There is just too much to rant about this week, so I have decided to opine about a variety of rant-able topics, in a short burst of rant-able ire. These bite-size rants are not in any particular order, hitting the list as each irritatingly creeped into my mind.
Let’s get ready to RUMMMMMBBLLLLLE!!! Am I ranting about mixed martial arts? Nope. It’s about Congress, where standard operating procedures have now devolved into a martial arts, cage-match mentality, with our esteemed leaders challenging one another to fights on the Capitol floor.
Ex-speaker of the house Kevin McCarthy, while walking down a hallway in the Capitol, threw an elbow as he passed fellow congressperson, Tim Burchett of Tennessee, who was being interviewed by a reporter. When Burchett, one of eight Republicans to vote to oust McCarthy from the speakership, questioned McCarthy immediately after, McCarthy denied that it happened, even though the reporter witnessed and confirmed the event.
Somehow it would have been less sad and less funny, or at least less childish, if McCarthy had not responded to the accusation with a 7th-grader’s tough-guy response, “If I would hit somebody, they would know I hit them.” Ooooh, Kevin, you are such a bad-boy!!
But that wasn’t the only physical confrontation in Congress on Tuesday. Oklahoma Senator, Markwayne Mullen interrupted a Senate hearing to physically challenge Teamsters Union President Sean O’ Brien.
O’Brien, had tweeted (or X’d) past criticisms of Mullin, calling him a “clown” and a “fraud” and he ended a tweet by inviting Mullin to a fight “any place, anytime cowboy.”
While that may have been less than mature, Mullin took it to the next step, deciding to use his time at a hearing of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee to confront O’Brien over the comments. “Sir, this is a time, this is a place. You want to run your mouth? We can be two consenting adults — we can finish it here.”
“OK, that’s fine. Perfect,” O’Brien responded. “You want to do it right now?” Mullin asked. “I’d love to do it right now,” O’Brien said. “Well stand your butt up then,” Mullin replied.
As Mullin, a former mixed martial arts fighter, stood, Committee Chairman Bernie Sanders reminded him “You’re a United States senator, sit down. This is a hearing, and God knows the American people have enough contempt for Congress…” Yes, we do, Bernie. Later, Mullin bragged about his confrontation and promised he “would bite” if the situation called for it during his fight. Well, that’s just classy.
How about our college coaching situations? Have you had enough of the two Big Ten football coaches in our state, and their idiotic behavior?
First, MSU Coach Mel Tucker hired a consultant to speak to his team about dealing with issues of sexual assault and respect for women, and later is caught having phone sex with the consultant that was hired to speak about related topics. After being fired from his $9+ million-per-year job, he is now suing the University to reclaim unpaid salary. That must be a fun lawsuit for Tucker and his family to go through. Are we alumni sufficiently embarrassed yet by this process?
And now Michigan Coach Jim Harbaugh has been suspended for the second time THIS SEASON!! OMG. As ESPN wrote, “The Wolverines are both trying to build up a “Michigan vs. Everybody” narrative while in the same breath, Harbaugh shockingly and laughingly believes that Michigan is “America’s Team”. It’s just obnoxious, but perhaps Harbaugh does have a point. Cheating, lying, playing the victim. How much more American does it get?”
Back to politics for a moment. While it’s true that Senator Bob Menendez (D – NJ) has not been convicted of a crime (yet), it is not looking good for him, as he has been indicted for bribery, his second indictment in eight years.
In an early statement to reporters, Menendez offered that some of the evidence discovered by investigators during their search of his home, which included hundreds of thousands of dollars in cash and gold bars, was kept on hand for emergencies. He went on to say that it was an “old-fashioned” habit derived from his family’s experience in Cuba. But you were born in New York, Bob. You’re a United States senator, Bob…
Then, there is Congressman George Santos (R-NY), who would be hilarious if he wasn’t such a sad case. If you were consistently ridiculed at every turn, had no respect from ANYONE, and the cool kids wouldn’t sit with you at lunch, wouldn’t you just quit? Not George.
How about wars? We have a brutal dictator of one country attacking and murdering people in another, while physically destroying the entire infrastructure, to exert his power and to claim territory. Why? Can’t we let countries manage their own problems and allow people to just live their lives?
A second war started last month, when a secret attack killed 1,400 civilians for no reason other than the attackers have been taught to hate. We know that because no one is born with hate; that must be taught. And some are doing a lot of teaching.
Do you ever consider the daily routine of these folks? I imagine them waking up in the morning, and not thinking “I have to get to work; we have a big project to finish,” but instead, “how many people can I kill today and how many things can I blow up?” It makes no sense.
And now, U.S. demonstrators on both sides of the Israeli conflict want to fight and intimidate those on the other side. Isn’t it amazing how every event draws demonstrators who always seem to have an abundance of time and capital to travel to Washington to protest? How do they get time off work?
Whew! I’m exhausted but there is no end. I’d like to hear what it makes you rant today. Email me; I respond to all serious emails.
Curt MacRae is a resident of Coldwater, MI.
All columns are tweeted (@curtmacrae) — comments to rantsbymac@gmail.com
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