politics, poor judgment, stupid people, true crime, Trump

A leisurely drunken drive through the neighborhood in a stolen backhoe…

I suppose I could rant about how Amy Coney Barrett was just rammed into the Supreme Court by the hypocritical Republican Party. God knows, she’s an inappropriate choice for the Supreme Court, just as Brett Kavanaugh was. But I don’t really feel like writing about how the newest Justice was a literal handmaid in the Christian group, People of Praise. According to The Washington Post:

A 2010 People of Praise directory states that she held the title of “handmaid,” a leadership position for women in the community, according to a directoryexcerpt obtained by The Washington Post.

Also, while in law school, Barrett lived at the South Bend home of People of Praise’s influential co-founder Kevin Ranaghan and his wife, Dorothy, who together helped establish the group’s male-dominated hierarchy and view of gender roles. The group was one of many to grow out of the charismatic Christian movement, which sought a more intense and communal religious experience by embracing such practices as shared living, faith healing and speaking in tongues.

Nah… enough has been written about that fuckery and how it’s liable to blur the line between religion and state. I’ll leave that alone. Instead, I’d like to write about the latest fuckery done by a Trump supporter.

Some readers may recall a post I wrote in 2019 about two Trump supporters who got drunk and shot each other while wearing a bulletproof vest. Well… they weren’t named as Trump supporters in the news article about the incident, but it wasn’t too hard to figure out who they backed for the White House by their idiotic and self-destructive actions. When I read about what they did, I knew they were Trumpers. And then I visited their pages on Facebook and my hunch was immediately confirmed.

I wrote about that case and some Trump loving guy who happened to see that a mutual friend left me a comment, read it and chewed me out for bashing Trump supporters. So I wrote a follow up post defending my “leaps of logic”, as the commenter put it, concluding that these two dumbass guys were Trump supporters. I really think it’s something when all I have to do is read about some dumb thing someone did and nine times out of ten, it will turn out the person supports Donald Trump. He loves the uneducated. He’s said so. But he would never give them the time of day.

He loves them… BUT– his old pal, Howard Stern said he is “disgusted” by MAGA voters…
Yup… and Trump supporters are mostly too dumb to see this and continue to idolize the orange menace.

So… on with today’s topic, which concerns a 26 year old Trump supporter named James Blight. Mr. Blight decided to get “blotto” on whiskey last Saturday. Then, demonstrating the predictably poor judgment of people who prefer to vote for a rapist/conman for POTUS, Blight stole a backhoe, which he did not know how to drive, and proceeded to rampage through a central Florida neighborhood. Bear in mind that Blight was also drunk at the time, and now claims that he doesn’t remember most of the day.

Blight drove the backhoe through Haines City, Florida and destroyed several front yards and a fence, picking off Biden-Harris campaign signs as well as a city-owned speed limit sign. He claims that he could not help but hit the signs while driving the heavy construction equipment that he did not know how to operate… while he was drunk and cussing out people. I think this quote from Haines City Police Chief Jim Elensky sums it up quite nicely:

“It’s absurd that a grown man could think he had the right to destroy someone else’s property based on a difference in political opinion. The fact that he was driving this heavy equipment, that he did not know how to operate, down busy roads could have been disastrous. We’re thankful that no one was hurt in this matter…”

And now, Mr. Blight, the emboldened Trump supporter who claims he was drunk and has no memory of his actions in a predominantly Black neighborhood, is cooling his heels on grand theft auto and trespassing charges. Meanwhile, one family whose Biden-Harris signs were destroyed by Blight has responded by putting up twenty more of them.

I’ve been reading a lot of stories about people taking it upon themselves to vandalize signs and steal them from people’s yards. And lest anyone think I’m picking only on Trump supporters, I will admit that I’ve read stories of Biden supporters stealing Trump signs, too. Personally, I have never understood why a person needs to put a sign in their yard indicating support for political candidates. I doubt most people are swayed by those signs, although they do show spirit, I guess. In any case, a person has the right to put what they want on their private property… unless, of course, they live in a neighborhood with a homeowner’s association that forbids it. I hope when we finally do buy a house of our own, it won’t be in a place with those kinds of rules. We’ll do our best to avoid HOAs. See? That’s my conservative side coming out to play.

