The Republican Confederate Party celebration of Confederate History Month seems to need some help getting the word out. It seems that folks are just not coming out to celebrate the Confederacy and all it represents.
So Virginny Governor Bob the Reb must have been thrilled to learn that this truck was out and about helping to show folks what the Confederacy was all about:
This truck is a great advertisement for the Republican Confederate Party. What jumps out at you is the tailgate with its exploitation of 9/11 to brand all Muslims as terrorists. Tacky and ill-informed, yes–but that is just the start.
Of course the back window is covered with a large “Stars n’ Bars”, so we know the driver want everybody to make the connection from his tailgate to the Lost Cause. But it is the driver’s license plate that makes the point of this hate mobile clear.
The plate reads 14CV88, and it turns out that it is a white supremacist dog whistle.
The truck rambling around Old Dominion was spotted by CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations) and they wrote a letter to the Virginia DMV about the plate. It turns out that each of number or letter pairs was code for something.
Who can guess what “CV” might stand for?
If you answered “Confederate Veteran” give yourself a gold star.
Lets turn to Mother Jones for help decoding the plate:
Turns out it’s laden with white supremacist code. The “88” you might know: That’s a popular way among yahoos of subtly saying “Heil Hitler,” since “H” is the 8th letter of the alphabet. (Apologies to all you well-intending NASCAR fans of Jarrett, Junior and Geoff.) The “CV” means “confederate veteran”, which is consistent with the plate’s tiny confederate battle flag denoting the licensee as a Sons of Confederate Veterans member. Best of all, though, is the lesser-known “14,” which is a reference to the “14 Words,” a white supremacist manifesto first coined by The Order member David Lane: “We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children.” Turns out the driver of this mystery machine isn’t just a racist lunatic; he’s a joiner.
The rebel flag is all over this truck. In addition to the license plate there are at least four bumper stickers with the flag pasted over the larger flag on the back window. The image quality of the many stickers on the back window is too poor to read. That is a shame. It would be great to be able to read them and know which other threads of wingnut thought the driver is promoting. I would not be surprised to see a birther sticker or a “speak English” sticker or any manner of anti-government stickers.
This truck is a rolling advertisement for the merging of extreme hate groups in America that the Southern Poverty Law Center wrote about in their new report on hate groups: Rage on the Right:
As the movement has exploded, so has the reach of its ideas, aided and abetted by commentators and politicians in the ostensible mainstream. While in the 1990s, the movement got good reviews from a few lawmakers and talk-radio hosts, some of its central ideas today are being plugged by people with far larger audiences like FOX News’ Glenn Beck and U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn). Beck, for instance, re-popularized a key Patriot conspiracy theory — the charge that FEMA is secretly running concentration camps — before finally “debunking” it.
Last year also experienced levels of cross-pollination between different sectors of the radical right not seen in years. Nativist activists increasingly adopted the ideas of the Patriots; racist rants against Obama and others coursed through the Patriot movement; and conspiracy theories involving the government appeared in all kinds of right-wing venues. A good example is the upcoming Second Amendment March in Washington, D.C. The website promoting the march is topped by a picture of a colonial militiaman, and key supporters include Larry Pratt, a long-time militia enthusiast with connections to white supremacists, and Richard Mack, a conspiracy-mongering former sheriff associated with the Patriot group Oath Keepers.
This truck is another example of how the rhetoric and grievance myths of the right are merging. And the Republican Confederate Party’s celebration of Confederate History Month is yet another example of the same.
It is all about mainstreaming the myths and ideologies of hate.
And with all due respect to a certain fat bastard out of Mississippi, this is about a bit more than just didling a nit.
Cheers
Mike Kay
oh the irony.
the clown is driving a gas guzzler.
Yutsano
FWIW, not that I’m excusing either the owner or the state of Virginia, but the plate did get recalled. Of course they only bothered to look into it when that picture got publicized and had the
temeritygood sense to admit allowing that plate configuration was a mistake. Virginia just keeps getting better and better I tell you what!ellaesther
I do wonder what the good folks at Ford think about this.
