Patriots, Heroes, & Prepositions

Dialogue does not always speak to its meaning.  Dialogue is often conflated by conjunctions, prepositions, adverbs, nouns, verbs, and all other grammatical descriptors that exist to confuse or change definitions or meanings.  Opinions, too, stifle dialogue.   “This is that, BUT….”  You get the idea. 

Speech, indeed life, is a confusing series of self-censorship in action and dialogue.  I learned this only recently by using the conjunction/ preposition, “but” on a Facebook post.  That word completely changed, in the minds of readers, the meaning of my statement.  I won’t make that mistake again.  

My post was a rebuttal of sorts to the far-right, partisan comments of President Trump immediately after the Charlie Kirk murder.  Trump was spewing his usual spew, labeling Kirk a patriot, hero, and someone who was loved by “ALL”.  (Trump’s capital letters).  The MAGA world on (un)social media ran with his comments, and suddenly Kirk seemingly became something akin to the Second Coming.  

Kirk was known in far right political circles, and the Christian world.  He wasn’t necessarily known and loved by “ALL” in the United States.  Kirk was a far right, MAGA, Trump boot licker who had co-founded the right wing organization Turning Point Action at the age of 18.  Kirk was a Christian nationalist who often cloaked his radical right-wing opinions behind Jesus talk.  There were a handful of his opinions I agreed with, but overall, I disagreed with his blatant support of the extreme MAGA movement and his racial and biased views.  

My opinion was and still is that Kirk was a racist, bigot, and religious/ political zealot.  That’s a dangerous combination.  Anyone with a keyboard can research his podcast statements to see how he felt about the military takeover of major US cities, the intelligence of black women compared to white women, and many other hot-button topics, all with the cloak of Christian fanaticism.  He didn’t believe in empathy, and stated that the concept of separation of church and state did not exist:  The USA is and should be as Christian nation.  That makes me curious about what his thoughts were about theocracies. 

My comment was, “Murder’s not condoned, but on Aug. 11th, Kirk advocated for the military takeover of US cities during riots.  A real patriot.”   That damned conjunction “but”! 

Four “friends” of mine on Facebook unfriended me.  Oh well.  One said that I was “twisted.”  Another said my commentary was “bitter and twisted.”  All of them intimated that I was supporting his murder.  I wasn’t.  I was pointing out, despite the “dialogue” from the president down, that because of his leanings and opinions, Kirk was no patriot.  A patriot, regardless of Trump’s pronouncements, does not advocate for the military takeover of this country’s cities, Jesus notwithstanding. People will hear what they want to hear, see what they want to see, and believe any and all stupid opinions that support their own beliefs.  

Kirk’s murder was a terrible event.  Kirk’s death was no greater a tragedy than the June front door assassination of Democrat Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the same day shooting of Minnesota Senator John Hoffman and his wife.  (The latter two survived).  These shootings of elected officials warranted little comment from Trump.  These four were shot by a conservative radical.  Patriots?  Heroes?  I never heard Trump describe them as such.  They were, after all, Democrats.  

It’s also interesting that dialogue from the Oval Office initially accused the Democrats/leftists, of the Kirk murder, despite there being no idea at the time who committed the crime.  Again, Trump’s words inflamed the national dialogue about this event.  Subsequently, we know as of this writing that the shooter came from a supposedly MAGA supporting family, and supposedly was not aligned with their leanings.  

Charlie Kirk’s murder was horrendous and wrong.  Charlie Kirk was not a patriot or a hero.  Charlie Kirk espoused racist and bigoted opinions in print, interviews, and on his podcast.  Kirk cloaked his racism and bigotry behind smiling, gentle Jesus and Christianity dialogue.   That made him palatable for millions of  people.  He was a political activist with a far-right point of view.  Anyone can research Kirk’s views.  Trump butt licker, in my opinion.  

The stories and commentary during the weeks subsequent to Kirk’s murder have been pointed, biased, and even mildly amusing.  It’s been as if he were the second coming. Not even Jesus is on a US coin or paper currency as has been recently proposed for Charlie Kirk to be.  One state education superintendent in Oklahoma proposed forcing every school  in the state to have Turning Point USA chapters, the Christian organization Kirk co-founded in 2012. Shall we dare discuss propaganda and indoctrination of children in a state that, according to US News & World Report, ranks #48 overall in Pre-K to12 in the United States.  Jesus take the wheel? 

An odd habit I have is to turn on one of two or three religious TV channels at night so that I can fall asleep.  Don’t judge.  I seldom actually listen, but one night a few days ago, a preacher was actually saying that this country needs to have Christian doctrine, values, and practices implemented into government.  He said he wasn’t preaching theocracy, but that’s exactly what it is.  I said out loud, “TAX THE CHURCHS!  

