Colorado middle school teacher on paid leave after being accused of assaulting a student for sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance.

Courtesy of the Times-Call:

A Lafayette middle school teacher is on paid leave pending the outcome of a police investigation into allegations that she assaulted a student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance on Thursday. 

Boulder Valley School District spokesman Randy Barber said that Angevine Middle School physical education teacher Karen Smith, who he called a 20-year veteran of the school district, is on paid administrative leave.

Beating students into showing respect for their country, gee that's a good idea. 

Having grown up in the 60's and 70's I know that approach to behavior modification quite well.

As it turns out the Boulder Valley School District has a policy which allows students to sit during the Pledge, but apparently physical education teacher Eva Braun did not get the memo.

Clearly Donald Trump's poison is spreading through the country.

It's Sunday so why wouldn't Donald Trump attack NFL players? Update!

If NFL fans refuse to go to games until players stop disrespecting our Flag & Country, you will see change take place fast. Fire or suspend!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

...NFL attendance and ratings are WAY DOWN. Boring games yes, but many stay away because they love our country. League should back U.S.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 24, 2017

These two tweets are from just this morning as Trump apparently decided to triple down on his infantile attacks directed at football players who exercise their First Amendment rights.

(This of course was briefly interrupted when Trump switched gears and briefly got into a kerfuffle with NBA players yesterday.)

Unfortunately for Trump while all of this might play well with the slack jawed morons who attend his thinly disguised KKK rallies, it does NOT play well in the rest of the country.

Instead Trump has now made national heroes of defiant football and basketball players, as well as some of their moms.

Guess that makes me a proud bitch!

— Teresa Kaepernick (@B4IleaveU) September 23, 2017

Last night even the great Stevie Wonder waded into the controversy.

 Courtesy of CNN:

Legendary musician Stevie Wonder took both knees at a New York music festival, seemingly showing solidarity with NFL players criticized by President Donald Trump hours earlier. 

"Tonight, I'm taking a knee for America; but not just one knee, I'm taking both knees," he said on stage Saturday before his performance at the Global Citizens Festival. 

"Both knees in prayer for our planet, our future, our leaders of the world and our globe. Amen ..." 

During the event, Wonder also spoke about interrupting hate, bigotry and condemning sexism.

One of Trump's supporters, who also happens to own an NFL team, had this to say:

One of Donald’s Trump most prominent NFL supporters offered his regrets on Sunday following the President’s comments on NFL players remarks kneeling during the national anthem. 

“I’m pissed off, I’ll be honest with you,” Rex Ryan said on ESPN’s Sunday NFL Countdown. “I supported Donald Trump. When he asked me to introduce him at a rally in Buffalo, I did that. But I am reading these comments and it is appalling to me. And I am sure it is appalling to almost any citizen in our country. It should be. I mean, calling our players S.O.Bs and that kind of stuff, that is not the men that I know. The men I know in the locker room, I am proud to be associated with them in the locker room. 

“I apologize for being pissed off but that’s it. Right away I am associated with what Donald Trump stands for because I introduced him. I never signed up for that. I never wanted that.”

And just today NFL players in London also took a knee in protest:

 And that included both teams by the way.

Donald Trump just lit a fire under a protest movement that is surely going to spread throughout the country.

I expect soon we will see players in every sport, and athletes of every ethnicity, following these examples and sending Trump a simple message.

FUCK YOU!

Update: Yep, it's spreading.

Mike Tomlin just told me @NFLonCBS #Steelers will NOT be participating in the #NationalAnthem today in CHI. Staying in the locker room.

— Jamie Erdahl (@JamieErdahl) September 24, 2017

So does Trump want the entire Pittsburgh Steelers team to be fired now?

Armed man shows up to Gettysburg National Military Park prepared to defend the memorials, promptly shoots himself in the leg.

Courtesy of Penn Live: 

A "patriot" who brought a revolver to Gettysburg National Military Park Saturday amid rumors of desecration of memorials accidentally shot himself in the leg Saturday. 

