Papa John's CEO John Schnatter is attempting to counter the negative publicity his Company has gotten due to Schnatter's disgusting political views and the investigation into Wage Theft at multiple Papa John's franchises.
Perhaps John, sadly the tomato sauce laden with high fructose corn syrup, sodium infused not quite cheese, soggy cardboard textured grotesqueries you produce are not pizza. They are imitation food products which impart little nutritional value but, have contributed mightily to the obesity epidemic in the United States.
And if your company was creating pies like the Art of Pizza or Pizza Rustica or Burt's Place in Morton Grove, then maybe I'd say, yes Pizza is Nutritious.
But, I thought John was supposed to Go Galt when the terrible failure that is Obamacare became law of the land?
But, of course, Schnatter isn't interested in making a better product he's interested in making more money for himself. Which is why he spends so much on advertising and marketing. Hiring Peyton Manning and paying him a couple million to hawk Papa John's Monstrosities is just putting the same shit in a new box but, then it's always been about making money for Schnatter and not making Pizza. Contrast Papa John's with the recently hospitalized Burt Katz of Burt's Place,
"I’ve run my own store for 40 years. I do all the buying, all the organizing, pay all the bills and do all the cooking. Nobody has ever cooked for me. I make sure every pizza is acceptable to sell. When you start substituting people, the standards vary and your quality promise loses value."
It's time to recognize an uncomfortable truth, The United States of America is a Failed Nation-State.
A Governmental System crafted by Aristocratic Enlightenment Age Plantation Masters is failing to survive the assaults of the 21st Century or bind together 300 million people.
The chief problem facing the Nation are the murderous rampages, which while fueled by any number of disparate grievances or underlying causes, are easily carried out by the abundance of and easy access to the tools of mass murder; Guns.
The fanaticism of the small cadre of the NRA (and affliated Gun Groups), Firearm Manufacturers, gun humping lunatics and political hatchet-men has left Americans to be slaughtered at the whim of 2nd Amendment Heroes who are literally Running Amuck.
Running Amuck (also known as Amok or Amuco), 'a murderous frenzy or rage'entered the english lexicon when European sailors made it to Malay and Java. As with today's mass killers, there where many theories why a Malay would Run Amok, some believed an evil spirit, a hantu belian, had taken over the individual. Anthropologists and others speculated the Amuco was an attempted suicide in a society in which it was unacceptable.This is colloquially known today as suicide by cop. Additionally, a social theory was advanced that in Malay society unattached young males were frequently denied access to women because older males had several "wives", thus causing the young males to go Amuco.
However, when someone in Java or Malaysia went Amuco centuries past, there was only so much murder and mayhem they could accomplish with a war club and keris before being overpowered and killed themselves.
Unfortunately, unlike the Amuco in SE Asia, here in the US we have Elliot Rodger (of Malaysian descent) in Isla Vista, California and the 6 people (3 stabbed to death and 3 shot) he killed along with the 13 injured by gunfire or being struck by his car.
But, while the spectacular gun massacre still makes news the daily death toll from firearms is barely noticed across the Nation. On Memorial Day, in Huntley, Illinois two middle-aged brothers became involved in a domestic dispute which ended with gunfire killing one, wounding the other along with the brothers' 81 year old mother. Also over the Memorial Day weekend, in Myrtle Beach shootings took the lives of three people and wounded five more. Last month in Montana, a homeowner murderer fired blindly into his darkened garage killing a 17 year old German exchange student. Whole city blocks of cities are turned into nightly no-go areas where multiple innocent people are shot. Political candidates invoke the spectre of "Second Amendment Remedies" or produce campaign commercials wherein they kill something with their gun. While other Politicians afraid of the powerful, blood-soaked Gun Lobby cower in fear and do little.
Meanwhile, roving bands of armed men descend upon establishments to engage in a thinly veiled primate genital display. (Note: If you see a bunch of men walking around with rifles the safest reaction is to believe a Mass Killing is imminent and escape.)
Second Amendment Maniacs claim the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. Even if I were to concede that point, which I DO NOT, then the blood-soaked Second Amendment Maniacs tacitly concede that the United States is not a Civilized Nation nor even a functioning one. NRA scare tactics, conferences and videos also buttress this point.
Yet, after every mass murder, the firearm fanatics not only fail to pause to reconsider their beliefs they only serve to further entrench them in the thoughtless zealotry. And thus the cycle drags Us deeper and deeper downwards.
All of this points to one conclusion; We are on a downward trajectory towards a failed Nation-State. These are not the conditions of a thriving Culture or Country. It is the Necrosis of a Society crumbling under contradictions and internal pressure; Pressure which is on the trigger of a Gun, which can now be pointed at anyone, anytime.
The Constitution is Not a Suicide Pact. We need not allow the whims and insanities of gun clinging madmen define America. We need not let the Second Amendment Sociopaths Collapse this Nation.
NeoCon Frank Gaffney:"It is regrettable that they had to die, but I believe they did have to die... I'm still delighted that we did what we did."
