Ted Lieu: "Dear Bill Barr, Do your job instead of being a full on conspiracy theorist."

[Miles Archer]

Ted Lieu
@tedlieu

Dear Bill Barr of @TheJusticeDept: I'm just a simple Catholic. But even I know your job is to enforce the law, not the Bible.

We are a Constitutional Republic, not a theocracy.

Do your job instead of being a full on conspiracy theorist.

#SaturdayMorning Thoughts

Link to tweet

[Cracklin Charlie]

1. Wow at that quote from Barr!

That’s disturbing.

I think I better go re-read “The Handmaid’s Tale”.

[Wounded Bear]

2. Or re-watch V is for Vendetta...

[Miles Archer]

3. "Shoring up the base."

Trump is going to do whatever he can to keep that staggering 40% of the population in his corner.

[Baitball Blogger]

4. Jesus. He must really be shitting in his pants if he's going full

throttle with the Christian persecution meme.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Barr gave speech day/2 ago claiming less christianism cause of mental illness & drug abuse

Barr said that secular militants, including “so-called progressives,” are mobilized in an “organized destruction” of religion. He vowed that his Justice Department will fight for the “most cherished of all our American liberties: the freedom to live according to our faith.”

Because of the decreasing influence of Judeo-Christian traditions, Barr insisted, “along with the wreckage of the family, we are seeing record levels of depression and mental illness, dispirited young people, soaring suicide rates, increasing numbers of angry and alienated young males, an increase in senseless violence and a deadly drug epidemic.”

(Violent crime has decreased significantly over the past quarter century, according to statistics collected by the federal government.)

The deadly drug epidemic was caused by Republicon-enabled greedy Big Pharma.

Soaring suicide rates are due to intolerable stress put on employees by Republicon-enabled greedy companies: part-time only jobs just under the 30 hour bar, no benefits, wages squeezed, tips taken, and so many tactics.

Young people are dispirited because of Republicon-enabled climate inaction.

The increasing number of angry young males is due to Republicon-oriented talk radio, social media bots, and Faux news.

[Baitball Blogger]

11. Republicans have never been good with cause and effect.

[LastLiberal in PalmSprings]

15. Barr: DOJ will fight for "the freedom to live according to our faith."

So long as that faith is fundamentalist Christianity. All others - especially Muslims - need not apply.

[DallasNE]

24. Not What They Say. What They Do

Barr may say he is fighting for "the freedom to live according to our faith" but that is just the rallying cry to impose his faith on all others. And we are already seeing that in things like Hobby-Lobby where the faith of the owner can be imposed on those that work for him and Citizens United where unlimited dark money is allowed to corrupt our elections without the corruptors being identified. And lets not forget the freedom of cake decorators to impose their religious values on those who order their cakes.

For the likes of Bill Barr "freedom to live" means "freedom to impose". It is that simple.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

31. and the other underlying message ...

If we (meaning all you suckers, er, sinners) live austere lives of hard work, then we (meaning me and mine) can all be rich, by and by.

[colorado_ufo]

10. Am I remembering incorrectly?

I seem to remember at some point a couple of years ago I read that he was a member of Opus Dei.

[Baitball Blogger]

12. I see it clearly now, if so.

[Peregrine Took]

20. Good article about super secretive Opus Dei...

..."But let me tell you something. Seventeen years in Opus Dei was no picnic. It was relentless psychological, emotional, and especially spiritual manipulation. I needed therapy after I got out. And I did not seek therapy until after a massive bender that ended with an embarrassing, profanity-laced email that I sent to a lot of people who I rather would not have seen it.

But, and not because of any virtue of mine, I am still here. I am not going anywhere. And though I know there are a lot of discouraged people out there, I implore you to not go.

If there is one thing the Catholic Right fears, it’s the laity, the ordinary men and women in the pews. That’s why they keep us in the dark; why they haul out the usual scapegoats whenever the rock is lifted to expose their rot. But it was people like us who Jesus sought out, who he always was closest to, who he sided with when the Bishop Paprockis and Fr. C. Johns and Fr. Longeneckers of his day would have damned them to hell."


https://www.patheos.com/blogs/chaosandoldnight/2019/01/fr-c-john-mccloskey-opus-dei-and-me/

[Pepsidog]

5. I'm not a big curser, but this mother-fucker must go.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

8. Substitute trump for the f-word. This mother-trumper must go. . . . nt

[Pepsidog]

13. Good suggestion.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

7. This goat fucker needs to go and I mean yesterday. nt

[Bernardo de La Paz]

9. This goat trumper needs to go and I mean the day before yesterday. . . . nt

[SCVDem]

14. Whose values?

Still trying to cram old superstitions down our throat, huh?

America is more secular than ever. We are rejecting your mind control nonsense and should tax your meddling in church and state!

Pound sand asshole!

[Evolve Dammit]

16. Promoting a specific theocracy is not in the AG job description, Mr. Fixer.

[Beartracks]

17. Promoting theocracy AT ALL is not in the Constitution. n/t

[Evolve Dammit]

26. obviously. I was referring to the fact that they really like white christians and some sects more.

[Beartracks]

29. Oh - I wasn't arguing or clarifying! I only meant to supplement your observation.

======

[Evolve Dammit]

32. Sorry. I've had folks argue over really little stuff and email/posts can be hard. Thanks!

[jayschool2013]

18. Damn smart people

Tryin' to ruin Murica.

[DallasNE]

19. Is "Traditional Values" Code Words

For bringing back Jim Crow white supremacy using legal segregation and all of those other wonderful, traditional values of a bygone era"? It is clearly code for something. How far do you want to turn back the clock on progress. We just don't need your brand of hate so take your marbles and leave, thank you.

[spanone]

21. Impeach the sonofabitch

[Mersky]

22. Hey, Barr, your title isn't Grand Inquisitor

My Huguenot ancestor emigrated here to get away from fascist theocratic powermongers like you.



On edit: Unpacked the original ending of the sentence, as I figured I needed to be more specific.

[Martin Eden]

23. "Traditional Values" and Donald Trump are mutually exclusive

Barr joins Mike Pence in the upper echelons of hypocrisy.

Mike Pence's Towering Hypocrisy

[DallasNE]

27. What Does Barr Mean When He Says "Traditional Values"

I'm sure he is using the Bible for his definition where he can then cherry pick it to mean who knows what. We know he follows an extremist brand of religion that I thought should have been a subject of inquiry during his confirmation.

[Martin Eden]

28. Traditional Republican values

Lie, cheat, steal.

Comfort the rich, disparage the poor.

Lock strangers in cages.

Let the sick die, for lack of care.

[smirkymonkey]

25. Impeach the bastard!

He needs to go. We are NOT a theocracy and if we don't get rid of religious nutcases like this, we hopefully never will be.

[Garrett78]

30. In Barr, Trump has found his new Steve Bannon. But instead of an advisor...

...he's the nation's top attorney. Frightening.