Benjamin Hornberger, 23, of Shippensburg, accidentally triggered the revolver, which was inside a leg holster, when he temporarily rested the bottom of his flag pole against the holster, according to witnesses. Park police were nearby when the shooting occurred and officers quickly applied a tourniquet that may have saved the man's life, said Sgt. Anna Rose, a spokeswoman with the U.S. Park Police. 

A tourniquet type device covered the wound on the man's left thigh as he was loaded into an ambulance. He talked with paramedics and seemed in good spirits. The gun then went off a second time about 1 p.m. when police were trying to unload the weapon. 

The gun was pointed at the ground in a field north of Meade's Headquarters along the west side of Taneytown Road. A PennLive reporter witnessed the second shot, which occurred as visitors to the park milled nearby. 

Officers said the gun was "bad" and they had a hard time getting the rounds out of the chamber. After they forced all of the rounds out of the revolver, they secured the gun.

"Bad" gun? I thought that guns could never be good nor bad, and were simply tools that were only dangerous in the hands of criminals?

At least that's what the NRA keeps telling us.

I know people are ready to mock this young man but I think he was very brave to shoot himself as a warning to those that may have wanted to desecrate those monuments that they could be next.

Just as soon as he returned from the hospital that is.

"Y'all stay away from them monument things. I'm going to get this here looked at and then I will be right back to shoot myself in my other leg if I see anybody who starts to look like they are preparing to do any desecrating."

Look what McDonald's "accidentally" tweeted at Donald Trump.

Well hard to argue with that. Seems quite accurate to me.

I think I suddenly have a hankering for a Big Mac.

But wait....

Twitter notified us that our account was compromised. We deleted the tweet, secured our account and are now investigating this.

— McDonald's (@McDonaldsCorp) March 16, 2017

Oh, and here I was all excited about the patriotism of our most famous fast food chain.

Personally I think that McDonald's stands to win more customers with that first tweet than with the second.

After all let's face it the typical Right Wing voter has the body fat index of your average hippopotamus. There is NO WAY they are going to be able to allow their indignation to interfere with their daily 6,000 plus caloric intake.

On the other hand the more discerning liberal palate can avoid fast food for sometimes years at a time.

Come on McDonald's, you know you meant that initial tweet, embrace your disgust, and allow America to embrace it right along with you.

(H/T to Mediaite.)

Much to the frustration of the Right Wing, members of the military and vets come out in support of Colin Kaepernick's decision not to stand for the national anthem.

I am sure that most of you remember that Sarah Palin damn near pulled a brain hamstring in anger over the fact that the 49ers quarter back did not stand up during the national anthem.

In her barely coherent words:

America - let's sack this ungrateful punk. Kaepernick - yeah, you're really "down with the oppressed" in this nation. Enjoying your $114 million contract, your previous adoring fans, sucking up a life of luxury... GOD AND COUNTRY GAVE YOU THIS OPPORTUNITY. You can't acknowledge that? Then on behalf of every Vet I'm privileged to know: GET THE HELL OUT. 

Well as it turns out, despite what she might tell her supporters, Palin does not speak for entire country nor for ALL members of the military.

My father, a Marine, served his country in Vietnam. He says "we're far from justice for all" #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/8jXspHSOE6

— Blake J. Stanfill (@ShimmiHendrix) August 31, 2016

I serve for his right to protest.. I don't serve for Police Brutality.. #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/Q6GUNTwHDO

— Airbnb Papi (@JoeOnDemand) August 31, 2016

#VeteransForKaepernick because I didn't volunteer to defend a country where police brutality is swept under the rug. pic.twitter.com/LtBkTvHHAn

— Baltic Avenue (@Baltic_Avenue) August 31, 2016

Free speech is free speech, all the time #VeteransForKaepernick pic.twitter.com/tOGOmYe0bC

— Coleman Chase (@colemanachase) August 31, 2016

There are many more which you can find here.

I find it interesting that Dakota's response was much closer to the way these other military members saw the issue:

That flag stands for freedom and has nothing to do with the issue he is trying to portray. But, if he feels this is something he has to do, he should rock on. Because that’s what freedom is all about.

Perhaps she should take her cues from him before she goes off half cocked in the future. 

Patton Oswald has some strong opinions about Bernie Sanders supporters who claim they will not vote for Hillary Clinton in the general: "You're a f**king child."

