Tag Archives: chaffetz

Trump 2016 Election: State Change now even more important

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The harmless team was at The Roasting Company – doing our 2016 election mourning over good coffee.

“Jesus, I’m depressed,” Bill said.

“There’s no question I am,” Jay said. “I even considered fully losing it early this morning.”

“Remember those last pages of State Change,” I cautioned. “Those who are old and ready, and those who are considering checking out, can have an especially important set of opportunities. They can go way beyond distributing Ananda’s Chocolates to our entire hit list – our 29 ideologues. Most were reelected.”

“You mean really take them out, don’t you?” Jay asked. “Or at least make them undesirable for further service.”

“Why not? All they’ll do in Congress is do more damage. They’ll make many others suffer for their distorted ideologies.”

“We could just plant some illegal drugs on them,” Bill suggested.

“That might do it. Or do – or get done – some serious investigative reporting exposing their financial connections and other shenanigans.”

“Most of them – especially Gowdy and Chaffetz – love conspiracy theories and witch hunts. We could give them a taste of their own tactics – develop some paranoid fantasies in them.”

“I thought State Change would be somewhat obsolete after this election, because Hillary would make it, we’d likely take the Senate, the Supreme Court would be modernized, and the state would begin to change,” I said.

“So much for wishful thinking,” Jay said. “There was a piece in The Guardian this morning, by Thomas Frank, …”

“The guy who wrote ‘What’s the Matter with Kansas‘, right?” Bill asked.

“Yep, and he has a new one Listen Liberal; the piece in the paper is like Liberals put Trump in the White House.”

“Ouch.”

“Anyway, State Change is even more important and valuable now that Trump will soon be thrashing around in the White House,” I said.

“My Australian and Canadian friends are incredulous,” Bill said.

“I’ve started to add overseas audiences to my Tweet destinations now, because Europe is so concerned. A major Madrid paper, El Paix, had columns today titled The Crazy is in Charge of the Asylum – and another The Suicide of Democracy.”

“It’s time to up the action,” Bill said.

“I think so,” said Jay. “I’m ready for some serious activism.”

“Let’s think this through and meet again right after Thanksgiving.”

 

 

Coal Reality Anxiety Evil Witches

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More coffee talk – this time in the cafe at The Leonardo.

“You made it to the BLM coal lease moratorium hearing?” Bill asked.

“Yes – over 500 people – standing room only,” I answered.

“And most of them were yellow t-shirted miners from Utah’s coal country,” Jay added.

“Yes, miners, drivers, family, local business people. The mining-impacted communities were well represented.”

“The picture I saw in the paper had some 400 or so of the total in yellow t-shirts.”

“That’s about right,” I said. “And perhaps 2/3 of the over 100 three minute talks were to release the moratorium on coal leases – and to blame Obama, Interior, and the BLM for their ‘war on coal’.”

“The Governor and his team – and the Congressmen – still don’t realize that the entire fossil fuel economy is changing,” Bill said. “Rather than do anything to help those impacted by the change, they look for excuses and scapegoats.”

“They look for – and invent – witches,” Jay said. “And their patriarchal, self-righteous, arrogant attitude convinces those impacted miners to also seek witches: Obama, Sally Jewel.”

“All that patriarchy breeds arrogance, which fuels ignorance – and denial,” I said.

“That sounds like a great title for an op-ed,” Bill said, smiling.

“I think I’d add EVIL to the title. Their ignorance and denial really does make them evil, in my estimation. They sit there collecting their salaries and donations, and the poor miners and drivers in Central and Eastern Utah become more afflicted with anxiety, fear – even depression.”

“That makes them – the Governor, Legislature, Congressional do-nothing delegation – evil in my book.”

“Mine, too,” Bill concluded.