"...do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."

"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism..."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Maxwell AFB, April 21, 2008

"You will need to challenge conventional wisdom and call things like you see them to subordinates and superiors alike."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, United States Air Force Academy, March 4, 2011

Friday, August 14, 2015

Tony Carr Thinks #BlackLivesMatter is a Source of Humor?


The shirt above stating that "#BLACK AIRCRAFT MATTER" was posted over at Tony Carr's JQP Facebook page.  I found it interesting that Tony chose to publicly like that photo.  I found Tony's endorsement of the shirt, through his "John Q. Public" handle, to be somewhat troubling.

I'm puzzled why anybody would like that shirt.  The only reason that comes to mind, is that some people find the shirt to be humorous.  But why?  What's funny about it?

Without a doubt there is a play on words, which can be a source of humor.  #BlackLivesMatter references an outcry from some in our nation in response to growing instances of government agents murdering innocent black Americans, and the movement behind the hashtag emphasizes that black Americans should have the same human rights and protection of the law as others in America to include the right not to be murdered by armed government agents.  In other words, the word "black" in that hash tag references the skin color of a group of Americans disproportionally locked in cages and killed by our so-called public servants.

In the shirt above, however, black refers to tools of government agents that are secretive and hidden from the public.  In this t-shirt, black refers to government action that is funded by, but not made known to, the average American citizen to include aircraft that fly over populations and collect data on them and monitor their activity.

In other words, in one "black" means a group of individuals disproportionally beaten and murdered by their government, and in the other it means tools used by government that are kept secret from citizens.

So, again I ask, how is that funny?

I don't know why Tony Carr endorses that clothing, or whether he does so because he thinks it is humorous or if he likes it for some other reason.

I have seen other venues, however, make light of #BlackLivesMatter in a clearly racist fashion, like one group on Facebook sharing a #BlackAngusLivesMatter meme and following it up with some of the most racist commentary and pictures I've ever read.

I personally don't find the shirt funny, just as I wouldn't find humorous a shirt showing a tent and camping gear inside a barb-wire-fenced in area with guard towers, along with the text "Concentration Camping!"  I mean, I get the play on words, but why those words?

Maybe I'm just being overly sensitive about watching oath sworn government personnel violate the rights of Americans of color in the most violent and permanent way.  Maybe this is much to do about nothing.  I do know, however, that Tony does not believe Americans have the inviolate Fifth Amendment right to not have their lives taken without due process, whether their life is taken by being shot with their hands up or whether taken by being choked to death Eric-Garner-style.

I know this because Tony publicly announced that we have "no inviolate rights" in our Constitution and voiced his opinion that government can rightfully violate our constitutional rights, without passing an amendment, so long as it believes it is acting in accordance with the will of a majority of Americans.

Put another way, Tony Carr believes that a majority can violate the rights of a minority in our nation.  He thinks that it is okay for a larger more powerful group to ignore the rights of a smaller less powerful group of people and thinks there are no constitutional rights that should restrain a larger group of people against a smaller group of individuals.  Right to life, liberty and property, or the right to free speech or to worship or protest the government, or the right to a jury trial -- none of these rights are inviolate in Tony's opinion, if a majority wants to strip them from a minority.

I most certainly do not agree with Tony's anti-American view, as I meant my oath of office when I took it, and because his view is contrary to our supreme law of the land.  At any rate, maybe I'm just being overly sensitive and should lighten up and find the humor in the misery of the most vulnerable among us who have their rights frequently violated.

4 comments:

  1. A couple of folks have offered up this possibility. They say that two of the aircraft in the picture have been killed by the Air Force, and say the Air Force also wants to kill the U-2. I don't think that's the intent behind the shirt, but if it is then the play on words is "black airplanes get killed by the Air Force like black folks get killed by the police." Still, I don't see how that is remotely funny. Maybe I just have no sense of humor, because I still don't see the value of this shirt.

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  2. It's funny as hell. I have a hat with that logo. Love it. Loosen up. Let me know if you find a site where I can get the tee-shirt.

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  3. It's funny as hell. I have a hat with that logo. Love it. Loosen up. Let me know if you find a site where I can get the tee-shirt.

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  4. Funny as hell? Even if you don't think it's offensive, it's nowhere near funny as hell.

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