Courtesy of HuffPo:  

Oswalt has been a supporter of Democratic presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, but made it clear in the interview that he’s not “Bernie or bust.” 

“I will vote for whoever the Democrats nominate against either of those two psychopaths,” he said. “I think they’re both equally dangerous and backward-facing for this country.” 

Asked what he would say to a Bernie supporter who would rather not vote than cast a ballot for Hillary Clinton in the November general election, Oswalt replied, “Well, then you’re a fucking child.”

Well there you go, I could not have said it better myself.

We have these idiots here as well. You see them in the comments section, constantly threatening to take their vote and go home if their candidate does not win the nomination.

First off if that is the case do not refer to yourself as a Democrat. Because you are not one.

Also do not refer to yourself as a patriot, because that is now in question as well.

You vote for the candidate who will do the best job for, and the least damage to, the country.

End of story.

Does anybody really think I was inspired by Mike Dukakis in 1988? Or John Kerry in 2004?

Or for that matter Al Gore in 2000?

I wasn't. But I KNEW that the people running against them were going to pass laws that I found toxic, nominate Supreme Court Justices that would halt progress in this country, and possibly start a war or screw up the economy in way that it would take us years from which to recover.

The same is true this time around. I have nothing against Hillary Clinton per se, but she really does nothing that excites me about voting for her.

However I recognize that she is the best possible choice right now, for a whole lot of reasons that I have laid out on this blog in the past several months.

Every day adults are confronted with tough choices. And as adults we make the one that we hope is best for ourselves, our families, and in this case, our country.

P.S. Literally a couple of hours after I wrote this yesterday I learned that Patton Oswald's wife died.

I just want to say how sorry I am to hear that and that I am sending good thoughts his way.

Oh, and that is completely right about those Bernie Sanders supporters!

Senators John McCain and Jeff Flake release report accusing Pentagon of using taxpayer money to promote "paid patriotism" at sporting events.

Courtesy of USA Today: 

The Pentagon has paid more than $9 million to professional sports franchises the past four years, including $6.8 million to stage “paid patriotism” events, Sens. Jeff Flake and John McCain disclosed Wednesday. 

The events ranged from full-field displays of the American flag to enlistment and re-enlistment ceremonies and emotional reunion events where a service member returns to the surprise of family members. 

“Unsuspecting audience members became the subjects of paid marketing campaigns rather than simply bearing witness to teams’ authentic, voluntary shows of support for the brave men and women who wear our nation’s uniform,” the report by the Arizona Republicans said. 

“It is hard to understand how a team accepting taxpayer funds to sponsor a military appreciation game, or to recognize wounded warriors or returning troops, can be construed as anything other than paid patriotism,” it states. McCain is chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee.

According to Politico more than10 million dollars of taxpayer money has been spent in the last four years alone: 

In the report unveiled Wednesday, the two senators cataloged $879,000 spent by the Georgia Army National Guard with the Atlanta Falcons on color-guard performances and video board tributes and $450,000 spent by the same unit on the Atlanta Braves. Beyond Atlanta, investigators say the Defense Department paid the Seattle Sounders soccer team $128,000 over the past four years on “a compelling Army National Guard public service message” to be played at games and $115,000 spent was spent on the Indiana Pacers for perks including parking passes and access to a luxury conference room. College sports programs and NASCAR were also dinged by Flake and McCain, along with the NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL and MLS. 

But the bulk of the spending was associated with the NFL, where four teams received more than $500,000 a piece over the past four years from Defense Department contracts. 

I actually wrote about this back in May where I suggested that this program has likely been going on for far longer than the four years cited in this investigation, and that it is quite likely that taxpayer money was spent in various other places as well, such as cable news channels and reality shows.

Personally I have a very strong suspicion that if one were to follow the trail of evidence that it would lead right up to Dick Cheney's secret super villain hideout.

Hmm, I wonder if it is because of things like this report which convinced Sarah Palin's pet Senator to suggest doing away with the Senate?

Perhaps the most American thing I have ever seen.

Source

I really think it is the completely unnecessary addition of Spongebob and his friend Patrick, two American icons, that really sells this thing for me. 

