Stupid Rex Rammell Gets Punished
Idiot Idaho gubernatorial candidate Rex Rammell has been in the national news for making a "joke" about hunting President Obama. (Basically, he was at a picnic where the subject of wolf hunting tags came up, and someone in the audience asked about "Obama tags" and Rammell said "The Obama tags? We'd buy some of those.") He doubled down on his idiocy by tweeting that "Obama hunting tags was just a joke! Everyone knows Idaho has no jurisdiction to issue tags in Washington D.C.", leaving open the implication that an Idaho under his leadership would have jurisdiction to issue licenses to shoot the President were he to come to the state. He then claimed that the "CIA" had contacted him about the incident; I assumed that was another one of his "jokes", in that the CIA doesn't handle this sort of thing -- the FBI and Secret Service do -- but then he repeated the bizarre claim at a press conference where he refused to apologize for the "joke", but instead demanded apologies from Republican leaders who had denounced his "joke", and insisted people should "lighten up" in general.
New West Boise has a great report on the press conference that includes some of the question-and-answer section. I wasn't able to attend as an intrepid citizen journalist because I had to work. Had I gone, here are some of the questions I would have asked:
"The Church to which you and I belong has as an Article of Faith that we 'believe in being subject to... presidents...'. Do you believe that you are subject to President Obama as the duly-elected President of the United States?"
"Many of those who share your beliefs say that 2nd Amendment gives them the right to violently overthrow the government using guns. Do you believe that as well?"
"How exactly would they use the guns to overthrow the government without shooting law enforcement officers and military personnel? Do you believe that the recent shooter of the soldiers in Arkansas was acting within his Constitutional rights when he used a gun to oppose government policies, or do you think that this right is only reserved for white Christians?"
"Do you realize that you're lying out your ass when you say that a Boise-based CIA agent contacted you about the incident?"
"If elected Governor (right after cute fuzzy rabbits come flying out of your butt), you may have National Guardsmen from Idaho sent to Afghanistan. Given this world map, can you identify Afghanistan?"
"OK, I admit, that's a tough one. Can you identify a single country on this map?"
"OK, so geography's not your strong point. One last question: In how many gay porn films have you appeared under the name 'Rex Rammer'. What, you don't like that question? It was a joke! Lighten up!"
posted by Bubblehead at 7:21 AM
33 Comments:
It would also be in bad taste to make a joke about having a Mulligan Tag.
9/04/2009 10:02 AM
It's a dumbass 'joke' by any measure, but I for one am sick and tired of bullshit, politically-correct, say-only-what-I-say-is-OK-for-you-to-say, extended pinkie types.
So, absolutely no denouncements from me or my people on this one.
Carry on.
9/04/2009 10:58 AM
Anon@1058
I guess you are talking about the Tea Parties. I am sick of those too.
9/04/2009 11:30 AM
And then there is the minister of some way-out-there church in Arizona who is spouting death to POTUS. It was one of his flock that showed up at a town hall meeting with an assualt rifle.
BHO is getting ahead of JFK in the death threat category. At least with JFK it was about Cuba and BOP. With our current POTUS it's about skin color. Pretty sad shit for America.
Back in December I was in Redding CA doing some shopping for Christmas. I stopped by applebee's for lunch and a cold one. talking with the bartender that I know about what I'd turned up with some online research re: BOP relating to an oral history I was working on. Another old guy sitting two stools down joins the conversation. Turns out he's a retired Army Colonel who was at the Pentagon during BOP working logistics related action items. Anyway subject turned to Kennedy assassination with connection to failed BOP invasion. So this guy tells me he still has computer access to a classified Army sites, and one of the things that was reported on this one site is that assassination threats against the president-elect were off the scale, and that SS had really beefed up tracking, investigation, and protection.
Pretty sad day for USA when right wing nut jobs like Rammell and others think it's ok to joke about assassinating POTUS.
BTW Anon 10:58, My comments got nothing to do with politically- correct, etc. It's got everything to do with these nut jobs being stupid. I believe if you dig into their backgrounds a little you'll find some "peckerwood" in there.
My two cents, and keep a zero bubble........
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
9/04/2009 3:34 PM
But wait, there's more!
You forgot about the part where Rex's lawyer had to go on the record to say that what Rex said he told Rex about a threat? Actually, no, I didn't say anything like that.
