The moon is being howled at

WV Delegate Michael Folk got into hot water recently with a tweet calling for the public hanging of Hillary Clinton. It would seem he has some company these days from the Trump camp, although there seems to be some disagreement as to the method of execution.

(Milder voices would be content with prison.)

The most bizarre, not to say bloodthirsty comments so far come from Ben Carson, who links her to Lucifer (by means of Saul Alinsky). From the NY Times coverage:

Digging into her college thesis about Saul Alinksy, the left-wing community organizer and radical, Mr. Carson suggested that Mrs. Clinton admired him. Then he pointed out that Mr. Alinsky had acknowledged Lucifer on the dedication page of one of his books, suggesting that such an association was somehow damning for Mrs. Clinton.

“Are we willing to elect someone as president who has as their role model someone who acknowledges Lucifer?” Mr. Carson asked. “Think about that.”

....“If she believed that at that time — and now you look at her actions — you look at what she advocates, the killing of babies, the dissolution of the traditional family, all these kinds of things — those are pretty consistent, quite frankly,” Mr. Carson said on CNN.

Demonization on politics is nothing new, but usually it's a metaphor. Holy literalism, Batman!

Annals of Whack, continued

I don't know how I missed this, but apparently back in May Texas congressman Louie Gohmert went on an epic rant against...gay space colonies. Apparently, the issue would be that if the future of the human race depended on a small number of people in a space station and they were like gay or something, we'd all die out. So there.

Here's a quote:

"You’re wanting to save humankind for posterity, basically a modern-day Noah. You have that ability to be a modern-day Noah, you can preserve life. How many same-sex couples would you take from the animal kingdom and from humans to put on the spacecraft to perpetuate humanity and the wildlife kingdom?”

I mean, like think about it, if Noah just put same sex gay animals on the ark, what would we eat at Arby's besides cheese sticks and curly fries?

(I wonder if Gohmert has put two and two together and thought about the other major danger to the space station: transgender space people using inappropriate space bathrooms.)

Another day

On the bright side, a major conservative broadcaster in WV came out in opposition to the bogus "Religious Freedom Restoration Act."

Another voice of reason comes from the Beckley Register Herald, which criticizes legislative interference in the public education system.

Meanwhile, food pantries and charities are bracing themselves for increased demand if SNAP and TANF changes are pushed into law.

Finally, if you want to know just how Whack Whack is in WV these days, check out this video in which a legislator from Fayette County discusses our Muslim president and his use of secret hand signs.

Is it over yet?

The "it" above refers to the obsession by certain people in Congress to dismantle the Affordable Care Act. Last week's Supreme Court decision was a major setback to the dead-enders, but as this NY Times editorial suggests, it's still not over.

Then again, these are some of the same people who would like to also undo the Civil Rights Act, the Voting Rights Act, New Deal era legislation like Social Security, and the outcome of the Civil War.

Stop the presses--I agree with Wal-Mart!

There is still a good bit of foaming and howling going on at the WV legislature. As I mentioned yesterday, one example of such is a bill that would make it illegal for cities and counties to pass anti-discrimination ordinances for things like sexual orientation.

It makes me wonder what's next: maybe require people suspected of homosexuality to wear pink triangles?

This legislation is similar to a bill passed in Arkansas which even Wal-Mart found to be over the top. Here's what the retail giant had to say about why this is a bad idea:

Every day, in our stores, we see firsthand the benefits diversity and inclusion have on our associates, customers and communities we serve. It all starts with the core basic belief of respect for the individual. And that means understanding and respecting differences and being inclusive of all people...We feel this legislation is counter to this core basic belief and sends the wrong message about Arkansas.

 Let the record show that I'm with them for once.

What about the Twinkie?

I ran into a friend of mine today at the state asylum  legislature and we were commenting on the rather extreme level of Whack these days.

It kind of reminds me of the Twinkie discussion in the first Ghostbusters movie that went something like this:

Well, let's say this Twinkie represents the normal amount of psychokinetic energy in the New York area. Based on this morning's sample, it would be a Twinkie... thirty-five feet long, weighing approximately six hundred pounds.

Substitute West Virginia for New York and Whack for psychokinetic energy and it would work pretty well.

Here's the latest example: one bill now advancing through the House, HB2881, misnamed the WV Intrastate Commerce Improvement Act, would basically make it illegal for cities and counties to pass anti-discrimination ordinances on the basis of sexual orientation.

The Twinkie just keeps getting bigger.

Foam and howl, guys.