Dakota Meyers speaks out against stepping on the flag, and for embedding product placement in your supposedly patriotic messages.

RT to show those who disrespect the flag that 'we are louder, than they'll ever be' #NeverOutGunned @Dakota_Meyer https://t.co/bO1rkWQU5S

— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) May 5, 2015

“Hey everyone, my name's Dakota Meyer. You know with all of this negativity, and people stomping on the flag, and people going out and disgracing what this country stands for, you know what I decided to do? I want to start our own campaign. A campaign that shows people...that shows the..the..these levels of ignorance that...you know what? That we love our country. We love our country, and we love it more than anything in the world. And I want you to go out and show your patriotism, and take a picture of something that means something to you that represents this country, whether it’s the flag, whether it’s the Constitution, whatever it is. Whatever you think of when you think of...of..this great country that we live in. Uh...United States of America. (Whew! I wasn't sure he was going to remember.)You take that picture and hashtag it as #neveroutgunned. (And hey kids we have t-shirts too!) And let's send it out and show...show them that we're stronger than they'll ever be, we're louder than they'll ever be, And you know what, if they don't want to be here they can leave.”

Yes because if you don't think like we do then get the hell out. Merica!

Damn does this guy have the Palin-speak down or what?

Now if you are wondering just what in the hell has Meyer so twisted up that he is willing to go on social media and hawk some of his products in order to fight back.

Well that would be a campaign called the "Eric Sheppard Challenge" which encourages young people to record themselves stepping on the flag to protest what they see as an overreach by the police.

You see Eric Sheppard has gone into hiding after police found a gun that belongs to him while searching the Valdosta campus in response to this incident last month. 

And if you guessed that Eric Sheppard was black, well go ahead and give yourself a gold star.

Clearly Meyers, and a number of other conservatives, seem to believe that disrespecting the flag is the same thing as disrespecting the country. It's not, it's just a symbol typically manufactured in China.

And while I do not condone people acting in this manner, being an American means I must support their right to do it.

I also support Meyer's right to stage his own hackneyed attempt to make a buck while feigning indignation at their "disrespect."  After all what could we expect from a guy marrying into the Palin family?

Public school nurse in Pennsylvania refuses to treat student because she did not stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Some students sit, while others stand for the Pledge of Allegiance.

Courtesy of The Friendly Atheist:  

An eighth grader from Wilson Middle School in Carlisle, Pennsylvania was sitting in the nurse’s office last Thursday, waiting to be treated, when the Pledge of Allegiance was recited over the intercom.

The girl did not stand, which is apparently a choice she makes often. 

However not usually in front of the school nurse it seems: 

The school nurse ordered everyone present to stand up, but the student remained seated as she typically does. She reports that subsequently, when it was her turn to be seen by the nurse, the nurse asked loudly, “Why didn’t you stand for the Pledge?” The student replied that the Pledge exercise is voluntary and that no explanation for opting out is needed. Shockingly, the nurse responded by ordering her out of the room, yelling, “Fine! Then leave! I have the right to not service you!” 

The student reports that she left the nurse’s office in tears and went to the administrative offices to call her mother. A secretary then led the student to an office, but at that time the same nurse appeared again, saying, “She isn’t calling a parent until I have a long conversation with her!”

Ultimately the girl saw her counselor who was only minimally helpful so the student told her parents, and they contacted the American Humanist Association’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center who sent this letter to the School District:

To say that the actions of school district staff in this situation have inflicted trauma upon this child would be an understatement. She was bullied and subjected to public embarrassment for doing nothing more than harmlessly exercising her constitutional rights. The actions of the nurse are indefensible, as she provides an example of the kind of overzealous, dangerous patriotism that any true patriot would loathe. The student was left angry and scarred by this mean-spirited hostility, which is only made worse by the fact that it came from a person trusted with the health and well being of students. Moreover, the nurse’s refusal to give the child medical attention calls into question her fitness for the job.

You know as somebody who was forced to not only participate, but as a TA sometimes asked to lead the pledge, I have to say I am very inspired by the young people today making this stand (Or if you prefer, sit.) against religious indoctrination. 

I have always felt that the Pledge of Allegiance was a little to fascist for my tastes anyway, and participating in this ritual, or not, in no way indicates the level of a person's patriotism.

