Pride humor

June 1st, 2023

Pride humor (updated as jokes come in):

I have decided that I am no longer fat. Please praise me for my courage. I demand the right to use the thin person bathrooms although I most likely will still use the big handicap ones with plenty of space provided that nobody else is around.

Whether you’re Trans-fats, Minnesota Fats, or just regular every day fats, America has a place for you. Now to go find a burger for lunch.

For those of you into boycotts and counter-boycotts, leave TransAmerica alone. They are a financial services company. Like me, they don’t care if you are gay or straight. Just deliver good earnings and get the stock price up. Maximize shareholder wealth.
Pride parades are tame compared to Wall Street partying in a bull market!
(Reminds me of the time the Turkish government, angry at criticism from Senator Bob Dole, organized a boycott of the Dole Pineapple company. The panicked company insisted they were apolitical and sent the Turks a lovely fruit basket. Crisis averted with pineapple diplomacy.)

Regarding the recent massive influx of illegal immigrants, many of them identify as LGBTQ. They even have their own gender-based transportation services. Therefore, we must fight back by boycotting the Transcontinental Railroad.

The song “Why are there so many songs about rainbows?” is obviously an attack on the LGBTQ Community. It is time to immediately start boycotting Kermit the Frog and all of his cousins in the frog community. To be on the safe side, stoners who get high licking frogs should make sure that any frogs they lick are on the approved Act Blue list.

Pride month across most of America:
“I am gay, hear me roar. I am proud to wear this rainbow t-shirt.”
Pride month in Detroit:
“I am football, hear me roar. For once, I’m not suffering. I’m on the verge of being proud of wearing this Lions t-shirt.”

eric

Earth to the gay community:

June 1st, 2023
Earth to the gay community:
Today begins June, which is “Pride Month.”
Your community is trying to do 2 things that are completely contradictory. You are trying to: 1) Be seen as normal with full equality in society…while simultaneously: 2) acting in ways that are the opposite of anything normal. I cannot define normal but I know crazy when I see it. So here is my advice to you if and only if you truly want to be seen as normal:
1) Denounce “Queers for Palestine.” They are an anti-Semitic hate group.
2) Do not engage in physical violence toward people who disagree with you unless you are acting in self-defense of an imminent threat. There is no excuse for a transgender person in Nashville to shoot a bunch of innocent Christian children.
3) Stop using your movement to push leftist politics such as [email protected] [email protected] or gun control. Stop lying about events to push this agenda. The Pulse Nightclub shooting was a horrific act of Radical [email protected]
4) Stop discriminating against Republicans, especially gay Republican groups like the Log Cabin Republicans. They are not self-hating gays. They are pro-gay rights and pro-limited government. If you want the government out of your bedrooms, then you should want government out of your pocketbooks also.
5) Condemn anyone who sexualizes children, gay or straight. Drag queen shows are fine for adults. They are not for children. Ever. Children should not be in strip clubs, whether gay or straight. Drag queen shows are popular because they are risque, edgy, and over the top. That is the opposite of normal. If they were normal, that would be boring and nobody would see them. If you are compelled to sexualize kids, you deserve to be locked up.
6) Live and let live. You can be pro-you without being anti-others. If you hate people because they disagree with you or have different values, you are just as bigoted as those you accuse. Groups that are anti-Protestant or anti-Catholic do not get a free pass just because those expressing these anti-Christian views happen to be gay.
7) Don’t block traffic. This goes for all protesters, marchers, or partiers of any kind. If you block people from getting to or from work, you are awful. This crosses all strata. Keep the celebrations on the sidewalks, not in the middle of the streets unless the streets are blocked off for the occasion with a valid permit.
8.) Public nudity is not acceptable, regardless of whether you are gay or straight. Again, normal people are not exhibitionists.
9) If you are going to be decked out in all rainbow colors and have rainbow colors all over your social media, make sure to have red, white and blue everywhere in the days leading up to Independence Day. It bothers many patriotic Americans when they see rainbows everywhere in June but nothing on July 4th. Be proud to live in a country where you are free to be whatever you choose. America is awesome. Don’t demand anyone except pride in your sexuality if you refuse to have pride in our country.
10.) Being gay is not an accomplishment. Celebrate accomplishments. The day gay marriage became legal is a major historical event. The Supreme Court, the highest court in the land, gave gay people full equality. That is more important than anyone’s mere being. That is history. History matters.
My friend Deron died a few days ago. He was not political. He was a proud gay man, but he was also a proud Christian who loved his Jewish friend, me. We were friends for 44 years. He was normal. He was all about live and let live. Everyone gay and straight could learn from his life example. That is why he was accepted and liked by everyone who met him.
His life is what LGBTQ people should strive for. You can have normalcy or exhibitionism. You cannot have or be both. If you reject all criticism as bigotry, you will alienate people who want to be on your side but have legitimate concerns.
Take it or leave it. I hope you take my advice. I will never judge someone based on their sexual orientation. I judge people based on the content of their character. Bad conduct is bad character. Your character is your destiny.