With approximately  78 million evangelical Christians in the United States, that is a concerning call. 

I even watched one podcast of Kirk’s where he and several others were debating the lowest age that children could or should be able to watch public executions.  I presume in the name of god. We could go on and on.  

Now that some of the dust has settled, I still don’t care for Charlie Kirk and his beliefs and visions and never will.  It’s a tragedy he was murdered, and a tragedy for his wife, kids, and family.  He still isn’t a patriot, hero, or whatever moniker one wants to assign him.  He was a political activist, bigot,  and religious zealot.  There are many more like him, and that should concern most American citizens.   

Censorship & The 1st Amendment: Evil Twins

 

The Death Of The 1st Amendment

 

Because of our immersion into this 21st Century soundbite world, many today believe that the 1st Amendment in the United States is now under threat. 

The truth is that it’s always been under threat by those in power, but efforts to circumvent our freedom of speech got big boosts in the 1970’s with the advent of the World Wide Web, or ‘internet’ for short. Its creation was an intelligence effort spearheaded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), in concert with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and later the CIA and NSA.   

The initial goal wasn’t so that you and I could show our cat pics, selfies, and spread fake news, but rather it’s goal was to handle huge data transfers for military, national intelligence agencies, and create an effective method for surveillance of the masses.  

That’s it in a nutshell.  There’s no shortage of documentation for anyone interested to see how this monster was created, nurtured, and developed into the sadistic outlier that it is today. 

Fast forward to today. 

This morning I noted an article about the CEO’s of Facebook, Google, and Twitter being slated to once again testify before a Senate Commerce Committee on October 28th, just five days prior to the election.  

GOP Senator Josh Hawley of Missouri has called for the breakup of Facebook. It’s not the first time this call has been made.  Even Democrat Senator Elizabeth Warren has parroted similar demands along with other representatives on both sides of the aisle. If only it could or would happen. 

The danger is in thinking that these rumblings of FINALLY taking a stand against the scourge of (un)social media is a good thing. They may simply be an election cycle smoke screen. My opinion is that there’s a pattern to all this double talk. 

The previous two times that Zuckerberg has testified before Congress were in October 2018, and April  2018, BOTH times during an election cycle. I believe that this is nothing more than smoke and mirrors or a dog and pony show.  Take your pick. But we plebeians are being led to believe that the government is looking after our best interests and the 1st Amendment by pointing fingers at the very (un)social media platforms that it uses to disseminate propaganda and misleading memes, especially during election cycles. Furthermore, these (un)social media platforms are the very ones that individual representatives use to spew their own policies and lies. At the cynical best it is a show of vote pandering by BOTH parties. 

The fact of the matter is this:  Google’s creation some 20+  years ago was the result of serious funding from the intelligence community to ultimately take control of the digital information network. It was, as described by former director of legislative and public affairs at the National Science Foundation, Jeff Nesbit, a deliberate creation of the the mass-surveillance state.  That isn’t only Google, but other internet platforms as well.  

This week we turn to Mark Zuckerberg and the evil (un)social media platform he and his cohorts created.  Mr. Zee has been again exposed for the hypocritical tool that he is when it comes to allowing hate groups to continue their presence on Facebook, while at the same time using AI to monitor and shut down peons like me with censorship for innocuous comments on Facebook posts. 

Yes, I was warned by the FB police in August that a comment I wrote on a friend’s post were in violation of  their policies against “hate speech.”  I wrote an egregious response on a friend’s post, answering a question about whether restaurants were open here in the US.  But Facebook’s  sanctimonious AI programs picked-up on the words “American” and “idiots” in the same sentence.  Lord have mercy. 

Click image to read: 

When another box popped up allowing me to dispute the warning, I did so, and their final answer was an instantaneous pop-up again, saying that their first decision would stand.  I knew it was a computer generated process, but the idiocy of it all made my blood boil. 

Click image to read: 

The hypocrisy of Zuckerberg’s views, and his comical attempt to be simultaneously sanctimonious and ignorant about hate groups on Facebook -  And this week’s governmental bullshit about breaking up the (un)social media platform - all combine to make me want have a Howard Beale moment. 

Icing on the cake is this quote by Zuckerberg during a speech On October 19, 2019 at Georgetown University:  “As a principle, in a democracy, I believe people should decide what is credible, not tech companies.”   He’s either a cunning liar, ignorant, or both.  