But if you live in a place where you’re not bound by city ordinances or HOAs, you should have the right to post a sign, if you want to, on your own property. You should expect that no one will steal it or vandalize it without repercussions. And you certainly should not have to worry about a drunken Trump supporter driving a stolen backhoe through your neighborhood, cussing people out and destroying your private property. I’m not sure what Mr. Blight thought this would accomplish. I guess he’s terrified that people will vote to take back the country from the orange narcissist in charge and try to reverse the terrible damage he’s done to our reputation worldwide.

To be clear… until Trump, I really didn’t have a problem with Republicans. I didn’t hate George W. Bush the way many of my liberal friends did. I didn’t have much of an opinion about most conservative politicians, even if I didn’t agree with a lot of their views. Donald Trump has changed my opinions about the Republican Party. I still think people should vote for the person they wish to vote for, but I think if you’re aligning yourself with people like James Blight, or those two morons who got drunk and shot each other while wearing a bulletproof vest, it’s not the best look. These men are definitely not “thinkers”.

And as I read about Trump’s plan to force civil servants to be loyal to him or lose their jobs, I am especially fearful about the future if he wins another term. It makes me very grateful that Bill decided to be a contractor instead of a government employee. I wish Trump supporting people would wake up and see that they’ve been had. Here’s a quote from Ronald Sanders, a Trump appointee who recently resigned over Trump’s order regarding civil servants:

The order, which could affect tens of thousands or more career positions involved in making or carrying out policy, “is nothing more than a smoke screen for what is clearly an attempt to require the political loyalty of those who advise the President, or failing that, to enable their removal with little if any due process,” Ronald Sanders wrote in his letter of resignation Sunday from the Federal Salary Council.

“I simply cannot be part of an Administration that seeks . . . to replace apolitical expertise with political obeisance. Career Federal employees are legally and duty-bound to be nonpartisan; they take an oath to preserve and protect our Constitution and the rule of law . . . not to be loyal to a particular President or Administration,” he wrote.

Wake up, Trump supporting America. Quit drinking the whiskey and driving the backhoe over everyone else’s rights. Donald Trump is not a “fit leader” in any sense of the term. He must be voted out before the country gets backhoed by his stupid, cruel, and un-American policies. Believe me, he doesn’t care about you at all. Howard Stern should know better than anyone.

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musings

I don’t like Meat Loaf…

Today on my music blog, I wrote about how I got a mild ration of shit for not enjoying Janis Joplin’s music. It always cracks me up when I express an opinion, particularly about a certain food or type of music, and someone tries to convince me that I’m wrong. There’s no accounting for taste. Opinions differ. I know a lot of people like Janis Joplin’s music. Many people think she was extraordinary. A lot of people feel that way about Barbra Streisand, too. I like songs by Janis and Barbra, but I think they’re overrated singers. It’s just my opinion. I’m entitled to it. You’re entitled to yours.

Anyway, as I was writing about the contentious Janis Joplin thread I had going last night, it occurred to me that I don’t like Meat Loaf, either. I mean, I don’t like the singer– not the dish. I actually LOVE meatloaf, the dish. I make a mean one, stuffed with cheese, ham, and loaded with Italian spices. It’s been too long since I last made one, too. Maybe we’ll do it this weekend. As I look for a photo of meatloaf, I see that it doesn’t look appetizing… but damn, it tastes good!

In fact, here’s the recipe for Stuffed Italian Meatloaf. You can’t say I never gave you anything.

