A Nevada Republican compared slain rancher LaVoy Finicum to both Jesus and Moses in an over-the-top Facebook post. Assemblywoman Shelly Shelton, a first-term Republican, heaped praise on Finicum — who was shot to death by law enforcement officers as they executed arrest warrants for the armed militants who took over a wildlife refuge in Oregon…. “In any given generation there are men who are willing to stand for what they believe,” Shelton said in a Facebook post. “Most of the time they are demonized and the uninformed are made to believe they are criminals.”…. “From Moses who killed an Egyptian for abusing his people, to Jesus who died on a cross as a condemned criminal, many of those who operate outside the box and promote love and justice over the current form of government are treated as outcasts and many times murdered,” she added…. “Today we were reminded that the power of evil is still alive and well as LaVoy Finicum was gunned down and murdered in Oregon,” Shelton said.
Let me begin by making it clear that I’m not arrogant or silly enough to believe Democrats aren’t capable of doing and saying some pretty delusional and/or often downright stupid things. Assemblywoman Shelton, though, seems to be a die-hard ideologue Republican who’s very comfortable in her fact-free, hermetically-sealed bubble. This has facilitated her taking stupid to almost (Rep. Louis) Gohmertian heights…or depths, depending upon your perspective.
A very wise person once told me that ‘tis far, far better to maintain your own counsel and be thought a fool than to open your pie hole and remove any lingering doubt (Says the writer who broadcasts his opinions daily on da Interwebz). Shelton must have slept through that part of class, because she seems to have no problem flying her freak flag from the dome of the Nevada state capitol for everyone to see. To equate a criminal who made it clear he wasn’t going to prison and then proceeded to martyr himself via committing suicide by cop is as irresponsible as it is ignorant of the facts. Then again, those supporting the criminals occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge have shown themselves to be impervious to facts. Their truth is whatever they need it to be, and they’re perfectly willing to manipulate it to fit whatever their desired narrative of the moment happens to be. Shelton is merely pushing a crass partisan view of Finicum’s death because it plays well with her constituents, among whom can no doubt be found large numbers of anti-government conspiracy theorists.
“He represented the spirit of patriotism, justice, bravery and honesty that didn’t put ‘getting home safe to his family’ over integrity,” she said. “Men like that have defended and built great civilizations for centuries. Today they are almost extinct.”….
“For any who feel he was a criminal, like those who felt Moses and Jesus were criminals, I would implore you to investigate the peaceful work that Lavoy did in his life from the Bundy Ranch where thousands protested without a shot fired, to today in Oregon, where the shots fired came from the government at an unarmed Lavoy Finicum,” Shelton said.
Despite Shelton’s ridiculous assertions and willingness to ignore inconvenient facts, Finicum WAS a criminal and he WAS armed (Memo to Shelton: You’re free to your opinion. You’re not free to make up your own facts). The “peaceful work” he did at the Bundy Ranch, “where thousands protested without a shot fired,” was far from heroic. Snipers had federal agents in their sights; many expressed no qualms about shooting them if they acted in their official capacity by attempting to enforce federal law. How is participating in an action intended to intimidate and menace federal employees merely doing their jobs anything even faintly resembling heroic? An occupying force that can’t even remember to bring snacks has no claim to any sort of heroism.
Finicum’s “spirit of patriotism, justice, bravery and honesty that didn’t put ‘getting home safe to his family’ over integrity” was in the end the bravado of a man knowingly breaking the law and making it clear that he wasn’t about to put up with being held accountable for his crimes. How is that “spirit” anything but a shining example of criminality exalted as heroism?
Shelton’s delusions of adequacy aside, there’s no herosim, integrity, patriotism, and/or bravery to be found in LaVoy Finicum’s death nor in the occupation of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge. Finicum- and the rest of The Gang That Couldn’t Rembember To Bring Snacks © will be remembered as common, garden variety thugs who terrorized and tore apart a small town for a month. Finicum should be buried by his family and quickly forgotten by the rest of America. The rest of the criminals should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law and forced to pay restitution for the damage they did and the resources expended to monitor and manage them.
I feel sorry for whoever will be assigned to figuring out to do with all those dildoes….