Sure, under the George W(orst President Ever) Bush Administration Republicans repeatedly lied and claimed they cared about Veterans when the truth was the Republican Party was trying to get as many Veterans kill themselves as possible while Bush and Cheney used Veterans and active duty military members as props in their re-election campaign.
Throughout his mis-administration W(orst President Ever) repeatedly cut the budget to the VA and eliminated benefits and medical care for Veterans.
Because the only Veteran Conservatives love is a dead Veteran. Then Ann Coulter, Sean Hannity or any number of chicken hawk professional commentators can stick their perverted inhuman right-wing ideology onto the lips of the dead Veterans, as they did with Pat Tillman.
And when it turns out Pat Tillam was anti-war, was against every part of W(orst President Ever) decisions and regularly read Noam Chomsky. Right-Wing Garbage Ann Coutler can simply say, "I don't believe it." Chicken Hawk Hannity gleefully concurs, "I don't believe it either."
"The amounts have gotten to the point where they are hurtful. They are taking away from the nation's ability to defend itself."
So, the Republican Party under the direct leadership of Bush and Cheney began undercutting funds for Veterans.
In 2007, the Mainstream Media could no longer cover for the Criminal Bush and Cheney Regime when it revealed soldiers wounded in Afghanistan and Iraq,"fallen heroes," were being warehoused in Building 18, a rat- and roach-infested satellite of the Army's Walter Reed Medical Center.
In 2008 when CBS News revealed the Department of Veterans Affairs and Doctor Ira Katz the VA's head of Mental Health deliberately withheld critical information about the true suicide risk among veterans.
Additionally, in 2008 NPR reported Army officials pressured the Department of Veterans Affairs to stop helping wounded Veterans with their paperwork so Veterans wouldn't get their proper disability rating or benefits.
But, none of this absolves President Obama. I expect despicable evil from Republicans I expect better from President Obama.
The problem is America has a long and cherished history of casting aside the Veteran after the War is over.
After the Revolutionary War, Veterans found themselves at the mercy of corrupt Capitalists, who like the Hedge Fund thieves of today, swindled them out of the land grants and the promissory notes allocated specifically for Veterans. Perhaps 2000-3000 Revolutionary Veterans received a Pension. Post Civil War homeless Union Veterans were in such abundance that in 1868 NY Governor Reuben E. Fenton claimed they "numbered in the thousands". It wasn't until the Dependent Pension Act of 1890, pushed for by Widows, Children and Veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic that every Union Veteran was eligible for a Pension. Southern States had been providing Pensions, despite terrible economic hardships, for wounded Confederate Soldiers from at least the 1880's since traitors weren't eligible for Federal Pensions.
As a percentage of the federal budget, expenditures for Civil War veterans greatly exceeded those for veterans today (1989) which consume less than 3 percent of that budget. In 1893 veterans' benefits to former Union soldiers or their dependents constituted more than 40 percent of the overall federal budget.
In 1932 the Bonus Army, Veterans of World War I, peaceably assembled to petition the US Government for a redress of grievances but Republican President Herbert Hoover first sent the Washington Police and when they failed dispatched General Douglas MacArthur and his aide-de-camp Dwight Eisenhower along with George S. Patton and 6 battle tanks to forcibly disband the Veterans.
Much like Occupy the Bonus Army was attacked, driven out of their camp sites and had their tents and possessions burned.
Herbert Hoover's policies created the First Republican Depression, in a similar way that W's policies have created the Second Republican Depression.
While the World War 2 Veteran, received praise, understanding and was cherished for his knowledge and experiences, especially in the creation of the GI Bill many WWII vets still fell through the cracks in society. Of the survivors from the Iwo Jima Flag Raising, USMC hero Ira Hayes drank himself to death in 1955. As a Pima Native American, Hayes also faced the bigotry of his era.
But, Rene Gagnon another of the 3 Flag raising survivors died in 1979 at only 54 years old an alcoholic as well. Broken, bitter and nearing the end of his life, Gagnon reportedly said,
"When someone who doesn't know me is introduced to me, they say 'That was you in The Photograph?' What the hell are you doing working here? If I were you, I'd have a good job and lots of money.'"
It took a Veteran the stature of Audie Murphy speaking out about his post-traumatic struggles, previously known as Battle Fatigue or Shell-shock, for society at large to take note.
Nowadays, Hollywood can trot out any number of cliched movies with the homeless veteran cast aside by society or the self-medicating Veteran drinking a case of beer a night or the adrenaline junkie Veteran pushing the envelope to reenact the rush of combat, but these stereo-typed cliches exist because those Veterans exist.
The main issue concerning Veterans is Money. Whose going to pay for the wounded Veteran? Or provide the food and shelter so a psychologically scared Vet slowly re-acclimate into society?
It's no wonder the United States has the highest rates of Homicide and Suicide by Firearm in the developed world. What's needed is enforcement, but gun humpers resist regulations with the fanaticism of religious zealots.