And/or the likely many Americans of Arab descent who work at the Ford plant in Dearborn Michigan.
gbear
@Yutsano:
That plate was the thing that most amazed me about the picture when it was posted a few days ago. Did VA recall the Robert E Lee plate then too?
Edit: oh wait, you’re just talking about that one particualr plate being recalled? Gahh!
handy
Another Son of the Confederacy embraces Yankee town as his own when it suits his own hatred.
Davis X. Machina
Hmn… 88 is the Morse code abbreviation for love and kisses.
Dennis G.
@Yutsano:
Yep, the plate was recalled. That just means that the next vanity plate will just dig deeper for the code.
Cheers
pragmatism
the 14 is another love letter written on bleached white paper. cv = confederate veteran. man, he must be old.
Sly
I recommend Mr. Truck Driver take his pick-up on a trip across NYC. If he hates Muslims so much for what they did, maybe he should go see how people who faced the tragedy up close would “appreciate” his commemoration.
I think he should start in Brooklyn. Bay Ridge, in particular. On 5th Avenue. On a Friday.
Brian J
There aren’t that many Muslims, as a percentage of overall population, in this country, but I remember reading that during the 2000 election, about 65 percent of them voted for Bush. So while it probably only makes in a difference in a state where there are clusters of them, like Michigan, you’d think the party would have some sense of how it is alienating a small but potentially valuable constituency. Or maybe they do but just don’t care, because of freedom or something.
Yutsano
@gbear: Oh no, the Confederate Pride plate will still be available for the asking. Just that one particular plate. Southern Pride will go on!
@Dennis G.: I’d like to believe that particular dog whistle just slipped through the cracks at the Virginia DMV. I really would. Unfortunately their actions in the last few months give evidence to the contrary. Forgive me for doubting the sincerity of Virginia’s oopsie.
gbear
God diddled the fat bastard with a few tornados today.
flavortext
$10 says that on 9/10/2001, this guy loved NYC just as much as he loves muslims now.
Springtime for Obama
Don’t be a dummy be a smarty, come and join the nazi party
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YzRbC7lQ-EQ
frankdawg
This is a great song that goes well this this whole thread – its called “Wave That Flag”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ny0crAOX6nA
“It’s a red white and blue flag but it ain’t ours!”
gbear
The asshole is parked in a handicap parking space too. I suppose he pulled into that spot thinking ‘fuck special rights’.
ellaesther
@gbear: I’m sure that was the fault of the gays, or immodestly dressed women. Or Obama.
handy
@flavortext:
Exactly!
Warren Terra
It’s not fair to blame VA for approving that vanity plate – the code was fairly subtle (though maybe they should look harder for codes). It’s only really obvious when it’s bolted to the Racistmobile.
Yutsano
Oh and dengre, I know we’re nothing but a bunch of picky copyrighters here, but:
should be “bumper”. Although honestly I like the implications of the typo. :)
General Egali Tarian Stuck
They all say idiot to me.
eemom
MUST y’all keep reminding me of the fact that I LIVE in this godforsaken state??
Christine
And with all due respect to a certain fat bastard out of Mississippi, this is about a bit more than just didling a nit.
I have zero respect for that certain fat bastard out of Mississippi.
agorabum
Sadly, there were (are?) people on the extreme left who also thought that Bush was setting up camps for dissidents through FEMA as well; it seems there are crazy ideas that unite the paranoid fringe on both sides.
Liberty60(Veteran, Great war of Yankee Aggression)
The point Dennis made in earlier threads that the Confederacy is a living tribe, that morphs and possesses various political parties is a shrewd observation;
The Confederacy is not about white vs black- it is a tribe that hates outsiders, and the outsiders can be literally anyone- if by chance all black people vanished tomorrow, they would hate the Mexicans; if the Mexicans disappeared, they would hate the Jews; or the Arabs; or the Catholics, Russians, Chinese….you get the drift.
This is why all the dogwhistles- “He doesn’t see America like we do”- We meaning Our tribe.
