June 18, 2021: A Few Republican Nuts

 

6/18/21: Former VP Mike Pence showed up Friday to give a speech at a Faith and Freedom Coalition event. 

Mike really wants to run for president in 2024, but he was greeted with boos and shouts of “traitor” from members of the audience. But at least they didn’t start chanting, “Hang Mike Pence.”

 

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IF YOU CAN’T get enough of Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and her special brand of madness, Republicans have another nut running for Congress. William Braddock would really like to represent Florida in the U.S. House of Representatives…even if it means killing Anna Paulina Luna, one of his primary opponents. 

In a secret recording, Braddock is allegedly heard suggesting that a Russian-Ukrainian hit squad could finish the job. 

What is it with these Republicans? Can’t they even hire Americans? (See also: Donald J. Trump.)

 

“I really don’t want to have to end anybody’s life for the good of the people of the United States of America,” Braddock is allegedly heard saying in a recording exclusively obtained by Politico. “That will break my heart. But if it needs to be done, it needs to be done. Luna is a f***ing speed bump in the road. She’s a dead squirrel you run over every day when you leave the neighborhood.” 

Luna promptly files a petition for an injunction. 

 

FUN WITH AIRCRAFT: Remember when Rep. Louis Gohmert of Texas was all in a tizzy over President Obama’s plan to sneak federal troops into his state and crush the liberty of Louis’ constituents? Obama. That guy was slick. Louis said he was going to use tunnels under closed Walmart stores to pull off his scheme. 

Remember right-wingers talking about black helicopters that were coming to get us? And those choppers were filled with blue-helmeted, United Nations troops? 

None of that ever happened while Mr. Obama was seated in the White House. Probably, because the helicopters and tunnels were figments of imagination. Now the U.S. Air Force is examining whether sophisticated RC-26 reconnaissance aircraft were used to monitor protest demonstrations in Minneapolis and Washington D.C. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper and Secretary of the Air Force Barbara Barrett have “shared concerns” about the use of National Guard aircraft “during recent protest activity.” You can read about that in the Air Force Times.

 

Also, you can read about Capt. Emily “Banzai” Thompson. If you missed it, she became the first female pilot to fly a combat sortie in an F-35 fighter jet, recently. Her unit is based in the United Arab Emirates; but the Air Force is mum about where she flew her mission. 

Asked about it, Thompson herself was naturally excited. “I think it’s a bright future,” for female pilots, she said. “There is a number of us already in the F-35 and I think the number is just going to continue to grow. It’s a very supportive community, it’s very open, I think the opportunity for women to really excel in the F-35 is definitely there.” 

Asked if she had any advice for girls who might want to fly jets someday (rather than pretend Barbie and Ken were kissing during a trip to the beach), she replied, “Know there’s a lot of supportive people out there. Just stay positive, work hard, and you can achieve whatever you set your mind out to do, you can get it done.” 

As a liberal, might I point out that conservatives used to go bonkers if you said women should be allowed to serve in combat?

F-35.