Canvas and Cages
What is wrong with this place
Thanks for tuning into another week of this at times probably unreadable newsletter. I know it’s been vastly delayed but expect more regular rambling and Ohio updates in your inbox soon.
Coming home after a long day of work and a 45-minute commute just isn’t conducive to writing about how much I hate our government. It’s an either-or type deal, can’t handle both in one day.
Today’s edition is coming live from an Einstein’s Bagels in sunny Madison, Wisconsin and if I see Niraj Antani here today I will never recover.
[Editor’s note] I ran out of coffee and left Einstein’s which caused me to not finish this for a few more days. The Niraj point still stands though.
Old Not-So-Glory
Like most people, I’m not free of vice, as much as I sometimes wish I was. On the bright side, instead of drugs or gambling I’m absolutely addicted to making snarky comments to conservative idiots in Facebook post replies.
Trust me, I’m well aware that it’s the dumbest possible thing I can do, but I just can’t stop. Every new local news political post is just a goldmine waiting for me to swoop in.
Despite the unfortunate addiction, seeing all of it has at least taught me one important lesson. Every boomer over 60 on Facebook absolutely LOVES the American flag. This isn’t a surprise to me and probably you but it’s just such a remarkable phenomenon.
These people would rather get riddled with bullets than have their precious piece of fabric touch the ground. I just don’t get it.
Even people that aren't boomers can’t even stand the thought of our flag being disrespected. It’s, once again, the funniest thing I’ve ever heard.
You’d think they understand that I can be an American and not actually care about a flag. I also, hear me out, can be an American who doesn’t like this county.
[On a slightly related note the liberals who pull out the flag code to boom conservatives who wear American flag clothing also should probably stop. While I’m all for making fun of those idiots the flag code not only isn’t a law or code in the slightest, nor should it ever be.]
No flag deserves my undivided respect, and American’s flag worship is downright creepy. Look at us. There’s no reason for us to be so nationalistic to a fault.
I get that this is literally all just preaching to the choir here but I think it’s an important point to bring up over-and-over. Not “supporting” the flag doesn't make you not an American, no matter how many times they tell you that it means you hate the troops.
If some of our volunteer-only military take offense, I really don’t care because my objections (usually) don’t lay with them. If you signed up to join the military because of how much you care about the flag your priorities are seriously out of whack anyways.
We have enough dangerous systemic issue as is to even think about getting mad at flags. When it comes to tearing down a flag at an ICE camp in Colorado, I’m just surprised that that’s the first major instance of doing so.
A rabbi and a nazi walk into a bar
You probably read that subtitle and freaked out, thinking that I have finally crossed the Rubicon. Think again reader, I didn’t cross the line--just stumbled upon one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen. It turns out that apparently, conservatives these days are so crazed and vehement that they’ll support anyone who thinks like them.
In steps one of the Rabbis of Ohio State campus group, “Ohio State Jewish experience.” Now, as a Jew who went to Ohio State one would think I would actually know what that group does. Unfortunately, I don't and nor do I want to. It doesn’t matter. All that matters is somehow this rabbi is employed and seems to be uh supporting Nazis.
I couldn’t not share this here, and to hell with not-naming names. I’m anti-Nazi enough that I’m fine sharing names of people who support Nazis. Shocking.
You see Rabbi Olgin here is clearly is enamored with Mr. Gorka. Now for those who don’t know, Gorka served in the Trump Administration until he became even too far out for them and is literally a card-carrying member of the Hungarian Nazis.
If that wasn’t enough, Gorka has also tweeted questioning the legitimacy of Rabbis. Which, last I checked, was not something that is left up to Nazis.
It absolutely amazes me that a Rabbi could hate the AOC squad so much that they decide to side with and support a Nazi. Such is life in the age of Trump I guess.
As I’ve mentioned before on here, people’s public comments on AOC are a great litmus test of telling who they really are. If you hate her no matter what she does, or says, you should probably reevaluate just about everything.
She isn’t perfect, nor is her squad, but they bring new ideas to the table and at least have the courage to fight for them. If you’re, let’s say a rabbi, I would really hope that you would have enough intelligence to shut up and stay out of it.
I guess I never will be getting the real Ohio State Jewish Experience.
I also couldn’t finish this without giving AOC credit for her fantastic anti-Facebook testimony today.
Cages
I’ll start off light here, anyone who’s ok with locking people seeking asylum in cages on the border can go to hell. We’ve collectively made tons of noise about how cruel and terrible it is to lock kids in cages, and I emphatically agree with that noise and won’t stop bringing it up.
One thing I think we need to improve is talking about how it isn’t just kids. Their parents shouldn’t be locked up for seeking a better life either, no one at all should be getting locked up for seeking asylum and a better life. We saw this perfectly when Ohio’s own piece-of-shit Senator took the time to go tour the border with known fuckwad Mike Pence.
The optics of that Portman photo are just insane, the condescending bend over and the trying to make it seem like he actually cares about them photo op. Give me a break.
However, “sad,” Republicans say this is, and however they try to excuse it, it’s their fault. Republican Senators, like ‘ole Rob Portman, prop up the President and allow him to get away with this. It isn’t a funding issue, it’s an inhumane policy issue that has led to locking asylum seekers up in concentration camps.
Not even going to start in on Mike Pence it’s not worth it.
Think about this and those pictures the next time someone tries to excuse Portman by saying he’s a moderate and good for the economy. I’d rather be taxed to hell than have anyone in a concentration camp.
It’s even more frustrating when there’s an easy fix to this; stop detaining asylum seekers and stop raids on“illegal immigrants.” If our country’s quota system wasn’t so ungodly restrictive this wouldn’t be the same issue.
This is why I think the concentration camp comparison is so on point--not only are the migrant detention centers concentration camps but the US clearly hasn’t learned our lesson from WWII.
We rejected Jewish and other refugees because of rampant racism and xenophobia which directly led to the deaths of hundreds of thousands. The worst part is so many of us are incapable of looking back and seeing how wrong we were. Even mentioning that can get you labeled an America hater and have red hatter’s wanting to send you back to, “where you came from.”
The quota system doesn’t work when people’s lives are at stake, nor should it. We need to accept that and in 2020 fight for a candidate with a system that will work to fix it. It’s not that hard, just don’t vote for a single R.
You read all that
Don’t know why, but you did. Thanks.
New edition coming this weekend where I actually criticize a Democrat for once. I don’t play the asinine both sides game, as I’ve said before, but you’ll have to wait and see why.
In trivia news I’m back to my winning ways with a Wisconsin win. The District PourHouse on campus has been given a reprieve.
In future news I’m trying to come up with a new format for covering the debates. Somewhere Substack has a forum feature that I might try to activate, I do want to hear from you loyal readers somehow.
Anyway, I’d be remiss if I didn’t offer a big happy birthday to loyal reader, trivia accomplice, and friend Andy Mulach. Happy birthday dude, this was your present.
See you next time.