What the hell is a kakistocracy? It's Alabama

[trof]

My home sweet home.

Kakistocracy (n.)
Government by the least qualified or most unprincipled citizens. See: Alabama. And all the governments therein.

I can't believe I did not know this word. Kakistocracy. It's full of the stuff that makes Alabama Alabama. It was coined in 1829, by the English writer Thomas Love Peacock. It came from the Greek – kakos -- or bad. And kakos, according to the Online Etymology Dictionary, "is related to the general Indo-European word for 'defecate.'"

See: Alabama government.

Not just because Alabama's governor is under investigation by everybody from the postal service to the FBI. Not just because the speaker of the House is preparing to go to trial for using and abusing his office to enrich himself. Not even because the chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court faces charges that could boot him off the bench for the second time.

It's all that, but it is way more than that.
http://www.al.com/opinion/index.ssf/2016/05/what_the_hell_is_a_kakistocrac.html#incart_river_home_pop

[Actor]

1. If the brats refuse to vote Democratic, this wont be Alabama, will it, it will be America

[trof]

2. What does sausage have to do with it?

I have no idea what you said meant.

[Actor]

3. yes u do

[Jeffersons Ghost]

16. They might not; they could be oblivious

Plenty of people with right-wing beliefs appear oblivious to reality or totally delusional on many topics. Even worse, they ignore irrefutable evidence to maintain their delusions. That was one of the main reasons that I moved away from Alabama, where I spent childhood. Fortunately, I spent summers in Massachusetts.

[meow2u3]

4. My tongue-in-cheek definition of kakistocracy

Government of the shitheads, by the shitheads, for the shitheads.

[tblue37]

5. The Indo-European etymology clarifies for me how Spanish ended up with

the word caca for poop. I knew it could not have developed out of mierda.

[KamaAina]

7. "Doo-doo, caca, poo-poo..."

"...and good old Number Two!" -George Carlin

[Laura PourMeADrink]

23. lol...wow...who knew we were saying an ancient greek word when dumb kids. nt

[Spider Jerusalem]

9. See also "cack-handed" (British English, means "unskilful, clumsy")

[Javaman]

6. But Hey! they have family values or something LOL nt

[kwassa]

8. Sweet Home Alabama.

[trof]

12. Ya know, if you can work past the state politics and corruption...

This is really a nice place to live.
People in a community/neighborhood really care about each other.
When tragedy strikes we're there.

Geographically speaking, we've got everything from mountains to beaches and everything in between.

We have some amazing waterfalls and caverns.

Our beach sand is quartz, not coral.
Much finer grain.
It is blindingly white and squeaks when you walk on it.

I was born and raised here.
I left to pursue my career for 35 or so years.
And I came back because I still love the place.

So here I am.
A small blue dot in a sea of red.

[kwassa]

18. Where in Alabama are you?

I only traveled the Gulf Coast twenty-something years ago. Pretty, but it was summer, and very hot and humid. Stayed in Mobile. Tried to go for a walk. Gave that up very quickly. Got out of the car in Biloxi to walk on the beach. Again, too hot.

I wanted to burn down Jeff Davis's house when I saw it. I guess that is Mississippi.

[trof]

20. Coastal. About 15 minutes from the beach.

I live on Wolf Bay.

[MrScorpio]

25. That doesn't sound too bad

Unlike Montgomery... Had I been stationed there, I would volunteered to go to a combat zone to get out of it.

[liberaltrucker]

10. Shared to FB

My friends here in Pennsylvania need a good chuckle, per your sigline.

[trof]

11. Yer welcome

Somebody hasta do it.

[Octafish]

13. Gov. Don Siegelman was a welcome change...

Then, you know. Presidential timber turned into political kindling.

[trof]

14. Yep. He was too good.

Fucked over by Rove/Canary/ et al.

[Octafish]

15. Obama, too.

Elena Kagan, the friend of Antonin Scalia, as Solicitor General, personally saw to it, just before her big promotion, coincidentally.

[Jeffersons Ghost]

17. Republican judges keep Siegelman in prision on meager charges due to politics.

[backscatter712]

19. I've also head the term "proctocracy", rule by assholes. n/t

[Tommy_Carcetti]

21. My prediction is if Trump is elected, this will become a household term. nt

[leeroysphitz]

22. This is why I live in Michigan. Oh, wait... n/t

[MrScorpio]

26. I know.

But this is home.

[MrScorpio]

24. I spent six weeks in Alabama once...

Made me fully understand why my great grandparents fled that state ninety years ago.

[libdem4life]

27. Learn something new every day. My vocabulary has just been expanded.

And so many uses for it are already popping up in my mind. Really, no sh##.