Right-Wing buffoons like to claim the US Constitution only restricts the Government's interaction with US Citizens. But, of course as with most topics, they are wrong; an everyday American can infringe on your Constitutional Rights just like the Government. Granted the Government is a special category and needs special constraints and oversight especially when evil Republicans are in power but, what the NRA, at the behest of the Firearm Manufacturing Masters, have been pushing is to allow private citizens unlimited power, especially the power to kill other Americans, without restrictions.
Second Amendment Heroes have been using this power to murder Americans, without Due Process, thus depriving American Citizens of their Rights. This used to be called Murder but thanks to the efforts of the NRA and the Republican Party it's euphemistically known as Stand Your Ground or more accurately Dead Men Tell No Tales so Kill the Other Guy and Lie just like Conservative Champion George Zimmerman.
Another Faux News 2A Super Hero Byron Smith got to do what every fanatic has dreamt of since Bernie Goetz, gun down criminals. Smith however, wasn't accosted on a NY City subway, he laid out a burglary trap which caught two young teenagers whom he murdered. (Warning: At the link you hear Smith execute the two young people Haile Kifer, 18 and Nick Brady, 17.)
"I’m safe now. Cute. I’m sure she thought she was a real pro. I feel a little bit safer. I’m totally safe. I’m still shaking a bit, but a little bit safer.I refuse to live in fear. I am not a bleeding heart liberal. I felt like I was cleaning up a mess. Not like spilled food. Not like vomit. Not even like diarrhea, the worst mess possible. In some tiny little respect I was doing my civic duty. The law enforcement system wouldn’t do it, I had to do it. I had to do it. They weren’t human. I don’t see them as human. I see them as vermin."
(Jennifer) Longdon is no stranger to such attacks. Last May in her hometown of Phoenix, she helped coordinate a gun buyback program with local police over three weekends. On the first Saturday, a group of men assembled across the street from the church parking lot where Longdon was set up. They shouted about constitutional rights and tyranny, and called people arriving to trade in their guns "sellouts." (The program netted nearly 2,000 firearms with more than $200,000 in reimbursements.)
Some of them approached Longdon. "You know what was wrong with your shooting?" one said. "They didn't aim better." Another man came up, looked Longdon up and down and said, "I know who you are." Then he recited her home address. The harassment continued, and the men showed up throughout the program, a Phoenix police official involved confirmed to me.
After a fundraiser one night during the program, Longdon returned home around 10 p.m., parked her ramp-equipped van and began unloading herself. As she wheeled up to her house, a man stepped out of the shadows. He was dressed in black and had a rifle, "like something out of a commando movie," Longdon told me. He took aim at her and pulled the trigger. Longdon was hit with a stream of water. "Don't you wish you had a gun now, bitch?" he scoffed before taking off.
In April, Nathan Deal Governor of Georgia signed into law the ability of anyone to bring a gun anywhere in the State.
One mother reported her 6 year old son asked her after the game, 'Mommy did that man want to kill me?' Probably not, but he wanted them all to know he could in fact kill them, with extreme prejudice and without fear of criminal prosecution.
Since Firearm Fuckers like to sarcastically ask, 'What gun law would have stopped this mass shooting?' How will the Guns Everywhere Law in Georgia stop shootings?
The two usual claims Gun Nuts cite; are the Murderous Gunman will re-think his planned rampage knowing that multiple people could be carrying a firearm themselves or the Concealed Carry Citizen will end the shooting by taking out the gunman.
Georgia is conducting a Social Experiment in which, the Gun Maniacs are willing to gamble with people's lives.
Now, a third claim made by Gun Nuts is that regulations and gun-free zones lead to Shootings. Often they will cite Chicago. But, the Second Amendment heroes in Chicago are extremely grateful for the NRA and loosening gun laws across the Nation. Of 50,000 guns recovered and traced after crime in Chicago 56% (28,000) came from outside Illinois. And of the other 22,000 from Illinois, the majority originated outside Cook County and Chicago's city limits.
So, what's the actual problem with Chicago's Gun Laws? That neighboring states, communities and Gun Nuts are lax and allow criminals to get their hands on easily obtainable weapons.
13 Smith & Wesson M&P15 Sport rifles were stolen from a (rail) yard in the 6100 block of South Lafayette Avenue sometime between May 4 and 6, according to the ATF.
The assault rifles were taken from a load of 50 weapons in a Norfolk Southern container, according to a railroad spokesman.
Currently firearms are one of the top three items stolen in any burglary; money and jewelry being the other two. So, technological advancements which render a stolen firearm useless to the thief would seem to be a welcome invention.
Firearm Fondlers like to claim advances in technological progress do not render the Second Amendment obsolete, yet when Belinda Padilla, Armatix, and the iP1 a RFID chipped firearm tried to bring the weapon to the American Market they were immediately set upon by the Firearm Fanatics at the behest of the NRA.
Unfortunately, the NRA is against such technology. Because the NRA and other Gun Lunatic Clubs exist to ensure Gun Manufacturers can sell more and more weapons. Such technological weapons progress would cut into their sales and is therefore not a welcome advance.
