Unheralded

RON SCHALOW: The Braveheart Of Bismarck

So, in the early half of Sunday the 10th, doctor and Rep. Rick Becker posted a meme on Facebook. Memes are evidently photos that convey what you’re thinking but could never find the words, or ever thought of one. Like a greeting card that punches you in the balls. Or provides a message of affirmation, whether you want one or not. And they’re pretty.

A doctor of medicine is no rube from Ruso. Let’s not forget that. There’s no crassness in this man’s blood. He was highly considered for governor and formed the Bastiat Caucus, an unintentionally secret group of freedom fighters.

They like to conjure up laws that will make something that’s not currently happening unlawful, even if it ever tries to happen in the future. It looks to be more opening shots in the Libertarian Utopia movement to own North Dakota and basically disband the government and openly fill all of the clips for a change.

Anyway, the meme that Rep. Becker couldn’t wait to show his nearly 5,000 Facebook followers was a photo of the naked shins and feet of two men, one behind the other. It could have been coincidental or it could have been one man with four legs. Nobody knows. Anyway, the larger somehow sinister man in the rear with a weird left foot is labeled “government,” and the skinnier-legged man was named “citizen.” And what’s this? It’s a bar of soap on the floor named “free stuff.”

The floor is a little wet, so maybe both of them are wearing bathing suits, and one of them spilled a gin gimlet after accidentally swallowing the lime garnish. And the little sword. They just got out of the pool on account of the violent citrus, sword and peeling-induced coughing.

Then they see this bar of soap lying mysteriously on the hard floor in one of the rooms of the house and stand there to stare at it. Maybe. We can’t really tell. They both could be looking up and whistling Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl.” That’s it. The government, citizen and free stuff.

Anyway, the photo tickled Dr. Becker’s not-that-funny bone and he captioned the post with a loud, “OMG! HAHAHAHAHA” I can’t type that many capital letters without taking a break

I’m not feeling the mirth. I’ve never laughed that loud with my belly or my fingers, so there is something I’m missing.

At 3:11 p.m. Feb 10, 2019. The KXNET news meme team is onto the meme and on the case with details of the purported fracas.

At 4 p.m. Sunday. Rick goes off the rails on Facebook. “This is a nonstory. There are some liberal types who follow my page with the hope they will find something to be offended about.”

As a liberal type, I follow all of our state’s lawmakers. I like to keep tabs on these cats, although most of them aren’t real chatty. My offense fuses are long past burned out. I’m either bored or angry. This is what its come to. Some people, including me, don’t like Becker’s ideology, pretentious video lectures while driving or the fake history lessons, and we type back. I know it doesn’t solve anything. But it says, “comment.”

  • “The meme’s ‘message’ is that when people think they are getting something ‘free’ from the government, it usually results with unpleasant, unintended consequences.”

Oh, I get it. If you eat soap, the government will take your pants. Actually, there is no sensical meaning to the meme. What unintended consequences? What free stuff? Subsidies for big oil? A free 11th sub sandwich?

I’m pretty sure the meme means something, but I don’t think Becker really knows what. We could ask the eighth-grader that made it in the first place, but we don’t know his whereabouts.

And if you need to explain your “joke,” it wasn’t funny. That’s also true if you don’t understand your joke.

  • “Reading anything more into the slightly off-color meme than that is simply intentional, manufactured outrage.”

The most outraged dude in the Dakota territory is Rick Becker.

Oh, wait. If the man closest to the soap bends to pick it up, the other man will rape him. The government rapes you if you take extra soaps from the hotel. I’ve never thought that soap was funny, long before Becker read Ayn Rand in a cold shower.

“Dad, what does this picture mean?” “Well, 14-year-old son. One of the men is going to violently attack the other man when he bends down for the soap. He will stick his doodle into the other man’s hatchback and for an undetermined period of time.” “OK, dad. I’m going to lay down and sob.” “Sounds good. Good night, kid.”

Here’s your problem, Rick. The premise makes no sense. Rape is the funny part to you because you don’t know what the premise is and you lost your mind when others didn’t see that the unpleasant and unintended consequences of male rape are funny. That’s the disconnect. You need better material at the very least. You’re handling of hecklers wasn’t too swift, either.

  • “As usual, the hypersensitive, easily triggered folks demand that you speak and act according to their standards, and their standards differ depending on your political persuasion.”

