Recently, the public has become aware of a reclusive billionaire named Robert Mercer.  His name is connected to pretty much all things corrupt and deplorable – Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Paul Manafort, Cambridge Anaylytica, and many others.  He’s bankrolled child molesters like Roy Moore, and poured millions into think tanks propaganda mills contributing daily to the dumbing down of conservatives and the proliferation of fake news.  Along with the Kochs and Sheldon Adelson, Mercer is apparently doing all he can to destroy America as we know it and turn it into an Russia-like oligarchy where money is “speech” and poverty is “freedom”.  These guys believe if they can’t win, they’ll just buy the power they want.

As disgusting as that is, he participates in what on the surface appears to be a really odd activity: he is a volunteer police officer in a tiny New Mexico town.  The town of 433 people, with only ONE full time employee, the police chief, has a volunteer force of reserve officers of 84 people who come from all over the United States.  That’s right, a town of 433 people out in the middle of nowhere has a police force of one, backed up by 84 (at its peak 150) reserve officers.  They are each required to serve 6 days a year, train and qualify.  The do sniper training and tactics.  Weird, right?

Well, not so much.  It turns out that Congress passed a bill in 2004 called the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, which allows police officers to carry a concealed handgun, even if local laws prohibit it.  Reserve officers qualify to carry handguns anywhere they care to in the US.  After the law passed, badge factories sprung up all over the country making gun nuts a reserve officer just so they can carry guns even in jurisdictions, like New York City, that prohibit it.  Besides just simply being a piggy bank for every weirdo and radical on the political right, it turns out that Mercer is a gun nut.  He bought Centre Fire Arms, which manufactures and sells assault rifles.  His son in law runs it.  He also started, with others, Law Enforcement Education Organization which was set up to encourage the carrying of firearms by law enforcement officers across state lines under the Law Enforcement Safety Act.

The Bloomberg article linked above is a fascinating read, and a story of which I was not aware.  Mercer has emerged as one of the scariest guys in modern politics.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

.

.

.

.

Okay, it all started with Laura Ingraham saying something mean, which is what she does for a living. Maybe you’ve never seen her but she’s a regular on Fox News and Slime Tweeting.

She SlimeTweeted one of the leaders of the Parkland students by saying, “David Hogg Rejected By Four Colleges To Which He Applied and whines about it.”

The students called for a boycott of her show. Advertisers heard it and it’s working …

Online travel website TripAdvisor and Rachael Ray’s pet food brand Nutrish have since said they would stop advertising on Ingraham’s show.

So Ingraham tweeted an apology to Hogg.

Holy week?  How ’bout you apologize in the spirit of human dignity?

Okay, I say we let it go this time.  Think about this:  if she loses her job on Fox, she’ll be the next Secretary of State or some damn thing.

Hey, once Trump gets impeached, I’ll help you tie her to Sean Hannity and let her talk through her nose in his face for days on end.

The correction of the day comes from the Wall Street Journal.

For those who didn’t go to Bible School …

And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

Numbers 20:11

Moses made miracles.  Iraq not so much.

Thanks to Deb T for the heads up.

I know Trump shops for lawyers on teevee.  Rumor has it that he really liked Joe diGenova and Victoria Tensing when he would see them on Fox News but when they got to the White House without stage makeup, special lighting, and canned questions, they didn’t look so hot.

But, I think Trump uses Fox News like some people use QVC.  He gets his crap there.

So, here we go with The QVC Presidency –

John Bolton – Fox News commentator and new head of the National Security Council.

Larry Kudlow – Fox News commentator and new head of the Council of Economic Advisors.

Joseph DiGenova – Fox News legal analyst and (nearly) new legal counsel for the President’s Russia problems. (This “item” was returned after it was deemed not to meet the buyer’s expectations.)

Peter Hegseth – Fox News blatherer and (nearly) new head of the VA. (“Item” rejected after it was determined that this hire would be redundant; the President already has marital infidelity and nepotism covered.)

Who could be the next recruit from Fox News and for what position? Geraldo Rivera, Jesse Watters, Bill O’Reilly (I hear he’s looking for work).

Thanks to Sarah for this idea and most of this writing. 

One of our customers, Joe’s Still Confused, reminded me of this one.