The confederacy is the same tribalism as the Hutus vs Tutsis in Rwanda/ Burundi, or Serbs vs Albanians in the Balkans…
This is why the Tea party appears from the outside to be a puzzling riddle- they can’t formulate a coherent philosphy; They live off of Social Security, yet rail against government programs; they demand more defense spending, yet are furious at deficits- and so on.
They can’t articulate a list of beliefs, because there isn’t any- it is simply tribal affiliation- white english speaking suburbanites vs everyone else.
In this view of things, it all makes sense- when Palin speaks about “Elites”, they understand the “Elites” are urban college educated people, not the bankers at Goldman Sachs.
Why do working class Tea Partiers support the very corporate interests that are screwing them? For the same reason that people living under the thumb of Mafia dons support them- they don’t believe in the concept of egalitarianism. They literally view the world as a dog-eat-dog savage jungle.
This is why Rush is always invoking the spectre of Obama shoving something up their asses- because thats the only course of action they see as rational, the one they would gladly do if given the chance. The notion that we can all live as equals, cooperating peacefully in mutual respect is alien to them.
This is why all the bloggers, from RedState to Malkin are infused with the bitter tone of cynicism, sneering at crippled children for having granite countertops.
And finally, this is why the allegorical myths mentioned in the previous threads are so powerful- their opinions are not informed by polite date-rich position papers, but the fear of being overrun by the Other.
Yutsano
Oops, thread went crazy, I didn’t do it!
General Egali Tarian Stuck
OT- a little
Looks like Tom Terrific is into the Ganja again.
Here dude, don’t bogart that fucker.
General Egali Tarian Stuck
@Yutsano: Oops!
Balloon Juice tilting right again.
Liberty60(Veteran, Great war of Yankee Aggression)
@gbear:
$10 also says he was inside the store stockpiling incandescent bulbs for the day when the Kenyan Kommie bans them and makes everyone buy faggy compact fluorescents.
SiubhanDuinne
@Mike Kay #1:
And he’s parked in a handicapped slot. Now I suppose it’s *possible* he has a disabled permit hanging from his mirror (no doubt keeping company with an unironic pair of fuzzy dice) but for some strange reason I think the owner of this vehicle just might not give a big rat’s ass about observing such niceties. I mean, he ain’t gon’ let no fuckin’ gummint shove no goddam handicap laws down his throat, tell him where he can and cannot park his truck, no suh!
ETA: gbear #14, yeah, what you said.
ETA 2: why is everything in italics? And actually I was having some problems even getting to the comment box in the first place. Is it another FYWP moment?
Yutsano
@SiubhanDuinne:
Yep, pretty much.
SiubhanDuinne
@Yutsano: You did this, didn’t you? YOU BROKE MY BALLOON JUICE!!
Yutsano
@SiubhanDuinne: I didn’t do it! I swear! I’m innocent! I KNOW NOTINK!!
Midnight Marauder
On a somewhat possibly related note, when I was at school in small town Indiana, there was this van that rolled through campus a few times. It was painted completely black, except from the large red letters on the front and sides that spelled out DARKIE. As a
black personhuman being, I thought this was obviously racist. If not racist, the egregiously insensitive toblack peoplehuman beings.It came up a lunch one day and this Indiana native son was defending it. He kept saying things like “It’s not racist! It’s just the name the guy has for his van. Sure, it’s weird, but whatever!”
I imagine that this fellow must be directly related.
+8
Anne Laurie
I think I fixed the italics (things look okay on Firefox now, anyways).
Try hitting refresh, y’all, and let me know if it’s still FYWP’d.
SiubhanDuinne
@Anne Laurie: It’s good now, at least on the BlackBerry. Thanks for picking up after Yutsano :-)
asiangrrlMN
Sigh. I have nothing snarky to say in relation to this bullshit. Please excuse. I’ve been up since 4:30 a.m. and just got home from my best friend’s 40th birthday party.
P.S. Google Chrome, here, and just fine. Yutsy, honey, don’t do it again.