9/04/2009 4:33 PM
The President wants to go on TV and talk to school kids...nothing new. After all, what do you think he is going to say to a young audience? Likely something truly objectionable like "Your country needs you to stay in school and our country really needs people strong in math and science. Oh, and don't do drugs."
But of course, since he is black, you have people like a rep in FL who says "We must block his socialist message from the kids." This, the tea baggers, Rex Rammer, all pathetic. As much as the left disapproved of Bush43, they never talked of 'hunting' him, and would not have dreamed of banning him from addressing children. After all, he could readily speak right to their level.
9/05/2009 5:21 AM
Srvd_SSN_CO -
What most people objected to in the script for the Obama speech (which was released last week) was the recommendation about having the children write letters to themselves about what they can do to "serve their president." When you combine that with this typical Hollywood drivel full of "I pledge to serve my president" and the entire democrat leftist platform (Paper not plastic, hybrids, and not flushing after every bathroom visit), it becomes clear that this is a cult of personality.
And yes, when Presidnet Bush (the elder) addressed school kids in 1991 the democrats complained.
9/05/2009 6:56 AM
This comment has been removed by the author.
9/05/2009 7:38 AM
Anon@0656,
I admit I don't like it when the president attempts to appeal to "serve the president" rather than serve the country. I also dislike Hollywood gazillionaires standing up to pledge conservation while they continue to live in their 10,000 sqft mansions-- it smacks of hypocrisy.
Still there is no reason that conservation should be strictly a leftist cause. In fact one of the worst legacies of command economies is the devastation of the local environment.
9/05/2009 7:42 AM
anon 6:56, Ok, that request to serve the President is dropped. So now what's the problem? There's that darn skin color thing again... BTW RR also addressed school kids during his administration with some political comments thrown in. Dems may have complained however they didn't go crazy about it and threaten to keep their kids out of school.
My two cents and keep a zero bubble.....
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
Note for RD, Change of plans, I will be at the SubVets gathering in San Diego. Not staying at Town and Country however. I'll check in with you probably Thursday and buy you a beer.
9/05/2009 3:54 PM
You know, I totally missed the point in my last post. For those you who appear to be up in arms about Obama speaking to America's children-- lighten up. He's the President of the USA, for Christ's sake.
9/05/2009 8:12 PM
The President, adressing the kids and encouraging them to study hard and stay in school, go to college and become productful people in the American way of life does not bother me.
What bothers me was the thing they released aobut what has been mentioned before about how to serve the President. If they hadn't done that, then I might have a warm fuzzy feeling about his speech.
Why not have the kids write about how they can serve the country and what the impact on their community is? After the "I pledge" video was shown here in Utah, it is making me even more suspicious about his agenda. I have sent instructions that my kids will not view this video and if I want them to, it will occur at home. I see to much attempted Hitler style brainwashing by the administration of our children and will now carefully preview everythign they want to feed my kids!
In NO oath I took for all my years of service did I swear to serve the President. only obey the orders of the President and the Officers appointed over me!
STSCS(SS/SW) USN RET
9/06/2009 10:00 AM
#1 The uproar over the President investing time in addressing the nation's students is misplaced. I can think of several policies the current administration is pursuing which I question, but engaging our students is certainly not one of them.
I look forward to discussing the President's speech with my daughters. The very fact that he is taking the time to speak to them demonstrates that our country believes they are important to our future. I believe they already understand that, but I'm also sure many of their classmates haven't received the same amount of support growing up so this is an important message to get across.
The fact that we can't even seem to agree on the value of having our President address the nation's schoolchildren in an open forum speaks volumes about our nation's most pressing problem today: apparently irreconcilable division on almost every issue and the resulting impotence it implies for our democratic system.
#2 Concluding that those who think the President is "wrong no matter what" must be racists is an equally indefensible position. How many people irrationally couldn't stand anything that the previous President did, even for completely innocuous things (or the one before him for that matter)? Some folks are simply partisan in everything they think or say because they lack the capacity or will to think objectively. Typically they are invested in a competing position and are willing to appear to behave irrationally in the effort of defending their own interests.
Accusing them of racism, however, crosses a line in my book. That accusation has itself become its own form of hate speech -- I'd prefer to reserve its use for decrying truly racist acts. It may seem be both easy and effective to attack the person instead of attacking what they are saying, but it's intellectually invalid. This is one symptom of the larger problem I mentioned above. If we can't even disagree respectfully, we can't effectively discuss any issues that matter.
