Esoteric Meandering Shouting Into the Void

Insider New Letters

Following three failed GOP speakership bids in the three weeks since Kevin McCarthy’s ouster, the House elected Rep. Mike Johnson of Lousiana on Wednesday to be the next speaker of the House.

He won with the unanimous support of House Republicans.

Johnson, a relatively unknown 51-year-old congressman first elected in 2016, is a staunch social conservative and evangelical Christian who already served in party leadership as the vice chair of the House GOP conference.

He may have been the best man for the job simply because he has no major enemies — he has good relationships with members of the hard right flank of the conference, and he’s collegial and low-profile enough for more vulnerable lawmakers to accept.

The Louisiana Republican became the party’s nominee after House Majority Whip Tom Emmer’s candidacy was derailed by former President Donald Trump, who called Emmer a “RINO” as dozens of hardliners made clear they were not ready to support his candidacy. Emmer was ultimately the party’s nominee for just over four hours before he withdrew on Tuesday.

Last week, Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio was the party’s nominee, losing support with each successive floor vote until he was voted down by the conference on Friday. Before that, House Majority Leader Steve Scalise was briefly the nominee.

As the speaker, Johnson will be second in line to the presidency behind Vice President Kamala Harris. Here’s what you need to know about him.

Last year, he introduced a bill similar to Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law

Last October, Johnson led over two dozen of his colleagues in introducing the “Stop the Sexualization of Children Act of 2022.”

The bill is essentially the national version of Florida’s Parental Rights in Education Law — dubbed “Don’t Say Gay” by critics.

The bill prohibits federal funds from being used to promote “any sexually-oriented program, event, or literature for children under the age of 10” and bans federal funding from being used for drag shows or “Drag Queen Story Hour.”

But the bill’s definition of “sexually-oriented material” includes “any topic involving gender identity, gender dysphoria, transgenderism, sexual orientation, or related subjects.”

That’s led the Human Rights Campaign to condemn the bill as the “latest cruel attempt to stigmatize and marginalize the community.”

He played a bigger role than most House Republicans in Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election

Like most of his GOP colleagues, Johnson voted against certifying the electoral college results from Arizona and Pennsylvania, even after a mob ransacked the Capitol on January 6, 2021.

But Johnson was also the lead organizer of an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in support of Texas’s lawsuit asking the court to halt the certification of the vote in Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin.

The day after President Joe Biden was declared the winner of the 2020 election, Johnson said he called Trump and encouraged him to “keep fighting.”

Lyle Northey (Silent/Boomer)

Judging by the headlines it would seem that the major press organizations are in bed with a traitor. “SCATHING New Betrayal in Trump Election bla bla bla…..” How do you betray someone that has betrayed their trust and dishonored their vow in an attempt to remain in office as the President of the United States? This is not a betrayal but rather an exposing of a great wrong. Get your ideas straight, this is not an insignificant issue with Trump being the victim as he claims. This is a treasonous crime with Trump being the kingpin behind the entire effort and the people that are not telling the truth know that if they do not then they could well suffer the same fate as he will when all is said and done.

  He can call them cowards and he is not wrong because the first time they should have shown courage was when he came up with the idea and they went along with it. That is when they should have said not only no but HELL NO. You lost and that is the size of it, put your big boy pants on and go home. They did not do that with promises of favored jobs and whatever they were enticed into believing there was a chance this would work. It did not and as it turns out many in the nation do not want to let it go with a slap on the wrist and be sent to sit in the corner like a misbehaving child. 

  The gang of them have betrayed the country and everyone that still believes in Trump needs to get an eye exam and have the scales they have not shed removed so they can see clearly. The losers of this nation that fill those graveyards in far away places are being dishonored again by people that haven’t got the guts to face an enemy in battle. They are very willing to fight when they have an overpowering majority of force or when the enemy is a woman that wants an abortion.

  The newly elected speaker of the house and the republican caucus in the House of Representatives all agree that their most important duty is not to the nation or the people that voted them into office but to kiss the ass of Donald Trump. Does he control a force of thugs from New York that is going to come and kill you if you stand up and actually act like you have a mind and a voice and can do something other than what he tells you? 

Dwain Northey (Gen X)

This word that to me sums up the current state of the Republican caucus. Now everyone is saying… ok what?

Let’s use this in a in a sentence, ‘The current unrest in the Republican House is axiomatic.’ Ok I will give you the definition for those that have never heard of this term, ‘Self-evident or unquestionable.’ I could have used the term discord instead of unrest both with fit the context.

Again, this only fits if we assume that the current state of the Republican inharmonious behavior is a bug and not a feature of the party itself. I have, nearly, come to the conclusion that this is a feature of the party and not just an unpleasant circumstance.

Here is my reasoning.

• The party elected McCarty as Speaker with a caveat that 1 member could ask for the Speakership to be vacated.
• The Tumpubicans wanted the Government to shut down so they could blame the Democrats.
• McCarthy, just doing his job worked across the Isle to keep the government from shutting down. (cardinal sin)
• The temporary spending bill will run out in 3 weeks and without a Speaker in the House the ‘Freedom Caucus’ gets their wet dream and shuts the system down.

One of the ways to change a system of government from to Democracy to an Authoritarian system is to break the democracy and espouse that only one person can solve the problem. This is exactly what ‘wanna be’ King Donald wants to happen and his hand full of malignant minions are trying to make it happen.

Don’t let them get their way, VOTE these clowns out of office, the founder may not have been perfect but the system that they started has lasted for nearly 250 years don’t let the experiment fail.