Annals of Whack, continued

In happier days, Whackadoodleism was a fringe movement in WV politics. Now it's kind of in the saddle. The best example of legislative Whack I can think of, although the competition is fierce, is a bill that would make it a criminal felony to implement the Affordable Care Act.

As a compliment to this effort, I suggest bill supporters gather in a circle at night to foam at the mouth and howl at the moon.

As I've said here many times before, it's high time to change the state motto to "You can't make this **** up."

Annals of Whack

Here's a look at five of the most bizarre conspiracy theories floating around out there. My personal favorite is the one where the Obama administration is stockpiling 30,000 guillotines. Holy Madame Defarge, Batman! I'm a little disappointed that an evil alien/Obama cabal didn't make the list.

ON A MORE RATIONAL NOTE, one place in India has hired human "monkey mimics" to control the behavior of pesky primates. It occurs to me that at some point, monkeys might be hired to control the behavior of pesky humans...

IT'S WORKING, CONTINUED. Here's a look at how the Affordable Care Act, aka Obamacare, is working in places where it is allowed to.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

Which craziness is crazier?

Paul Krugman raised an interesting question in his column today, wherein he compared right wing craziness over the Affordable Care Act with right wing craziness over climate change, any talk of which is apparently "Marxist" according to some folks. The question, which he didn't ask in so many words, was which craziness is crazier.

Based on my WV perspective, I think the two kids of craziness are rather distinct. Health care reform craziness approaches full blown clinical paranoia, as in weird beliefs about death panels, microchips and a takeover of the US system by the World Health Organization. Climate craziness, at least at the highest levels, seems to have a bit more method to the madness: it's about the money.

Actually addressing climate change might cost some corporations a bit in the short run while saving all kinds of grief in the long run. Or, more likely, in the not so long run. The sad thing is, the longer climate change craziness delays meaningful action, the harder it will be to figure out a way to actually help miners and places like WV without cooking our future.

MORE ON THAT here.

NOTE: I'm traveling this week so posts may be irregular. Not that they aren't anyway.

Annals of paranoia

Here's the latest from the realm of Whack. A conservative website has found further proof that President Barack Obama is a communist. So that explains why the stock market is doing so well...

The evidence proof? The writer opines that Obama's daughter Sasha's real name is Natasha, which is obviously Russian. I guess the fact that Sasha was born 10 years after the collapse of communism in the former USSR only proves how devious these guys are. Besides, we all know that anyone named Natasha has to be a pinko.

But I'll do him one better. Sasha was actually the nickname of V. I. Lenin's brother Alexander, who was executed by the czarist government for his revolutionary activities in 1887. Some people believe the failure of Sasha's anarchist friends to unsettle the government ultimately inspired him to create the Bolshevik party.

Hmmmm....I guess now we need to decode Malia.

"Feathered primates"

Image by way of wikipedia.

Years of living on the farm where wild and semi-domesticated birds abound--and being married to a birder--have caused me to realize that the term "bird brain" isn't very apt when intended as a put-down. Quite a few of them seem pretty sharp to me and some exhibit emotions and parental behavior that reminds me of mammals.

Crows seem to be particularly intelligent. There are some extended families in our holler and they seem not only to stay busy but to have a good time as well. For some reason, they remind me of a merry band of pirates, minus the ocean and ships and all.

Recent research has shown that crows are even smarter than previously believed. In fact, their use of tools, memory and complicated social behavior has led some biologists to refer to them as "feathered primates."

I'm not sure whether crows would be flattered or insulted by that.

FROM THE WORLD OF WHACK, here are some recent right wing rants. The pope in particular seems to set them off these days.

JUST SAY NO.  The first part of this statehouse Gazette column by Phil Kabler mentions WV's current flirtation with private for-profit  prisons. El Cabrero devoutly hopes this union won't be consummated.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

So like...

Street protest outside WV Congresswoman Shelley Moore Capito's office yesterday.

...what was the point of the whole shutdown thing again? Did the shutdown wrecking crew get what they wanted out of this?

Talk about sound and fury signifying nothing. What a waste and what an irresponsible abuse of power.

Watching this sorry spectacle, I was reminded of a saying of Napoleon's: "Never interrupt your enemy when he is making a mistake."

(Of course, El Cabrero loves everyone and has no enemies. But the point remains...)

WHO PAYS? Here's another look at the social cost of low wages.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO AMERICAN POLITICS? Here are some ideas.

