Sunday, June 30, 2013

The Left's Assassination of Paula Deen

TV food icon and cooking star Paula Deen has been accused of racist activity by a former employee.  During a deposition about that activity, Deen denied the allegations, but admitted that she had used the "N" word in her past.

Immediately the left wing sharks in the political ocean smelled blood, and their opportunity to bring down a southern, white, religious dinosaur.  Corporate sponsors were identified, and they immediately reacted by summarily dropping Deen.  The Food Network, Sears, Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Target, etc. all felt that their association with Deen was too risky to be maintained.  

And in land of liberal blogs, places like the Huffington Post are continuing to identify those companies that still have a relationship with Deen.  While they don't come straight out and ask for boycott, the implications are ridiculously obvious.

In the meantime, Alec Baldwin went on homophobic rants on Twitter (I won't post them as they're too vulgar, but if you really need to see them you can find them here).  Given Deen's left-ordered crucifixion, one could expect the similar treatment for Baldwin.  We should see stories on "the media" about his sponsorship deals and demands from an angry public to Capital One and others to end their relationship with him.

Instead?  Crickets.

Paula Deen has been attacked and brought down by the left for the simple reason of because they could.  The people running media, popular culture, and, regretfully, our government are the social equivalent of a pack of popular girls in junior high.  Their little clique and their prevailing mindset is something with which to be kowtowed and feared.  

Baldwin?  He's an original member of the mean girls.  Deen?  She's just another victim to be bullied for the pure sport of it. 

Woe be to any others that dare fall into their sights.   

Saturday, June 29, 2013

Brandi Carlile Green Bay Concert Review and Setlist

It was a night of fantastic music in Green Bay last night, as Brandi Carlile and band rocked the Meyer Theater.  

But before the headliner rocked it, the warm up knocked it out of the park.  

Akin to what the Lumineers did in opening up for Brandi last year in Door County, The Lone Bellow was in-freaking-credible.  Their harmonies were true, voices strong, musicianship and stage presence evident, and their performance memorable.  I fully expect much bigger things from this band, and in the very short term.




Highlight of the opener's set was a song that is currently unreleased - Watch Over Us.  Fortunately, someone snapped a YouTube video of it on a recent tour stop, which I'll share here:


The song had me bawling like a baby, and actually went out between sets as the band was selling their wares, hugged Brian Elmquist (the singer of the tune), and thanked him for stirring me so.  

Something tells me in a month or two, when this band explodes, I won't ever get another chance to be hugging any of them.

Onto the headliner, where just like the did in Door County last year, Brandi and the Hanseroth twins knocked it out of the park.  Great crowd interaction, great musicianship, and great backing musicians keep the set rolling and ending long before it felt it was due.  


Simply put - it was one hell of a show.  Here's the set list to the best of my recollection (and I know I'm missing a couple):

Hard Way Home
Raise Hell
Dreams
What Can I Say
Keep Your Heart Young
100
A Promise to Keep
The Chain
That Wasn't Me
The Story
In the Morrow
Nothing Compares 2 U
Pride and Joy
Folsom Prison Blues

The highlights of the evening?  The covers, and it was not even close.  The Chain sounded like Fleetwood Mac in their absolute prime, Nothing Compares was truer to the Prince interpretation and was incredible, and the Johnny Cash closer brought the house down to the ground.  Brandi and the twins are extremely talented songwriters, but as show people and as musicians, when they're armed with an incredible song, they can make absolute magic.  That was certainly the case with the covers they chose.  Pure magic.

And that's what we had in spades last night.  From the opener's first song to the headliner's close, it was a magic night of music in Green Bay last night.

What a fantastic concert.


