Don't Get Me Started with Linda Sharp

Shot Down In A Blaze Of Gory

The sun had not even made its way up across most of the USA when two people were gunned down and a third sent to surgery in Virginia.

Reporter Alison Parker, only 24, and her cameraman, Adam Ward, 27, were broadcasting live as they interviewed a Chamber of Commerce representative, Vicki Gardner, at 645am.

The interview was moving along nicely, Vicki answering questions as Alison smiled and interacted comfortably.

Suddenly, shots rang out, screams are heard as the camera catches the scene and also catches a brief glimpse of the assailant as Adam tumbles to the ground.

Filmed by the murderer, the entire approach and killings were uploaded to his Twitter and Youtube accounts before the police had even managed to name a suspect.

Yeah, according to police reports, the coward used a body cam to document his attack.

Between that split second camera grab, and more details (23 page fax to ABC), authorities quickly had a name and a face - Bryce Williams (real name Vester Lee Flanagan) - a disgruntled and threat making former employee of the news station.

Police caught up with him, gave chase, he crashed, and in typical Coward 101, he shot himself.

He died of those self inflicted coward wounds a couple hours ago.

Good.

One less cretin with a  gun walking among us.

Bad.

He cannot be brought to any form of justice for Alison, Adam, and Virginia (who is out of surgery and in stable condition).

(And yes, I am well aware of Vester's assertions and declarations in his fax to ABC and his FB/Twitter ramblings - rage over Charleston, being picked on for being black and gay, hero worship of the Virginia Tech shooter and Columbine killers, etc.  My focus is on the loss of lives that mattered.  By his actions, as a despicable waste of flesh, his did not.  His skin color and place on the sexual spectrum have no bearing on the ability to be a decent human being.)

And as their families mourn their losses, the usual fight has flared up again between gun lovers and gun realists.

What is the answer?

I don't know.

But to any of you who still bleat like sheep about "Obama comin' fer yer guns" - give it a rest.  There are over 300 million guns in this country.  Finding and retrieving them is as unrealistic as is Donald Trump's plan to track down and deport over 11 million illegal immigrants.

It's. Not. Happening.

But continuing to ignore a very real problem is not the answer either.  That problem?

People with guns.  The WRONG people.

I do not think every gun owner is an unhinged, irresponsible, Don't Tred(ucate) On Me loser.  I am related to a couple very responsible, trained, aware, alert, safety conscious people who own firearms.  Hell, they should be the poster children for Responsible Gun Ownership.  They respect the weapons, the privilege of ownership, the liability of ownership, and act accordingly.

But so many do not.  And this country must find a way to at least come together on this point:  NOT EVERY CITIZEN SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO A GUN.

Again, I do not know what the answer is.  I know it is not our current posture - that of waiting for yet another tragedy after which we wring our hands, lament our culture, and argue.  But given that 20 children died in blaze of gory and we did nothing, I am not holding my breath.

When this much money is at play, reason is shown the door.

What I do know is that this morning, three people went to work as ordinary folk and within hours they were known on the other side of the world.

It is a sick game of Russian Roulette in which we are all unwilling participants, yet complicit by our inaction.

I don't want to play anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In memory of Alison Parker and Adam Ward

 

Forgive Me Father, For I Have Sinned...

Raised in Catholicism, I grew and made my way, via CCD classes, through several of the sacraments.

Baptism, obviously, as I was an infant and had no control over my sphincter, let alone who dribbled oil on my head and chanted.

First Communion.  A big one.  I still remember it.  Not so much for any true meaning - give me a break, I was EIGHT - but for the fancy white dress and veil I got to wear with new patent leather shoes.  Oh, and the party afterwards.  And the envelopes full of money. 

Confirmation.  Still no idea what this was about save for many classes that prepared us for the arrival of a dude in a seriously tricked out hat and robe.

And then, of course, there was CONFESSION.

<insert Jaws music>

Ahhh, confession, the ritual by which we would walk into a dark tiny room, close the door behind us, kneel in front of a screen (on the other side of which was a pixelated visage), speak the words:  Forgive me Father, for I have sinned - list a couple transgressions, then be given a prescription to wash them away.

Lied to my parents?  Take three Hail Marys and call me in the morning.

Hit my sibling?  Ooo, two HMs and a half dozen Our Fathers.

I was in fourth grade.  How much sin could I have laid down?  So, those were the biggies I dreamed up when I went in for my first time (and my second, third, fourth...).  I emerged, went to a pew, closed my eyes, and began the first HM. 

Began.

