Has America reached Peak Stupid yet?
I didn’t make up “peak stupid” — I stole it from Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo. But the term is so descriptive, I had to think up a post where I could use it.
America’s SQ (Stupid Quotient) has been rising steadily, but it reached a boiling point after last Thursday’s incomprehensible mass murder in Newtown, CT. Personally I don’t think this tragedy should be used as a political football for anyone’s agenda, whether it’s fewer guns, more guns, more prayer rituals at the office, whatever.
But some of the scapegoats people are coming up with are just plain, well, Peak Stupid. Or at least we can hope this is the peak. You’ve probably seen some of this garbage. The tragedy in Newtown was caused by: allowing same-sex marriage and other permissive ungodly behavior; kicking God out of our public schools; steamy sex scenes in movies and on TV; using birth control; you name it.
And some of the “solutions” are even wackier: arming students and teachers, and/or training grade school students to rush the gunman in the middle of his shooting spree (described in the linked article). Other “solutions” include Special Ops training for all teachers — plus arming them to the teeth — so they’ll be trained to react automatically during an assault weapons attack. The teaching credential program would probably look more like Navy SEAL training, with that there booklarnin’ being just an afterthought.
And there are other examples of Peak Stupid besides the retarded “solutions” to last week’s mass shooting. Just one example: in Arizona, GOP leaders are STILL dredging up Obama’s fake birth certificate.
[sigh]
If we haven’t reached Peak Stupid yet, what will the real Peak look like?
posted by Tom Harper @ 2:13 PM
7 Comments:
The political/religious right is shot through with self-promoting, opportunistic hucksters. They know how useful it can be for themselves in the aftermath of something like this to get in front of cameras and microphones, and bloviate in ways that create media buzz and build their brands. They exploit tragedies the way cockroaches exploit a dark kitchen.
It's amazing to me after the ugly, racist stereotypical things Bill Bennett has said about President Obama that any TV network or major-media outlet would have him on. Yet, he's been all over the place. Mike Huckabee has his eye on 2016, if not to be No. 1 on the GOP ticket at least to be No. 2. We're going to be seeing a lot of him.
As for "peak stupid," wait at least until the tea party candidates come out of the woodwork in 2014. We ain't seen nothing yet.
The thing that gives me hope is I feel like NOW these assholes are really hurting the GOP every time they utter their statements. A solid majority of American people can see through the conservative lies. The election in November proved that.
Perhaps we should let them put their money with their feet are now, can you imagine the Republicans who have tried to cut school budgets and the Department of Education, coming up with Billions to Arm teachers?
Maybe Halliburton and Black Water will get the no-bid contracts
Erik
I'm afraid we haven't reached the peak yet. However, I do believe the major cause of these tragedies is media violence and taking moral training out of the schools. I don't know how to do it, but somehow we must find a way to teach the major religious tenants, love, respect, responsibility, to our children... and ourselves. The whole idea of worshiping money and that second place is first loser is destroying our society.
SW: You're probably right, 2014 will put this year to shame. We'll be hoping we've reached the peak in 2014, but then in 2016...
Jim: I hope these assholes are turning off the general public with their retarded spewings.
Erik: LOL, Blackwater thugs patrolling the school ground. Who knows, stranger things have happened.
Mr. C: The general social contract has been getting weaker and weaker over the past few decades. I don't know whether the solution can come from schools or parental training. It's easier to diagnose the problem than to solve it.
To piggyback onto what Erik was saying, can you imagine the Republicans who have tried to cut funding for health care coming up with billions to fund comprehensive mental health programs?
S.W. mentioned 2014... I think that's what it has to be all about at this point. We won in November, but we really need to take back the House in two years.
Snave: We need to be sure we don't let our guard down in 2014 or 2016. The GOP is in a shambles right now, but they'll be fighting mad with a vicious attack plan next year. Democrats need to be ready.
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