Friday, June 28, 2013

Two Versions of ZZ Top's La Grange

ZZ Top is an underrated, three piece power band.  Led by stud guitarist Billy Gibbons, the band has been cranking it out since their formation in 1969.  The result?  11 gold records, 7 platinum,  and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

For me, their best song is the monster La Grange.  Off of Tres Hombres, their break through, it captures ZZ Top at their best - gut bucket vocals, masterful guitar work, and impeccable beat by drummer Frank Beard.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, somebody somewhere decided to go back and remaster the drum track.  And for me, it just ruins the song.

The drum track is most noticeable at about the :35 mark, which is the brief drum solo that kicks off the song:

  

Now compare that to the remastered version below:



To my ear, the difference is night and day.  And it ticks me off so much that when I'm listening to an oldies station and they play the song, if it's the remastered version I change the channel.  

So why change (some would argue, ruin) such an awesome song?  Perhaps it was the band's popularity in the late 80's with a more updated sound that they felt it necessary to go back into their catalog to update things and sell more records.  Personally, I'm not sure.  

But what I am sure of is that the first version - raw, clear, driving, and tight - is hands down the better version.  

But maybe I'm just old school.

Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Ready for Hillary? The Creepy Face of the 2016 DFL

The Ready for Hillary PAC opened a new store to help raise funds and spread the word about the most revered candidate since Barack Obama.  

Expect to see this on buttons, T-shirts, and bumper stickers in your neighborhood soon, and for the next three years:


Note that any likeness to any kind of Orwellian icon is purely coincidental.  

Tuesday, June 25, 2013

Anytime Fitness Green Bay's Disgusting New Policy

Since moving here three years ago, I've been a member at Anytime Fitness off of Military Avenue.  And during that time I've seen a consistent progression of cheapness that manifest itself in their offering.

It started with things like tanning bed goggles being taken away, went to things not being kept up over the weekend, and has now spread to lots of signs around the place telling their members that you can't bring in guests, and if you do you're on camera and will be charged for it.

But the latest step takes things to a whole new level.  I'll let the new sign explain it:


One towel with a spray bottle, under the auspices of "going green."  So after my workout at 5:15 AM, I reached for the rag and bottle to wipe down my machine.  The only problem?  The towel was completed soaked, and given the light crowd in the morning, it had to be that way for who knows how long.

The only "going green" this place is doing is trying to save green by not buying any wipes anymore.  Hell, a simple roll of paper towel would be appreciated.  But four gross towels spread across the gym that are already soaking wet with who knows what?  Disgusting.

So when I got off my second machine and looked around for something with which I could clean it, I found this:


Really, Anytime Fitness?  This is how you want to run your business?

When I left, I passed a regular who was coming into the gym with her own "wipe down" towel.  I do my share of travelling, and have worked out in well over 100 places, (some pretty seedy) and I've never been in one that was so gross that its patrons had to bring their own cleaning supplies.

Nice policy.

Monday, June 24, 2013

British Commentator Does Baseball Play-By-Play

Smack me!  Wowzers in me trousers!

Sunday, June 23, 2013

The Best Website to Find Ammo

I stumbled across a great solution for one looking to find ammunition in the middle of the prolonged ammunition shortage.  GunBot.net has made finding an ammunition supply a breeze.  

The site frequently checks dozens of retailers to determine who is in stock on what, and at what price.  It then aggregates the data in a simple to use format, so that one can quickly get to the caliber they need, sort by price or retailer, and click through to order.  It even does the math of calculating cost per round, and highlighting the low priced retailers.

Quick, accurate, and saves time and cost.  Simply stated, ammunition shortage or not, GunBot.net is the easiest way to shop for ammo.  What a great service.


Saturday, June 22, 2013

Book is Finally Available


4 years ago I toyed with creating a serial on this blog of stories about my first dog, Blitz.  You can see my first post on the subject here.  

Over the next four years, I wrote over 50 different installments, cobbled them together to the best of my ability, enlisted some of the best editing help possible, waded through the self-publishing maze that is Lulu.com, spent way more money that I wanted or expected to, but have finally, FINALLY come to an end.  The book is finally complete.