Because even at that tender age, I was mentally calling bullshit on the whole thing.  Go into a dark room, say "Oops, I did it again" and by reciting some memorized phrases be magically cleansed?  Seriously?  Sorry, but this 10 year old wasn't buying in.

Ahhh, that dastardly "age of reason" feared by religious leaders, and desperately raced against by them in terms of instilling enough fear, belief, and fear of not believing in the up and comers.

And look, if it works for you, more power to you.  Whatever.  I am stating my position.

I opted, instead, to just try to be a decent child.  Study hard, keep my fists to myself, avoid scenarios by which lying may feel compulsory, and just chit chat with the Lord whenever the urge would strike.  No appointment necessary.  No creepy dark room.  No James Bond shadow doling out prayer spells like he's Professor Snape at Hogwarts.

My choice. And I live a happy, guilt-free life because of it.  Not tethered to fear.  Not constantly chasing a carrot of salvation.  Just me, living decently, and a good chit chat when the mood strikes.  And when I do eff up?  I OWN IT.  I apologize.  And I take steps to never do it again.

But that whole concept of Forgive me Father as Get Out Of Jail free card continues to thrive throughout Christianity.  It's pretty amazing actually.  With it, you are not only free and clear of whatever you did, but there is no personal responsibility to slow you down, no accountability for your actions, because, well, Ssssssssatan...

Josh Duggar diddled his sisters, but no big.  He spoke to the air and promised that the air forgave him so it's all good.  He was free and clear TO MOLEST THEM AGAIN.  AND AGAIN.

And last week when he was outed again as a hypocritical Christian dirtbag for being a frequent flyer on Ashley Madison Airlines, he ran behind God's flowy skirts, pointed his finger at Satan, and POOF, all better.

Now comes another popular Christian pontificator of family values, Youtube preacher man, Sam Rader, who was also outed as being one of AM's ardent admirers.  Yes, he may spend the lion's share of every day weeping, railing, or gnashing his teeth via his online "church," but nights were made for Michelob ... and cheating on his wife.

But wait!  It's all good.  No harm, no foul.  Because he says so.

He, with wife Nia, by his side, announced on his vlog, “This was brought to my wife’s attention. She has forgiven me for this mistake that I have made in opening the account. I have sought forgiveness from God and he has forgiven me. So I have been completely cleansed of this sin.”

I see.

OK, your wife and partner in fleecing the virtual flock may "forgive" you - her choice (pardon my cynicism, but a six figure Youtube income may have a lot to do with her forgiveness) - but as for being "completely cleansed of this sin"?  Yeah, no.

I absolutely love (in a totally makes me want to barf my shoes out my face way) how by calling something a "sin" it is somehow removed from the provence of mankind.  And by so doing, a magical, invisible Mr. Clean eraser makes it all go away.  Poof.

Wow.  God is like Serv Pro.  But with these idiots it's Perv Pro:  Like It Never Even Happened.

 Guess what?  It. Did. happen.

Josh did molest his little sisters.  That's not a fucking sin, that's a fucking felony.   I don't give two shits if you say your chosen deity forgives you - this is the real world.  And in the real world, there is accountability, and courtrooms, and verdicts, and jail.

But I guess, in conjunction with "God" your parents cleared all that potential  inconvenience up.  But had they not run the clock?  No judge or jury is going to give two shits in a confessional booth about you saying, "But God forgave me!"

Here's the bottom line: These guys have only "confessed" because there was no other option.  They were caught.  Trap.  Rats.  Caught.  And an apology for getting caught is worthless. 

If you were so laden with guilt over your "sins" YOU WOULD HAVE STOPPED ON YOUR OWN.

If you were such a believer in the bullshit you shout at everyone else about virtue and the sanctity of marriage, YOU NEVER WOULD HAVE STARTED.

(Oh, and Sam?  Threatening someone with violence and getting kicked out of a Christian vlog conference a couple days ago?  Better get the BIG Mr. Clean on the horn again for some of that Magical Sin Eraser.)

If I were a Christian of this ilk - the kind who conveniently ignores the true teachings, the love thy neighbor part, the judge not lest ye part; the hypocritical bigots who do nothing but hate their gaybors neighbors and judge it up like Judy?  I'd be starting to worry.  G is also described as vengeful, and I have read enough of your Good Book to know it contains some bad stories of asswhippings from on High.

Sure, this guy's vlog audience will weep along with him and Nia and continue to support their blatherings.  And Josh will have no end of supporters who buy into the whole Get Out Of Sin Free card in their game of Godopoly, but out here in the real world?

These guys are nothing but hypocrites, cheaters, dirtbags, grifters, shitheels, and one is an admitted felon.

Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect A Damned Thing.

I'm Sorry I Got Caught. AGAIN.

Poor, poor Joshua Duggar.  Beleaguered, beset, bedeviled, bereft - the world is against him.  Satan is to blame.  Boo hoo.

We all knew he was a pathetic molester of children.  That was admitted to by him and by his equally despicable excuses for parents months back.  And oh, how the faithful rallied around him, sopping up their crocodile tears, buying their "Because God..." excuses, and lecturing us all about how WE were the real sinners for daring to hold Josh accountable in the court of public opinion.

News for you fundies who think there is something redeeming in that sack of shit:  The court of public opinion was our only option, his ignorant, yet legally savvy parents having run the clock on him ever having to account in a real courtroom, and all.

Caught yet again with his pants down, this time in the hacking of uber cheating website Ashley Madison, Josh has issued yet another Jesus-weepy-Satan-did-it missive:

I have been the biggest hypocrite ever. While espousing faith and family values, I have secretly over the last several years been viewing pornography on the internet and this became a secret addiction and I became unfaithful to my wife.

I am so ashamed of the double life that I have been living and am grieved for the hurt, pain and disgrace my sin has caused my wife and family, and most of all Jesus and all those who profess faith in Him.

I brought hurt and a reproach to my family, close friends and the fans of our show with my actions that happened when I was 14-15 years old, and now I have re-broken their trust.

The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country, in my heart I had allowed Satan to build a fortress that no one knew about.

As I am learning the hard way, we have the freedom to choose to our actions, but we do not get to choose our consequences. I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example.

I humbly ask for your forgiveness. Please pray for my precious wife Anna and our family during this time.

Josh Duggar

Let's dissect, shall we?

Well, right out of the gate, Josh does at least own up to the biggest title he will ever hold, that of HYPOCRITE.  He then quickly goes on to confess about *gasp!* viewing pornography online - that's fine, Josh.  Not making history with that - you're human, repressed, and it's there.  Do the one handed math.

I became unfaithful to my wife. 

Sorry, Joshie, it is not like it happened to you.  I became diabetic.  I became  asthmatic.  I became a cancer patient.  See the difference?  No, you actively sought out your secret recreation.  No one guided your hand on the mouse or keyboard.  That was you, tapping away, inputting your credit card info, arranging your affairs, deceiving your weary, intentionally submissive wife.

So, you are "ashamed of the double life" you have been leading, huh?  Let me use my Miss Cleo level psychic abilities... Your shame and regret happened at the exact moment your name was once again being plastered across the internet exposing your Ashley Madison accounts.

That's called sorry for getting caught, Josh.  Big difference between feeling sorry for yourself and being truly repentant. 

So you are sorry your family is once again let down, that your wife now knows you are not just a molester, but a spouse who uses his marriage vows to wipe his ass?  Boo hoo, waaaaaaah.  But you are mostly sorry for letting down Jesus.

Spare me.  I may not go to church anymore, but I do remember how this stuff works.  Jesus, God, the Holy Spirit trio - they can see you ALL. THE. TIME.  If they truly exist on some heavenly plane, Jesus was on to you all along.  So it's a bit late to be apologizing to Him.  He already knows you are a pathetic waste of Earthy resources, and a holy roller poser who uses Him and the big G like, well, like cheaters use Ashley Madison.  When it's convenient.

As for rebreaking the trust of your family, friends, and most importantly (love how you included them) viewers of your show - cry me a river.  Anyone with half a functioning brain cell revoked any and all "trust" in you when it was discovered you repeatedly molested your young sisters.  So much for the value of you being sorry.  Repeatedly, Josh.  You repeatedly got caught and you repeatedly went back for more late night gropes.  Because your parents are consistently stupid people.

Now for the truly great part, taken directly from the Book of Hypocrites & Deflectors:

The last few years, while publicly stating I was fighting against immorality in our country, in my heart I had allowed Satan to build a fortress that no one knew about.

No.  Just NO.

Your actions were your own, Josh.  Even Satan doesn't deserve this verbal bendover you are doing to him.  Satan did not build a fortress.  YOU built a hidden, deceitful life.  Satan did not set up your two, count 'em two, Ashley Madison accounts.  That would have been you.  Satan did not tap out your preferences and hoped for kinks.  And it was not Satan's dick that was doing the horizontal bop with random strangers courtesy of AM and your credit card.

I am beyond exhausted by faux Christians behaving abysmally, getting caught, and then blaming one imaginary "friend" - Satan (yes, friend.  Only a true friend would continue to be a whipping post like this), or speaking for the other - God - whom I fervently wish exists and is there with a big steel toed boot of whoopass when these miserable hypocrites reach the Gates.