9/06/2009 3:38 PM
WRT to Rammel's comments: a simple "that was a dumb thing to say" suffices. Jokes in poor taste are always a political risk; anything offensive at least ought to be a little funny to compensate. Politicians who don't understand that humor is both fickle and subjective aren't going to last long for the career field.
9/06/2009 3:39 PM
subicon,
Me thinks you protest too much. Free speech is free speech, I certainly don't deny anyone their right to that. I certainly have the right to express my opinions as well.
I've made this arguement before in other threads on this blog. If our current POTUS were a Democrat and caucasian we would not be hearing, reading, seeing all the pronouncements from the Angry Old White Male's who are scared shitless that they are loosing their perceived birth right and entitlement to political power; and our current POTUS, BHO just happens to be the most public symbol of their declining influence. In my view, and the view of many, many others, all these comments reek of these white supremicist beliefs. Beyond the daily rantings on Fox, from Newt and Beck-arthy are the voices of people who are scared because the world that they knew is disappearing and don't know what to do about it. Just like McCarthy in the early 50's, these nut jobs that pass for politicians and pundits (out of office pols) know exactly what they are doing to stir up that fear and anxiety and play into media infotainment that passes for serious journalism today. They know the game well as we all do. They know where the line is, they cross the line with their comments and when their is a strong backlash they game the system with a cheap apology and we all recognize it as gaming they system and do nothing about it. It's designed to move that line about what is acceptible discourse and what is not during times of great change. It is designed to provoke anger and violence and to drown out serious debate about important issues. It derails thinking and discussion on important issues and indicates that the "other side" has nothing to offer.
No, it's not political correctness to call out Rex Rammell for his comments, it's my turn for my free speech. Is Rex Rammell a racist? Don't know and don't care. This I do know, If it looks, and sounds, like white supremicist claptrap it probably is, and should be called out for what it is.
So why do they do it? Because it sells well politically in certain areas of the country and with a very small segment of our population. It plays well on talk radio and Fox to the same small segment of the population, and our media-infotainment love this stuff and present it as something worthwhile to cover.
I go back to my basic premis--If our current POTUS were a Democratic caucasian we wouldn't be hearing, reading, watching all this nonsense.
One other thought, best definition of "Political correctness" I've heard/read is, "to pick up a turd by the clean end."
My two cents, and keep a zero bubble..........
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
9/07/2009 12:26 PM
One more observation and prediction. I'm willing to bet that POTUS will have two (or possibly three) more nominations to the Supreme Court during his presidency. I'll bet he will name at least two more well qualified women to the court. My prediction is that it will really drive the Angry Old White Men over the edge. Fox news will implode, and talk radio will have a melt down when they figure out that four out of nine seats on the Supreme Court are women.
Bet some of you are cringing at the thought of all those dang women making decisions affecting the freedom of Americans.
Dang!! I can't wait!!!
My two cents and keep a zero bubble............
See you'all in San Diego at the USSVI convention
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
9/07/2009 3:03 PM
Please, pray tell, what is so wrong with the text of this speech?
http://www.whitehouse.gov/MediaResources/PreparedSchoolRemarks/
It is innocuous as it gets. Nothing about health care. Nothing about serving the president. It is something that needs to be said.
In fact, when he discusses future careers to aspire to, he lists a career in the military right next to being a nurse, lawyer, and architect. Imagine that.
After seeing this, there is no reason parents should keep their kids home, much less send a note instructing the teacher to not let them watch it.
9/07/2009 4:06 PM
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET said:
I go back to my basic premise--If our current POTUS were a Democratic caucasian we wouldn't be hearing, reading, watching all this nonsense.
---------
I disagree. I distinctly remember a considerable amount of alarmist vitriol from the Fringe Right during the Clinton administration about how he was a secret communist and any number of conspiracy theories...
I think it's more a case of people being upset that "one of theirs" isn't president. He's just "not one of theirs" - like the Clintons weren't - and nothing he does, says or is (including his ancestry) matters beyond that.
9/08/2009 11:40 AM
DBFTMC, methinks you insinuate too freely.
I also think you conveniently ignore a long history of vocal fringe activists who couldn't stand anything a particular President had to say - something which started well before 2009. Occam's Razor indicates there may be reasons beyond racism causing folks to behave irrationally.