Yutsano
@SiubhanDuinne: Bah. I’m gonna call my lawyer.
SiubhanDuinne
@Yutsano:
Call your lawyer if you wish, but I shall offer the following into evidence:
Legal question: Can a fake wife be compelled to testify against her fake husband?
jeff
My ancestors played a bit part in the Confederacy thing, and one of the things that have come down to me is the diary of my 4X Grandfather, who was a Confederate naval architect. This diary, and that of another 4X Grandfather, make it imminently clear that they were agitating for war primarily to defend slavery. They repeatedly refer to the crappiness of the soil and climate, and how the only way to wrench profit from the land is via slavery, and they unabashedly and clearly state economic defenses for slavery. It all reads like surprisingly modern reasoning…except for the slavery. I mean, the slave owners–the large ones, anyway–were frequently industrialists of sorts, who were exploiting (very) cheap labor. All southerners who want to minimize or romanticize the causes of slavery are deluded…
It is a disgrace in my family, though not something we feel personal guilt about–especially since no material wealth from that exploitation has come down to us, unlike, say Lehman Brothers and the successor owners of their concerns. Anyway: no personal guilt, and certainly no fucking pride.
These people do not represent all of us–and, indeed, many years ago not all people who wished to remember the cost of the Civil War to the South were assholes. Now, though, maybe they all are.
Yutsano
@SiubhanDuinne: She always thinks I’m up to something. Sheesh. You have a private conversation with her first fake husband ONCE and suddenly everything’s a conspiracy. Sigh. I give up. I’m evil incarnate and I’ve been found out.
The Moar You Know
@gbear: I dunno, the stickers on the truck suggest he’s earned that placard fair and square.
Probably gets lost going anyplace other than the closest liquor store to his trailer. Needs to be close to any given storefront to remember why he’s there.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: Dear heart, I only think that because I KNOW you. You always ARE up to something!
Warren Terra
@Midnight Marauder, #34
People like that, they’re probably not just related, they’re probably cousins and brothers. Heck, they’re probably their own grandpas.
SiubhanDuinne
@Yuts @grrl: y’all have fun. I’m going to try to get some sleep. Night /wave/
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: Feh. I give up. I’m having a massive salt craving and I might break one of my cardinal rules and go to McDonald’s to satisfy it. Gonna take my good drugs first. Hopefully I don’t get pulled over. :)
asiangrrlMN
@SiubhanDuinne: Night night! Sweet dreams.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: Especially since you can’t talk! I hope you’re feeling better.
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: It’s in the coming and going phase right now. In other words it’ll work for awhile then die. At least I’ve slept for most of today so that’ll help. I really need to stop talking period. Yeah like that’s gonna happen!
BBIAF. If FH #1 shows up nail him down so I don’t miss him.
fucen tarmal
@Midnight Marauder:
that is what kills me, when you have conversations with people who will apologize day and night for what something means, or how it is intended, or why it isn’t racist.
the problem i have is, these aren’t usually the persons for whom the dog-whistle is calling, or maybe they are, who knows, but their refusal to believe that anything but a burning cross and a particular epithet, correctly spelled, are racist.
they honestly don’t want to believe that racism of the type in the picture exists, or that it reaches them. maybe they truly aren’t racist, but they make it harder to attack those that engage in the dog-whistling. they will even accuse you of being racist yourself for even mentioning it. and they recoil at any racial component to any discussion, as if it is trying to start a fight.
i get that people want to be done with racism, and i applaud it. maybe the answer is to let the racists speak without the codes, and let folks decide for themselves. have we gotten there yet?
furioso ateo
Apparently plagiarism is also a “state’s right”.
Jason Bylinowski
I was sorta glad to hear that this guy’s plate had been deauthorized. It was obviously a coded message. Then again, I’m a big believer in killing these things through benign neglect, which works better than we realize. Just to cite a quick example off the top of my head, in terms of major influence the modern skinhead movement is down to less than five thousand people in the USA, and this is a somewhat overblown figure – I heard this the other day on fresh air and was very glad to hear it.