I deeply regret all hurt I have caused so many by being such a bad example.

Just curious, were you deeply regretting being a bad example while you were balls deep, or did that regret cum come later, like yesterday when you were outed?  Rhetorical question, no need to respond.

So, you humbly ask for our forgiveness?  Suck a dick, Josh.  (Just waiting for your Grindr account to be revealed.) You deserve nothing but the shitstorm currently raining down upon you.  You deserve the lightning bolts of public derision, and the thunder of shame that will be yours forever.

As I wrote last night - my worst fear is that your wife will not only defend you, but blame herself.

Sorry, Josh, but that cross is not meant for her to bear.  YOU did ALL of this.  YOUR choice.  YOUR actions.  YOUR fallout to own.  So hoist your ass up on that cross and start nailing.  With BOTH hands.

Schadenfreude Is Having A Field Day

If you care about hypocrites getting their comeuppance, you are more than familiar with the feeling of schadenfreude.

schadenfreude; n: a feeling of enjoyment that comes from seeing or hearing about the troubles of other people

OK, yes, on the surface of that Webster's definition, there is pettiness, vindictiveness, and a topping of spite inferred.  I readily admit that.  But there are some people in this world who, by their own actions, deserve to be on the receiving end of the karma stick.

Politicians who actively legislate against equality and protections for ALL citizens (read LGBT, et al) who are then found tapping their toes under bathroom stalls.  Stalwart "family values" campaigners who are found hiking the Appalachian Trail ... which apparently reaches all the way to Argentina.  Religious holy rollers who make millions cramming their version of holiness and righteousness in the faces of the world, only to be found diddling their siblings with their parents covering it up.

I have a massive disdain for hypocrisy.  Always have.  If you are talking some kind of talk, you'd better not be found walking the walk in the opposite direction.  Because if you are, and you are outed?  GOOD.  You deserve every bit of public and personal carnage coming your way.

Which brings us to the infamous hack of Ashley Madison - the internet's premium website for cheaters.  That it was hacked did not surprise me.  If there's a will, an internet connection, servers to ghost to and hide behind, and a mission - then there's a smart hacker who will find a way in.

What has surprised me are the numbers of people I have heard from or seen in comments saying they have never heard of the website.  Seriously?  It advertises constantly on talk radio channels, Hannity, TIME, Stern, USA Today.  It's tagline is "Life is short, have an affair." 

Well, regardless of whether or not you were aware of its existence, roughly 33 million people were.  That is the number of people whose marital harmony, business reputations, and extracurricular love lives have been threatened by the release of all the files hacked.

To which I say:  GOOD.

Sorry, but there is no sympathy from me for those who were deceiving spouses, sig others, etc. 

I don't care that their credit card info was exposed.  Anyone who truly gets their shorts in a knot over that needs to take a breath and make a simple phone call should it ever happen to you.  I have been compromised repeatedly since I have owned credit cards/debit cards.  And at no point was I NOT reimbursed and immediately protected by the card company or bank.

Inconvenient?  Yes.  Frustrating?  Of course.  Fatal?  No.

I would be far more concerned about social security information and identity theft on that level.  But again, in this day and age, avail yourself of as much protection as you can afford in that regard.  Monitoring services are inexpensive and important.

As for the rest of the info exposed?  Names, email addresses, home addresses, sexual desires, kinks, fetishes, wish lists, body types desired, etc?

GOOD.

Especially when the first asshole hypocrite to fall into the public firepit is none other than "God says I'm forgiven" child molester Josh Duggar.

Yes, that's right.  Stupid enough to use the website in the first place (a paid up member from 2013-2015).  Supremely stupid enough to use his real name and addresses of homes in his family, and Goliathly stupid enough to set up a second account when he and his family moved to DC for his Family Research Council gig.  From that profile:

JOSH_THE_MAN

READY4THISDC

Yeah, you go ahead and grab some water.  I threw up in my mouth a little, too.  Get a big glass though.  You're going to need it.

His list of preferences is stellar.  Our sweet, holy, Wants-To-Be-Touched-By-A-Girl-Named-Angel little boy listed:

“Conventional Sex,” Experimenting with Sex Toys,” One-Night Stands,” “Open to Experimentation,” “Gentleness,” “Good With Your Hands,” Sensual Massage,” “Extended Foreplay/Teasing,” “Bubble Bath for 2,” “Likes to Give Oral Sex,” “Likes to Receive Oral Sex,” “Someone I Can Teach,” “Someone Who Can Teach Me,” “Kissing,” “Cuddling & Hugging,” “Sharing Fantasies,” “Sex Talk.”