Jim Brown: The best, on and off the field

May 24th, 2023

National Football League flags flew at half-staff on May 19th upon news of the death of Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown. The Cleveland Browns legend was 87, but he still left the world far too soon. Even those unfamiliar with football could learn valuable lessons from Brown’s consequential life.

 

On the field, Brown was the greatest professional football player ever. Fans of Tom Brady, Peyton Manning and Jerry Rice may disagree, but Brown was the best. Brady and Manning played a protected position in a cocoon pocket. Defenders received penalties for barely touching them. Rice ran around in open spaces. Football is a collision sport. Those men smartly avoided collisions. Brown initiated collisions and won them. He had speed, but his raw power allowed him to dominate men dedicated to stopping him. Brown bowled over men in an era before many safety protocols were enacted. Others played football. Brown is football.

 

One famous incident occurred between Brown and superstar New York Giants linebacker Sam Huff. After tackling Brown for a loss, Huff yelled, “Brown, you stink.” On the next play, Brown blew past everyone for a 75-yard touchdown run. Upon reaching the end zone, Brown yelled out, “Hey Sam, how do I smell from here?”

 

Battles between these two competitors occurred in the late 1950s and early 1960s against the backdrop of racial politics. Brown was the leading black athlete while Huff was white. Yet on the field, these men shared mutual respect. Whoever won on any given Sunday did so on merit.

 

Brown was keenly aware of the civil rights struggle for racial equality, but he separated politics from football. His coach Paul Brown (not related) drilled into his players the concept of meritocracy. Jim Brown remarked in an interview that “Paul didn’t talk to us about integration. He talked to us about excellence.”

 

Jim Brown was dedicated to excellence, which allowed him to be more vocal about political and social matters. The American white majority accepted and embraced Tiger Woods and Michael Jordan because of the groundwork laid by Muhammad Ali and Jim Brown.

 

After winning the 1964 NFL Championship, Brown became an international star. When Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell tried to rein Brown in, Brown simply retired from football in 1965 at the peak of his dominance. He then became even more relevant.

 

When society frowned about black men romancing white women, Brown shared a big screen romance with the biggest Caucasian female sex symbol alive. His kiss with Raquel Welch had every red-blooded American male wanting to be Jim Brown.

 

Yet conquering football and Hollywood was not enough. Brown stayed hungry, this time for political change and social action. Now he had more than power. He had moral authority. He counseled of thousands of young black men into bettering themselves. He straddled the fine line between demanding more for blacks from white America and more for blacks from themselves. Brown would often sit with rival gang members and get them to make peace. Very few people could get them into a room together. Brown demanded that the black-on-black gang warfare stop. Many gang members listened.

 

Brown also formed the Black Economic Union to help minority-owned businesses achieve more opportunities. Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump both worked with Brown on his economic and mentoring initiatives in minority communities. When Brown spoke, both of these loquacious political leaders listened silently. Brown did not want to hear political talk. He wanted from politicians what he delivered his entire life…results.

 

Brown demanded that the American government help level the racial playing field. He simultaneously demanded of young black men that once they are on their chosen field, that they strive for excellence. This dual track allowed Brown to be revered by black leftists and white conservatives alike.