9/08/2009 4:17 PM
To DBFTMC and Srvd_SSN_CO: Your blanket statements that those opposed to Obama are racist are incredibly offensive, if not down right ignorant. The color of his skin has nothing to do with his lack of qualifications. What you have basically stated is that disagreement with Obama's policies and tactics can have no other basis than racism. The fact that two career Navy people could be so incredibly obtuse is astounding. You are perpetuating a stereotype that is just as offensive as any ethnic stereotype out there. In your bizarro world there are only 2 choices, either you are 100% behind Obama, or you're a racist. What fine examples of leadership.
9/09/2009 7:15 AM
What lack of qualifications are you talking about, Tennvol?
9/09/2009 9:51 AM
The lack of any type of significant leadership experience. The demonstrated ability to lead something larger than a girl scout troop. Something more substantial on the resume than 'Talks real well.' I think this lack of leadership experience is supported by his 29 'czars'.
9/10/2009 7:29 AM
Tennvol, that horse has left the barn. He's over 35. He's a natural born citizen. He was elected with over 53% of the vote. Those are the requirements. He is our president, and by virtue of our electing him - deserving of the basic respect due the office.
----
I think this lack of leadership experience is supported by his 29 'czars'.
----
He's got, roughly, the same # of Czars as George W Bush. Now, if you had the same problems with GWB and his pre-presidency record of business failures, I can understand. But if you didn't find GWB's # of czars a problem, you'll have to use something else for this president.
9/10/2009 9:21 AM
I think it is reasonable to criticize Obama for lack of experience in the manner that Tennvol states. He doesn't have a lot of experience managing things, let alone the entire US government. The same can be said of a lot of US politicians. I would have liked it if Colin Powell had run-- I would have voted for him. There was a time I liked McCain. His choice of running mate (Palin) killed the respect I had for him.
What bothers me is the tone of discourse coming from the right. From Taitz to the Tea Parties to Rush Limbaugh to Palin-- there seems to be no interest in doing what is right for the country as a whole-- the interest is "let's do what we can to ensure Obama fails. " Where are the statesmen on the right?
BTW, I don't like it when I hear the same crap from the left. When the right screams Marxist, the left screams Racist (or lookist, or ageist, or what ever else the come from the Mancuse manifesto). This kind of discourse gets us nowhere.
9/10/2009 10:28 AM
Anonymous @ 9/10/2009 9:21 AM: I wasn't referring to the constitutional requirements. Also at no point did I disrespect Obama, but I do question his ability to lead this country. I also question his motives and decision making.
"He's got, roughly, the same # of Czars as George W Bush."
You just pulled that out of your ass, because there is no credible source that supports that statement. Even using radcon math.
Don't try to paint me as a sour grapes conservative, nothing could be farther from the truth. I didn't care for GWB, but in 2000 and 2004, he was the lesser of two evils. Personally, the right annoys me just as much as the left, and often much more.
9/11/2009 7:09 AM
tennvol,
Me thinks you had your "right wing goggles" on When you read my opinion. Try to "read and understand" my opinion. You obviously did not do that. Instead you try to play that old canard of attacking the writer rather than actually responding to my position. It's what I expect from someone with a closed mind,and illustrates the exact point I was making in my comment. An Angry White Male fearful of loosing a perceived birthright to political power and threatened by our first African-American President. You obviously can't handle the change our great nation is experiencing. I feel sorry for you.
Keep a zero bubble..........
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET having a blast at the USSVI Convention
9/11/2009 4:31 PM
"Do you believe that the recent shooter of the soldiers in Arkansas was acting within his Constitutional rights when he used a gun to oppose government policies, or do you think that this right is only reserved for white Christians?"
You're kidding, right?
The guy who shot up the Arkansas recruiting center had nothing to do with being mad at Obama, opposing the government, or the 2nd Amendment, or the Constitution, or being a white Christian. He was a young black Muslim, and his purposes were misguided by his religious beliefs. He has nothing in common with Rex Rammell, tea parties, or gun owners, and everything in common with the 19 islamists who took down the towers.
9/13/2009 6:19 AM
@DBFTMC: Again, I'm not right wing anything. I don't listen to talk radio (other than sports talk), don't watch Fox News, and do not frequent conservative web sites.