OT – Man oh man, I wish I had the time to keep up with you guys. There is some killer discussion going on here that I know I am missing. My life is a whirlwind right now. Here’s a list of the things that have happened to me in the last three weeks
1. Started school again after twelve years of talking myself back into it (and working up to afford it).
2. Approved for my first home loan and signed the contract for the house.
3. Was offered a new job – which was created just for me – out of freaking nowhere which ups my salary by 50% (!)
4. Signed up to take a major Microsoft exam, which happens next week, currently studying two hours a night for that on top of my regular schoolwork.
5. Trained my replacement at work, 80 hours a week for two weeks to get this done so I could leave in good graces with ZERO paid overtime (!)
6. My car went dead, no big deal, but took half a day to replace the battery terminals.
7. Wife’s car went dead the very same day, VERY big deal, thrown rod and burnt valves, her Ford Expedition that I bought for 20K is now SCRAPPED for 300 dollars. (!) p.s. We cannot get a new loan for another car until our home loan closes, so, uh, right, I have no idea how my wife is getting to work on Monday.
The lesson here is that there is no lesson, good stuff and bad stuff happens quite often, but right now it is happening to me TOO MUCH. LESS STUFF PLEASE, THANK YOU.
+4, or is it +5, I say let’s have another to be safe.
asiangrrlMN
@fucen tarmal: Yeah, it’s frustrating because there is no way of convincing them something is racist. So, I usually don’t try. Bad of me, I know, but it’s not worth my energy.
@Yutsano: I think he would rather be nailed by you!
@Jason Bylinowski: Damn. I’m tired just reading the description of your life. I can’t imagine how exhausted you are living it.
Catsy
One quibble: that’s not the “Stars and Bars,” which was the Confederate national flag. That’s the Confederate battle flag that they’re parading around.
That’s one aspect of the “it’s just a cultural heritage thing” I just can’t buy. If you’re nostalgic for the Confederacy, why not fly the Stars and Bars instead of the flag they carried into battle? It makes the whole sentiment seem… dare I say… a little violent.
Yutsano
@Jason Bylinowski: Vacation. Now. No I’m serious. Take the wife and disappear, even if just for a day or two. The recharge will do you a world of good.
@furioso ateo: Doing your own research is hard! Plus it’s something only squishy liberal elites do!
Glad to see you’re still posting.
furioso ateo
@Yutsano: That’s not my work, that’s a good friend of mine’s. He’s been on top of these weird fringe/conspiracy groups since he was a kid.
Jason Bylinowski
@asiangrrlMN: Right, well let’s just say that corners have been cut as needed. I did 80 hours a week for my old boss for those two weeks, but I spent a metric fuckton of that time towards my own ends as well. I think, really, that as soon as we get moved into the new house, and I get settled in my new job, a lot of this stuff will take care of itself. It helps that my paycheck is getting bigger, because at least I do not have to sweat bullets over getting another vehicle, which a mere six months ago would have sent me into a panic (my wife also got a great job in January, we are living proof that this recession is done at least in our local area), but MAN ALIVE it still ticks me off that I was not able to get any trade value on my old one. Lesson learned: don’t ever buy a car thinking that it’s going to be worth a cent ten years down the road. I’ll never buy new again, that much is for sure. I’ll buy a Ford again though, it was a great car up until the time it wasn’t.
Yutsano
@furioso ateo: Wait, sorry, drugs are affecting my brain. Your friend is doing some good stuff there.
Jason Bylinowski
@Yutsano: I am in the midst of one now, supposedly, though I am just using it to get ahead for this coming exam. I have three days off between the end of my old job and the beginning of the new one. I am also told that my new job is going to consist of twiddling my thumbs for the first week. They don’t even have a desk or PC for me yet, and since I am their newly-created logistics and IT guy, a PC will be pretty much essential. So this will at least be a good time for me to maintain my studies. Vacation? For me that means acquiring peace of mind, and unfortunately I can only have that my knowing I am learning the material that is thrust upon me. So far, I am sleeping well, which is a good indicator of how I am faring.