 

The NFL lost a legend. The world lost a man of excellence who embodied the spirit of American exceptionalism.

eric

Top 23 NFL games of 2023

May 12th, 2023

Top 23 NFL games of 2023

1) Week 1 Raiders at Broncos

2) Week 1 Bills at Jets

3) Week 2 Ravens at Bengals

4) Week 3 Patriots at Jets

5) Week 4 Lions at Packers

6) Week 5 Cowboys at 49ers

7) Week 6 Patriots at Raiders

8) Week 8 Chiefs at Broncos

9) Week 9 Bills at Bengals

10) Week 11 Eagles at Chiefs

11) Week 12 Chiefs at Raiders

12) Week 13 Bengals at Jaguars

13) Week 14 Bills at Chiefs

14) Week 14 Eagles at Cowboys

15) Week 15 Chiefs at Patriots (maybe Chargers at Raiders)

16) Week 16 Cincinnati Bengals at Pittsburgh Steelers

17) Week 16 Bills at Chargers

18) Week 17 Bengals at Chiefs

19) Week 17 Packers at Vikings

20) Week 18 Vikings at Lions

21) Week 18 Chiefs at Chargers

22) Week 18 Bills at Dolphins

23) Week 18 Eagles at Giants

eric

NFL Draft 2023 Recap

April 28th, 2023

NFL Draft 2023 Recap

eric

Does fake news even matter?

March 24th, 2023

Does fake news even matter?

Does Fake News Even matter?

In recent years, a common term thrown around is “fake news.”

 

Fake news has been treated as an existential crisis. Hillary Clinton blamed fake news propagated by the Russians for her 2016 loss to Donald Trump. President Trump repeatedly attacked the media for spreading fake news. Tech CEOs and government officials have taken unprecedented steps to restrict and censor stories deemed to be fake news.

 

One problem with this approach is that determining what constitutes fake news is often subjective. Many political activists deem fake news to be anything they politically disagree with. On more than one occasion, stories that were deemed fake news turned out to be truthful. The Hunter Biden laptop story was censored and dismissed as “Russian disinformation” right before the 2020 presidential election. By attempting to prevent a possible fake news story influencing an election, the censors may have influenced the election in the opposite direction.

 

Another problem comes from individual arbiters lacking intellectual discernment. They cannot process the nuances between reality and satire. The Babylon Bee clearly advertises itself as a leading source of fake news. Their stories are frequently censored despite their publicly stating upfront that their entire business model is humorous fake news.

 

Yet for those who are capable of going beyond politics, an even deep question arises.

 

Does fake news even matter?

Maybe people should be free to spread as much fake news as they want. Readers should be responsible for doing their own due diligence.

Honesty matters, but knowingly saying or posting something false should be an ethical matter, not a legal one.

This is not about politics. A person may post that they are worth 20 billion dollars and leaving their money to their dog. Why should it matter to the government that the person is a working stiff who does not even own a dog?

It is illegal to lie in a court of law or in a deposition. There are legal remedies for people who are victims of libel, slander, or defamation. Beyond those clear lines, why should it matter if a person chooses to post something online that is completely false?

Try going to a local bar. Plenty of people are lying about their age, income, occupation, and pretty much everything else in an attempt to impress a potential business or romantic interest.

Take the advertising industry. Their entire industry is about convincing people that they are ugly and hopeless. Advertisers then convince people that certain products will make them beautiful and hopeful. Does anyone really believe that a certain toothpaste will make you better than you were before?
If fake news were illegal, almost every internet and mobile dating profile would need to be shut down. So would chatrooms where people discuss everything from their stock recommendations to their foolproof cold remedies and home cleaning products. People buying every product they see on an infomercial or online advertisement should not blame others for their own gullibility.

Rather than criminalize lying, it should be the responsibility of individuals to think for themselves.

 

Until then, the answer is more speech for everyone. Let everybody embellish their wealth and beauty. Let everyone link to articles that are absurd on their face. Let everyone sell falsehoods if they choose. Then caveat emptor, let the buyer beware.

