decades in the making. In all of our duplicity we have allow 20% percent of the population to steal the country. Even when we are in control we are not in control. This is pathetic...
Ooop..."seem in" ought to be "seep in".
And to answer my sister's question "is he insane", the answer needs to be looked at from their perspective. They really, really believe all this stuff. So, they are clearly paranoid and he (and Sparkle, especically Sparkle) are definitely delusional. So, yeah, I think we can safely conclude he would meet the definition of insanity.
Gotta give Rick Perry credit - he understands GOP primary voters. Sparkle is a prime example. They truly believe themselves to be the majority.
Self righteousness + arrogance + plus a healthy dose of major league stupidity. But he only got 39% of the vote last time around. Most of us didn't want him then. We can surely put an end to Rick Perry's nonsense in November - and help deliver a dose of reality to Sparkle, not that there is the slightest chance it will seem in.
With apologies to Dean Wormer (the late actor John Vernon's character in "Animal House"), "armed, glittery, and stupid is no way to go through life".
Was there someone taking the photo or was it on a timer? If someone took it, what kind of absolute helmet wearing moron let her point a gun at them? Guns NEVER go off with a bullet in them when someone thought it was empty. Damn it. Texas is rife with ignorant rednecks.
I have looked at her blog occasionally for giggles. It reeks of personality disorder and when I am not feeling bad for her and her family, I am enjoying a sick amount of schadenfreude at how the right has yet ANOTHER broken idiot as a fan and mouthpiece (albeit a fairly quiet one. Her readership is small and quite a few are there just to gawk and giggle)
And I read that Perry is against tightening security standards at the Capitol building AFTER the guy fired shots.
Is he fucking insane?
Stupid question.
That picture of Sparkle aiming her big ol' gun at the camera was just too creepy and VA Tech-y for me. Was she NUTS to post something like that?
I don't know her, personally. Thank the Good Lord for that.
Even so, I don't like her. I think she's a bona fide idiot. And you can (and some probably have) quote me on that.
And I imagine she was probably orgasmic when Ricky boy put his hand on her wrist. *gasp*
Now I need to go shower after looking at those pictures. I feel dirty.
(But GREAT post, by the way!!!)
ok, I give up...there's a saying that goes, "When one feels amidst chaos, take heart, it's only because there is a greater order at work!"
Them Repubs are surely experiencing a greater something that my perception will never access.
So, Bob, I see that Spackle is finally getting her public comeuppance from you. It's about time, and no one deserves it more richly, except for Gov. Goodhair, of course, with whom Spackle is idiotically, yet utterly and unsurprisingly enamored.
I haven't read a conservative blog in months, because I just don't have the stomach for it anymore. I can barely even read the progressive blogs anymore, because I am in such despair over the condition of this country with the Tea Bag Party calling the shots, and because it also seems to me that many so-called "progressives" are not really that at all. Sticking a litter of kittens in an oven doesn't make them a pan of biscuits. Or something like that.
I guess I'M guilty of sticking my head in the sand. Of course, if I pull it out, Gov. Goodhair or one of his minions might blow it to Kingdom Come!
Am I the only one that thinks it is weird that she has her Christmas tree all decorated up in the background and what is really on her mind is posing with her gun? I've got a Colt .44 magnum and for the life of me I can't remember, during the 17 years I've owned it, a time during the holidays when I thought I needed to go get my gun damn it. Wth? I'm hoping that photo was taken using a camera on a timer and a tripod.
The range where I shoot would have thrown her out if they caught her brandishing a weapon like that.
Sparkly dearly loves this kind of conservatism. You know the kind where you have to practice your shooting for when the secession starts. She definitely is a Governor Goodhair kind of syncophant.