Anne Laurie
@Jason Bylinowski:
This is not a long-term fix, but can you rent a car from one of those “we pick you up” services? (Around here there is a company called Ugly Duckling that rents servicable beaters cheaply, and they used to be more flexible than the national chains about taking cash in advance instead of demanding a credit card.) Or check your local phone book for “private car/limo” services for a pickup (sometimes you can negotiate a lower rate if you schedule in advance, or if she’ll need the pickup every day for a week). All pricey, but if it’s an issue of bleed the wallet or lose the job, sometimes you just have to go with the bleed.
But apart from that, while your schedule sounds exhausting, most of the things you mention are positive steps that will improve your lives. Yay for you, being brave!
Yutsano
@Jason Bylinowski: I’m on a forced vacation due to a severe throat infection (side effect of traveling to Arizona, I promised myself not to make my friend who I visited feel guilty about it) so I’m taking the time to sleep a lot and re-map my career. I know this much: unless my work can offer up something a whole helluva lot better than what I got right now I’m gone. I’m pretty sure I’m going back on May 2, the question is how long I’m staying around. BTW what are you looking for when you go car shopping with the wife?
Jason Bylinowski
@Anne Laurie: Thanks. Yes, after many years of listlessness we finally have gotten a couple of good breaks. I am thankful, and just too too flattered about my new job. Sometimes being nice (and knowledgeable at your job) really does pay off. As to the car situation, what we are probably going to have to do is let my wife stay at my parents house for a few days, as my father also works at the same plant. Then, once the house closes, we’ll rent a car for a week, and then we’ll get a loan at the credit union and go see a bunch of cars and hopefully buy a nice used car from an individual seller for under 8 thousand.
Jason Bylinowski
@Yutsano: Four doors, an engine that doesn’t knock, and whatever else she requires.
p.s. Sorry about your health. Once you get back up to speed I hope your job situation improves. It’s tough to get a raise from cheapskates, I know. I had to threaten to leave to get one, and then right after that, I left anyway because of a job offer. That still cracks me up.
Yutsano
@Jason Bylinowski: My brother has a 1997 Volvo with around 150,000 miles on it. The thing still runs amazingly and he’s really really tough on it. Just a small suggestion, plus it’s really fun to drive. When he first bought it my mom wanted to steal it from him!
Jason Bylinowski
@Yutsano: See my edit. But yeah, Volvo is something I would drive, I am also big on VWs, having had three since I was 16. Whatever it turns out to be, I’m sure I won’t be much interested in it, knowing her tastes in cars. This girl drove an AMC Eagle for ten years and was happy to call it her own.
Anne Laurie
@Jason Bylinowski: Sounds like you’ve got a good plan. My devoutly frugal Spousal Unit swears by the online used-car sites… our last two cars have been purchased through cars.com, and his only regret is that by the time we need the next one he’ll have to find a substitute for his beloved Saturn wagon!
Yutsano
@Jason Bylinowski: It’s funny cause my boss sat me down after the new year and asked what my plans were. Since my job is really just a placeholder until I decide to do something else, I honestly answered I don’t know. As the year has unfolded there have been a few warts that I’ve either ignored deliberately or weren’t obvious to me at the time. It was enough for me to look elsewhere, especially since I would like to relocate. Since I’m in the fortunate few who are in the full employment category (four year degree) it shouldn’t be too difficult. I am feeling better so thank you for the wellwish!
As far as cars go, I refuse to comment about others’ choices in that matter having owned once in my life a Pinto. I dumped it for a bug eventually (still miss that car even if it died every other Tuesday like clockwork) so get whatever will make her happy. She sounds like a mid-sized gal, so a Jetta or a Volvo would probably be right up her alley.
@Anne Laurie: Heh. A friend of mine bought one of the last Saturns you could get. He made a good choice though, it really is a honey of a vehicle. I really wish Penske could have kept that one going.