Regulation of Firearms and Firearm Owners is needed but it's an impossibility. No amount of dead children at a school in Connecticut or on the streets of Chicago have caused the NRA or Gun Owners to question their beliefs, indeed it has only served to harden the hearts and close the minds of Firearm Fanatics.
Hopefully, the next generation of Americans who grow up having lost a childhood friend by a gun will have the courage and resolve to Right the Monstrous Wrong the NRA, Republican Party and Firearm Fuckers have inflicted and continue to inflict upon the Nation.
It's for the same reason Libertarians hate the American Middle Class because Libertarianism is a philosophical Rube Goldberg machine created to rationalize Plutocracy and defend Unearned Privilege.
Years ago when Teachers were only able to provide supplemental income to the family (with the exception of the all-male University Professors) there were afforded respect and looked upon as a bedrock institution helping craft American Exceptionalism. But, then Teachers' income increased, granting women economic security while they exerted political pressure through Unionization, while they also began to infiltrate Upper Levels of Academia encroaching upon White Male Privilege.
Teachers became part of the America Middle Class which the 1% hates more than anything else in the world.
The American Middle Class is much too mercurial for the Plutocracy, they don't bow down and worship the Moneyed Masters the way whipped conservatives and libertarians dogs do. The American Middle Class votes for nasty socialist schemes like Old Age insurance and health care for the poor, indigent and sick. These concepts are anathema to the Plutocracy and their Right-Wing slaves.
The Plutocracy began to decry Teachers because they were not molding American minds to be good wage slaves deferential to Power and Privilege. Thus, the Koch Brothers and other One Percenters created the Libertarian Party to train their little libertarian guard dogs, who would dutifully convince others that allowing the Rich to do whatever they want was the right way and would ensure that they themselves were the just upon the cusp of becoming the Masters of the World as long as they stayed in line.
The Donald Sterling Fiasco revealed how much Libertarians see a Plutocrat losing his Privilege as an attack on them.
Libertarians at Reason were more concerned that a hypothetical minority Basketball or Hockey owner (of course meaning black) was going to get away with racist speech while apparently being so obtuse they didn't realize, or more likely didn't care, there is exactly 1 African-American owner in the NBA, Michael Jordan, and none in the NHL.
Additionally, libertarians were incensed that Sterling's precious privacy rights were trampeled upon when his "girlfriend" V. Stiviano, made the surreptitious recordings of him. Why she needs to be arrested for violations of eavesdropping laws! But, since Sterling isn't pressing charges to whom did the libertarians turn to punish V. Stiviano? Why the State.
If Sterling isn't going to press charges then there's no victim and no crime. But, Libertarianism is a cadre of young, white males who are adamant that the only acceptable use of State Power is defending the Rich and Powerful and ensuring their rights are placed above the rest of society.
You see the rest of society steals from the Rich and Powerful using the Power of the State.
Libertarians ascribe all sorts of evils and crimes to the "State". The State has killed Hundreds of Millions they claim, as if people were nothing more than instruments. Personal Responsibility disappears when the State can be blamed. They blame the State for such 'fictions' as pollution,
DissidentRight said...
The pollution problem has been discussed ad nauseam, and it only becomes a problem when 1) businessmen are prevented from using the "pollution" as an input to some other industrial process and 2) when there's un-owned property upon which to dump it. Solution: 1) deregulate markets (people always find novel uses for industrial leftovers) and 2) assign ownership to everything. Pollution, as usual, is a problem that cannot exist without the State.
May 3, 2014 at 1:24 PM
If it wasn't for the State the Koch Brothers (ala Hank Reardon) would turn Petcoke into usable fuel and there would be no petcoke pollution problem. And if you unfortunately are poor and happen to be next to the plant which burns petcoke well you and your kids cancer could have been caused by any number of things!!! Just turn over the commons to the Rich and they would be good stewards and would surely never allow or cause any permanent damage to occur.
But, all of their anti-state rigamarole covers their true agenda which is their absolute deference and defense of Power and Privilege.
Libertarians are just another breed of Reactionary Guard Dogs for White Male Power and Privilege. And the saddest thing is, libertarians can not envision a day when they will be treated the same way the Plutocracy treats Women and Minorities.
Since 1998, when the Batman Franchise imploded under the weight of total camp and silliness, Marvel stepped up and 35 films based on Marvel Comics have been released.
However, this is mostly because, The Amazing Spiderman 2 was awful. Modeled on the classic Death of Gwen Stacy storyline, the film simply failed. Besides the terrible special effects and the obligatory scenes of New Yorkers standing around gawking at explosions while NYPD vehicles exist only to be blown up, far too much film time was wasted on Electro's Origin, which followed the standard OSHA-violating industrial accident imparts super-powers to the victim who in reality would be dead.
The worst scene being the torture of Electro by the male Doctor Kafka, who wears make-up and listens to classical music while conducting experiments as an obvious cliched caricature of Doctor Josef Mengle. This character is made worse once it's understood that the inspiration for "Doctor Ashley Kafka" is an actual person.