I wasn’t there, but that sounds a tad dramatic. The hypersensitive to rape, easily triggered by rape folks demanded what now? And ultraconservatives chuckle at rape, as usual. I don’t think that’s true.

A government legislator posts something on Facebook, for others to see or read. It’s the whole point of the thing. If Becker doesn’t like the liberal types, he could change his settings to something besides public. He could block anyone.

Rob Port has blocked me on every social platform ever invented. Rob is hypersensitive about being called a liar. My hostility level only goes higher each day.

  • “Threatening messages I’ve received telling me that they will run me out of business over this post are typical for intolerant people.”

How is somebody going to run anyone out of business? It’s not like running someone off the road, Rick, in case you were thinking that. Which business? A Starbucks? A specific intolerant person, or any person who is intolerant of lame rape jokes?

  • “The fact that KX News called the majority leader and governor for comment on a Sunday afternoon about such a silly thing within minutes of me having been threatened with shutting down my business if I don’t take down the post, are indicative of the complicit behavior of the media in propagating the uber-politically correct narrative.”

Yes, yes, yes; the media is terrible. That’s why you need to talk to the uber-media.

He made a call to the Fargo Forum’s Rob Port, one of his tools, on Sunday night. Sunday afternoon was an impolite non-Mayberry thing to call the governor, but the evening is OK? Or Port called him. He said it was nonstory, but the rep bellowed on.

Becker went to Port because who else could write this with a straight face?

  • “Measure 1 is really about providing a venue for political vendettas. It’s about Democrats who have been out of power for decades in North Dakota, looking for a way to climb back into power.”

Port is always declaring how things really are. He’s not good at it. Just willing.

  • “I (Port) reached Becker for an interview this evening. He said his critics ‘might not think it’s funny’ if ‘they’re hypersensitive.'”

Or and hear me out on this. Sociopathic critics of his comedy might not think Rick is funny, either. Sociopaths aren’t hypersensitive. Not the sociopaths I know. They’re like the opposite of hypersensitive. I’m not aware of any particular feeling that sociopaths have about rape. They aren’t for it. Once, I hit one in the face with a 2-by-4. A horrible imposition. He didn’t care. He still beat me up, but he didn’t care.

Or the rape part may have turned a few off. One in four women and one in six men have been sexually assaulted. It’s not one of those things where you look back and laugh, and it’s not one of those things you take lightly, no matter where you are currently in the stats.

  • “If I was of a different political persuasion the people who are screeching would be laughing. But because of the politics of it they look for things.”

My sense of humor isn’t based on persuasion. Comedians have been trying to work rape into their acts forever, and a few have managed it. It’s not a theme for amateurs to tackle, since rape is inherently not funny.

Keep in mind that this a grown man. And he’s putting up a fuss about comments to a meme he chose to post. He could just take it down. I’ve never taken down a meme because I’ve mostly sure I never posted a meme, although I surely must have. I hate memes. I don’t know why. But I do.

On Monday, another Facebook comment. “Rick Becker for North Dakota Thank you all for the kind comments and support. I am never surprised to see good ol North Dakotan common sense! ;)”

Wow, is my face red. I was sure that not telling rape jokes was part of common sense.

From KFYR:

  • “They want me to resign, close my business, be censored, have Facebook posts taken down. Again — this is their mentality if you say something that they can somehow twist and contort to be something that they can be outraged about then they want you silenced. They want to clamp down on you so that you’re too fearful to say something that they disagree with. So NO! That’s what I say, I ignore that, resignation what a joke.”

I’m still going to need who “they” are. I couldn’t find the original post with all of this nastiness, although I take him at his word that he would never take the meme down. I don’t want him silenced. He’s a hoot. Only Trump takes himself as seriously.

Then, he goes on POVNow, on Monday because of the nonstory:

  • “Controversy or ‘Nontroversy’ Rep. Rick Becker joins us to discuss his Facebook Post that has been getting a lot of attention. Do you feel that the MEME was offensive or not? Is Rep. Becker justified with the point he was trying to make?” — Producer Josh

If his point was that picking up a bar of soap will get you raped, then I’m just bewildered. What was the point?

I didn’t watch POVNow video. There’re certain things I won’t put myself through.

