By Mike Redmond | Politics | November 2, 2018 |
By Mike Redmond | Politics | November 2, 2018 |
Next up in my series on “Dangerous Assholes That Republicans Have Zero Problem Voting For Because Jesus Scooped Out Their Brains” is Washington State Representative Matt Shea, who recently made headlines when it was revealed that he authored a bananaballs manifesto titled “Biblical Basis for War.” At first glance, you’d assume that Shea probably just wrote some sort of Christian rationalization for supporting Republican’s lust for bombing the shit out of brown people in other countries.
Nope.
What Shea wrote is a four-page outline on how and why modern Christians should wage holy war against enemies “who rule without God” - like, oh I dunno, say, the United States government - and it’s a real piece of work. Particularly the “Rules of War.” From the Spokesman-Review:
Haha. “Law of Booty.”
What’s particularly amazing about Shea’s manifesto is that it was acquired by Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich who immediately forwarded it to the FBI. Usually, Republican sheriffs are onboard with Shea’s brand of crazy - See: Any of the “constitutional sheriffs” who backed Cliven Bundy. - so it’s particularly remarkable that Knezovich’s reaction was, “Hello, big government? Would you mind intervening in my jurisdiction by investigating a Republican official who secured over 56% of the vote in the last election? Sweet, thanks.”
Turns out Knezovich has had Shea’s number for a while, so it’s no surprise that he wasn’t buying the GOP incumbent’s claim that the manifesto was simply part of a sermon. From the Seattle Times:
“The document Mr. Shea wrote is not a Sunday school project or an academic study,” Spokane County Sheriff Ozzie Knezovich wrote in an email. “It is a ‘how to’ manual consistent with the ideology and operating philosophy of the Christian Identity/Aryan Nations movement and the Redoubt movement of the 1990s.” … “The goal of these groups has always been to create a white homeland consisting of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Oregon and Washington,” Knezovich wrote. “The ideas presented in the (biblical war) document are how these groups intend to seize control, by force, should there be a governmental collapse or civil war.”
Oh shit, did I not mention the 51st state called “Liberty” that Matt Shea wants to start? There’s a 51st state called “Liberty” that Matt Shea wants to start. You can read all about this libertarian wet dream where God and guns instinctively flock like the salmon of Capistrano in a new Rolling Stone profile that also highlights Shea’s other proclivities, which will probably sound shocking for a Republican politician. I couldn’t believe my eyes.
Anti-Semitism
Shea has spoken at a secretive religious community run by a man who was a foundational figure in the Christian Identity movement, which, according to the Anti-Defamation League, believes white Europeans to be the lost tribes of Israel and considers Jews to be the offspring of Eve and Satan.
Shit-Ass Views on Women
His first wife accused him of abuse, saying in divorce filings that she “belonged to him as a possession,” “could not get out of bed before him,” and that during two arguments “he grabbed me hard enough to leave bruises on my arms.”
Whatever The F**k This Means
She also said Shea believed he would one day be president of the United States, that he would be assassinated and that he “predicts a civil war.”
And Going Full GamerGate on a Female Opponent
In 2012, Shea faced a firearms charge after he allegedly pulled a loaded gun from his glove compartment during a road-rage altercation. He was charged for having an expired concealed-weapons permit (it was later dropped; he reportedly made a deal with prosecutors for it to be dismissed if he went a year without breaking the law). Later, when his Democratic opponent reminded voters of the incident in campaign mailers, Shea retaliated by posting pictures of himself to Facebook in front of her home, listing the nearest intersection.
Fortunately, there’s a small glimmer of hope as campaign donors have begun abandoning Shea in light of his manifesto while national attention has increased donations to his opponent Ted Cummings, according to the Spokesman-Review. However, Shea has a rabid Republican following who aren’t about to lose sleep over a little thing like waging an armed Holy War against secular society.
Former Spokane Valley Mayor Diana Wilhite, who ran against Shea during his first run for office in 2008, said too many Republicans support Shea because of his business-friendly policy agenda, while ignoring his more problematic views and affiliations.“If they’re Republican, they like the way he votes. And I can’t, for the life of me, understand why they don’t look at all the other stuff he gets into,” Wilhite said. “At some point, character has to count.”
Josh Arritola, who challenged Shea as a Republican in 2014, added that Shea has an extremely loyal base. “It was a crazy race,” Arritola said of the 2014 contest. “His crazy followers will harass you. It is brutal - brutal - running against him.”
Meanwhile, one time Mitch McConnell got yelled at while he was trying to eat guacamole, which is obviously just as bad as murdering anyone who’s been to a gay wedding. (Am I Chuck Todd now? Because if I’m being honest, I thought there’d be more lightning and Queen music.)