Jason Bylinowski
@Anne Laurie:I just about got one through cars.com about two years ago, something about the lady who was selling made me pull back though. In retrospect, I have concluded that I was probably just being silly, as it was a really nice car for a good price, well-maintained with all the paperwork, etc.
Jason Bylinowski
@Yutsano: College paper help you to make money paper. You so educated. I do that too, soonly.
Saturns were awesome in general, even their family sedans were fun to drive and had a great solid feel to them. It is a sad thing to me that they are not around anymore.
Oh jeez, it’s late, gotta run guys but thanks, and I’ll return triumphantly in a week or two I hope.
Yutsano
@Jason Bylinowski: Compared to the absolutely atrocious rental car I had, the car was sheer luxury. In fact I’d say get a Saturn too if you can find one in your price range. We shall await your triumphant return with trumpets and banners good sir. :)
Subgenius Tunch
I ache, therefore I am.
Man in Shack: The lord knows I am not a cruel man.
Ford Prefect: Ah– you say, `the lord’, so, you believe in–
Man in Shack: My cat. I call him ‘the lord’. I am kind to him.
Ford Prefect: Alright. How do you know he exists? How do you know he knows you to be kind or enjoys what you think of as your kindness?
Man in Shack: I don’t. I have no idea. It merely pleases me to behave in a certain way to what appears to be a cat. What else do you do? …Please, I am tired.
Subgenius Tunch
@asiangrrlMN:
Asian girl – I feel your pain. “I ache, therefore I am” Things could be worse – Sue Lowden could have you in her “crosshairs” All this week I have been suffering from insomnia. I do however find that things you find witty at 3:30 in the a.m. tend to be cringe worthy the next day unless they are truly strong in the snark. Tunch be with you.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: Did you ever get your salt fix?
I have my college papers, too, not that they are doing me much good at the moment.
Yutsano
@asiangrrlMN: Yeah I made a late night McFred’s run. I’m sure I’ll pay for it later.
It really is amazing how our employment situation is based more on luck and networking rather than our qualifications. Sometimes we just have to ride out whatever storms we have.
Joey Maloney
@Catsy:
I prefer the suggestion I read recently, perhaps on this very forum, that those nostalgic for the Confederacy use the flag it flew most recently – the white one.
asiangrrlMN
@Yutsano: Yeah, I guess. I just realized I’ve been up for nearly twenty-four hours. Time to crash. Night all.
John T
If truck driver guy took the neo-Nazi thing seriously, shouldn’t he be celebrating how many Jews died on 9/11? I thought Nazis (and run-of-the-mill white supremacists) hated New York City for being full of race mixing, rootless cosmopolitanism, Zionist-controlled media, etc.
I’d be willing to wager that the owner of this truck jizzed in his pants on 9/11.
arguingwithsignposts
@John T:
Just a word to @Jason – comprehensive auto ins. can be your friend. I have a POS car, but I also have a rental rider which will provide up to $20/day for a rental if it is in the shop. Your particular situation sounds extra bad, but that’s something to keep in mind for future reference.
Also, Toyotas – despite their recent woes – have been very, very good to me.
Catfish N. Cod
@gbear re:
I have friends and know places that got hit with those tornadoes. Not all of them are fat bastards, or even voted for them. Kindly focus your disrespect on those who have earned it, m’kay?
@Christine:
I have more than zero — he has been very good at attracting industry to Mississippi (my town now has a steel mill and three aerospace plants building drones and choppers, when ten years ago we were known for furniture and toilet seats) and he thoroughly did his job in Katrina hurricane recovery.
This doesn’t excuse what he has done, how crooked or stupid he is, or his ambitions to replace the MUP in the White House. But it does mean I have more than *zero* respect for him. Maybe 22 points out of a hundred.
Linda Featheringill
So the Poverty Law group takes Bachman seriously.
Hmm. I always had her classified as a nut [and she is]. I never thought of her as a dangerous hatemonger.
I have lots of respect for Poverty Law, so I guess I need to take another look at Michelle.