If I had it all to do over again I would have sat in my chair for every pledge from the first grade on.

Veteran calls the Republicans out on their hypocrisy concerning the military.

Courtesy of the Greenville Gazette:  

In a recent post on FaceBook, veteran Jim Adams told the Republicans, ‘don’t you dare thank me for my military service’. He goes on to tell them, ‘you no longer have that right’. Mr. Adams tells the Republicans they sent him to war on a lie, and now want to cut his health and food benefits. He reminds them how they are voting against every veteran bill that hits the floor. He tells them he knows they don’t give a f**k about him or any other veteran and is insulted that veterans are part of the ‘47% takers’ they do not want to support. 

One of the bills the Republicans voted against, and showed their abandonment of veterans for, was the Senate Veteran Bill. This bill would have expanded medical, educational and other benefits for those who have served our country. Thousands spoke out in support of this bill to honor and take care of those who have taken care of us. It was shot down by Senate Republicans as they could not use the lives of soldiers as a bargaining chip.

I am hoping to see a lot more of this in the future as more veterans come to realize that the fake patriotism of the Right Wing focuses on drumming up reasons to go to war and sending our military into foreign countries to die.

And it is not only on Facebook where veterans are speaking out, recently a former sniper addressed the mythology surrounding Chris Kyle and the movie "American Sniper."

To be blunt the conservatives and Republican party are dedicated to ensuring endless war and continued American casualties, all in the name of patriotism and protecting the homeland.

The REAL patriots are the people trying to protect our military from dying needlessly and receiving the care and support they need when they return home from putting themselves in harm's way at the direction of politicians whose children are kept far away from the front lines.

Bald Eagle released at Oral Roberts University to crazed chants of "USA" from crowd. Immediately tries to flee the patriotic hysteria, slamming into window in the process.

Courtesy of Christian Post:  

Students at Oral Roberts University went from hooting and hollering and chanting "USA!" to screaming in horror as a Bald Eagle let loose during a special chapel service crashed into a glass window and crumpled to the ground. 

Instead of flying directly from its trainer who had let it loose from the back of the chapel to another handler standing on stage, the 13-year-old, seven-pound eagle named Lewis veered off course and made a crash landing. 

You know some metaphors are so perfect they do not even need to be explained.

P.S. I should probably add that it was reported that the bird was unhurt. I know I have a lot of animal lovers visiting here and I want to put your mind at ease.

However the fact that this magnificent animal will continue to be subjected to screaming crowds of religious lunatics in the future is also, sadly, a fact.

Something to keep in mind on the day after all that red, white, and blue 4th of July celebrating.

America is the greatest country on earth? Really?

You know REAL patriots don't simply spout patriotic slogans while their country suffers, or falls behind.

Real patriots admit the shortcomings of their country and endeavor to do whatever it takes to fix them.

Apparently CPAC showed a video encouraging viewers to prepare to take up arms to fight their government. Gee, and we thought the craziest thing there was Sarah Palin and a Big Gulp!

Courtesy of Alternet:

Attendees at last week’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) were reportedly thrilled by a short sci-fi video depicting a dictatorial near-future government and the underground "Movement on Fire" that springs up to resist it. The video, a thinly veiled advertisement for violent insurrection from the “Tea Party Patriots" group, boasts professional acting and Hollywood production values. But underneath its bright, professional sheen lurk dark overtones of End Times paranoia that will resonate with millions of American fundamentalists. Its apocalyptic imagery is as ancient as Revelations, its glossy look as modern as a Revlon ad, and its near-subliminal barrage of rapid-cut imagery rings with the terror-fueled sermons of 1,000 preachers. 

It stands on its own as agitprop-cum-entertainment for the far right, which is filled with armchair revolutionaries whose favorite fantasies involve the same elements used in this video: attractive people, video-game-like locations, nightmarish bureaucracies and the world-changing power of their own oratory. “Let our lives be the spark that ignites the fire of liberty,” the protagonist shouts at one point. His words resonate with memories of historical heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice rather than yield to tyranny.

You know for a minute there I thought this was another one of those bad ScyFy Channel presentations. But come to think of it Sharktopus had a much more believable plot.