MORE SPITE AT WORK. This item looks at the millions left out by the refusal of some states to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

What they're thinking

At this writing, there's talk of an approaching debt ceiling/shutdown deal emerging from the Senate. That kind of news makes me wonder what they caved in on this time. I guess we'll know soon. At any rate, here's an interesting look at the folks who gave us the shutdown and how they look at the world. It's worth a look.

WEIRTON STEEL TO WAL-MART. Here's an op-ed by yours truly about how WV's economy has changed over the years. Mostly not in a good way. But there is some good news in there too.

FUN AND GAMES WITH THE AG. Here's an item by a friend of mine across the state about how WV's attorney general is working hard to keep people from getting health care.

IT'S NOT ALL BAD. German scientists are trying to raise drought resistant barley so we can still drink beer in a climate changed world.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ABOUT TO HIT THE CEILING

Who's winning?

Republican extremism in the US House is driving a wedge between Tea Party Whackadoodles and big business groups, according to the New York Times. Meanwhile, Nicholas Kristoff calls out the "gang of 40" here.

It looks like the shutdown/hostage crisis isn't gaining Republicans too many popularity points, as another poll suggests. AND the threats are causing consumer confidence to sink.

Talk about a goat rope. It's another example of government by artificial crisis of the kind we've been seeing for the last couple years. Who knows how much damage will be done. It looks like the biggest losers will be the American people.

Ashamed before the blade of grass

The theme at Goat Rope these days continues to be the life and thought of Ralph Waldo Emerson, with a focus at the moment on his famous essay Self Reliance, which is a call for and declaration of spiritual independence.

There is a pretty good bit of irony in today's selection, which involves quoting from a bit of his essay that opposes quoting other people. I beg to disagree with Waldo here. I love finding examples of people who say things better than I ever could. It happens all the time. But the paragraph also contains some good insights into the difficulty we have of living in the present.This is another example of how Emerson's ideas both reflected his interest in Buddhist thought and anticipated elements of it as yet unknown in America. And you can quote me on that.

Here's goes:

Man is timid and apologetic; he is no longer upright; he dares not say 'I think,' 'I am,' but quotes some saint or sage. He is ashamed before the blade of grass or the blowing rose. These roses under my window make no reference to former roses or to better ones; they are for what they are; they exist with God to-day. There is no time to them. There is simply the rose; it is perfect in every moment of its existence. Before a leaf-bud has burst, its whole life acts; in the full-blown flower there is no more; in the leafless root there is no less. Its nature is satisfied, and it satisfies nature, in all moments alike. But man postpones or remembers; he does not live in the present, but with reverted eye laments the past, or, heedless of the riches that surround him, stands on tiptoe to foresee the future. He cannot be happy and strong until he too lives with nature in the present, above time.

A GOOD IDEA. Here's economist Dean Baker with a column on how the US could improve its employment picture with a more extensive use of work sharing, which involves reducing hours rather than cutting jobs and letting affected workers draw partial benefits for the lost wages. El Cabrero and friends have tried to push this idea in WV. It actually made it through one legislative committee this session despite the irrational hostility of the state Chamber of Commerce for a business friendly measure and an equally bizarre attempt at sabotage at the state workforce agency.

ONE MORE LINK JUST FOR FUN. Here's a look at some of the whackiest things televangelist Pat Robertson has said. I'll bet it was hard to whittle it down to 10.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

Annals of paranoia

This item caught my eye last week when I was traveling and attests to the fact that Whackadoodleism is alive and well. As Mother Jones reports, a prominent Georgia legislator gave a presentation in October to a local group along these lines:

President Obama is using a Cold War-era mind-control technique known as "Delphi" to coerce Americans into accepting his plan for a United Nations-run communist dictatorship in which suburbanites will be forcibly relocated to cities.

 The presentation also included a comparative list showing the similarities between the agrarian policies of Stalin, Mao and the current occupant of the White House.

(Question: would a white president with similar policies provoke the same degree of Whack? I think not.)

I guess any day now the goats, turkeys, peacocks and chickens of Goat Rope Farm will be forcibly collectivized. On the bright, side that would make vacations a little simpler.

WHAT HE SAID. Here's Paul Krugman on the Twinkie era.

DIRTY DEEDS. Here's more on the negative consequences of the decision of the state school board to fire superintendent Jorea Marple.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

I could get used to this

I mentioned yesterday that after a long period of being fed up with right wing trolls who lurk around news websites and make toxic comments, I decided to try to out-troll the trolls. That involves saying trying to think of things that are even more Whackadoodle than what the Whackadoodles are saying. It's not that easy these days.