Just to make sure I wasn't off base in my opinion, I pointed a friend from work to this thread and solicited his feedback. He felt you and Srvd_SSN_CO were way off base. By the way, he is black and voted for Obama. He is not happy with Obama's performance to date. I guess that makes him a racist too.
9/14/2009 6:58 AM
Tennvol,
When you use the "Ad Hominem" attack that has nothing to do with the opinion I am offering you are using the classic approach of the right wing to change the subject in an attempt to control or to shut down the discussion. It ain't working. Again, me thinks you failed to really read and "UNDERSTAND" my first post. I am beginning to believe you may not have that capability. BTW, my opinion in that post is not unique to me or served SSN_CO, it is shared by many, many Americans that have observed the town hall shinanigans of the last month, or listened to Newt talk about "white America" on MSNBC or read the comments of US Congressman Westmoreland (R-NC)and the Minister of a way-out-there church in Arizona that preaches that he wants POTUS to die by any means as examples.
I'll accept your statement that you are not right wing with a grain of salt. Regarding your friend, If he is unhappy with BHO performance to date than he is unhappy with his performance to date, thats all. It doesn't make hime a racist. You've tagged him as that using again, the faulty approach of "Ad Hominem" logic. You need to find something else because it just ain't working for you at all.
Keep a zero bubble......
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
9/14/2009 8:40 AM
Tennvol,
More!!! Check the Huffington Post for it's coverage of the "angry white americans" on the mall on Saturday... White supremicists at their finest!!
Keep a zero bubble......
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
9/14/2009 9:15 AM
DBFTMC -
I'm sticking up for TENNVOL here - your arguments leave much to be desired. I read and understood your original post - there are many death threats against Obama. Ok, fine - if you say so, I'll believe it. But just because there are fringe lunatics who would actually consider doing that, doesn't mean that every person who marched in DC last weekend is a racist. There are many people who are honest-to-god unhappy with the out of control spending this administration has put in place. And yes, I know there hasn't been a balanced budget since the Clinton administration. Doesn't forgive the sins of the current one. You need to accept the fact that there will be critics of any president, and Obama doesn't get a pass just because he's black.
9/14/2009 7:26 PM
anon 7:26,
Me thinks tennvol is a big boy and doesn't need some one to stick up for him. Pls read all my posts on this thread for my take on this stuff. I have continued to post examples of prominent pols and pundits who publically argue the AOWM position. None of my critics deny these examples. Instead they use personal attack on me, or change the subject as you did.
So, how do you account for all these public examples I have offerred? You can't because you know what I'm saying is correct. The issue is too many white men are pissed because they believe they are loosing their birth right to power. They focus this anger on BHO as the most visible example of this perceived threat to them. It ain't the "in-your-face-racism" I experienced in Charleston SC in 1963-67, it's more subtle today most of the time. However, you don't have to scratch very deep to hear the same old shit today. Example: I was in San Diego for SSBN 619 reunion and USSVI Convention last week. I stopped in an old watering hole in Chula Vista I was a regular at when sailing with MSC over the last few years. It's a blue collar joint. I got into a converstion with a civilian shipfitter working at NASSCO who was from Mississippi. When he felt comfortable he started ragging on black people and said, "I can't wait to get home and shoot me some n*****s."
A lot of white folks want the old days back--what ever that means to them. They don't like all this change cause it scares the hell out of them. Our current POTUS is the most visible example of their fear.
I'm done here, it's been an interesting topic Bubblehead.
My two cents, and keep a zero bubble...........
DBFTMC(SS)USNRET
9/16/2009 10:07 PM
I am sick and tired of everytime anyone disagrees with Obama's policies or agenda they are called racist. You resort to the race card whenever the man cannot stand on merit. Even MLK stated, 'Judge a man not by the color of his skin but by the content of his character'. People are sick and tired of the entire 'political correct' crap. People are responding to people who have the gumption to say it like it is.
As for Rex Rammell, good grief it was a simple joke. Get over it. A helluva lot of people are mad as hell at what Obama is doing to our country. And lots of sentiments to this fact are expressed everywhere you turn, in every state, in every setting. But to call a joke a threat is just a bit ridiculous. To call it racist is even more ridiculous.
People are sick of censorship under the guise of 'political correctness'.
So, by the same token as many of you that scream racism at every turn, if a white woman was to be raped by a black man and she was angry about, her anger would be because the man was black and not because of the act he committed?
9/26/2009 8:20 PM
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