One of the brilliant things The Dark Knight (2008) did was not show a villain creation scene for the Joker. Besides happening off screen, this also allowed Heath Ledger to taunt the audience and his on-screen victims multiple times with the 'Do ya wanna know how I got these scars?' line.
Instead of the cartoonish Electro created by genetically altered eels, why not just have Electro appear in New York rampaging and out for vengeance? During the course of the film, and I'm drawing off of Johnny Got His Gun, you can reveal this Electro is an eye-less, ear-less mouth-less electrically burned monster who can sense/manipulate electricity. Having been traumatized (perhaps by war or as an experiment for instance) and being little more than a charred corpse you can make him a lost soul who Peter Parker is forced to stop and is dismayed to learn he can not help.
One could argue such a film idea is too heavy or disturbing for a children's film? Well, ***spoiler*** Gwen Stacy does indeed die in the film. Though her death scene is, fortunately, not graphic.
Also why bring back the Green Goblin? However, it was accomplished the character would be compared to Willem Dafoe's excellent and psychologically frightening turn, in the Sam Rami Spider-Man film. There are many other Spidey enemies to choose from!
Of course, I would prefer the ultimate Spiderman Story of the 1980's; Kraven's Last Hunt.
But, perhaps I should be glad Sony Pictures won't be ruining that storyline the same way they flubbed Gwen Stacy's death.
Now, these films run into problems because even the Elektra (2005) and Punisher: War Zone (2009) had 40 million dollar budgets and even that kind of money is going to entail meddling from people unfamiliar or uncaring about the original source material.
For instance, Ben Affleck's Daredevil (2003) committed the mortal sin, literally, of Daredevil letting a villain die. Daredevil, as the ultra-catholic, never kills and doesn't even let the scummiest of the scum die if he can prevent it.
The two Hulk movies (2003 and 2008) failed because the Hulk is an unworkable character for a stand-alone film. He's far too powerful, having literally carried a mountain range on his back in The Secret Wars. And the films end up with Hulk smashing a bunch of things and fighting a Hulk-esque enemy.
Iron Man 2 (2010) was an film which drew many detractors but, for the wrong reasons. I movie was fairly decent but was disappointed the film executives decided to give Robert Downey "palladium-poisoning", cured by Tony Stark's discovery/invention of a new element, as opposed to staying true to the source material and making Tony a drunk. The disease of Alcoholism, apparently being too heavy a topic for a film ostensibly marketed towards children.
The writers for the second Fantastic Four film (2007) apparently never read the Silver Surfer. While the decision to change Galactus from a big guy into an celestial monstrosity was fine, the Silver Surfer, that goofy footed philosopher has one line, "To Me, My Board"which must be included as the character swayed by the promise he sees in humanity turns on Galactus and fights for Earth.
Any film which doesn't include that line shows a lack of basic understanding of the character. Let alone the deeper Hegelian arc the writers undertook culminating in Issue 64 from 1992.
"On approaching the other it has lost its own self, since it finds itself as another being; secondly, it has thereby sublated that other, for this primitive consciousness does not regard the other as essentially real but sees its own self in the other." - G.W.F. Hegel, Phenomenology of Spirit
The Dark Surfer and the Silver Surfer engage in the struggle unto death, as they attempt to get the other to acknowledge their superiority.
Complaints aside several of the Movie Franchises have succeeded both financially while staying true-ish to the characters. The Captain America stories (2011 and 2014) have resonated quite well. The Avengers (2012) succeeded with it's blockbuster approach. The Wolverine (2013), adapted from the 1982 limited series, overcame the earlier dreck from the first solo Wolverine movie Origins. (Please Note: Any comic book movie with Ryan Reynolds is guaranteed to be bad.)
The problem is Movie Studios don't want to take any risks with these stories. They'll go for what they think will make the most money as opposed to crafting a piece of cinematic art, based on a comic book.
But I, of course, am not the intended audience. Having collected comics from the early 80's through the mid-90's my quibbles and critiques are dismissed as those of a fanboy. What the Studios look for is the Hundred of Millions of dollars these movies make them in profit.
"Go for a head shot; they're going to be wearing bulletproof vests." … "They've got a big target there, ATF. Don't shoot at that, because they've got a vest on underneath that. Head shots, head shots.... Kill the sons of bitches." - G. Gordon Liddy Aug. 26, 1994.
Welfare Cowboy Cliven Bundy has reinvigorated the Sovereign Citizen Movement. According to Nevada Congressman Steven Horsford, the remaining Conservative Domestic Terrorists in and around Clark County Nevada have set up checkpoints where armed insurgents demand identification from people. Militia members also conduct armed patrols and show-of-force demonstrations at various community sites.
Just 6 months ago Republican Star Sarah Palin, and sitting US Senators Ted Cruz and Mike Lee marched with Larry Klaman on the White House. Unfortunately, they were only able to muster a paltry 100 Neoconfederates to their sides,during the Republican Government Shutdown.