Now Andrew Dice Clay is raising money on his fake outrage:

  • “Let’s rally for Rep. Rick Becker — North Dakota’s most prominent voice for limited constitutional government as well as personal and economic liberty!

“If you would feel more comfortable sending a check, you can make it payable to Rick Becker for North Dakota and mail it to the following address along with your occupation and employer:

“Becker for North Dakota 6140 Ponderosa Avenue Bismarck, ND 58503-9156 rally.com”

  • “Far-left free speech haters and social justice warriors are attacking me and threatening my business for a silly meme I shared! Their complicit allies in the media are trying to create something out of nothing. Please contribute NOW to help me fight back and let the media establishment know that you support our First Amendment rights! I will always remain a steadfast defender of limited, constitutional government as well as our personal and economic freedoms!” — Rep. Rick Becker, already on Sunday.

Oh my goodness. He thinks he’s the martyr Braveheart for taking some static on Facebook. They’ll never take our obtuse rape jokes.

The far-left doesn’t think rape is funny. I’ll say it again. I like a lot of comedians who are very profane, but only Becker thinks he can pull off a humorous “OMG! HAHAHAHAHA”

Rape joke.

And social justice warriors have complicit allies in the media. When did this happen? Who is it? Roy?

Rick posted this about 1:30 p.m. on Tuesday the 12th because the MinuteMan Blog has near romantic feelings for him. More media taking up the nonstory.

  • “ND Democrats Have Zero Moral High Ground on Rick Beck” was the head.

Rick Becker for North Dakota 3:32 p.m. Tuesday:

  • “Are you tired of politicians who backdown and kowtow to the hypersensitive social justice warriors and their complicit partners in the media establishment?”

Who are these kowtowing politicians? Tell me where to find them and I’ll let you know if I’m tired of them. And keep whistling the secret code words.

  • “So am I! I need your continued support to get my message out and keep fighting to protect our constitutional liberties. Please contribute to our cause. I’m getting closer to my fundraising goal! Would you help me out? rally.org/beckerfornd”

Oh my. Rick’s constitutional liberties of free speech need protecting and money is the only way to do it. How many newspapers and television shows has he been on? His speech seems to be pretty free.

Then on Tuesday the 12th, Becker explained his nonstory to the Bismarck Tribune. They are always interested in nonstories at that paper. Three days of nonstory and rationalization on rape jokes, that aren’t funny:

  • “When asked if the post is appropriate, the second-term legislator said ‘it depends what’s appropriate.'”

Yes, It depends on if rape is appropriate. How silly of me.

  • “I’m bringing about a meme which uses humor to depict how taking goods, jumping to programs from the federal government is not always a good idea. That’s the gist of it. People can read and say, ‘Oh, my gosh, he’s a proponent of rape.’ How ridiculous.”

Bringing about? Uses humor? If rape is humorous. I posted that Becker is the only openly pro-rape legislator, but he didn’t like my lame joke either, which was about him. The First Amendment cuts both ways.

  • “Becker said the photo doesn’t necessarily indicate prison rape: ‘We don’t know if it’s a prison. It’s a communal shower. People see something and they see what they want to see.'”

Yes, it’s very important where the rape occurred. It would be much funnier if it wasn’t set in a prison. Just a good old-fashioned outside of prison rape.

Day 4: Becker has pinned his fundraising plea to the top of his Facebook feed. He’s raised $950. He must need the money.

Becker has pulled off the “Classic Caper of False Oppression,” as it is known in the business. He unwittingly posted a repugnant image, not being clever enough to spot a touchy topic then had free speech rain down on him. The reviews weren’t good and Rick didn’t like it.

Then he spent three days calling those who booed his joke, comical over-the-top alt-right names and conned a few people into sending money to a Doctor.

Here’s some free speech. Dr. Becker should spend his winnings to assert this woman’s rights to criticize a lobbyist group.

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) criticized the American Israel Public Affairs Committee or AIPAC.

  • “She should certainly resign from the House Foreign Affairs Committee. What she said is so deep-seeded in her heart that her lame apology — and that’s what it was, it was lame, and she didn’t mean a word of it — was not appropriate and I think she should resign from Congress, frankly.” — Donald Milhous Trump
  • “If you’re not going to use your free speech to criticize your own government, then what the hell is the point of having it?” ― Michel Templet

 





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