Everyone should be aware that the 1st Amendment of our Constitution is being used as a political tool that has NOTHING to do with yours or my exercise of free speech. It is being tossed around by corrupt politicians and their butt boys like Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Sundar Pichai  to dismantle actual free speech and further the agendas of the mass surveillance state and Marxist organizations such as BLM that will keep the masses - us - properly censored and in our places. It will also preserve the billionaire status of those CEO’s so that they may continue doing the government’s divisive activities on (un)social media that help keep them in power.  

The death of free speech is written on the faces of Democrats, Republicans, Socialists, Marxists, and all of the billionaires of our insidious (un)social media world.  Enjoy what we have of it while you can, before you’re damned by the wrath of an AI despot.  

The death of free speech is also plastered on the face of Facebook’s own Col. Data who’s playing the testimony game to his best advantage, but to the public’s detriment.  At some point, the 1st Amendment may become nothing more than an illusion, and one that most Americans will not even be able or intelligent enough to see. 

©️Rick Burnett Baker

October 18, 2020

Rochester, New York 

 

Green Green, It's Green I Say, On The Far Side Of The Hill...

 

Junk Shops, Communists, and Political Parties, Oh MY!

Decisions decisions. Another “most important of our lives” presidential election cycle is just days away from coming to a close. At least we hope.

And coming into the home stretch of this horses ass race, some folks must decide which candidate they will vote for. Will it be the Republican, the Democrat, the Libertarian, or the Green Party? OR will it be any one of the 1,218 actual candidates who’ve filed to run for president?

Yes, you read that correctly: One thousand two hundred eighteen registered candidates.

I suspect that once again, Democrats and Republicans are holding their noses as they vote. I do have a number of friends, actual and virtual, who have stated they will vote for the Green Party.

GREEN PARTY. Oh yes! Clean air, clear water, bushy forests, plastic-free seas…..Whoa! Hold on a New York nano-second! I’m kidding!

The Green Party is none of that. That party should be rebranded as the Communist Party.

Yes, you again read that correctly.

The Green Party presidential candidate is Howie Hawkins. He has been a member of the Socialist Party USA since 1973, although he describes himself as an “eco-socialist”, inspired by Marxism, anti-capitalism, and anti-private property, just to list a few. In 1993, he favored what’s called, “anarcho-communism” which also promotes the abolition of state, capitalism, wage labor, and private property, and promotes common ownership (READ, Government ownership) of production.

His VP running mate is Angela Nicole Walker, also a socialist, but seemingly one who wittingly or unwittingly, embraced capitalism (ooooh, strike me with lightening!) by deciding to be a bus driver rather than teacher because of more money. For shame!

Currently, she’s a dump truck driver. Socialist, of course. In 2014 she ran for sheriff as an independent socialist in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. The frightening thing about that is that she actually won 20% of the vote.

That just goes to reinforce my belief that many voters in this country are simply too uninformed to be responsible voters.

The Green Party platform reads like a 21st Century Marxist/Communist party bio: Ecosocialist Green New Deal, Peace policies, Socialist economy, political democracy, social, criminal & civil justice, and others, none of which are economically feasible, nor doable in the ridiculous nine year timeframe listed.

So if your wife, husband, father, mother, significant other, or other other tell you they’re voting “Green” point them to the Green Party website, or perhaps, this nifty 1949 movie. I found the poster in a junk shop. You know, the kind the Green Party should be found in!

©️Rick Burnett Baker

October 16, 2020

Rochester, NY

Silence As Political Theater

Silence Is Violence: 

A Walk Down Pennsylvania Avenue

Photo: Rick Burnett Baker Rochester, NY

Usually, Democrats like Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and others would be condemning the recent mass shooting in Rochester, NY and playing the gun control anthem at full volume.  Don’t misunderstand me - I believe that we need solid, comprehensive gun control measures on a national level that cover all 50 states.  But that’s not the reason for this essay. 

My opinion about the aforementioned representatives is that this latest shooting event, and any shootings from now until after the election, will play into the Democrat’s strategy of defeating Trump.  This Rochester shooting is yet another criminal event during this year of protests, riots, and BLM that will allow them all to say that this is “Trump’s America.”  

And there’s truth in that.  Trump has done nothing to calm the national dialogue, nor has he taken actions that might help reduce crime in our country.  His 4th Grade verbal spew and on-going Twitter shit fest attest to that.   But it’s also Schumer’s and Pelosi’s and Obama’s, and to some extent every other past representative’s and administration’s America. Nowadays, particularly during a national election cycle, it’s useful, shameful, political theater.   

Nothing meaningful has been accomplished through all these years to stop gun violence in the United States. Apparently, there has been nothing notable done in the way of police vetting, training, and accountability in police departments around the country. Hence, we find ourselves at this familiar intersection of protests, riots, and anger.  

