Monday, September 30, 2019

  I had a intro for this before I took a nap, but I'll be damned if I can remember it. Ah, well.



  Another hot one today. It doesn't look like it will ease off this week, nor will we get any rain. Amusing, since the Spring brought us a helluva lot of rain for the area. Another dragging day for me, too, though we had a nice visit from my cousin & his little boy. Did the front porch thing & all, the whole country bit. All we lacked was a watermelon to cut.

 The president's gone goddamn loopy. Apart from spending the day crying about the mean ol' Democrats on Twitter - like he's wont to do - more news has surfaced concerning him & AG Barr seeking other governments' assistance in digging up dirt on Joe Biden & his son Hunter. This time, from Australia & the United Kingdom. This is, apparently, a problem, but of course, the thin-skinned buffoon in the White House spent the day kicking & screaming, trying to find out who the whistleblower is & tacitly threatening them, & retweeting some Bible-thumping goon that said the cultists may have no choice to start another civil war. He's also been told that a second whistleblower's allegations - that he used "inappropriate influence" to keep people out of his IRS audit - can go before any impeachment hearing that may spring up. He's threatening that one, too, & he really can't do that.

 I wonder how they see this "Second Civil War" deal washing out. Trump's popularity numbers have never topped 50%, generally floating around 41% to 44%. There's a smaller group of Republicans & conservatives in general who profess to be outraged by the goofy bastard, & despite my skepticism, I don't think they can be counted among the cult faithful. And, of course, a lot of people voted for him in 2016 because they loathed Hillary Clinton & I doubt they'd be a bullet stopper for him.

 Extrapolating this to the voting public, this comes to maybe 20% of registered voters. For what it's worth, I'm sure there is no shortage of knuckle-dragging humanoids out there who don't vote but love them some Trump owning the libs. That being said, they're another group who I can't see taking up arms in his holy name. Let's be generous, then, & say maybe 15% of all functioning adults are hardcore enough Trump freaks to be down with slaughtering their fellow Americas because that hooting dingbat thinks his honor has been besmirched.

 If you'll recall, the last American Civil War fell along mostly regional lines. The South wanted to keep slavery & the North thought they already had too much power in the country, so the South started a war & got their asses kicked (deal with it, fanboy). You had a few places in the South that didn't care to leave the Union, or at least didn't want to join the Confederacy. That's how we got West Virginia, after all. Then there's the "Free State Of Jones County" in Southeast Mississippi, which makes for a fascinating story & a dull movie. Northern Democrats who wanted to end the war, make peace with the Confederacy as soon as possible, & restore the Union were called "Copperheads" by the Republicans of the time, but you had very, very few people in the North who were fighting for Southern independence or the continuation of chattel slavery, & they were complete bastards.

 This Civil War wouldn't be defined by regional status, but through more ideological leanings, I'd think. Would blue New Orleans join in the rest of red Louisiana in owning the libs with high-caliber repeating rifles? Come to that, most of your larger cities in the Deep South have high African-American populations & generally trend Democrat. I can't see them stirring up too much shit on Trump's say-so. There are some very conservative places out West - an area that was not a factor in the previous conflict - but they're more of a libertarian bent & would rather be left be to play cowboy. I don't see some Wyoming rancher being willing to die for a effete Manhattan fancy lad.

 The other thing to consider is gun ownership. According to an August Gallup poll, something like 36% of the population owns a gun while there are 46% of the households in the country that are gun homes. I've read elsewhere that there are three shooty-bangs for every man, woman, & child in the country, which makes for a lot of guns. Now, out of all that, self-described conservatives (40% individual, 53% household) & registered Republicans (45%, 61%) make for the highest gun ownership.

 On the flip side, liberals (18%, 29%) & registered Democrats (16%, 28%) are on the lower end, & that probably surprises nobody. The tossup soi-disant moderates (28%, 42%) & independents (32%, 44%) would probably break even, as that's where the "I just can't vote for Hillary" folks come from. I really don't see them riding for Trump &, for that matter, just because someone is a conservative Republican doesn't mean they be soldiers in the Orange Uprising.

 Interestingly, when it comes to income, people who make $40,000 to $100,000-plus a year - the bulk of Trump voting base - overwhelmingly own the most guns. It's 74% to 19% or thereabouts, & if you believe anyone who makes that much damn money is going the bleed & killed for that goofball. Now, all this may be a bunch of hoopla, but I really don't see, again, most gun owners going against their neighbors, much less attracting the complete military & police presence. Of course, some of those loons think they will. but those are the same ones who've been thirsty for a dictator since 2002.

 So I for one don't see the blood in the streets happening like these clowns say will happen. Look back at the embarrassing bust that was the whole Bundy Saga. Look at the pre-Trump gadabouting on the border, when the "patriots" wouldn't get out of their trucks' air conditioning. People on Twitter talk big, but that's mainly because we don't have the technology to reach through the internet & slap some asshole for being an asshole. I've said a number of times they need to shit or get off the pop, but from the occasional mass murder at a Wal-Mart or shooting up a synagogue, they're all talk. Even then, the Trump fans don't to claim those particular Second Amendment heroes when the rubber hits the road.

 Once again, we're in Interesting Times & it may take more than I got to fully wrap my head around all this. While he's still covering his ass, Mitch McConnell (R-Hell) has said the Senate will take up impeachment if it passes the House. How long they'll study on it is another matter, he's said, but that slimy fucker isn't going to fall on any swords by a ham-&-egger like Trump. If impeachment & conviction looks like a sure thing, the GOP will drop their boy like a hot biscuit & not answer his calls from then on. Where do his cultists go, the ones who'll turn on anyone if their God Emperor says so? They're turning on FOX News, they will turn on the Republican Party. Trump is who these people have been waiting for. They will ride & die for him, at least until the next thuggish demagogue comes along.

 Well, it's late & I'm tired. Galaxy Squad is on sale at GOG.com, & it comes recommended. It's pretty basic but a lot of fun for six bucks. I've been reading an interesting collection of short stories by Chinese sci-fi author Liu Cixin. I'll admit I was unfamiliar with Chinese science fiction, but the stories are very engaging with a... well, "different" vibe than I've gotten from Anglo-American stuff or even Russian sci fi. It's not quite as bleak as the latter but it's not all space adventures & aliens, either. I've been on a big Junior Wells kick today, & I always recommend him if you like the blues. He's a better than average harmonica player, but I've always thought what sets him apart from the rest is his soulful, swaggering vocals. Do check him out.

 I think that's good enough for tonight. It's getting late & Otis is already sacked out. Tomorrow brings... well, who knows. Might as well find out, eh?