A plague o’ both your houses!

~Mercutio/Romeo & Juliet/Act III, Scene 1

Like the coronavirus pandemic, stupidity does not care whether you are a Democrat or a Republican.  This sad fact of life was never more evident based on the actions this week by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.

Let’s start with Governor Cuomo, who on Wednesday signed a bill into law banning the sale or display of Confederal battle flags on state property despite the fact the legislation may violate First Amendment protection of free speech and expression.  Cuomo acknowledged this saying, “…certain technical changes are necessary to balance the State’s interests in preventing the use of hate symbols on state land with free speech protections…”  For the record, the bill also applied to other “symbols of hate” such as swastikas.

I suspect one person who might file an amicus brief when the constitutionality of the ban comes before a judge will be Roy Wood, Jr.  Some of you may recognize Wood as “the senior black correspondent” on “The Daily with Trevor Noah.”  However, his rationale against banning the Confederate flag was first voiced during his “Father Figure” comedy special on Comedy Central during which his opening after taking the stage before a largely African-American audience was:

But if we get rid of the Confederate flag…

Then, following nervous laughter and a few gasps from those in attendance, he explained:

How am I going to know who the dangerous white people are? I’m just saying, the flag had a couple upsides. Let’s just be real about it. I ain’t saying keep it around, but I grew up in the South. I can’t tell you how many times the Confederate flag came in handy. Stopping for gas at a strange place at 2 in the morning, you see that flag hanging from the window, you know this is not the place to get gas…

Makes sense.  Which would you prefer?  That white supremacists and anti-Semites travel among us unidentified?  Or that they proudly wear their bigotry on their sleeve so we can just as proudly avoid them?  One can only hope this new form of “concealed carry” does not become a movement in which red states start issuing licenses by which citizens can pack miniature Confederate flags.  Or that Wayne LaPierre does not declare, “The only way to stop a bad guy with a ‘black lives matter’ banner is a good old guy with a Confederate flag.”

Which brings me to Mitch McConnell.  You remember Mitch, the guy who spent hundreds of millions of dollars during the 2020 campaign backing “law and order” Senate candidates, warning Americans that calls to “defund the police” would lead to lawlessness and chaos in the streets.  Well, Mitch was right.  However, what he did not tell you is that he would be the one to “defund the police.”

Despite bi-partisan pleas from governors and mayors that lost revenues, a result of the economic impact of the pandemic, would force layoffs of  essential first responders including firefighters and police, the Republican Senate continues to exclude any public sector support in the next COVID-19 relief package.  As recently as December 10, the majority leader criticized what he calls “controversial state bailouts,” but continues to push for blanket employer liability protection.  Once again, to paraphrase Barry Goldwater, a not-so-free-market “corporate bailout” in defense of capitalism is no vice.

In July, a Brookings Institute study reported state and local governments had already laid off more than 1.5 million workers including teachers, firefighters and police.  The report goes on to predict “deep budget and job cuts in state and local government will likely grow in the next few months and fester for years to come.”

President-elect Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer have all distanced themselves from the “defund the police” movement.  Miser Mitch, maybe it’s time you do the same.

It just goes to prove, stupid is as stupid does, no matter which side of the aisle you sit on.

For what it’s worth.
Dr. ESP