[There are people who actually listen to her?]
A Mom Anon
@Linda Featheringill: She manages to raise lots of money for the GOP,gets on the teevee and radio and got into office. It may not be alot comared to someone like Hannity or Limbaugh,but she’s got a bigger platform than alot of sane people do. She also gets a say in legislation,which is frightening,since she seems to have no earthly fucking idea how Congress works. Someone’s listening to her. eek.
I cannot imagine what it’s like to live with someone who is so freaking angry and scared (referring to Mr Truck Nuts above)all the time. I don’t believe for a second that anyone full of hatred just shuts it off when they walk in the front door.
SGEW
From Volokh:
Ties in interestingly with the free speech discussion from yesterday.
Dennis G.
@Yutsano:
Thanks for catching the typo.
Paul in NC
The handicapped parking space tells me there is a high probability the guy is either (1) old enough for Social Security and Medicare, or (2) on Social Security disability (and therefore Medicare as well). In other words, another idiot that bites the hand the feeds him.
Cynicor
@Paul in NC: How do you know he didn’t need the handicapped parking space as a result of injuries sustained in the Confederate Army? You could be making fun of a Purple Heart here.
mcd410x
Someone already mentioned the distinction between the “Stars and Bars” which was the first CSA national flag and the battle flag. Needs the image, tho.
tc125231
@SGEW: Of course, ther’s a simple solution to the “licensce plate” crisis. End vanity plates. License plates are an inappropriate vehicle for personal speech anyway –the idea is to reduce road rage, not encourage it.
Bill Murray
Wouldn’t the tailgate 9-11 reference be to the Pentagon, which is in Virginia (and on Jefferson Davis Highway, I think), rather than to NYC? eta: even though the pic looks like the WTC
The Stars and Bars looks too much like an early US flag, so the battle flag is needed to make the racist heritage point.
SiubhanDuinne
@tc125231: I don’t know any dollar figures, but I imagine that most states find vanity plates an excellent source of revenue. But I actually agree with you and wouldn’t mind just having the state raise the cost of license plates and renewal tags/decals across the board to make up the shortfall in doing away with vanities.
asiangrrlMN
@A Mom Anon: She’s married to a gay-repulsion therapist at a local Bible-thumping college. He’s a bigger jackass than she is with just as much hatred. The only silver lining is that Bachmann is the MN Dem’s best fundraiser as well.
Don
@Yutsano: A number of interesting things have gotten past the VA DMV, I wouldn’t assume too much…
scv
You people that are against this truck and tag are obviously historically stupid as there are no “Stars and Bars” on the truck but rather the Southern Cross displayed in the rear window. The tag is not racist in any matter, your minds just overflow with ways to start trouble. Im sure that the author of this article is historically ignorant and probably thinks the war was about slavery lol. Maybe those against what they see should read a book or two. Not to mention its freedom of speech. I guess you are also against guns, pit bulls, American cars and for immigration and pressing 1 for english and 2 for spanish? The same people that are whining about this mans truck probably voted for obama lol. I didnt, not due to his color but because he is a retard. I have no political affliation, felt that neither contender was competent so I voted independent. I do hope that one day you grow up.
scv
People have mentioned that the truck bears the southern cross though people have called it a battle flag. The battle flag was square in shape. If you want to get technical the flag in the rear glass if anything is a Tennessee state flag due to its shape. Its just th emost commonly known and produced. It was mentioned that he claimed heritage but yet is not flying a national flag. I would challenge you to find one as I cannot. I would love to have the stars and bars in my back glass or even some type of display that has all of the flags of the confederacy, as it is my heritage, I am proud of it and am not racist. My family that is mixed could tell you that. Even they wear confederate flags. Somebody mentioned that on 9/11 the guy probably crapped his pants. I doubt it. I am a disabled veteran, Im 29, and I have been in combat under the U.S. flag, and am proud of it. I would like to see everybody get along instead of being so judgemental and following such bad stereotypes. The way people talk about the guy in this pickup are more prejudice than he probably ever has been.