 

Let the online version of the National Enquirer insist that aliens from another planet are impregnating Hollywood celebrities. Maybe those alien children are rigging our elections by implanting microchips in our arms.

 

Let the craziest conspiracy theories flow wild and free. Given how depressing real news can be, maybe it is best that fake news be allowed to stay with us. It is better to expose thousands of preposterous stories than live in a nation denying Americans the chance to do their own vetting.

Lying is harmful. Letting government decide what constitutes lying is far worse.

eric

TYGRRRR EXPRESS Turns 16

March 12th, 2023

I started the TYGRRRR EXPRESS on March 11, 2007. 

A simple blog turned into a career. I now have written 6 books and have nearly 300 mostly original t-shirt designs. 

I have performed and sold my merchandise in all 50 states. 

On to the next adventure.

eric @ Tygrrrr Express

Liberals created and keep fueling the MAGA movement

March 8th, 2023

Liberals created and keep fueling the MAGA movement.

 

Donald Trump is amidst his third straight presidential run. Conservatives split between those wanting the former president to regain power and those singing Bob Seger’s “Turn the page.” Liberals uniformly oppose Trump for a litany of reasons. Many liberals see Mr. Trump as Frankenstein’s monster. Lacking self-awareness on this issue, these liberals fail to realize they are Frankenstein. They created Trump, nurtured him, and continue eight years later to feed, fuel and motivate him and his “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) movement.

 

Understanding Trump’s initial rise requires returning to 2011. President Barack Obama’s presidency was flailing. Fear of economic collapse that swept him into office in 2008 had not dissipated. Flowery words about hope and change drowned under a tidal wave of tough events. “Yes, we can” became “No, he couldn’t.” Governor Mitt Romney promised a brighter future. In their first presidential debate, Mr. Romney cleaned Mr. Obama’s clock. Obama’s campaign realized a positive reelection campaign like Ronald Reagan’s 1984 “Morning in America” or Bill Clinton’s 1996 “Bridge to the 21st Century” would fail. Obama ran a slash and burn campaign that stripped Romney’s humanity.

 

Romney in 2012 was considered one of the finest, most decent men to ever seek the White House. Obama’s team successfully painted Romney as a racist sexist heartless plutocratic vulture capitalist who enjoyed firing people. Romney’s handlers hurt matters by insisting he offer gentle rebuttals to Obama’s Chicago haymakers. Obama verbally decked Romney repeatedly and punched his way to a second term.

 

Republicans seethed, but it was their own fault Romney and Senator John McCain before him pulled punches out of fear of criticizing America’s first partially black president. With Hillary Clinton in 2016, Republicans faced the same quandary.

 

Romney was a polite Midwesterner. Republicans needed a street brawler. Only three GOP brawlers existed, all hailing near greater New York. Rudy Giuliani underperformed in 2008.  New Jersey’s Chris Christie likewise underwhelmed in 2012. They opted out in 2016. Only Donald Trump remained.

 

Republicans overruled concerns about Trump’s behavior and policy positions solely because he was as ferocious a counter-puncher as they came. He would not be cowed by Obama’s race or Hillary Clinton’s gender. When hit, he hit back 100 times as hard. No blow was out of bounds. Rosie O’Donnell learned the hard way. She started a needless feud with him for laughs. He made her cry.

 

Trump’s campaign was also a fist in the eyes of smug late night comedians. Seth Meyers roasted him at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, calling Trump a “joke.” John Oliver dared Trump to run. Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Kimmel openly ridiculed him. They were not laughing after he won.

 

Yet the biggest gift American liberals gave Trump was a clear policy lane. Trump kept speaking to forgotten American workers. He hammered his two themes of trade and immigration. His undisciplined personal style aside, Trump was remarkably disciplined on policy. Voters felt economic angst, and he stuck with the same themes he had addressed for over 30 years. He knew exactly what he believed.

 

Democrats meanwhile kept obsessing over abortion, gay rights and climate change. Voters understood abortion was legal and gay marriage was law of the land. Climate change continued to register at the bottom of opinion surveys. Only a few rich white liberals cared.