The Rochester shootings this past weekend offer a clear example of how silence IS violence, to parrot a common protest sign seen in cities across the country these days. 

The morning after the Rochester mass shooting that left two dead and some 16 others injured, the recently formed ROC Freedom Riders seem to have had no comment on that tragic event.  That morning I witnessed a group of these “Freedom Riders” in front of the downtown police station protesting by shouting “Black lives matter” and “Say his name: Daniel Prude” over and over again.  I heard nothing about the shooting. 

Interesting, too, is the statement by Rashad Smith, co-founder of ROC Freedom Riders, as reported on September 17, 2020 to WXXI News that “we’re not just riding for issues that are impacting us nationally, it’s now in our own backyard and now the fight is more intense.”  

It doesn’t get much more intense than a mass shooting in the back AND front yards of Pennsylvania Avenue in Rochester, NY.  To date, I haven’t seen, nor have I heard any comments from these local organizations. I’ll be appreciative to be shown otherwise.  

Yes, silence IS violence:  So take note BLM and ROC Freedom Riders.   

For any of you who are also parroting the BLM mantra, and displaying those PC black & white signs in your front yards, know this:  BLM isn't much concerned about mass shootings in Rochester, Chicago, or any other city in America, for that matter.  BLM is a well-funded, international Marxist political movement who’s platform is clearly stated on its website, and often discussed by the three avowed Marxist co-founders of the so-called “grassroots” organization. 

Don’t pretend to be shocked, ignorant, or incensed over that last statement. Anyone “woke” (what a tragically stupid word) enough to claim to have critical thinking skills should be fully educated and versed in the socio-political movements they choose to support.  This has been stated cogently by Olympic athlete and NFL star Herschel Walker, who this week brought the Marxist foundation of BLM to the forefront of conversation regarding teams proudly wearing BLM  shirts before games.  

Welcome to the American form of dystopian ignorance.  It’s an outgrowth of our collective bias, fear, and reticence over meaningful and practical change. 

Some will disagree with these comments. But the First Amendment hasn’t yet been overturned.  Again:  Silence Is Violence. 

Consider:  The road from Pennsylvania Avenue in Rochester, NY to Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, DC is a short one.  Don’t blink.  

©️Rick Burnett Baker

September 21, 2020

Rochester, NY 

#pennsylvaniaavenue  #ROCfreedomriders #silenceisviolence  #marxism  #guncontrol  #juveniletrump #sneakydemocrats #silentGOP 

  

https://www.redstate.com/alexparker/2020/09/20/herschel-walker-sunday-morning-futures-fox-news-black-lives-matter-marxism-christianity/

https://thebl.com/us-news/black-lives-matter-founder-admits-groups-creators-are-trained-marxists.html

https://nypost.com/2020/06/25/blm-co-founder-describes-herself-as-trained-marxist/

https://www.wxxinews.org/post/roc-freedom-riders-spread-their-message-hope-and-racial-justice-fringe-audiences

Trumpers To America: Screw You!

 

Photo: Rick Burnett Baker, Sept. 8, 2020

MAGA And Up Yours! 

If Trump’s sophomoric tweets and 4th grade mentality weren’t enough to antagonize normally rational humans, we have to deal with his followers. 

While those on the left of the political spectrum often talk about how divided our country is, many of Trump’s supporters are working diligently to make that irrevocably so. This image is a case in point. 

This post may come across as being a broad, sweeping generalization of Trump supporters, but having seen NO condemnations of this type of political sloganeering from more rational Trumpers, I’ll go with it and let my supposition stand.  Frankly, this isn’t the kind of sentiment that I want to represent me as a citizen on a personal or national level, regardless of political party or candidate.  

The grand idea that Trump himself might see and condemn this type of sloganeering is nothing more than fantasy.  The sad reality is that he would probably agree with this 100%.   I’d say to these Trump supporters, “You’re better than that!”  The truth is, they’re not. Until I see a widespread condemnation of this type of rankish behavior, my opinion about Trump supporters stands. 

It’s disturbing to think that a large percentage of Americans may think like this…Even more disturbing to think that they actually vote. 

I’m tempted to say broadly, “We’re better than this.”  The scary truth may be that we’re not.  

©️Rick Burnett Baker

September 11, 2020

Rochester, NY 

Like & Pledge Before It's Removed...

 

I PLEDGE

Some people, mostly on the conservative side of the political aisle, often get riled-up about those words “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance. They love to post memes of the flag and the Pledge AS IT WAS WRITTEN on Facebook and do the ‘ol “Like & share  because Facebook keeps removing this,” routine.  Or, “Let’s flood Facebook with this image before they take it down again.” 

