Prickly City by Scott Stantis for October 16, 2021

Sure this country isn’t perfect name me any other country on this earth where people are trying to get in to?

Not to worry, Stantis.

Once the Republican Party of Trump rids America of democracy, we will definitely be a Good Country.

For Real Americans only, of course.

I have some work to do…homework.

I knew it was a strange thought even then, but when I was a kid the words from “America” — “God shed his grace on thee” — made me think of a snake shedding its skin. (Then, who was that in the Garden of Eden?)

And in “The Pledge Of Allegiance,” How could one nation be “invisible”? And in the “Our Father,” was Harold really God’s name? And in the “Hail Mary,” why was Mary full of grapes? And why was her Fruit of the Loom blessed?

I think I have that stuff mostly figured out by now. But back as a kid, in trying to make sense of the confusing adult phrases and social constructs, questions swirled around my head like pesky bees. I wish my thoughts were as deeply existential as Carmen’s at her age. Mine were more like, How can somebody die in his Living Room, as my Grandpa did?

Why are they always running and jumping?

“Good” as in a nice place to live? Still better than most, despite the problems. Absolutely not as good as it used to be, though.

“Good” as in moral? No, I’m afraid not. Seething resentment of the poorest and most needy isn’t moral.

The American Taliban Evangelicals wants you to believe this country has to be a God country to be a Good country. . . . /S

Why is this conversation so frustratingly devoid of specifics?

We’re not a good country because some of us won’t admit that:

a) We’ve done some very bad things in the past which we need to AT LEAST acknowledge.

b) We still do many very bad things now which we (usually) just overlook and pretend not to see.

c) We’re just happy being bad and calling ourselves good. It’s so much easier than all the effort it takes to actually be a good country.

d) ALL OF THE ABOVE

Countries are comprised of people. And like people, they are capable of good and evil. The best we can hope for is that we learn from our mistakes to make ourselves a better country…

What I find a bit annoying about this entire thread is that it has an air of “both sides – ism” that belies the real situation today and how we got here. What is portrayed as a balanced introspection is in reality an obfuscation of some truly atrocious behavior. Yet another false equivalence.

People are literally dying to get in. It must be better than where they’re from. Still needs work.

Republicans have a lot of work to do.

‘The corpse at every funeral’: Trump ridiculed for his unrelenting obsession to be the center of attention

Alice Roosevelt Longworth, who once said of her father that he “wanted to be the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding and the infant at every christening.”

As Golden notes, that description also fits Trump like “one of his finely tailored navy blue suits.”

Noting the ex-president manages to suck up all the oxygen in the room leaving possible GOP contenders for the 2024 presidential nomination standing on the sidelines, Golden claimed Trump will never let go of the spotlight — and the press is complicit.

“Trump will continue to play Alice Roosevelt’s corpse, bride and infant and — nominee or not — will use them all to exert an outsized and potentially decisive influence on the party,” he concluded.

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-narcissist/

Trump won’t stop trying to hijack democracy but Adam Schiff is not having it

“We want to show the country just how Jan. 6 came about and not just the mechanics of that day, in terms of the participation of the white nationalist groups but rather how this big falsehood about our elections propelled thousands of people to attack their own government,” Schiff said on “Book TV.”

Per the Las Vegas Sun, the New York lawmaker says, “the select committee expects to uncover fresh information about Trump’s involvement that January day, as he encouraged the mob of his supporters to head to the Capitol and ‘fight like hell’ to reverse his electoral defeat to Joe Biden.”

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-adam-schiff/

Taxpayers saddled with $790,000 bill for poorly-attended ‘Justice for J6’ rally

The rally — organized by a former Donald Trump official — was intended to display a show of support for the insurrectionists who have been arrested and jailed for attacking the halls of Congress on Jan 6th, but then fizzled over conspiracy rumors that it was a set-up by the U.S. government to go after Trump supporters.

As the Post reports, “Local governments and the National Guard spent at least $792,500 to assist U.S. Capitol Police in its response to the Sept. 18 ‘Justice for J6’ rally, a small right-wing rally supporting those arrested during the insurrection that prompted a massive law enforcement response and the reinstallation of the temporary Capitol perimeter fencing.”

https://www.rawstory.com/justice-for-j6-rally/

Trump’s ‘Big Lie’ is on the ballot by way of delusional GOP candidates anxious for his endorsement

https://www.rawstory.com/donald-trump-big-lie-2655309347/

The law that prompted a school administrator to call for an ‘opposing’ perspective on the Holocaust is causing confusion across Texas

https://www.rawstory.com/texas-holocaust/

Accused Capitol rioter threatened his children with violence if they reported him to police

https://www.rawstory.com/accused-u-s-capitol-rioter-threatened-his-children-prosecutors-say/

Heiress who funded Jan 6 Capitol rally also funneled $150,000 to GOP attorneys general association

https://www.rawstory.com/capitol-riot-julie-jenkins-fancelli/

The ivermectin craze is being fueled by medical front groups with ties to right-wing dark money

https://www.rawstory.com/the-ivermectin-craze-is-being-fueled-by-medical-front-groups-with-ties-to-right-wing-dark-money/

Pete Buttigieg slams Fox News host after homophobic hit job

https://www.rawstory.com/pete-buttigieg-slams-fox-news-host-after-homophobic-hit-job/

The facade of the GOP’s respectability is crumbling

https://www.rawstory.com/the-facade-of-the-gop-s-respectability-is-crumbling/

Remember when the USA used to be in the top ten?

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/quality-of-life-rankings

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/freedom-index-by-country

Hard to have a decent standard of living, gainful employment, and a secure future, with a political system that divides the population against each other, allowing ONLY the very wealthy (of both parties) to PERMANENTLY prosper WHILE perpetuating the division and anger of the 90% so as to avoid any/all common goals!

https://www.economist.com/united-states/2021/10/07/americas-political-scientists-are-worried-about-lethal-partisanship