2 eggs, beaten

3/4 C soft bread crumbs

1/2 C tomato juice (or tomato sauce– I have used leftover Ragu sauce successfully)

2 T parsley

1/2 t oregano

1/2t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/2 clove garlic

2 lbs ground beef

6-9 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

3 slices mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (176 Celsius). Combine all ingredients except meat and cheese. Mix in ground beef, form 10×12 rectangle on waxed paper. Sprinkle cheese almost to edge. Beginning at short side, roll up meat, sealing edges and ends. Place seam side down in 9×13 baking dish. Bake 1 1/4 hours. Place cheese slices over top and return to oven to melt. Serves 10 to 12. If you want to, you can also put thin broiled ham slices under the shredded cheese as more stuffing. This recipe comes from the Virginia Hospitality cookbook and I’ve served it to many people with great success!

Back to Meat Loaf, and why I don’t like him. There’s a reason I’m not a fan of Meat Loaf, also known as Michael Lee Aday. It’s not because he’s a bad singer. I fully recognize that he’s a great entertainer and a talented singer. I know people love his music and appreciate his theatrical style. He has a powerful, operatic voice, as well as a sense of humor that appeals to many. I don’t own any of his music, though, and I own music by lots and lots of musicians from a broad array of genres. Meat Loaf was popular when I was a child and I heard him on the radio a lot. I probably could have taken or left him, if not for an incident that occurred in early 1994.

One weekend, during my senior year in college, I had gone to visit my relatives in Natural Bridge, Virginia. It was cold outside, so it must have been in the winter– I think it was February, because I remember telling my aunt that graduation was coming up in just a few months. My cousin, who was then a senior in high school and very popular with males, was invited to a party. She asked me to go with her. We went to some guy’s house… I don’t remember his name, but I do remember that he had a son named Brian who was about my age. My cousin is four years younger than I am, so that would mean Brian was an adult, while she was still a minor. They were apparently dating at the time.

So there we were at Brian’s father’s house. We had gone there to pick up “dad” so we could all go to the party together. As Brian was getting ready for the festivities, dear old dad struck up a conversation with me. He told me that he’d gone to high school with my Uncle Steve. Steve was born in 1945, which means that he’s 27 years older than I am. Steve has two children and they’re both slightly older than I am. My cousin and Brian were making eyes at each other. Dear old dad was apparently making eyes at me. I was oblivious.

He turned on the stereo. Meat Loaf’s hit song, “Paradise by the Dashboard Light” was playing. I remember it was the first time I’d really heard that song, although I’d heard about it from my friends. I don’t know how I missed it, since it was probably Meat Loaf’s best loved hit.

I HATE this song, however it’s notable since the female solo part was done by Ellen Foley, who went on to star on Night Court in the 1980s.

I remember listening to the music as Brian finally got finished gussying up. We went to the party in Brian’s car, while my cousin’s car was left at Brian’s dad’s house. Brian and my cousin eventually disappeared together, and I was left there alone, talking to people I didn’t know very well. I remember meeting a woman who went to Randolph-Macon College and was roommates with a woman I’d gone to school with in Gloucester County. I wasn’t good friends with her roommate. In fact, we’d had a very contentious history. Her younger brother ruined my very first Walkman knockoff by putting it in a swimming pool, and her mom got angry at my dad for requesting that she pay for the damaged item. I don’t think their mom ever forgave my dad, even though her son had purposely ruined my radio. He’s probably completely forgotten that incident, but I haven’t.

Anyway, it was kind of interesting that my old schoolmate’s roomie was at this party, which was clear across the state from Gloucester and Randolph-Macon College. That was probably the coolest thing that happened that night. She eventually got up to get some beer, and I was suddenly confronted by Brian’s father, who was EXTREMELY drunk. He’d apparently spent a couple of hours at that party just sitting there getting hammered. He was so intoxicated he couldn’t keep his eyes open. It was not an appealing or attractive look for him, and frankly, it made me nervous to talk to him.

