Every society and culture throughout recorded history has had its share of extremist and fanatics in their midst, but few have suffered them as their leaders. Any people that have to live under extremists warrant sympathy because in places like Afghanistan, Yemen, Iraq and Syria the people had little choice in selecting who governed or brutalized them. America has more than its share of extremists and fanatics, and they are gaining positions of authority in government; particularly red state governments. However, one can hardly feel empathy for the people living under repugican extremists because unlike people suffering under fanatics in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan and ISIL-controlled Iraq; red state extremists are chosen by incredibly stupid Americans to govern.
One really wants to believe that no sane person
would leave the comfort of their home, drive to the local polling place,
and cast a vote for a fanatical extremist, but that is not the case in
red states across America. It is particularly bizarre that these repugican extremists never concealed their fanaticism and still
garnered sufficient support from seriously stupid voters to win
elections and impose absurd, and unconstitutional, measures on the
residents of their state. After the 2010 midterm elections it seemed the
nation would never again suffer a rash of seriously crazy politicians
winning elections, but this is America and red state voters have outdone
their own stupidity. There is a plethora of insane legislation being
proposed and passed in red states, and coupled with some recent state
judges’ decisions, it is apparent that no matter how insane repugicans
are, they exist in government because red state voters are inherently
stupid.
One South Dakota repugican extremist is so
convinced that “Planned Parenthood is worse than ISIL and lying about
it,” that he is pushing a bill to stop a procedure that Planned
Parenthood does not
perform with a view toward outlawing the family planning organization.
The maniac voters chose as their legislative representative, Isaac
Latterell, asserted that “Planned Parenthood in Sioux Falls are beheading unborn children during abortions.” Latterell said “I am beyond angry at what Planned Parenthood is doing to us and our children. In the words
of David Brooks, like ISIL, their actions show contempt for us and our
morality, deny the slightest acknowledgment of our common humanity, and
take the bully’s maximum relish in their power over the weak and
innocent.”
The repugicans and many of their supporters want
Planned Parenthood wiped off the face of the Earth in the same way
decent humans want ISIL exterminated. But, comparing an organization
providing cancer screening, family planning, and pre-natal care for
women with ISIL to eliminate it from existence is beyond extreme; but
because voters chose repugicans to mislead, eliminating an organization
that helps women is apparently exactly what red state voters want.
It is bad enough that Oklahoma attempted to defund
AP history courses, and although the extremists are “rethinking” the ban
after a fair amount of public outrage, there was little reported about
one aspect of the rule repugicans will not rethink; the inclusion of
the ten commandments and ronny raygun tirades Oklahoma deems is the
most integral part of “American history.” The initial reason for banning
AP courses was that students were learning revisionist history in
advanced course work; revisionist history in extremists’ parlance is
anything not portraying America as an exceptional christian nation
created by dog to rule the Earth according to the ten commandments. It
is an extremists’ concept and one seriously stupid voters elected their
evangelical legislators to enact into law.
Also in Oklahoma, the House Judiciary Committee advanced legislation
prohibiting judges and clerks from issuing marriage licenses to
same-sex couples. Like Alabama, this is in spite of a federal court decision striking down the state’s ban on gays marrying the person they love. According to the legislation, besides “prohibiting
public funds for any activity licensing or supporting same-sex
marriage; prohibiting public employees from recognizing same-sex
marriage licenses, and prohibiting public funds to enforce federal court
orders,” the bill
severely punishes any public employee adhering to the Constitution
regarding the authority of federal courts. The legislation states that
“no employee of this state or any local governmental shall violate or
interfere with the implementation of this act and continue to receive a
salary, pension or other employee benefit. If a judge violates this act,
the judge shall be removed from the bench.”
In the continuing bible v. Constitution marriage
equality drama in Alabama, a Supreme Court justice issued an ominous
warning to residents that “If marriage equality remains the law in
Alabama, Justice Glenn Murdock will vote to abolish
marriage altogether. Supreme Court Justice Murdock’s opinion was
attached to an order from the state supreme court refusing to offer
guidance to judges on whether they are really required to obey federal
court as mandated in the U.S. Constitution. In Murdock’s concurrence
with Chief Justice Roy Moore’s order, he threatened that if the federal
order stands, then his court will strike down all marriages in the
state of Alabama. It is important to note that that the religious
fanatics on Alabama’s highest court were elected by the people who were
likely aware they would disregard the Constitution when it conflicts
with the christian bible. They are likely too stupid to comprehend that
today it is same-sex marriage and just a matter of time before religious
judges enforce other biblical edicts voters will not appreciate.
Although there are extremist laws proposed or passed
in red states, Montana is setting a precedent for
legislative insanity. One bill (SB 130) is touted as a means for Montana
citizens to protect themselves “from the grave danger posed by the
federal government.” The legislation mandates creating state-sanctioned
paramilitary groups in every city, large and small, to be known as “home
guards.” The bill empowers the local sheriffs to mobilize these armed
militias for any reason they deem necessary and they can activate their
private little armies without the governor’s consent. Obviously SB 130
enjoys “enthusiastic and overwhelming support” from militia groups
already stockpiling large caches of firearms in anticipation of the
nearest opportunity to wage war against the federal government.
Another piece of Montana insanity that enjoys
popularity among the bible thumpers is the “Encourage Critical Thinking in
the Classroom” legislation. HB 321’s title is misleading because the
intent is giving preachers posing as public school teachers ‘legal
immunity’ to teach biblical lies as science. The
legislation’s preamble says that since “The scientific community has not
resolved or answered the questions related to the origins of all life
or the origin of our universe,” so responsible teachers can teach the
bible as science under the guise they are encouraging critical thinking.
In keeping with typical gun-nut zealot’s extremist
reading of the 2nd Amendment, Montana’s HB 203 declares that Montana
citizens can legally ignore federal firearms laws such as the ban on
machine guns, rockets and missiles, and cannons. The legislation also
makes it a crime for any member of law enforcement, from local police to
highway patrol officers to county sheriffs and deputies to enforce any
federal gun law. Montana also is pushing a law to allow hunters to use
silencers. Coupled with the “mandatory armed militias” and elimination
of gun possession laws, the legalization of silencers cannot possibly be
anything but a gift to militant groups and criminals; not hunters.
The list of insane legislation being passed or
proposed in red states is exhaustive, and it is tempting to feel empathy
for residents of those states, but they have no one to blame but
themselves. None of the gun fanatics, religious fanatics, or
anti-government and anti-Constitution candidates attempted to conceal
their intent when they campaigned for the right to put their fanaticism
into the law.
The problem even for true believers who knew who
they were voting for maniacs is that their chosen extremists know no
bounds and it takes a particularly stupid voter to believe otherwise.
Today it is just forming militias to wage war on the federal government,
imposing strict religious instruction in public schools, and allowing
bands of militias armed with silenced-handguns, machine guns and rocket
launchers to roam the streets. Voters were too stupid to realize that if
this is the fanatics starting point they promised during their
campaigns, red state residents better be prepared for some serious ISIL
and Taliban extremism in the near future. It is tragic, but they have no
one to blame but their own stupidity for choosing fanatics to govern
every aspect of their lives; and being extremists, they will ‘govern’
over every last aspect of their lives.
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