By and large, I'm happy.  At 138 pages, I wish it were bigger, but I had no desire to water down the story by adding filler material.  Words written specifically for page count are annoying, and I didn't want to put the reader through that.  Likewise, at nearly $24, it is an expensive read.  I was really hoping to generate enough revenue to send off a decent check for dementia research, but after Lulu's cut, there's not much left.

Thus, it's not perfect.  But I'm proud of how it turned out, I learned (and still continue to learn) a ton about self publishing, and I'm happy to have brought this long process to a conclusion.

If interested in learning more, or if you'd like to buy the book, feel free to click on the icon below.  And thank you, YDP readers, for your support across all of these years.

Support independent publishing: Buy this book on Lulu.

Friday, June 21, 2013

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Al Franken OK with Government Spying

Short of Michael Moore, there aren't any liberals bigger than Al Franken.  And this whole government spying thing?  Well, he's OK with it:


And here is a better example, this one highlighting his hypocrisy (in less than a year) :




Congratulations, Minnesota.  You must be proud.

Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Living on a Golf Course - Fortunate Indeed

With the massive project at work, I had lots of work to do this weekend.  I put in about four hours dialed in from home on Saturday, and put in a really productive hour and a half in the office after mass on Sunday.  But despite the work, I was still able to get in two rounds of golf this weekend - one with the boys on Saturday, and one with Mrs. YDP on Sunday.

Given my schedule, I typically would not have been able to pull it off, but we happen to be fortunate enough to live on a very nice course, and I'm a 10 minute cart ride from my home to the clubhouse.  

There are some times when I get a big dose of reality, and I'm able to recognize just how fortunate we are.  I got that big time last night on our ride home.  My wife and I had finished our round, ate a wonderful Sunday chicken dinner at the club as we watched the end of the US Open, and drove through the course on our way home.  I was struck by the beauty of the course, and the ease at which we're able to access and enjoy it.

I actually said to my wife on the drive, "We live on a golf course!" as there are times when I still can't believe how lucky we are.

It  is very hard to live apart from all of our family and friends.  But as hard as it is, it's made better by where and how we live.  And it is a life that I sometimes still can't believe that we lead.

At times like this, I always get taken back to something my Dad said to me a lot growing up.  He'd pull me out of a moment on the lake, or on vacation, and say "You're lucky to have this."  And I'd agree, because he was absolutely right.  

I'm still lucky, and he's still right.

Monday, June 17, 2013

The Simple Reason Why Government Spying Matters

As more and more information has come forward on the depth and breadth of government intrusion and access to the private information of its citizens, it has been amazing to see the reaction of the country.  Some liberals, blindly defending the Obama administration regardless of the abuses it commits, approve.  Conversely, there are quite a few traditional liberals are aghast at the government overreach.  On the right side of the aisle, security hawks commend the program for keeping Americans safe, whereas small government, libertarian types oppose the program for its clear breach of the 4th amendment.

In the middle lies the public.  Most are unaware of the programs or the details; blissfully ignorant of anything other than the latest pop culture meme.  Some have the stance of, "I have nothing to hide, so why should I care?"  Some just can't believe the government has the sophistication to run such a program (and for those that share that belief, I'd like to point you to the hacking of CBS news reporter Sharyl Attkisson's work computer)

So the country is split on the program, with some caring, some not caring, and most ignorant of its very existence.

But there is one simple reason why every American needs to care.  And that's the IRS scandal.

The government actively used the IRS to punish, intimidate, terrorize, and neuter what was viewed as their political enemies.  While it is still unknown how vast the program was, and who ordered it, it is irrefutable that it happened, and that it was not isolated.

And that's why the government cannot be trusted.  If we can't trust them to treat our financial information with privacy and respect, how can we trust them to handle our free speech, opinions, medical records, and everything else the same way?  Be it a rogue element or a vast initiative, it doesn't matter.  The government has the access to just about everything, and has just shown its inability to eliminate, mitigate, punish, or even merely investigate corruption.