Of course, Facebook hasn’t and isn’t removing images of the flag, pledge, or that Marine who lost a leg, for that matter. 

But conservatives have a bad habit of latching onto any and nearly all conspiracy theories that support their particular narrative of the God, Guts, and Guns mantra.  I’ll talk another day about how many liberals are devious kings and queens of Marxist economic theory while sucking-up to the logos on the blue portion of the flag photo above, all the while promoting the systematical dismantling of our nation’s constitutional foundations.  Mind you, I’m not saying that some conservatives aren’t aiding and abetting in that dismantling with their tin-foil hat fears and militia bullcrap, but that’s all for another screed. 

Today, I saw the above-mentioned meme about sharing the Pledge “…as it was written…” showing the words “under God” as part of that narrative. 

That’s false, of course. 

Written in 1892 by Christian Socialist minister, Francis Bellamy, the original Pledge did not contain those words “under God”.  And Rev. Bellamy was a Baptist minister, no less.  Christian Socialist Baptist minister. Moving on….

“Under God” was officially inserted into the pledge in June of 1954.  It is often described as being an effort that would distinguish the United States from the atheistic Soviet Union during the Cold War. As history has shown, that effort really made a huge difference in bringing about world peace and our own national unity.  Moving on again…

For better or worse, the flag above is probably the most representative banner that we could actually have as our United States flag. Both conservatives and liberals pledge their power hungry souls to that flag.  

Perhaps the Pledge of Allegiance should be amended again.  MoveOn dot org., BLM, The Lincoln Project, Democracy Now, The Tea Party, the NFL, MLB, MLH, NBA, and every other socio-political group could form a coalition to write a new pledge that would satisfy everyone and no one. (Good luck with that.)

They could even come up with a third salute to the pledge, like kneeling or some other sanctimonious  action to express our love for Pledge, Flag, and Country.  

Speaking of the salute to the Pledge, the original Bellamy Salute is a long suppressed memory of  what school kids and adults use to use to show love for country when reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.  It’s illustrated below in the breathtaking images found online.  Heil Amerikka! 

The truth is that as millions of Americans clammer for commerce to reopen, the salute or pledge that holds any real meaning today is represented in that flag I saw hanging on a middle-class front porch, along a bucolic Americana neighborhood in Rochester, New York. 

Pledging  allegiance to the Corporatocracy of America is an idea for a meme that Facebook would NEVER try to remove.  

©️Rick Burnett Baker

August 6, 2020

WORDS MATTER - THEY STAB LIKE A KNIFE

“I’ma stab you.” 

Graffiti photo, Cobb's Hill Park water tanks.  R. Baker 2020

“Gloom, despair, and agony on me…..OOOHHHHH….deep dark depression, excessive misery…”

That old Hee Haw TV show song could be the new theme song for a Harvard student, Claira Janover, who this past week posted a Tik Tok video of herself ranting against anyone who dared to say that all lives matter.  It was obviously her higher educational way of supporting Black Lives Matter, and protesting against systemic racism.  She failed.

“I’ma stab you.”   That, from a Harvard graduate.  Brilliant.

 Photo from New York Post, 7-3-20

She was fired from her job at accounting firm Deloitte. Good.  Corporations should take a stand against this vocal idiocy to protect their bottom lines, with policies that prohibit these moronic rants by people who have graduated from racist schools such as Harvard, and obtain presumably lucrative careers with international corporations. After all, she did say that she worked really hard to get her job.  It took no effort at all, however,  to spew her shallow-minded words on unsocial media and damage her career.  Clearly that isn’t the sort of thing they teach students at fancy pants schools like Harvard - you know, that words and actions have consequences.  If her parents paid all that money for her lack of education, I’ll bet they’re really proud. 

The larger aspect of this latest racist episode, however, isn’t this poor child’s misfortune that has been brought on by her own stupid choices and racist rant.  It’s a reminder to everyone that this type of behavior, and more concerning, this attitude of violence towards those with different beliefs, can and does come from both sides of the socio-political fence.  

In THIS particular instance, these words of violence - and Ms I’ma Stab You’s subsequent  refusal to apologize - comes from the side of the fence that supposedly believes in tolerance, diversity, and inclusiveness.  

And let’s not forget what this segment of “woke” (I hate that word) society is continually saying to and about the right side of the fence:  WORDS MATTER.  Remember that, Miss Janover, next time you jump into the shallow end of the unsocial media pool. 

Rick B. Baker 

July 3, 2020 

©Rick Burnett Baker