My last couple of posts have been prompted by the deeply un-democratic and troubling actions of the US Republicans, which I sent up in my new smash hit stage show, Trump! The Musical (see Act One here and Act Two here).
But something happened last week which was so gob-smackingly appalling, so mind-blowingly incredible, that it went far beyond satire. Something that made even Trump’s suggestion that people should inject bleach to combat COVID, seem almost acceptable. Yep, that bad.
I am, of course, talking about the poster-girl for monumental stupidity that is Marjorie Taylor Greene (Rep. GA). In a recent House Committee hearing, this amazing woman hit such hitherto unreached levels of ignorance (even for someone presumably educated by creationists), that I feel I have to comment on it.
If you watch the clip, you’ll see she keeps her powder dry to start with. No doubt she was softening up her audience so that the humdinger of dipshittyness to come would have greater impact. She begins slowly, confining herself to some typical Republican scare-mongering; a few ill-considered comments about the amount of tax dollars being sent overseas in aid, which she seems to suggest would result in all the citizens of recipient countries coming to America. Yadda yadda yadda. Typical pandering to the redneck base.
Then she steps up a gear, chucking in the unsubstantiated claim that climate change is a hoax. I say ‘unsubstantiated’, as although she tries to prove her point, she actually does so by listing some of the effects of climate change in the USA – hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes. This is a level of stupidity that I’m sure would make her creationist teachers very proud.
But this is just the warm-up act for MTG’s pièce de resistance; the lead-in to her moment of supreme intellectual vacuity. After this she comes out with an absolutely moronic statement – so much so, that one thinks she might actually be trying to be ironic. But no – watch the clip (at 1:55). She’s deadly serious, and even does that little ‘am I right or am I right?’ smirk at the end. Here’s what she says, verbatim: “People are not affecting climate change. You’re going to tell me that back in the ice age, how much taxes did people pay, and how many changes did governments make, to melt the ice?”
I mean, what? WHAT? If you didn’t know it already, this is a woman who has been elected to the US Congress! ELECTED! BY ACTUAL VOTERS! A woman whose grasp of the earth’s history is so poor, that she comes out with this mind-blowing piece of stupidity! But do you know what is worse? She sits on – get this for goodness sake – the House Committee on Homeland Security!
I thought maybe she was being side-lined (apparently she’s already been thrown off other committees), so I checked the responsibilities of this committee. “[It] conducts oversight and handles legislation (and resolutions) related to the security of the United States. The committee may amend, approve, or table homeland security related bills. It also has the power to hold hearings, conduct investigations, and subpoena witnesses. Additionally, the committee has authorization and policy oversight responsibilities over the Department of Homeland Security.”
I mean WHAT – THE – ACTUAL – FUCK? Let me just say this again – this Greene woman is a member of the House of Representatives and is on the committee in charge of US homeland security! That this woman has any sort of responsibility is beyond belief - other than perhaps being allowed to pick her own nose. And even then she should probably have supervision. Just in case she misses and puts her own eye out.
America – you have my deepest sympathy, you really do. I am sorry to say it, but if this woman is one of your elected representatives, then you are truly fucked.
I mean, look at where you are. You have a Republican party that is headed up by an indicted criminal, alleged rapist and self-confessed ‘pussy grabber’. You have an apparently retarded member of the House Committee on Homeland Security (see above), and Christians who think that protecting children means indoctrinating them so they are shit-scared of going to a mythical ‘hell’ for all eternity. And this is the party who claims to be protecting family values? A party who thinks that drag queens, gays and trans people are more of a threat to children than guns? Or paedophile priests? And let’s not forget that they have other representatives who ‘talk the talk’ rather than ‘walk the walk’. Lauren Boebert (Rep. CO) for example, is a grandmother in her mid-30s whose 17 year-old son’s girlfriend was apparently under-age when she became pregnant. Funny sort of ‘family values’ going on there.
No, I am really sorry, America, but you cannot let this continue. You have to do all you can to vote these people out, and elect some actual, genuine politicians. Ones who have an education that includes facts and evidential thinking, and who make laws on the basis of maximising the common good. Not those who want to further the interests of the gun lobby, or the oil & gas companies, big pharma or the health insurers. And certainly not those who believe America should be run on the basis of their interpretation of a book written about a mythical Jewish carpenter by bronze-age misogynists.
I know it’s not going to be easy. But hang on in there, America, and do the right thing.
Then in a few years we can look back on this collective madness with a wry smile.
And we can all breathe a heartfelt sigh of relief.
My day job is an author of historical action adventure novels set in Tudor England. If you’re looking for a fun read, try my first novel, The Witchfinder’s Well. It is available on Amazon as an eBook, in print and now as an audiobook.
Click the image below for more, or click these links for the audiobook: UK and US.