Don't worry, that skin crawling sensation you're feeling?  Totally normal.

His turn-ons may have you reaching for the Mylanta:

“A Professional/Well Groomed,” “Stylish/Classy,” “Casual Jeans/T-shirt Type,” “Muscular/Fit Body,” ”Petite Figure,” “Tall Height,” “Short Height,” “Long Hair,””Short Hair,” “Girl Next Door,” “Naughty Girl,” “Sense of Humor,” “Imagination,” “Creative and Adventurous,” “Relaxed and Easy Going,” “Aggressive/Take Charge Nature,” “Confidence,” “Discretion/Secrecy,” “A Good Listener,” “Good Personal Hygiene,” “Average Sex Drive,” “High Sex Drive,” “Dislikes Routine,” “Has a Secret Love Nest,” “Disease Free,” “Drug Free,” and “Natural Breasts”

I'll give him this, I am a fan of "good personal hygiene" in my "secret love nest" partner, too.  And Rudy is "disease free," "drug-free," and has "natural breasts." 

What I won't give him is a free pass, a Jesus-Loves-Me pass, a God-forgives-me-AGAIN pass, or any sympathy in being found to be disgusting asshole.  AGAIN.

Feel sorry for his wife?  A bit.  This one's going to hurt.  And it should.  She spun and rallied when the molestations hit the airwaves, but finding out your wonderful, Godly, never-kissed-you-till-the-I-Dos spouse had not one, but two profiles on Ashley Madison?

What I fear though is that she will nail herself to the cross and publicly blame it on not providing enough for Joshie in that department.

Look, the fallout of this hack is massive.  33 millions users.  Over 15,000 email addresses alone have .gov (Yes, our government) endings.  In Britain, the Mirror wrote, "Dozens of email addresses linked to top Westminster departments and some of the nation's biggest local authorities have now been published online, suggesting public servants may have tried to arrange affairs whilst they were supposed to be working."

The hack's reach is global, but then cheating is global.

Did some people have accounts with the full blessing of their spouse or sig other?  Sure.  Open relationships exist everywhere.  That's fine.  What two consenting adults do to one another, or to another person with the approval of the other, is their business.  And those people have no fear of personal fallout.  But that's not the thrust, if you will, of AM.  The website was set up specifically to act as an internet pimp of sorts, providing access to other cheaters in exchange for cash.  (Josh invested nearly $1,000 in their services, even opting for the account with an "affair guarantee.")  And that means that their reputations and trustworthiness are going to be in question, as they should be, in public and private, in business and status, because these people gambled and lost.

But Linda!  Weren't they promised protection, anonymity, fool proof privacy and cover?

Uh, Nooooooo.

No, they were not.

The fine print of the AM contract clearly states "You acknowledge that although we strive to maintain the necessary safeguards to protect your personal data, we cannot ensure the security or privacy of information you provide through the Internet and your email messages."

The info on the front of the website, however, promised "100% discreet service."

Yeah, well, welcome to the reality of our computer age, dimwits.  NOTHING is safe or sacred.

Here's the deal, if you are unsatisfied in your relationship, wanting some zest or something different than who you have, or are just a cheating shitheel - either open your mouth to the person who currently trusts you, work on spicing things up together, or GET OUT.

Yes, GTFO.

Man up or woman up - because this list obviously includes both - and get a divorce or break up.  Let that person get on with their life without you in it.  You don't deserve them, and they most certainly do not deserve the world of hurt you are setting up for them by cheating behind their back.

Go sow your oats, guilt free.  Those same people willing to cheat with you through AM?  They are everywhere.  If you need extracurricular sex that bad, it is not hard to find.  Just don't do it while your spouse thinks you are hiking in Kentucky.

Oh, and FYI - if you are unsatisfied in your sexlife?  Chances are your spouse is, too.  While you might fancy yourself a stud or studdette, your spouse would probably tell a different, boring, tale of your prowess and abilities.

I have no patience for cheaters.  None.  Have been on the receiving end, and the hurt of trust being violated lasted a lot longer than the hurt of walking in and finding two people in my bed - and I was not one of them.

Feel sorry for them if it makes you happy.  Hell, feel sorry for yourself if you are on the list (avail yourself of the various search tools up and running to search by email addresses or names). 

I'll be over here with the shadenfreude crowd.  Watching the comeuppance of the hypocrites.

P.S.

Feel free to look for Rudy and I in the database.  We're not there.  Then again, we're not lying, cheating shitheels.