Apparently in the Tea Party version of "taking back our country," it has a lot to do with breaking credit cards in half, though I am not exactly sure how that helps throw off the yoke of oppression.

"I am going to break this cheap ass card in half and run around dressed in leather until you stop giving me stuff !"

Yeah you know nothing makes the nipples on these teabagging morons harder than the idea or overthrowing the government voted into place by the people they don't agree with.

Apparently their definition of a "patriot" is much, much different than the one found in the dictionary used by most Americans.

I think I need this as my next bumper sticker.

Seems fair, don't you think?

Preparing children to take up arms against their own government. What's more "patriotic" than that?

9 year old Briana getting her gun.

Preparing for field exercises.

Courtesy of the North Florida Survival Group website:

Learn how to survive any catastrophe, keep your family safe and be prepared to defend the Constitution. We will teach you what you need to know to survive, how to live off the land, how to purify water and how to handle firearms. All this training is free of charge. We ask our members to supply their own gear (and we'll let you know the most important things you will need) Without patriots who can survive, the Republic could not be restored if it vanished! God Bless the patriots who NEVER forget what it means to be in a Free America! 

We all know that anything can happen. After 9/11 lots of Americans woke up to the fact that anything is possible here. After Katrina, we learned that you can't depend on the Government to take care of your needs,. Also, we are STRONG believers in the 2nd amendment. There is no negotiating the Constitution of the United States. We believe our founders created the greatest nation on earth and only the Progressive movement has slowly whittled that down. NO MORE! NOT HERE!

Young boy is upset because his sister has the gun he wants to carry. Fortunately Thomas the Train is still his friend.

Shirt says "I'm willing to die to defend my 2nd Amendment rights. Are you willing to die trying to take them from me?"

Here is the part of the group's Mission Statement that I find more than a little troubling: 

Our goal is to teach as many patriots as possible to be ready to protect against, defend against, and survive any natural or man-made disaster. It is also our goal to teach these same patriots to survive in order to protect and defend our Constitution against all enemy threats, either foreign or domestic.

Look it is one thing to play in the woods and pretend that you would not crap all over yourself at the first sign of the actual military moving in to take you out for treason or sedition, but it is quite another to teach these impressionable young children that law enforcement is their enemy and that they should feel ready to kill a Federal agent if they don't like the laws that are passed or the rules that don't allow them to do any damn thing they please.

Those who say that parents know best when it comes to their children are ignorant of the kind of abhorrent parenting that often takes place in this country.

 (Pictures courtesy of Buzzfeed.)

Republican Senator invites Ted Nugent to SOTU speech. Secret Service purchases latex gloves in preparation for VERY thorough cavity search.

Courtesy of TPM:  

Rep. Steve Stockman (R-TX), who threatened President Obama with impeachment over his plan to reduce gun violence, has offered a ticket to the State of the Union to Ted Nugent — whose criticism of the president once resulted in a sitdown with the Secret Service. 

“I am excited to have a patriot like Ted Nugent joining me in the House Chamber to hear from President Obama,” Stockman said in a statement Monday. “After the Address I’m sure Ted will have plenty to say.”

I'm sure he will "have plenty to say" right after somebody explains in monosyllabic words what it was that the President actually said in his speech that is.

Nugent will of course be surrounded by more than twenty survivors of gun violence, each one far more courageous than the man who famously crapped himself in order to get out of serving the country, before become the super "patriot" we all know and revile today.

The fact that they would allow this piece of garbage into the same venue as our Commander-in-Chief, or Mrs. Obama and her guests Hadiya Pendleton's parents, is testament to how lucky he is to have been born in a country that does not institutionalize its mentally challenged citizens or castrate them for statutory rape.

Why voting Democrat is the ONLY patriotic choice.

The numbers don't lie.

However the Republicans do!

Did you know?

This may help you the next time somebody tries to convince you that this country was founded as a Christian nation, or that moving away from religion or God is to move away from the traditions that made this country great.

Do you know what made this country great?

Freedom. And the most important freedom that those who came here were seeking was freedom from having somebody else's religious beliefs shoved down their throats.

How soon we have forgotten.