Disconnect

Violence and turmoil erupted again last night. This time, tear gas was used. Rocks were thrown. (More) Journalists were arrested. And Ferguson endured its most brutal night of conflict yet.

Ferguson has become a flashpoint in the growing conflict over police brutality, ongoing economic injustice, and institutionalized racism. But for G-O-TEA media pundits, this is just another chance for them to peddle conspiracy theories and inflammatory rhetoric.



Apparently, they haven't paid close enough attention to what's happening in Ferguson. While police continue to attack both protesters and journalists, most of the protesters have been dissenting peacefully. Oh, and they've also been cleaning up the street every morning. That's certainly something we typically don't hear from G-O-TEA media spinners decrying the "lawlessness" of Ferguson.



Even CNN's Don Lemon had to experience firsthand the reality of what's happening there.



This unrest first erupted because of public anger over the murder "good police work" of Michael Brown. Yet instead of answering questions and allowing for any kind of justice, police have added fuel to the fire by unleashing so much brutal force on both protesters and reporters. And now they're wondering why Ferguson is so tense and why a few demonstators have turned to rocks and Molotov cocktails to fight back.

Now don't get us wrong, we never condone violence. Two wrongs never make a right. No one should be celebrating the suffering of real human beings. So why don't Ferguson city officials and their G-O-TEA media apologists understand this?

Ironically, these very G-O-TEA media spinners were condemning local and federal law enforcement here in Nevada when they were trying to simply enforce the law in Bunkerville. When Cliven Bundy and his Patriot Movement militia buddies were engaging in armed conflict against federal agents, G-O-TEA politicians & pundits were praising them as "freedom fighters". Yet when a very large majority of protesters in Ferguson, Missouri, demonstrate against the wrongful execution of an innocent man, they're demanding water cannons and condemning voter registration drives.

Does anyone else notice the disconnect here? We wonder what may be causing this logical disconnect. We wonder why they're describing something that's far different from what the rest of us are actually seeing there. And we wonder why they're condemning protests that are less violent than the protests they championed on live TV 24/7 just four months ago. Why are we seeing this disconnect?

The Real Issue

Goodbye, "rebranding". And hello, stone cold silence. We've actually known for some time that Republican rebranding" was going nowhere fast. As soon as it was manufactured, that facade began to fall apart.

Sure, G-O-TEA party "leaders" still occasionally deploy "soft language". However, that's only meant to deflect from the hard reality of their "political issue".

So how do they really feel? Listen to their base. Here's world renowned G-O-TEA s--t stirrer Laura Ingraham attacking the Whittington and Jackson families, as well as all other American families who strive to do what's best for their children.



Wait, aren't Republicans the party of "family values"? No, not really. They're just the party of doing whatever it takes to continue placating their deranged 21st Century Know Nothing base while tricking just enough non-extreme voters to win some more elections. Hell, they're not even above playing into their base's apocalyptic fantasies of Ebola delivering them from the plague of "teh gayzzz".



We know G-O-TEA Culture Warriors love to play the victim. Yet while they engage in melodramtic temper tantrums, real LGBTQ Americans continue to face real bigotry, real discrimination, and real danger. If they won't listen to us, they should listen to Laverne Cox.



And if G-O-TEA politicians like Cresent Hardy and Adam Laxalt still have trouble understanding "segregation laws', they need to go to Arizona and see Monica Jones. She was essentially convicted of "walking while trans*", as the full time Arizona State University student walked into the car of an undercover Phoenix police officer... And a bogus "prostitution" conviction.

Aren't Republicans supposed to be the party of "free enterprise", "limited government", and "individual liberties"? Then why don't they pay attention to the many business leaders who have endorsed marriage equality? Why don't they notice the economic benefits of workplace equality and marriage equality? Oh, and why don't they just drop the scare tactics they're using to butt into people's lives?

Sure, G-O-TEA politicians don't want to talk about "social issues" now. That's simply because their campaign consultants told them they'll lose their elections if they do so. However, they still haven't stopped pandering to their Culture Warrior base. They still haven't changed their position on civil rights. Nope, they've only changed some rhetoric here and there.

This is the real issue. Let's not forget that.

Careful What You Wish For

Is this truly a surprise? No, it really isn't. He was already positioning himself for this earlier in the year.

Rep. Joe Heck (R-Flip-flop) released a video yesterday blaming President Obama for #BorderChildren. Even though Congress passed and then President George W. Bush (R) signed overwhelmingly bipartisan legislation in 2002 and 2008 to ensure due process and proper humanitarian assistance for refugee children, Rep. Heck and his fellow G-O-TEA Culture Warriors on Capitol Hill now want to impeach "punish" President Obama for carrying out current federal law.

Oh, and of course, they want to "punish" the President for the way he's currently enforcing federal law. But why's that? Isn't this what they want? Nope, they actually want to please Laura Ingraham and her army of 21st Century Know Nothings with their "Border-line Grandstanding".



Early this month, President Obama proposed an emergency aid package to address the Central American refugee crisis. He's also offered to work with Congressional Republicans on whatever configuration of comprehensive immigration reform (CIR) that they're willing to consider. Republican "leaders" on Capitol Hill never took up the President's CIR offers, and they're even refusing to address the current refugee issue.

Just as Rep. Joe Heck flip-flopped on CIR (again) when he saw an opportunity to fundraise, Congressional Republican "leaders" now see any & all immigration related issues as "political issues" ripe to exploit for partisan gain.

This comes as no surprise to us. We could smell the pandering from miles away. And we're not the only ones who can smell their impeachment games from just about anywhere.

G-O-TEA politicians just need to be careful what they wish for... Because they themselves are wishing it into reality. And the more they wish and hope and pray for Deport-o-mania and Impeachapalooza, the more they're inviting blowback they'll later regret encouraging.