 

During the campaign’s final week, Trump spoke in the calm, measured voice Kellyanne Conway taught him. His bombast took a vacation. He was on message and on teleprompter. Hillary Clinton and Liz Warren screamed their lungs out on their self-titled “Nasty women tour.” Bill Clinton, as brilliant as they come, begged Hillary to get away from Warren. Outside of deep blue areas, Warren was politically toxic.

 

On election day, Trump campaigned in Wisconsin. Hillary partied with A-list celebrities in Philadelphia, her only Pennsylvania campaign visit. She never visited Wisconsin. Trump’s victory equated to “Caddyshack” Rodney Dangerfield defeating Ted Knight’s Judge Smails. The slobs beat the snobs.

 

Eight years later, a majority of Democrats still have not learned. Some prop Trump up under the belief he cannot win. A more plausible explanation is they simply cannot ignore him. The more President Joe Biden fails, the more Democrats frighten voters with “Orange Man Bad.”

 

Voters are not stupid. Karl Rove, who led George W. Bush to two presidential victories, repeatedly reminds politicians that “The masses are not asses.” James Carville, who led Bill Clinton to victory twice, beseeches Democrats to shut up about gender pronouns. He knows “woke” language and behavior is hated. Carville penned the phrase “It’s the economy, stupid.” Trump still understands this. No evidence exists that Biden’s cabinet does. Telling blue collar coal miners to embrace green economics is telling them to go to hell. That is arrogance, not leadership. Endless Covid lockdowns and mandates add fuel to the fire.

 

Democrats openly mocked Trump, his policies and his voters. They still weaponize government against his voters. Most Trump voters are not racists, sexists, conspiracy theorists or insurrectionists. They just want a better life.

 

The more Democrats refuse to recognize that Trump, and more importantly Trump voters, are human beings, the more Trump exploits that condescension. Democrats created Trump’s movement by dismissing his voters as society’s filthy dregs. Trump reminded these voters that their lives matter as much as any other lives.

 

With spiraling inflation, food and fuel prices, and crime, Democrats need better answers than blaming Trump. He offers to fix problems. Even those questioning his policy prescriptions concede that at least he has them. Democrats simply care more about climate change and gender issues. Attacking voters as anti-gay bigots seeking to murder Mother Earth gives Trump his opening.

 

Had Democrats paid attention to what voters care about and ignored identity politics, Romney would have served two terms. Trump would have spent a decade building bigger and better golf courses.

 

A 2024 Trump win would not be because he is that spectacular. It would be because enough voters believe Democrats, just as in 2016, are still that indifferent and awful.

TYGRRRR EXPRESS 2023 Pacific Northwest Speaking Schedule

February 26th, 2023

TYGRRRR EXPRESS 2023 Pacific Northwest Speaking Schedule

Monday, February 27, 2023 — Early morning flight from Los Angeles to Portland.

OREGON:  

Monday, February 27 — Benton County Republican Women in Corvallis in Western Oregon. Lunch.

Tuesday, February 28, 2023 — Deschutes County GOP Lincoln Dinner in Redmond in Central Oregon. 

Wednesday, March 1, 2023 — People’s Rights Group in Powell Butte in Central Oregon. Dinner.

Thursday, March 2, 2023 — North Coast Republican Women in NW Oregon near Portland. Lunch.

Thursday, March 2, 2023 — Drive from North of Portland to Seattle, Washington.

WASHINGTON:

Monday, March 6, 2023 — East Pierce Republican Women near Seattle, Washington. Lunch.

Monday, March 6-Tuesday March 7 — Purim with Chabad of Pacific NW in Seattle and Shoreline. 

Thursday, March 9, 2023 — Kitsap County Republican Woman. West of Seattle. Lunch.

Thursday, March 9, 2023 — Flying from Seattle back to Los Angeles.

eric

What politicians can learn from Super Bowl LVII (57)

February 13th, 2023

What politicians can learn from Super Bowl LVII (57)

What Our Leaders Can Learn From a Great Super Bowl