"My name is Bill. I have no basis. To blame rap music. For all the racists"

In case you haven’t heard, self-described conservative Bill Kristol has chimed in on the Oklahoma frat story by blaming rap music for a racist and terror-laced fight song seen being sung by University of Oklahoma students. I’m sure I’m not the only person wondering what rap music Bill Kristol is listening to. We all know, including Mr. Kristol, that the tradition of whites excluding and lynching blacks, as we heard in the SAE sing-along (to the tune of “If You’re Happy And You Know It”) is centuries older than rap music.

Thus far, public expression over the exposed video has been largely to impugn the judgment of the fraternity brothers. The SAE national chapter shut down the Oklahoma house. Two of the fraternity brothers have been expelled. Just as the spiritual compensation commences, along comes a toxic conservative who tries to peg black music performers as the culprit. These people have no sense of personal responsibility!

Iran receives letter from Republican senators

Letter from Republican senators after being received by Iranian officials.

Forty-seven Republican senators pitched in on a letter to Iranian officials warning that any deal reached through talks on Iran's nuclear program will likely be scuttled by the next president. Though the letter seemed to have no other purpose than to undermine the U.S. and its allies, a gracious but unrevealing response from the Iranian government was forthcoming.

Iranian response to letter sent by 47 Republican senators

Having a little fun at Ferguson, MO's expense before the entire city is fired

With the Justice Department report on Ferguson, MO made public, we now know for a fact that the Ferguson Police Department was tasked with being the city's petty mobsters, raising revenue by routinely violating the constitutional rights of city's black citizens. The report found that officers engaged in competitions of who could rack up as many violations as possible. Here is this writer's rendering of the possible false infractions thousands of Ferguson residents may have been cited for over the past 20 years, and the exorbitant fines.

Possession of litter - $90

Not looking an officer in the eye - $132

Driver not in possession of car’s original floor mats - $109

Road rudeness - $250

Looking an officer in the eye - $132

Domestic vagrancy - $167

Conspiracy to loiter - $165

Accomplice to assembly - $454

Miscellaneous - $83

Unnecessary speaking volume - $45

Expired Costco membership card - $26

No proof of health insurance - $321

Improper bicycle saddle height - $214

Reckless walking - $85

Texting while shirtless - $110

Improper glove box illumination - $156

Unfettered hurly burly in the presence of minors - $245

Attempted tailgating - $182

Loose gum trafficking - $320

First degree nuisancy - $231

Aiding and abetting back talk - $143

Meandering in public - $322

Unsafe pocketbook - $145

Unregistered stroller - $214

Excessive use of turn signal – $122

Lagging while crossing - $182 

Rolling eyes while being written a bogus citation - $240

Ben. Again and Again

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Like other conservatives, Tea Party hero Dr. Ben Carson has to find  ways to justify his opposition to LGBT equality that makes him sound a little more sophisticated than members of the Westboro Baptist Church (the “God hates fags” group). In 2013 his best way to do this was to say that gays, child molesters, and beastialists don’t get to change the definition of marriage. Critics pointed out that it sounded as if Carson had imagined gays were in some sort of ideological bloc with beastialists and child molesters which led to a meaningless apology from Carson.

Undeterred, Carson revealed a new line of  palms-to-forehead explanation for his bigotry earlier this week.  His new justification which he unveiled on CNN reasons that being gay is a choice “because a lot of people who go into prison, go into prison straight. And when they come out they’re gay.” 

We all know how that little roll out went. In response to the blowback, Carson announced that he was not going to discuss gay rights anymore. That would be great for Ben Carson if there was any significant chance anyone took his run for president seriously. It would be bad for Carson’s fellow bigot supporters who feel emboldened when he engages in that signature conservative slapdash denigrating discourse. It would also bad for people like yours truly who get excited when conservative people make my point for me.

I am encouraged by the fact that in spite of flashes of better judgment, conservatives like Ben Carson just can’t control themselves. They are prone to sound off expertly on topics they know nothing about such as rape, sexuality, race, religion, economics, and the law. Like largemouth bass waiting in the shade, they take the same bait again and again and again. Ben Carson saying he’s done talking about gay rights is like a largemouth bass saying “I’m done with worms.” You just wouldn’t believe it – for a variety of reasons.

It makes me wonder, how many former patients of Dr. Carson hear the things he says on TV and then ask in fright, “THAT GUY OPERATED ON MY BRAIN?”