Blood In The Water

"If you have to lie, cheat, steal, obstruct and bully to get your point across, it must not be a point capable of surviving on its own merits."  - Steven Webber

If that doesn't sum up the operating system of Donald Trump, I don't know what does.  (He runs on iOS 2 <--- I Offer Shit)

I have yet to read, hear, or watch this human septic tank answer any question without injecting it with the language of a schoolyard bully.  So unable to take even the slightest of criticism, Trump's immediate response is some variation of deflection, referring to his critic with his favorite go to words:  "Lightweight"  "Loser"

His mouth is a veritable sewage plant, running freely with the shit of his own ignorance, the sickly sweet stench of constant bravado.

While driving home last night, my husband, daughter and I were listening to CNN on Sirius.  In the absence of any truly breaking news, they did what they are wont to do - analyze every scintilla of the previous night's episode of America's Funniest Videos - aka the GOP Presidential Wannabe Debate.

Experts weighed in on body language, how many minutes each candidate managed to speak, and yes, even had a word count for how many times things like "Free" "America" and "Obama" were uttered.

Oh, much also was made about the record breaking viewing audience which tuned in - estimated at 24 million viewers. 

And no one banged that drum more than Clown Car driver, Donald Trump, when he called in to be verbally fellated by CNN's Don Lemon.  Seriously, it was far less interview than copious ball gargling by Lemon who even wound up his "piece" by inviting Trump to come back and "be my co-host anytime."

Given the mic to wax crapsodic about his own greatness, Trump did what he always does - channel his inner carnival barker / overgrown 12 year old bully - a schtick which seems to resonate with the "I desperately wish I could tell everyone to f**k off 24 hours a day, too" crowd.

He repeatedly spoke of his greatness, his being the reason everyone tuned in ("without me, I doubt there wouldn't have even been 2 million people watching"), reminded us all that he is a winner whilst all who oppose him are losers, and grandstanded his brilliance at working the financial system to his advantage (read: 3 or 4 bankruptcies - he wasn't sure how many).

Let us pause for a moment to analyze those observations of his, shall we?

Donald, you are not great.  Yes, I realize you completely subscribe to the "A lie repeated becomes the truth" school of thought, but those of us who actually enjoy facts can easily read the history of your "greatness" and know, in black and white, how duplicitous, conniving, and gutless you are and have always been.

As for the viewing audience brought in by you?  Absolutely.  Cars always slow down to take in a gory accident or trainwreck.  Many people tuned in to watch the masochistic circle jerk on display - candidates alternately stroking your "ego" out of fear, then attempting to rudely yank out the verbal anal beads with no warning.  We won't be voting for you, Donald.

As for the braggadocio exhibited when asked about the multiple bankruptcies?  That the poor (literally) saps who seem to have transferred their Palin Pride Syndrome to Donald cannot grasp the utter hubris and complete lack of concern for the inequity at play does not surprise me.  Bumper sticker thinkers are like that.  

(And before someone attempts to throw the ridiculous "You're just afraid of him" trope - don't embarrass yourself.  I fear him the way I feared Palin.  I DON'T.  I laugh at him, I roll my eyes at him, I swallow bile that attempts to rise in my throat when he speaks, but I don't fear him.  And here's why.  There are more of us who understand things on a global scale, who get the importance of measured words, intelligence, and tact, and who believe in the rights of ALL - who will again rise up and outvote you and your thintelligent ilk.  Like we did the last two presidential elections when you trumpeted how "scared" we were of Palin, and then of Romney.  So if you want to correctly throw the word "fear" around, here's how.  Fear is a great motivator and yes, we are afraid of ever letting the GOP near the White House again.  So embrace your guns, bibles, and misogyny.  We'll continue to embrace the Presidency by outvoting you.)

Here's the thing, when a corporate entity declares bankruptcy - a nifty way to walk away from staggering debt - nothing happens.  A corporation doesn't lose its house, standard of living, ability to get credit for YEARS.  It simply moves on to the next deal, happily restructured without the weight of debt hanging around its neck, ready to declare bankruptcy again when said next deal goes sour.  Trump calling those bankers "killers" and "bad people" somehow acquits him of stiffing them of billions?

Psst, Donald, when a human being declares bankruptcy, their life immediately changes.  Assets must be liquidated, a court uses a formula to decide if you make enough to have money siphoned off towards your debts, and your credit tanks.  You don't immediately move on, personal assets protected by some bullshit LLC or corporate logo.

Hmmm, wait, I thought corporations had been granted personhood by the Supreme Court?  Oh, wait, sorry, that's just when it comes to bribing politicians and buying elections.  My bad.

