An item that past week that has sparked a great deal of astonishment. It was Pastor Greg Locke’s launch of a literal witch hunt. This has attracted far more attention than his previous book-burning event.
He told his congregation that he had the names of six witches in his church and that three of there were currently in the room. What however was truly jaw-dropping was his source for these names. Via the Religious News Service, who reached out to him, we discover that he claims that he was told the names of the witches by a demon. While conducting an exorcism, “a demon with scruffy voice“ gave him the names.
Let that nugget of insight sink in.
Pastor Greg Locke, a rather extreme Christian Fundamentalist QAnon Trump-loving pastor who was also part of Jan 6, is advising that he is taking guidance and instructions from a demon.
I’m not exactly convinced this Faustian Pact is a traditional theological position to adopt.
Moving on, below you will find my usual selection of some truly bizarre claims that have popped up during the last 7 days. Each is laced with my snarky commentary. With my usual hat tip to my main source, Right Wing Watch, let’s dive in.
Enjoy.
COVID-19
For a mere $350, you can have breakfast with anti-vaccine conspiracy theorist Sherri Tenpenny.
- Yep, yet another gullibility test. If you fail, it costs you $350
Josh Bernstein claims that “nose rape” PCR COVID-19 tests are being used to secretly deliver vaccines to those who refuse to take them.
- Evidence for this claim by Loony Tunes Bernstein? Exactly nothing, because we are supposed to just believe him.
- Meanwhile, it it not actually possible to deliver a vaccine via a cotton swab. He depends upon his audience being too stupid to grasp that point.
A weird claim of Slander
Kari Lake Says It’s ‘Slanderous’ to Report She’s Attending the White Nationalist AFPAC Conference
There are a couple of points here.
Point 1 – Slander relates to the spoken word. The term for written reports is libel.
Point 2 – She was named on the official AFPAC Conference poster as a speaker (now removed)
The organizer of AFPAC then clarified that they were under the impression she was coming but at the last minute she pulled out to attend something else.
She might indeed deny it, but she was scheduled to attend a conference that is a convention for nutty racists and alt-right conspiracy theorists. These are her people, she fits right in. When Mike Lindell endorses you, as he has done for her, then you know you are playing for the wrong team.
Truly Bizarre
Lee Moran @ HuffPost: Marjorie Taylor Greene Addresses ‘Gazpacho Police’ Gaffe, Makes The Mockery Worse.
- Marjorie has the best words. She knows all the best words. She is a very stable genius.
Michele Bachmann claims that former President Donald Trump’s administration was guided by righteousness: “If he found out that something wasn’t righteous or that something was righteous, he was either there cutting it off if it was unrighteous or he was supporting it if it was righteous.”
- Makes notes: “Righteousness” stuff includes tax breaks for the rich; banning Muslims; injecting bleach to handle COVID; opposition to tackling climate change; lying almost every single time he opened his mouth; calling literal nazis “very fine people”; attempting to swap Puerto Rico for Greenland; etc…
- And I’ve not even mentioned him inciting the Jan 6 mob. I guess we should note that as “Righteousness” stuff as well.
Matthew Chapman @ Raw Story: Eric Trump says he wants to have dinner with Jesus — just so he can complain to him about Biden.
- Sorry Eric, Jesus says he is busy and not available for a dinner engagement any night … ever.
An unusual list of priorities … – Jesus is #1. Babies are not quite as important as #2 …
Bianca Gracia declares that God told her that the other Republicans in the primary race for a seat in the Texas state Senate “will have to get out of the way” because God has assigned that seat to her.
- In Bianca’s universe the actual voting appears to be irrelevant because God will apparently rig the election for her.
The False Profit$
Self-Appointed Prophet Johnny Enlow once again claims to have discovered prophetic significance in the results of the Super Bowl: “The game ended with a player named Donald sacking a player named Joe so that the fraudulent score didn’t matter. Hmm so interesting huh?”
- He is literally claming that God planned for players with those names to be on the teams and then rigged things to play out like that just to send Jonny a message.
Sometimes the good guys do win
Josh Gerstein @ Politico: Judge throws out Palin libel case against New York Times.
- Her lawyers failed to produce adequate evidence. You would think that after years of chasing this they would have advised her that this was her position. Apparently not.
Noah Kirsch and Zachary Petrizzo @ The Daily Beast: ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ Crypto Coin Turns Into Total Dumpster Fire.
- It is now more or less worthless.
- It always was, it has simply taken a bit of time for that reality to surface.
Quote of the week
When stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent.
Isaac Asimov
The above quote is from “Asimov’s guide to Shakespeare” Vol II Chapter 36- ‘Henry VI, Part One’. It is found within a section discussing Act I, Scene i, lines 131-134. There he explains, … “To those English who were taught to believe that one Englishman was as good as ten Frenchmen, Fastolfe’s advice to avoid the fight was looked on as cowardice and he was blamed for Talbot’s defeat. This is an example of what those who have studied history well know: When stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent.“