Since he’s from Steuben County, which is just south of Rochester geographically, yet very much South of Rochester politically, I was interested to learn more about the guy who called Ilhan Omar’s office and threatened to “put a bullet in her fucking skull”. Well, it turns out that he was using his girlfriend’s phone, and when FBI agents went to his house to interview him, he said his girlfriend owned the guns.
It’s all in the complaint [pdf], which also points out that the dumbshit “spelled his name and left contact information.”
He’s certainly a profile in courage as well as abject stupidity, but it’s fairly consistent with the behavior of a few of the ignorant yahoos who populate the aptly-named Southern Tier of New York, of which Steuben is part. In the rural parts of that area, you’ll see Trump signs and Confederate flags displayed. I’ve never understood why my fellow New Yorkers, who lost 50,000 Union soldiers in the Civil War, put up with the public display of the stars and bars.
Open thread because this guy isn’t really worth that much more discussion.
Jerzy Russian
Are you sure it is not “Stupid County”?
geg6
Come to the T of Pennsylvania and it’s exactly the same. Although not a denizen of that part of the state, we’re far enough from Pittsburgh and close enough to West Virginia and Southeastern Ohio that I know at least ten guys who could be this guy.
Eric NNY
North Country of New York is the Southern Tier with more snow.
jackmac
Every blue state seems to have an area and collection of such ignorant yahoos. Here in Illinois just travel south of Interstate 80 (and stay away from the college towns) and you might as well be in Alabama.
Walker
It is because they are racist and identify with that flag. I grew up in the rural South. The people I have met in upstate NY are WAY more racist than the people I grew up around.
David Hunt
They put up with the flag because it isn’t a symbol of the Confederacy, anymore. It’s a symbol of White Supremacy.
ThresherK
Currently listening to some bits from the original cast recording of Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812. I’m enjoying the music.
Has any of our jackaltaiat seen it?
SFAW
@jackmac:
MA has a large streak of redneck, and has for at least 30 years. Anti-taxxers like Barbara Anderson, MA’s answer to Howard Jarvis (may they both rot in Hell), could not have succeeded so well, were the Commonwealth as blue as our Congressional delegation indicates. Well, except for Seth Moulton, and Stephen Lynch on occasion.
B.B.A.
Any civilized country would have shot him and billed his family for the bullet.
joel hanes
this guy isn’t really worth that much more discussion.
… except as yet another bit of evidence that the actual terrorism problem in the US is reactionary-right FoxNews teajadi MAGAts.
Brachiator
Fortunately, Trump has been a positive force for moderation. NOT!
Trump is openly endorsing hate. It will pop up everywhere in the country. No region will be immune.
You cannot even say that Trump is being cynical or opportunistic. It’s not as though he really cares about Israel. At bottom, he just wants to fuck over Muslims.
mrmoshpotato
@David Hunt: I’d say one of those exists inside the other like a Russian nesting doll of racist hate.
rikyrah
The Late Show (@colbertlateshow) Tweeted:
“I think that having a beautiful, brilliant Black family in the White House for 8 years, absolutely drove a lot of people crazy.” @HenryLouisGates. #LSSC https://t.co/Oi3SrjflUI https://twitter.com/colbertlateshow/status/1114385635534499841?s=17
piratedan
i kind of think that he is worthy of discussion, namely because he threatened a MOC with violence. I assume that this is indeed a bridge too far and I thank him for his idiocy in regards to identifying himself and that he receives a first hand observation of the legal system at work. Just like Ms. Waters has gone ahead and sought prosecution against those that threatened her, I wouldn’t mind having my tax dollars spent prosecuting assholes like this.
hells littlest angel
We just elected Anthony Brindisi and Antonio Delgado to the House. But, yeah, we have way too many racist gun-humpers here.
Omnes Omnibus
@B.B.A.: A civilized country wouldn’t have the death penalty, but do continue on with your cosplay Black Bloc shtick.
Bill Arnold
This genuinely is weird. POTUS D.J. Trump is trying to be macho to the Republican Jewish Coalition, and he doesn’t know how to make a fist!.
https://i.guim.co.uk/img/media/e7f5d984d2dde321dd8eae3730d3efde83e6829e/0_0_3226_1935/master/3226.jpg?width=620&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=2352ed5005f148016ead715289883a83
(Here’s how; http://asaikarate.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/How-to-make-fist.jpg ; a fist like Trump’s will suffer damage if it hits anything hard.)
via Trump to Republican Jewish Coalition: Democrats will damage Israel
Which makes it official; Trump will (already has) damage Israel.