I hope I am wrong 😦

Dwain Northey (Gen X)

The world’s faithful account for 83% of the global population; the great majority of these fall under twelve classical religions–Baha’i, Buddhism, Christianity, Confucianism, Hinduism, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, Shinto, Sikhism, Taoism, and Zoroastrianism.

Amendment I of the United States Constitution.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The First Amendment is freedom of or from religion and it does not say what that religion is. I hear all the time that American is a Christian nation, but I do not read that anywhere in our founding documents. The misinterpretation of what many of the founders inscribed in the documents that founded our national is that many of them were not Christians but were Deists, and I am well aware that many don’t know what that means.

Deist believes in a higher power/supreme being. – Belief in an afterlife. – Rejects revelations as a source of religious evidence. – Oriented toward scientific fact and natural observation, rather than scripture.  

Some of these tenants fall inside Christianity but also are in other faiths. Although the founders i.e. Jefferson, Frankin, Washington and others were Deist they did not espouse that as a citizen of the United States had to believe in anything.

Today many want to create a secular country where Christianity is practiced above all others… the Catholic Church tried this in the Dark Ages and we all know how that turned out.

I suggest that instead of espousing a religion we just try and exercise kindness and try not to be ass holes, one rule that seems to hold true in all faiths is ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.’ It’s the international don’t be an Ass Hole rule, lets all do that.

Dwain Northey (Gen X)

I heard the most ridiculous, well one of the most insane comments come out of the Mara Logo Mango Maniacs mouth when a reporter asked him about the Speaker of the House kerfuffle. First off, he isn’t in the government anymore so who really cares what his bloated ass thinks, and the nation that Repulican’t are still vying for his endorsement is ludicrous. His divine statement was that Jesus Christ should be elected Speaker, “He could get the Votes, think he’d do a pretty good job.” WTF!!!

Ok first part of that insane statement is that any Republican would nominate Jesus… Lets think about what Christs Platform would be.

• Welcome the stranger.
• Feed the poor.
• Left up the downtrodden.
• Turn the other cheek.

Those tenants are completely opposite of the Republican platform. The current right-wing lunatics would make Pontius Pilate seem like he went easy on the Jesus. Plus, the thought of the GOP actually following orders from any one other than another pontificating white guy is laughable.

This is a short rant but I had to get this out of my head…feel free to comment, agree, disagree, tell me I am over reacting. I am easy…

Lyle Northey (Silent/Boomer)

  So many in the Republican Party claim they want to get rid of Democracy. That is a statement that must have a reason attached to it. What have you found that you believe is a better system? The people that seem to be least in favor of a form of government that stresses equality are people either with extreme wealth or with a lifestyle that promotes independence much more so than the life of the city dweller. 

  To be independent is very admirable but farmers and ranchers that lead that life do not get rich if they have no where to sell what they produce or if the market is fixed by someone that owns the market. The very wealthy  do not retain that status or gain if that wealth has no way to grow. The control of others lives by owning the estates they live in because they work for you and they must live as you decide, believe as you believe, and be content with only that which you provide is a world of fantasy for the rich and a nightmare for those subjected to live it.

   The recent laws that have been enacted in many of the Republican states are very good at controlling women and women’s health issues. Alongside that the gun laws passed makes it very easy for those at the bottom rungs of the ladder to decide to make things a bit more even, so it would seem on one hand you have gained control and on the other you have lost it. Creating a snitch environment is also a great way to show people what you are.

  We all know that you do not like paying for health care, day care, senior care, schools, courts, roads, transportation or anything else that you figure can be operated by someone else for a profit. Perhaps there are other reasons that being lords of the manner appeal to the wealthy. The first shot at a new bride, or trying out the upstairs maid. All of the things that they did in days of old and you weren’t there, damn.

  The control of communications networks, radio, tv, newspapers all helps in putting a smiley face on your propaganda. The forcing of private schools and closing libraries furthers the effort to make the rightwing point of view that much more desirable. The truth is that no matter how you package it a bucket shit is still a bucket of shit. 

   Is the justification of this choice based on the self. In other words are we so important that we believe I, me comes first and my wishes are to be fulfilled even if no one else’s are? If this is following your great leader then you have to know that the only me is he and you will be as important as a goat turd smashed on the sole of his shoe.

   Is the reason based on a religious belief? If it is then which one and since most of the ones that are hawking this idea are men we can assume that it is all about male dominance. By all means go to church, sing your songs, repeat your prayers and try not to choke on your hypocrisy. The God you pray to that gave up his son may not greet you kindly on the day when it comes. 

  For the sake of ruining a great many lives in this country it will be hoped that your plans never are fulfilled. Members of Congress that feel that way took an oath and you have violated it shamefully, to the extent that you at the very least should be removed from your position and forbidden to ever hold any kind of office again. Were it up to me you would have all of your benefits as a citizen stripped from you. 

  It is common to identify problems with almost anything but before you come to the conclusion that complete removal is the answer other solutions are usually suggested. There is a provision in the Constitution for that and a suggestion for a correction is to put the members of Congress back in the employ of the citizens of the nation not the citizens vote you in and you do as you damn please without consequence. If you or anyone else reading this does not know how that happened it occurred on the 3rd and final reading of a very popular farm bill in 1963 when members of Congress stuck a rider on the bill. The bill passed and the rider became law, convenient wasn’t it? There should be a way to overturn that rider and put you all back in your proper status.