The Republican Party has embraced the Standard of Arch-Traitors
But, Cliven Bundy's staunch demand for welfare, refusal to follow the Law, while threatening to murder anyone who dares enforce 20 years of his profligate lawbreaking garnered 1000 armed insurgents ready to use unarmed woman and children as human shields. The High Plains Grifter Bundy has given right-wing domestic terrorists their best opportunity to murder Government Workers.
However, Sovereign Citizens have already been shooting at and killing Law Enforcement Officers.
On April 4, 2009 Richard Poplawski laid an ambush for the Police because he didn't like "our rights being infringed upon" and "the Obama gun ban that's on the way". He then proceeded to murder Officers Eric Kelly, Paul Sciullo, and Stephen Mayhle, while wounding two others. Poplawski bragged when he surrendered that he thought he had killed all five.
On May 20, 2010 a pair of Sovereign Citizens, father and son Jerry Kane Jr and Joseph Kane murdered two Arkansas Police Officers, Bill Evans and Brandon Paudert who had stopped their vehicle. The manhunt ended with another firefight which wounded two other LEOS and the deaths of the two Kanes.
On May 2, 2014 two Alaska State Troopers Patrick "Scott" Johnson and Gabriel Rich were murdered by the son of another criminal Sovereign Citizen. In the village of Tanana, Nathanial Kangas shot the two Troopers in the back with an AR-15 while they tried to arrest his father Arvin Morse Kangas.
There have been many other shooting confrontations by Sovereign Citizens and Law Enforcement.
On March 27, 2014 Israel Rondon, a Sovereign who had numerous contacts with Police, was killed in a gunfight.
"Those Crazies In Montana Who Say, 'We're Going To Kill ATF Agents Because The U.N.'s Going To Take Over' -- Well, They're Beginning To Have A Case." - Dick Morris, Fox News March 2009.
After initially seeing an big upswing in membership and interest with the election of President Obama, conservative domestic terrorists had hit on hard times as the Corporate controlled media tried to hide the Tea Party 'We Came Unarmed This Time' antics and conservatives tried to downplay their ties to the Militia Movement.
However, at this point the violent anti-government and pro-domestic terrorist rhetoric of the Sovereign Citizen Movement has been fully absorbed and incorporated into the larger Conservative Tent and is an accepted and celebrated core component of the Republican Party.
Now, while these incidents are terrible, they are a drop in the bucket of the American gun violence epidemic which takes 30,000 lives every year.
But, Gun Violence is only perfunctorily covered by right-wing news outlets and the Republican Party, with the right-winger usually taking the opportunity to push for more guns and less restrictions on gun play. But, the Sovereign Citizen Movement and their targeting of LEOs is never mentioned by Fox or the Right-Wing incestuous blog-o-sphere because it highlights an uncomfortable truth about America today; that Conservatism is Terrorism.
There are some immediate indicators if you run into a Sovereign Citizen. Glenn Unger, co-founder of the Guardians of the Free Republic, was recently sentenced to eight years in prison. He originally attracted FBI attention when his group sent letters to Governors advising them they could be "removed" if they did not adhere to their view of the Constitution. But, Unger was the tax scheming type of Sovereign, using his Sovereign Citizen tactics to engage in income tax fraud.
Orcinus has a good breakdown of Ernie Wayne terTelgte, the more dangerous type of right-wing wacko a regular Police Officer may encounter while on duty. terTelgte, theMontana Natural Man whose ideas have permeated and been accepted by a number of conservatives in Montana and across the country. As is evident by his "name" and how he refers to himself Sovereigns have oddly crafted "official" documents. As Ernie does they refer to themselves as natural men or decline to be considered persons as described under the 14th Amendment. They'll try to baffle you with bullshit, citing any number of legal-esque sounding terms and acts but, be wary because most likely a Sovereign will be planning on shooting you.
Update:
Everyone who was upset the BLM retreated during the initial cofrontation with the Right-Wing Insurgents in Clark County, Nevada should have known the Feds weren't going to just walk away.
The 8 News NOW I-Team has learned that FBI agents have started an investigation into the events surrounding a potentially deadly showdown one month ago.
It is one thing for Cliven Bundy and his supporters to square off against an assortment of Bureau of Land Management employees. It is quite another when the FBI enters the picture, and that is exactly what has happened.
The I-Team has confirmed that FBI agents have launched a formal investigation into alleged death threats, intimidation and possible weapons violations that culminated with a dangerous showdown on April 12, and the first people to be interviewed by FBI agents are Metro Police, starting with Clark County Sheriff Doug Gillespie.
Despite the right-wing outrage at the Department of Homeland Security, The FBI and most Law Enforcement Agencies have long known that Militias and Conservatives are Domestic Terrorists.
I don't even know why I bother with this kind of post. Its de rigeur that a conservative be a despicable, spiteful, punk ass bitch liar.