Also, FWIW, Trump says American Jews have either dual loyalty or are not Americans, not sure:
Trump spoke to an audience of American Jews and referred to Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu as ‘your prime minister’
businessinsider explicitly calls out the hypocrisy with respect to Rep Omar.
Brachiator
@Bill Arnold:
Israel is the 51st state. Eat it, Puerto Rico.
Kay
“stated that he loves the President…” I don’t know- I’m sensing a connection between Donald Trump and these terrorists. They’re telling us over and over again.
Amir Khalid
Can anyone here remember the title of this Cordwainer Smith story that I read a long time ago? I found it distracting to read beause Smith had loaded it with Malay words in odd places. There was a strongman-dictator bad guy Smith named Kuat (strong), a spribter he named Lari (run) a drink called kelapa (coconut) and a poison called pisang (banana).
debbie
@B.B.A.:
Or just have the girlfriend take care of him.
eemom
Nothing can equal the irony of confederate flags in west virginia and the lostness of such irony on those who fly them.
debbie
@Brachiator:
I’d like to know how many of those Republican Jews felt a twinge, or maybe even a sense of déjà vu. thinking of Trump’s calling immigrants “animals” yesterday.
Bill Arnold
@Amir Khalid:
Google says “Down to a Sunless Sea”:
http://cordwainer-smith.com/blog/malay-words-in-the-cordwainer-smith-stories.html
TBH I haven’t read much of his work, just Norstrilia.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Kay: I think you may be on to something, Kay.
Amir Khalid
@Bill Arnold:
Thanks.
Brachiator
@Bill Arnold:
@Amir Khalid:
Odd. This also seems to be a reference to the Coleridge poem:
In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
bmoak
The eastern edge of Steuben County is more touristed and more cosmopolitan, drawing residents and visitors from outside the area. Corning Inc is the major employer and Corning has the Corning Museum of Glass and Rockwell Museum of Western Art. You also have Hammondsport, with the Glenn Curtis Aviation Museum, and the Finger Lakes wineries along Laek Keuka. West of that, it’s basically two steps up from Deliverance, though.
Brachiator
@debbie:
I don’t know. But it is a fair question.
Trump’s immigration policy and his Israel policy is based on hatred. And Trump is supremely foolish in that he believes that he can channel the hatred. But the people who hate Muslims today will be coming for Jews tomorrow. And then they will come after other groups. The list is almost endless.
And Trump will happily sit in the ruins of Fortress America, as long as he is on top of the burning heap.
Bill Arnold
@Brachiator:
This – https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/03/remembering-cordwainer-smith-full-time-sci-fi-author-part-time-earthling/274344/
makes me want to find and read his short stories. Norstrilia was magnificent. wikipedia:
(Story list here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cordwainer_Smith )
CapnMubbers
@Amir Khalid: I see the story title has been identified above—You might like The Game of Rat and Dragon.
Brachiator
@Bill Arnold:
I am going to have to look for these stories.
sukabi
They aren’t history buffs, they’re consumers of racism. Same as it is for every other nit that flys that flag and talks about preserving their history.
J R in WV
@Amir Khalid:
I found Cordwainer Smith (aka American author Paul Myron Anthony Linebarger (July 11, 1913 – August 6, 1966) a long time ago.His Wiki is worth reading as well.
I was probably something like 12 or 14 when I came across one of his books at the library. Fortunately my mom knew I was a little precocious and arranged for me to have full run of our small public library, Which did buy new books regularly.The characters in those stories!!!
The sputtering remains of a not quite real civilization, with people of all kinds trying to make it without knowing how any of the remaining tech really worked…
I dinna recal the Malay words, but so much was invented, I may have just thought they were invented…
Alce_e_ardillo
@Jerzy Russian: Absolutely, and we in Eastern New York call its soul twin Schoharie County, “Scary County”. The entire Southern Tier could be called Northern Pennsyltucky.
Matt
@debbie: TBH I don’t think anybody at that meeting thought about it any farther than “the GOP wants to kill loads of Muslims just like we do, so BFFs forever”.
charon
Just to be a bit pedantic, the Confederate Battle Flag aka Flag of the Army of Tennessee aka Second Confederate Naval Jack is NOT the “Stars and Bars,” the “Stars and Bars” was the national flag of the Confederacy, which was deemed unsuitable for battle because it looked too much like the Union flag.
Groucho48
Cordwainer Smith is worth reading just for his titles…
The Lady Who Sailed The Soul
The Ballad of Lost C’Mell
Scanners Live in Vain
Golden the Ship Was–Oh! Oh! Oh!
The Crime and Glory of Commander Suzdal
Alpha Ralpha Boulevard