Brian’s dad then proceeded to hit on me. I was 21 years old. He was in his late 40s and piss drunk. Here I was, sitting alone while my cousin made out with Brian. Brian’s dad slurred, “You’re sooo cute… Let’sh go to my housh and wait…” He wanted me to accompany him to his house and hang out there with him, alone. I don’t think he would have harmed me, unless we died on the way out of there. He was so wasted that he was close to passing out.

I told him I didn’t want to go with him. For one thing, he was dead drunk and had absolutely no business driving. For another thing, I wasn’t the slightest bit interested in him, especially in his inebriated state. I didn’t want to hang out with him when he was that drunk. I doubt I would have wanted to get to know him when he was sober, either. He quickly revealed himself to be an asshole of the first order. So I said no… more than once. He wouldn’t take it as an answer.

“Aw come on…” he begged. “Let’sh go. You’re shoooo pretty… I knew your Uncle Sh’teve in school…” Those beer goggles were strapped on tight!

“No.” I said. “I need to wait for my cousin.”

“She’s okayyyy…” he slurred. “She’s with my Sh’ON!”

Yeah… that was what I was afraid of, especially if his son was anything like him. So I said, “I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Bitch!” he shrieked, suddenly not finding me so “cute” anymore. “You’re jusht a bitch!” He finally staggered off in a rage.

At that point, I got distinctly uncomfortable and decided to remove myself from that situation. I found the party’s hostess and asked if I could borrow her phone. The hostess was very apologetic as I called my aunt to come and get me.

My aunt showed up a little bit later, very upset. She hissed, “I feel like taking her to the emergency room!” referring to my cousin.

“Why would you do that?” I asked.

“What do you think they were doing?” aunt said, fuming. Clearly she assumed they were having sex.

I looked over at Brian’s car and sure enough, the windows were fogged up. I could see him on top of my cousin. It looked like they were kissing passionately. I don’t know if anything else happened that night, and I never asked. I do remember trying to drive my uncle’s truck home with my cousin in it, as her mom had gone to retrieve my cousin’s car. The truck had a “three on the tree” gear shift, so I kept shifting wrong, making the ride home even less comfortable than it otherwise would have been. I apologized to her for “ratting” her out, but I didn’t see any other way to get out of that situation with Brian’s drunk dad, who was making me very uncomfortable. I didn’t have my own transportation and didn’t know where she was, so I had to call for help.

Another song by Meat Loaf that I’d pass on… especially now.

My cousin was surprisingly chill about it and didn’t get angry with me. Maybe she was relieved that I called her mom. Unfortunately, Meat Loaf’s music is now completely ruined for me. I didn’t really like most of his songs that much anyway, though. I remember right before that incident, he had a hit in “I’d Do Anything For Love (But I Won’t Do That)”, a song that I never liked. After meeting Brian’s dad at that party, I can say that I like it even less!

Isn’t it funny how music can trigger memories? Some are good. Some are distinctly bad. I know people love Meat Loaf and hate meatloaf. I love meatloaf, but would rather pass on Meat Loaf. Every time I hear his music– especially “Paradise By The Dashboard Light”, I’m reminded of Brian and Brian’s drunk ass dad. Come to think of it, I don’t really like parties that much, either.

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stupid people

Hold my beer…

I read an initially amusing news story this morning about two guys in Rogers, Arkansas who both wound up arrested after shooting each other while wearing bulletproof vests. On March 31, 2019, Charles Eugene Ferris, 50, and Christopher Hicks, 36, were sitting outside on the back porch drinking. Ferris was wearing a bulletproof vest, so naturally he decided he needed to test it out. He told Hicks to shoot him.

Hicks, obviously an obliging sort, shot his friend with a .22 caliber semi-automatic rifle. The shot hurt, and it pissed off Ferris, who then gave the vest to his friend to try on. Ferris then unloaded the clip into Hicks’s back. Fortunately… or maybe unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, the bulletproof vest did its job and the two men weren’t seriously injured. But when Ferris complained of pain after the shooting, his wife ordered him to visit the emergency department of their local hospital.