"Obama of course just, uh, turned Iraq over to Iran. Obama is a dangerous, dangerous, evil man, and people have to start saying this. just because he’s black he doesn't get, eh, shouldn’t get a free ride, although I know in America today if you are black you do get a free ride." - David Horowitz
Horowitz is a punk. What gibberish. Horowitz is beloved on the right because he claims to be a 60's marxist whose taken a hard right turn to be an Ultra-Reactionary madman in the mid 1980's. The advent of Reagan provided Horowitz the opportunity to cash in on Wingnut Welfare. And one of the ways you get the conservative base to give you money is by telling them blacks "get a free ride" in America today.
On Jan, 28 2010, NPR All Things Considered in their remembrance of Howard Zinn invited Horowitz on air to slander the great professor,
"There is absolutely nothing in Howard Zinn's intellectual output that is worthy of any kind of respect. Zinn represents a fringe mentality which has unfortunately seduced millions of people at this point in time. So he did certainly alter the consciousness of millions of younger people for the worse."
There's your great Liberal Media. NPR did attempt some damage control after Horowitz was allowed to insult Zinn in his obituary apologizing for airing evidence-less smears
In keeping with the "Liberal Media", newest ABC media member Laura Ingrahamwas on ABC This Week Sunday Morning claiming,
"We have to not forget, we have four dead Americans. The ambassador's body was dragged through the street. Okay? It was beyond heartbreaking and beyond infuriating."
Total Lie. Despicable case of Benghazi Fever. Laura Ingraham is best known for her antics in college with D'inesh D'souza of outing homosexual students. Ingraham would secretly tape meetings of the Gay Students Association, then publish the transcript, identifying students by name and calling them “sodomites.”
When Cindy Sheehan began her quest for Justice for her son, Casey, the entire Right-Wing Media lined-up against her to smear, slander, insult and threaten her. Laura Ingraham spent countless hours on her radio show going after Cindy Sheehan with ridicule and petty insults to rile up her fart sucking conservative drones against Sheehan. But, even more shamelessly Ingraham would find grieving Gold Star Mothers and use their grief as a prop to attack Sheehan. But, back then any dissent against the President or his policies was treason and an attmept to America's enemies. Now why would that be? Why because Commander Codpiece was President and #WKeptUsSafe!
"Speaking as a woman, and listening to the women who called into my radio show, seeing President Bush get out of that plane, carrying his helmet, he is a real man." - Ingraham on CNN Reliable Sources May, 4 2003
But, this is a waste of time. Cataloging the lies and crass insults from conservatives is akin to counting the number of hydrogen atoms in the Universe. Ingraham, Horowitz, Jonah Goldberg, Brent Bozell, Mark Levin, Michelle Malkin, and so many other major movers in the Right-Wing Fart Bubble are paid handsomely to spew this invective.
The Assault on America by Conservatives is never, ever going to stop. They are engaged in a multi-generations long struggle to undo the Progress gained in the 20th Century and transform this Nation into a Neo-Feudalist Wage Slave State crushing the face of mankind forever under the Iron Heel of Plutocracy.
As the madness of Benghazi Fever fully inflects the Republican Party, Sinn Fein member Peter King demanded a minute by minute account of President Obama's actions and whereabouts on September 11, 2012. Congressman King expressed his concern the Commander-in-Chief's job while in the Oval Office is to ensure the safety of Americans overseas in potential war zones.
Of course, as everyone knows US History from August 6, 2001 September 11, 2001 to January 19, 2009 did not exist. During that non-time, from listening to Republicans and Faux News, I've learned the following,
"We were certainly safe between 2000 and 2008. I don't remember any terrorist attacks on American soil during that period of time." - Eric Bolling
"We did not have a terrorist attack on our country during President Bush's term..." - Dana Perino.
"We inherited the most tragic attack on our own soil in our nation's history," - Mary Matalin.
"[George Bush] he inherited the negative impact of 9/11," - Sean Hannity
"What he should be doing is following the right things that Bush did, we had no domestic attacks under Bush," - Rudy Guilani
I think it's time we demand an hour by hour account of what George W. Bush was doing in the White House from when he declared Major Combat Operations over on May 1, 2003 (thanks to Hackwackers for reminding me of that ignoble anniversary) to the end of his White House residency on Jan 19, 2009.
But, I don't know how pages of brush-clearing, bike riding and Heh heh heh Pootie Poot! I could take.
"President Bush is well aware that the banner should have been much more specific, and said, Mission Accomplished For These Sailors Who Are On This Ship On Their Mission." - Dana Perino.
But, with Congressman Trey Gowdy set to chair the Boehner Select Benghazi Committee the Impeachment of President Obama is, most likely, imminent.
"Well, I have evidence that not only are they hiding [Benghazi information], there is an intent to hide it," Trey Gowdy said of the Obama White House during a Friday interview on Fox News. "I can’t disclose that evidence yet, but I have evidence that there was a systematic, intentional decision to withhold certain documents from Congress."
Don't expect the Republicans to be doing anything for the next 6 months other than continuously threatening Impeachment.
