grumpyduck
grumpyduck's JournalOpen letter to Devin Nunes
Dear Devin,
Don't know if you ever lower yourself to reading news outlets other than FOX, but HuffPost quoted you as saying that "“The left controls not only the universities in this country, but they also control Hollywood in this country, and the mainstream media, so conservatives in this country are under attack ... they attack people who are trying to get to the truth"
Did it occur to you that Russia and the NRA control the White House and that therefore this COUNTRY is under attack?
Or did it occur to you that Russia and the NRA are, and have been, distorting the real truth (not the Republican truth) since before DJT took office?
Or has it occurred to you (which obviously it hasn't) that smart politicians in this climate know better than to attack late-night comedians who have huge followings and are not afraid to fight back, protected by the First Amendment?
So how about if you quit whining and just do the job your district expects you to do, and for which you're being paid?
Do you know any "nice" Republicans?
This is a spin-off of my question on Trump's base.
The way we talk about Republicans here, it seems they're all the same: dumb, fanatical, paranoid, gun lovers, ultra conservatives, and so on and on. So, do you know any who are just regular decent people who just happen to be Republicans?
I know one for sure and two more possibly. I've known the first one for forty-odd years; he's an NRA member, gun aficionado from waaaay back, and owns two AR-15s that are either in his gun safe or at the local range. Hell of a nice guy. We rarely talk politics (I shut him off quickly) but last June or so he said, and I quote, "I agree with Trump's policies; I just wish he'd shut up."
The two "possibles" are really nice too. They're a couple, and I'm guessing they're probably Republicans from various and sundry comments here and there, plus the fact that the guy is also a gun enthusiast -- which may mean absolutely nothing. Politics never come up here either: I suspect they know I'm a Democrat so they don't want to stir the pot.
So, do you know any "decent" Republicans? Half decent?
Question about Trump's "base"
Something I've noticed and am curious about, but first a short anecdote to sort of put it into perspective.
About twenty years ago I used to take part in local 5K races, and this one time the race was along a road that bordered a sheep farm. As soon as we started running, all the sheep on the other side of the fence started running with us. We were laughing so hard we could barely run.
So the question is, why are so many people (not lawmakers, but just everyday people) still hanging in there when it's so obvious his policies are crap? I can see a few things. One is anger: they're angry at something (Obama?) and are hanging in there mostly out of spite. Incidentally, I haven't noticed so much anger in this country... well... ever before. Maybe I missed it.
Or maybe it's arrogant ignorance: they refuse to learn the truth because they don't want to accept they made an error in judgment. I've worked with people like this, and the only solution I came up with was to ignore them.
Or, like with the sheep, it's "mob mentality."
Or maybe they're overly influenced by social media and bots (but don't want to admit there are bots).
Or, very likely, some combination of the above.
This leads to another question, but I'll ask in another post.
Anyway, what do you think? Why are so many DT supporters still hanging in there?
A weird thought about the school shooter
Not use if this is a weird thought, or an evil one, or a spot-on one, but here goes...
The media has reported that there were a number of reports about the shooter: to the FBI, the school, the Sheriff's Dept, and other local agencies. Nothing was done.
[edit] The shooter is white. I have to wonder if things had gone differently if he were black.
My letter to the president of Delta Airlines
I just emailed this to Edward Bastian at Delta:
Dear Mr. Bastian,
First, thank you so much for having the integrity to do what you did. The goodwill Delta will receive from this will be huge.
But now that the Lt. Governor of Georgia has countered by indulging in a (probably illegal) attempt at extortion -- which is probably just a way to try to set a legal precedent anyway -- I'd like to share what I would do next if I were you. Not that you haven't (probably) thought about it already. 
I would set up a media campaign explaining briefly why you cut ties with the NRA, but then go right into the Lt. Gov's threat and say right up front that innocent lives are worth more to your airline than the tax credits you may lose. In other words, push the idea of integrity. Besides the fact that you can write off the advertising campaign as a business expense, the goodwill, again, will be priceless. And I think it would carry far more weight if you personally delivered the message.
Again, thank you for showing the US that some corporations still care.
***
Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I then received an "Address not found" error message. So I don't know if they cut off his email or what. It's disappointing, but maybe some of you might want to follow up with a similar letter.
BTW, this has nothing to do with liking Delta or not.
Who donates to the NRA? Here's a few answers
Granted this is a few years old, but I just found it, a piece in HuffPost about gun companies that donate to the NRA. No surprise there, but at least it puts some names and numbers on the table.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/josh-sugarmann/nra-receives-millions-fro_b_848727.html
And another piece, this one from Business Insider:
http://www.businessinsider.com/gun-industry-funds-nra-2013-1
Passports for internal travel?????
Did I just read correctly? If you live in one of nine states, including Oklahoma, Kentucky, Minnesota, and Washington, you will need a passport because these states' driver ID process doth not please TSA. Apparently it starts soon.
The clip is from Esquire.
Nancy Pelosi's Windfall Tax
I just received a long email re: this tax -- an exact copy of the email circulating back in 2006, which was debunked several times. I have to wonder if this email has been bouncing around since then, or if it got resurrected just in time for the mid-terms.
Either way, it's pretty scary. It even asks you to re-send it to two people, but "a hundred is better." I guess "they" are hoping people will just read it and go ballistic, but not bother to verify it.
opensecrets.org on the NRA
Fascinating reading: https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/detail.php?cmte=National+Rifle+Assn&cycle=2016
Including how much they spent AGAINST Democratic candidates.
Talk is cheap... posting is free... let's DO something
Okay, I like coming here and venting too, but that and two bucks will get me a drink at Starbucks.
I'd say a good start would be to write or call companies that offer discounts to NRA members and tell them you're not doing any business with them until they stop. Tell your friends and relatives all over the country. A few people won't make any difference, but millions will.
The NRA has helpfully included several pages of these partner companies right on their web site: https://benefits.nra.org/
Of course, I wouldn't be surprised if they took that page down as soon as they found out...
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Member since: Sat Dec 16, 2017, 01:51 PMNumber of posts: 6,267