The hospital staff determined that Ferris’s injuries could have been a result of foul play. They called the police, who interviewed Ferris. Ferris didn’t want his friend to get into trouble, so he came up with a bullshit story about taking fire after having been paid $200 to “protect an asset”. He claimed that he took fire after driving off gunmen who shot him. The truth came out later when the police officers spoke to Ferris’s, wife, Leslie.

Both men were arrested and have been charged with aggravated assault. They are both free on $5000 bonds. The rifle and the vest have been confiscated, and the men are under orders not to contact each other. They will be arraigned May 13th.

As I read this story, I couldn’t help but notice how sheepish these two guys looked. I’m sure it seemed like harmless fun at the time, trying out the bulletproof vest to see if it actually worked. Naturally, alcohol was involved… and probably boredom. These two guys are probably Trump fans, too. Yep… in fact, I looked up Ferris on Facebook and he has a picture of himself holding the severed head of a ram. He’s even some kind of minister. Indeed, he is a fan of Donald Trump and a vehement pro-lifer. And yet, he also gets drunk and shoots his friend for shits and giggles.

I hate to say this, but it seems that America is full of idiots like these two guys. They are all about gun rights, restricting access to abortion, and being racist. Ferris purports to be some kind of religious leader and has several pictures of himself on social media dressed in religious garb. And he also has a very public Facebook page, loaded with memes about conservative politics, being anti-abortion, and maintaining the right to bear arms. He and his friend have proven that neither of them should have any access to weapons. They lack critical thinking skills and good judgment.

This morning, I also read a very sad story about a family that fled violence in Honduras. They probably would have liked to have stayed in their homeland, but they were targeted by gangs who were looking for money. They headed to the United States, where they were separated in Calexico, at the California border. They were trying to reach San Francisco, where the mom had an uncle who might help them. The youngest of the three children with the family, a toddler girl, was snatched from her father’s arms and sent to San Antonio, Texas. The father, who had previously been expelled as an illegal alien, was arrested. It took the mother going to the press and threatening to go to Texas to retrieve her child before U.S. authorities returned the girl, thinner, suffering from a hacking cough, and infested with lice.

I wonder if Charles Ferris, a supposed Christian with his pro-America, anti-abortion, pro-gun views, would be in favor of helping this family? Would he want them protected, provided for, and loved the way Christ taught people should love their fellow man? I have a feeling he hasn’t thought much about it. It looks to me like his religion is more about maintaining white power. I see that he’s even proud of his sudden notoriety. Ferris is a founder of a couple of Facebook groups. On one them, he re-posted this.

It doesn’t matter that Donald Trump is a horrible person. He’s seen as an “exterminator” of sorts, getting rid of the “undesirable raccoons”… which actually, even sounds horribly racist. “Coon” is a racist term, after all.

Ferris runs a page called “Poor Knights of Christ”, which may or may not have anything to do with racism. However, when I look at the picture of the men in that group, I can’t help but be reminded of the Ku Klux Klan. Click on the associated Web site, and you go to a site with the word “militia” in its address. Having looked at the Web site, it appears to be some kind of Catholic organization, perhaps married with the Masons. Upon further examination of this guy’s social media, I found both of these photos…

Hmmm…
Does he not notice that he wears a robe that looks much like this?

I just can’t wrap my head around this. This man is supposedly a “man of God”, but he gets drunk, shoots his friend, lies to the police, and posts all kinds of vile, hateful rhetoric. Plus, he openly supports an immoral criminal who is leading our country down the drain. And he openly admits to selling his soul to the devil that is Donald Trump, simply because of illegal immigration– brown people invading the United States because they’re being terrorized by gangs in their own country. He supports forcing women to give birth, but he has no problem killing people who have already been born and are in need of help. He likens them to invasive “raccoons”.

It’s nauseating and scary. I’m now kind of sorry I didn’t just laugh off this story. But I have a habit of falling into rabbit holes, don’t I?

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