As the verbal masturbation moved on, Lemon brought up the question asked by debate moderator and FOX News face, Megyn Kelly, the night before about Trump's history of disparaging remarks about women.  

Kelly:  "Mr. Trump, one of the things people love about you is you speak your mind and you don't use a politician's filter. However, that is not without its downsides, in particular, when it comes to women.

You've called women you don't like fat pigs, dogs, slobs, and disgusting animals."

(Insert Trump ascribing his comments to being about Rosie O'Donnell.)

"Your Twitter account has several disparaging comments about women's looks. You once told a contestant on Celebrity Apprentice it would be a pretty picture to see her on her knees. Does that sound to you like the temperament of a man we should elect as president, and how will you answer the charge from Hillary Clinton, who was likely to be the Democratic nominee, that you are part of the war on women?"

He responded with, "I think the big problem this country has is being politically correct.  I've been challenged by so many people, and I don't frankly have time for total political correctness. And to be honest with you, this country doesn't have time either."

I see. So implying on national television that a contestant on your show would be better viewed blowing random men is just a disdain for political correctness?

Sorry, Asswipe.  Not buying the verbal swampland you're selling.

His reply to Lemon about the exchange with Kelly?  After his thin skin got done crying again about being treated badly, he added, "There was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever." 

"Blood coming out of her wherever."

I shit you not, at the same time, all three of us in the car stared at one another with mouths open.  

Look, we are not ingenues when it comes to the hyperbole, hysteria, and hooey spewed by Trump.  We expect it.  We roll our eyes at it.  And we marvel at the way it is lapped up by a percentage of the public.  But this?  

Yes, Donald, I bleed.  Once a month, for days at a time.  Yes, there are hormones attached to that cycle.  Yet even whilst losing blood, I never lose my ability to think rationally, act with confidence, or bravely stand up to LOSERS such as yourself.  Perhaps you should take some advice from Mr. Garrison on South Park who said, "I just don't trust anything that bleeds for 5 days and doesn't die."  

You really should fear, or at least appreciate, the very group you are writing off.

Sorry, but his misogyny is a problem, America.  And those of you who will defend this type of crass marginalization of women are as much a problem as is Trump.

Is there too much political correctness in this world?  Sure.  But there is a difference between disdain for political correctness and a simple inability to filter your own piehole when necessary.

Trump repeatedly shows he lacks the intelligence, presence, grace, and temperament necessary for the office of the President.  Schoolyard bullying, bluster, and bloviating may work in the real estate market, Trump, and obviously it makes great reality TV, but on the global stage where lives literally hang in the balance and diplomacy is not just a nicety but a necessity?

You fail.  There are world leaders who are female.  Are you just going to publicly write them off as being on the rag when they don't agree with you?  Are you going to greet Merkel by telling her how much better she would appear on her knees blowing the UN?  Are you going to ass grab the Queen?

Here's the thing, Don - you won't get the nomination.  The RNC won't have that.  And you don't have the balls to actually run as a third party candidate because you know exactly how many votes you WON'T get.  And no middle school bully will willingly show his ass.

Right now, you have sycophants who stand like frightened kids on the edges of the playground, happy to prop you and your bad behavior up as long as they are not your targets.  But they eventually will be your targets, Donald.  That's the beauty of your mouth.  It runs and runs and runs and will eventually churn out some blanket insult that will hit home with them.  

And they will be turned off.  Finally.

You really are no different than an episode of any iteration of Real Housewives.  Those reality programs are watched specifically because they showcase bad behavior, no-filter mouths, empty heads who think they are smart.

And like every iteration of those shows, those characters - initially embraced for "telling it like it is" - are cast aside when the schtick wears thin.  When the emperesses are revealed to have no clothes and nothing but bravado.  (Think Jersey Shore.  The Situation who?)

Bravado is not brilliance, Don.  

And that blood you disdained in Megyn Kelly?  Well, it's actually in the water around you now.  Last night, RedState's Erik Erikson disinvited Trump from a conservative forum at which he was slated to hold court, saying, "there are even lines that blunt talkers and unprofessional politicians should not cross.  Decency is one of those lines."

Hmmm, when RedState goes "Oh, no he di'ent" perhaps you should rethink your free flowing mouth.

The sharks are circling, Donald.  And one thing is as certain as death and the taxes you don't pay - the GOP loves to eat its own.

You're gonna need a bigger yacht.

Which Little Pig Are You?

We all grew up with the story - The Three Little Pigs.  We know the squealers, the big, bad wolf, the straw, the twigs, the bricks.  And we know the inevitable destruction due the slackers who are ultimately rescued by the pig with brains and work ethic and heart.