Here's one example. There was an op-ed in the Gazette supporting Senator Rockefeller's brave statement on the need to have an honest conversation about the future of coal. The article got swarmed by trolls. Since part of what drove the controversy was a Republican led effort to oppose measures to limit mercury emissions, I came up with this:

Mercury is awesome. There is nothing in the Bible that says you can't eat it so Rockefeller is against God. Put that in your illegal substance pipe and smoke it, coal haters.

Then my friends at the WV Center on Budget and Policy put up a blog post arguing that regulations weren't to blame for the coal industry's problems. I posted a comment that asked how much they got paid by the Kenyan Secret Service for doing that.

Finally, although I am not feeling well today, I could not resist the chance to comment on an op-ed on the Affordable Care Act by Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. As you might well imagine, right wing trolls swarmed all over it. I figured I'd have to really strut the troll on this one:

Obamacare is a devil plot dreamed up by the Bavarian Illuminati and the Kenyan Secret Service in the Service of the Antichrist. Read the bill. It's all in there. Here's proof: Barack has six letters. Hussein has seven. Obama has five. Take one from the middle name and add it to the last and you have 666.

On reflection, however, I think I'd better stop doing this. There are probably Whackadoodles out there who really believe all that.

So I'm going to swear it off. Cold turkey. No more trolling for me. Unless it seems like the right thing to do at the time.

NO LINKS TODAY. I have a fever.

On becoming a troll

People who view news stories online have no doubt come across the right wing comments that are written by  anonymous people who lurk around these sites the way carp hang out at lakeside bait shops. Such people are called trolls in the parlance of our times.

Sometimes reading troll writing can be infuriating. There have been times when I dreamed of challenging this or that one to a no-rules cage match, although I realize such a move would likely do little to advance my status as someone working in a Quaker organization. Sometimes troll lit is just kind of funny in a sad way.


But lately, as I've noted when the occasion arises, some people have joined the fun by parodying trollish comments on the web. I finally decided it you can't beat join em and plan on out-trolling the trolls whenever the opportunity arises.


My first effort appeared in an online editorial about climate change, a subject always ready to enrage coal-groveling Whackadoodles. Here's what I came up with:

Yeah, anyone who believes in climate change hates America and freedom and probably Jesus too. Science is stupid. So is the environment. I mean, if animals eat each other and go to the bathroom in nature, why should we care about it.

I'm kinda proud of that one. It's a little over the top but comes closer than you would probably like to believe to real things people say on line. As the late great Don Marsh, longtime editor at the Charleston Gazette, sometimes said, "Vox populi, vox wuffo!"

SPEAKING OF TROLLS, they'd really go off on this.

BLACK LUNG. Here's the next installment in NPR's series and more from the Gazette.

HE THINKS TOO MUCH. Such men are dangerous.

GOAT ROPE ADVISORY LEVEL: ELEVATED

The voice of reason

I have a feeling that the waning days of coal are going to give some folks in El Cabrero's beloved state of West Virginia the chance to show the world just how ugly they can be. And that would be pretty damn.

A case in point is found in the comment section of a recent Gazette editorial on the reality of climate change. The bright side, however, is to be found in the comic parodies of right wing ravings by some making comments.(The sad side is that it's hard to tell the parodies from the sincere comments.)

Here's one comical comment by ProudRight, a master of the form:

These storms and the high temperatures were all the result of our Kenyan born dictator Obama. Global warming is a lie used to attack WV. Coal is who we are. Without coal there won't be any jobs. We need to mine and burn as much coal as possible so we all can keep our high paying coal jobs. Who cares what some tree hugger thinks? I don't believe in this research stuff. Scientists are liars who want us all to go around using big words like we're stuck up. I see them driving around in their Priuses with the Obama stickers. I bet my Ford F150 can out run a Prius any day. Pollution doesn't hurt anyone. We lived next to a power plant and we're fine. They tell us not to eat fish out of the river, but we eat fish we catch all the time and nothings wrong with us.

 Rock on, ProudRight!

You can't make this stuff up

We interrupt Goat Rope's regularly scheduled programming to share the latest supreme wisdom from a local right wing newspaper columnist. Writing in the Charleston Daily Mail, Don Surber attacks school nutrition programs. These were, ironically enough, enacted by President Harry Truman as "a measure of national security" after the military found that many WWII recruits were unfit for service due to malnutrition in childhood.

The esteemed columnist, however, is having none it. Rather, he makes the following argument:

Isn’t hunger a motivation to study hard and make something of yourself?

There you have it.