I see that my favorite children’s book author, Daniel Pinkwater, is philosphically aboard the popular twitter hashtag “#nonotoriety”, if not actually.    (He saves his hashtags for making fun of Donald Trump.) [Though his moniker “TheDaniel” has “discomfiguration issues”].

It’s not entirely possible to manuever completely around the details of the news, but it is certainly an “at last” in terms of popular public discourse on these tragedies — that we have finally noted the “contagion” effect at work, and… a mass shooting is effectively just a publicity stunt to promote the suicide note / slash / “manifesto”.  But sure dig into the details anyway — just be sure to note the  most important detail… in the case of Southern Oregon… the man shot the classmates one by one, and was sure to let one go — with the instructions to be sure to deliver his manifesto to the proper authorities.

There’s been a way the “reason”ing has fallen apart anyway.  The Columbine kids made it pretty clear in their year long “production” that they were out to kill hundreds in pursuit of immortality and something “bigger than McVeigh”– they failed at the body count simply because (professionally manufactured) guns kill people more effectively than homemade bombs lining the locker rooms.  Yet despite the fact that they hated Marilyn Manson and the “Trenchcoat Mafia” had largely graduated the year before, we got treated to a bunch of that.  The UC Santa Barbara killer, I am told, had written a long manifesto about how much he hated women — and yet he killed 3 men and 3 women — it feels atonal to say this, but he didn’t follow through on his supposed ideology.  (But it is better for the matter to descend on one societal ill than the panoply of things.)  I’d think the Newton case would settle the matter — there is no way one can stick outside stimuli on the vacancy of the mind at work — and so here, more than anyone else I have contempt for this culprit’s mother — with this person in her custody, why is she having a stockpile of weapons at easy disposal?

Never mind.  I’m rambling and contradicting myself to get to my point.

No… Noooo… NOOOOOO!!!

Instead of creating a whole new state like most aspiring secessionists, one disgruntled resident is looking for support in joining eastern Oregon and Washington with Idaho.

The separation movement comes from Oregon native, Ken Parsons — a 72-year-old farmer from La Grande, Ore.— who wants rural residents of the two states to jump ship to more conservative-leaning Idaho.

Parsons has contacted state legislators in all three states, newspapers and created a Yahoo group called “Oregon and Washington Joining Idaho.”

“It’s an intriguing idea,” Parsons told the East Oregonian.

Growing up in Eastern Washington, I could always had one thing to hang my hat on… “Well… at least it’s not Idaho.”  And so, with that bit of Washingonian self identity, I could root for sports teams from across the Cascades, and fuzz the matter outside of the state.  This guy wants to do with all that.  Take away this from the disaffected youth of his area…

Interesting line, though, in one of the write-ups.  A college professor telling him “don’t bother”, beyond improbable… and the movement is best to “get involved in politics”… Curious, as — their quixotic actions are, definitional, politics… and probably to them about as likely to stem the tide of the damned liberals as the parliamentarian moves the professor is thinking as the definition of “getting involved in politics”.

One observation.

The Constitution does not require that the Speaker be an elected House Representative, though every Speaker so far has been an elected Member of Congress.

If the Republicans really and truly want Eric Cantor, who was next in line before being ousted in a surprise Tea Party winning primary, they can go ahead and get him.

Then again, the “tail biting the dog” effect that ousted Boehner and now Kevin McCarthy started with that election…

So maybe they can all rally behind Dave Brat?

… No… we need someone in there who’s pursuing Mark Levin’s so called “Liberty Amendments”.  Everyone else, including Dave Brat, would be a “RINO”.

(and note, yes, the “Newt Gingrich for Speaker” clarion call is a hell of a lot like the “Michael Dukakis for Interim Senator” clarion call, where at the time it was a matter of concern, it became a “thing” because it just kind of sounded cool.)

Easy explanation for a bit of this…

Lincoln Chafee supporters may be small in number, but they came out on top of the grammar charts, making an average of just 3.1 errors per 100 words. Trump supporters, on the other hand, made more than four times as many mistakes, with 12.6 per 100 words.

Hillary Clinton supporters came in at the bottom for Democrats, tying with those of Republican candidate Carly Fiorina, who was at the top of the list for the Republicans — supporters for each averaged 6.3 errors per 100 words.
You have to really, really commit yourself to be a “Lincoln Chafee supporter”.  Hillary Clinton… is sort of the default setting for the Democratic Party support (even as there’s a pretty good shift from the default to “Bernie Sanders”… at least in terms of that classic “Year before the election” situation, but it is still a “deviate from script”.)

On the Republican side, and Donald Trump “winning”… well…  I’d be curious to see how the Spanish language comments supporting Donald Trump come out.
For Marco Rubio, we can probably just skip everyone and zero in on the grammer of the Brothers Koch, the oppositional subject for Larence Lessig’s first campaign ad buy.

… and, no, there is no easy way to deal with the “overview of sad news” against the routine rustlings of broadcasting…

“And we leave tonight with scenes from the day’s tragedy.  Take care.”

One last shot of the local news desk, somber faces on everyone, sad music plays over a handful of screen shots from the community college shooting in Roseburg, Oregon… students with hands over head in parking lot, ambulances, and…

… The newscast hits a hard and fast break.  Commercial comes on.  Carl’s Junior.  One in the long running ad campaign that started, I believe, with Paris Hilton — the premise being “hot (famous, presumably) scantily clad chick takes a bite out of a greasy burger.”  This is a “Ultimate Fighting Champion”, marketed with sex appeal, biting into a greasy breakfast sandwich.

The Rolling Stone magazine was pulled back on the supermarket checkout line, so instead of Donald Trump staring at us it was the ad for Jimmy Fallon.

I wonder if this was done on purpose.  A political message by a customer?  Staff?

What did the Pope say to Kim Davis?  A meeting in itself seems to have put a kibotz on the honeymoon with political (largely secular) liberals… as everyone jumps to the conclusion of what beggin her retain “courage” means — as well…

Father Benedettini from the Vatican Press office released a statement after reports emerged that Davis and the pope had met.
“The Holy See is aware of the reports of Kim Davis meeting with the Holy Father. The Vatican does not confirm the meeting, nor does it deny the meeting. There will be no further information given,“ the statement reads.

and whether maintaining “religious liberty” is assigned to her Republican Party political cause…

Needless of what the Pope wants to say, Kim Davis will use it to her full political advantage, so on that score it’s probably good and well that the honeymoon with political (largely secular) liberals is finished, and everyone can go back to agreeing and disagreeing with the Pope at will…