All, a metaphor for hard work, the value of investing time, developing a haven, having foresight.

Those piglets trotted through my mind today as I thought about the many posts I have seen of late in which friends and acquaintances lament the ending of friendships, cutting of familial ties- the result of painful recognitions of attitudes and behaviors they simply cannot bear to house within their lives anymore.

It is especially heartbreaking when those attitudes live within the very structure that should represent constancy, consistency, unquestionable support, unwavering love - the family "home."

We all grow up a product of our geography, parenting, friends, possibly religion, and personal experiences.  We brush up against life, people, ideas; we endure traumas, celebrate joys; we share, we come together, we move apart.

And as we grow, if we are lucky, our families grow with us, around us, surrounding us, propping us up, pulling us up, pushing us forward, catching us if we stumble.

At no point should our family be the ones who make us stumble.  Who make us feel exposed to the elements of cold hatred, hot anger, and the unforgiving winds of marginalization.  A family should not be in the business of eroding your spirit, your sense of self, your security, your value, your truth.

Being gay should not disqualify you from your family.  Transgender?  That intensely personal revelation should be able to be deposited in the National Bank of the Heart of your family and receive the highest interest rate available. 

What we are talking about is new information.  Seriously, that's it.  Again, intensely personal, life changing/life affirming information, but INFORMATION.

And if your family "home" is built of strong components, ANY new information - be it cancer, a pregnancy, or a realization of being somewhere on life's spectrum other than where they assumed you were - all should result in the walls moving towards you, not being blown away.

So your child is gay.  First of all, even uttering the words to you is an act of bravery.  But after uttered, that child is THE SAME CHILD WHO STOOD IN FRONT OF YOU TEN SECONDS BEFORE.  They are NO different. 

So your sibling realizes they are trans.  Again, an enormous act of bravery in giving voice to the words, and an even bigger vote of confidence in what they hope your response to be.

Turning your back, raising your voice, offering condemnation instead of comfort, exclusion instead of assurance, turns you immediately into the Big Bad Wolf who proves the house you have built for them has been one of straw, twigs, and LIES.  Adding religion as your reason is completely wrong.  Religion, not someone's essential truth, is the choice, as evidenced by the fact that there ARE SO MANY RELIGIONS TO CHOOSE FROM.

Railing against someone who stands before you vulnerable, exposed, and desperate is unforgivable.  Condemning them speaks volumes about you, not about them.  And turning them out into an uncertain, scary, hostile world exposes the crumbly foundation of the house you have built.  If your love works like a lightswitch, YOU deserve to be evicted, not them.

And as their world blows apart, they see the termites of hatred, the woodrot of ignorance, the lead paint of your conditional love, which is not love at all.

Conditional love is hostage taking.  It is extortion.  It places a value on what YOU think is acceptable and leaves no room for the individual in front of you to grow safely into who they are.

People who build houses of straw or twigs are not worth the constant pain, worry, and heartache experienced by those who know the roof will eventually cave in, just not the when.

These people do not deserve your time, your efforts, your irrational desire to try longer than you should.  

I read an article this morning about someone who finally parted ways with her mother because she could no longer deny the blatant, ugly bigotry that she had tried for years to label "mild homophobia."

I'm sorry, but having "mild homophobia" is like having "a little bit of cancer."  If you have it, you have it.  "Oh, it's just melonoma, but other than that, I'm fine!"

Hate is hate is hate.  Ignorance is ignorance is ignorance.  And hate feeds at the trough of ignorance.  

To anyone who is struggling, be it because you have a revelation about yourself but are scared to death because of the "house" surrounding you, or because you are tired of endlessly enduring and making excuses for relatives or friends whose attitudes are always at the ignorance trough - enough is enough.  You deserve more.  Yes, you deserve to have a sturdy house in which you find everything you need to thrive, but if you don't, that is their fault, not yours.

You don't owe them endless rent payments; they don't have a mortgage on your soul.  Build a family and a house of your own with people who care deeply, love openly, and accept you as you are.  

And if you are the "homeowner"?  Blood is not a free pass to endlessly shit into someone's heart.  It's time to ask yourself, "What kind of pig am I?  What kind of house am I building?

I choose to build mine out of bricks of love - strong, unconditional, able to survive the Baddest of Wolves or the Category 5 of life's worst storms.  My passel of piglets sleep well at night knowing the walls are sturdy, the roof is reinforced, the warm glow of love burns continuously in the hearth.

If all you have to offer is twigs and straw, do not be surprised when your house ends up empty and life huffs and puffs and your shoddy roof caves in on you.