"Why wouldn’t we impeach this president for not protecting and defending Americans in the bloodbath, known as Benghazi? … This dereliction of duty as commander in chief demands your impeachment." - Jeanine Pirro on Faux News.
Why wouldn't we Impeach a President for not protecting and defending Americans??? Thousands of Americans murdered in the World Trade Towers and a tens of thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmen in Iraq killed and wounded wonder the same thing...
As Republicans fake scandals fall apart, they have again retreated to the incident which they believe serves their despicable campaign the best.
That is, the 09/11/12 attacks in Benghazi, Libya and the deaths of 4 Americans. Ask a right-winger to tell you the names of the 4 Americans* they careSO much about and you'll have to wait a minute or two while he googles them.
The U.S. effort in Benghazi was at its heart a CIA operation, according to officials briefed on the intelligence. Of the more than 30 American officials evacuated from Benghazi following the deadly assault, only seven worked for the State Department. Nearly all the rest worked for the CIA, under diplomatic cover, which was a principal purpose of the consulate, these officials said.
However, make no mistake the Impeachment Proceedings are near. Because the Right-Wing has Benghazi Fever (h/t David Corn of Mother Jones). It's a condition brought about by the unceasing lying by Republicans and contact with the feces flung by conservatives who are full of shit.
For context here's a typical case of Benghazi Fever;
So Marines in Benghazi like Bobbies in London. Very leading-from-behindish. John Podhoretz.
The Marines at the Benghazi "Embassy" had no ammo!!! Except... There were no Marines in Benghazi. Then the Marines at the Cairo Embassy were ordered by Hillary Clinton and President Obama to stand guard with no ammo! Just another right-wing lie,
The Ambassador did not impose restrictions on weapons or weapons status on the Marine Corps Embassy Security Group (MCESG) detachment. The MCESG Marines in Cairo were allowed to have live ammunition in their weapons. The Ambassador and Regional Security Officer have been completely and appropriately engaged with the security situation. Reports of Marines not being able to have their weapons loaded per direction from the Ambassador are not accurate.
Respectfully,
Alex Cross, Major USMC
Deputy Director, Marine Liaison Office
For the last year and a half we've been exposed to the Benghazi Fever. Newt Gingrich, who hasn't held office in over a decade, and an expert who has zero experience with the military often mentioned the "rumors I've heard".
In 2013, it was revealed the Republicans and Darrell Issa had been releasing altered and crafted quotes from the emails they had received from the White House. They've gone back to that well again this year.
A new email originating from Ben Rhodes, a deputy security advisor, has the shit flinging conservatives and lying Republicans re-lathered. Congressman Darrell "An Act of Terror is different than a Terrorist Attack" Issa has convened new hearings and plans more and now Speaker of the House John Boehner has declared a Select House Committee will be convened to Investigate.
The currently available information suggests that the demonstrations in Benghazi were spontaneously inspired by the [anti-video] protests at the US Embassy in Cairo and evolved into a direct assault against the US Consulate and subsequently its annex.
Wait... Ignore that part! The email isn't actually about Benghazi per se but, a about the larger picture of protests across the Middle East and Arab world in September 2012. So of course, the email doesn't hold the evidence the sick and despicable victims of Benghazi Fever contends it does but, that won't stop shit smearing conservatives. John Podhoretz, Dan Riehl, Jim Hoft, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Erick Erickson, Dana Loesch, Rich Lowry, Glenn Reynolds, Matt Drudge, Jay Severin III, Pamela Geller and thousands of other conservatives on-line infected with Benghazi Fever will continue to weave a web of lies which they will tweet, blog, and scream about and then Faux News will pick up the shit conservatives are excreting and smear it everywhere. The Republican Party, which is in bed with Fox, will have no choice but to get covered in the same shit and Benghazi Fever will spread even further. In 2012, a smirking Mitt Romney convened a Press Conference to gleefully announce Americans had been killed he and the right-wing thought they could build a Romney Presidency on the corpses of *Ambassador Chris Stevens, Glen Doherty, Sean Smith, and Tyrone Woods. Since that failed, the sick and twisted people infected with Benghazi Fever have decided they could use it at least to hinder President Obama's second term while they spend four years smearing Hillary Clinton before the next Presidential Election. Benghazi Fever is so powerful, even the parents intercession pleading with Right-Wingers to not politicize their children's deaths went unheeded. Conservatives will never let a Democratic President serve without trying to undo the will of the American Electorate. Of course, unlike the High Crimes and Misdemeanors Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagan and George W(orst President Ever) Bush engaged in, conservatives engage in out-right lying in order to smear President Obama, President Clinton and President Carter.
Much like, the way Republicans have usurped and misused the Filibuster, Impeachment is going to be another parliamentary trick Republicans invoke to attack the Democratic Party in service to their Plutocratic Masters and to appease their rabid supporters.
It's sick. It's shameless. It's never going to stop. Because, Benghazi...
Related:
TBogg has a more sardonic Benghazi takedown in the wake of the Rhodes Email, providing irrefutable proof that something something something #Benghazi something something.