The opportunity for abuse is too vast.  It will be abused.  Heck, if one considers the Attkissin case above, or the strange outing of David Petraeus' affair, it already has been abused.

We are truly living in Orwellian times.


Saturday, June 15, 2013

Chad Johnson Goes to Jail

Chad Johnson had beaten an assault rap.  He was about to avoid jail.  And then, like the showboat that he is, he spiked the football.  Unfortunately for him, he was standing on the one yard line at the time:



Most of the comments online support Johnson, and decry racism against the judge.  And to be honest, when the comment portion of the above video started, that's what I fully expected to hear.

Instead, I got a passionate yet grounded assessment of Johnson's behavior.  The commentators nailed it.

Go to jail, Chad.  Maybe you can change your name to the number they give you.

Fool.

Friday, June 14, 2013

Seth Godin on Blogging

I consider Seth Godin to be my marketing maharishi.  He's brilliant in how he views and applies things, and while I don't consider him to be right 100% of the time, he is right way more than he's wrong, and there are times that he's so right that he's drastically changed how I think, create, behave, and manage.

The guy rocks.

He publishes a daily blog, and just celebrated his 5,000th daily post (for those of you counting, here at YDP we're merely on 1,200).  Along with taking an obligatory look back at some of the content he created during the period, he also stated the following about blogging:


My biggest surprise? That more people aren't doing this. Not just every college professor (particularly those in the humanities and business), but everyone hoping to shape opinions or spread ideas. Entrepreneurs. Senior VPs. People who work in non-profits. Frustrated poets and unknown musicians... Don't do it because it's your job, do it because you can. The selfishness of the industrial age (scarcity being the thing we built demand upon, and the short-term exchange of value being the measurement) has led many people to question the value of giving away content, daily, for a decade or more. And yet... I've never once met a successful blogger who questioned the personal value of what she did.
And that really captures why I write YDP.  I do so to hone my skills for my job by playing SEO games, yes, but I also do so to let my muse out, to voice my opinion, to share my life and my point of view, to mold ideas, to entertain, and, to Seth's point, "because I can."

Thanks, Seth.  You continue to teach me something of great value each and every week.


Thursday, June 13, 2013

Northern Lights over St. John's University

A couple of weekends ago, the northern lights put on a magnificent display, and up behind the pine curtain in Collegeville, they captured the moment:




We live in an incredibly beautiful world

Wednesday, June 12, 2013

Chicago Hyatt Upgrade

I've done my share of business and pleasure travel, and sometimes things don't go as planned. There was a terrible time we got bumped at the Minneapolis Westin, and then there was the terrible check in at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront (which was made good by their staff - in spades).  

Most of the time, travel stories revolve around something bad happening.  Very rarely does something good happen.

As part of Internet Retailer's annual show, my management team and I had reserved hotel rooms at the Chicago Hyatt on Wacker, and were checking in on the second day of the conference.  Because of the conference schedule and a business dinner, we would be checking in after 10, and given my experience with the Westin, I feared they'd give our rooms away.  I asked my admin to call hotel management to insure that we'd be guaranteed rooms as our check in would be late.

We did arrive at the hotel at 10:30, and to my surprise, three out of the four of us were upgraded to suites.  Now, that means they were completely out of room inventory, but as long as I had a place to stay, that was OK with me.

I expected a room with a sitting area and a bedroom area.  Here's what I got:




As you might have been able to tell, I was pretty happy.  Plus, I had my share of wine with dinner.

Thanks, Chicago Hyatt.  That's about the 6th time I've stayed with you in my career, and you've earned my Chicago hotel business going forward.  You guys rock.

Tuesday, June 11, 2013

Note from My Niece

Yesterday I wrote of the loss of our friend Dan, who had taken his own life, and the need for us to tell others what they mean to us.  To not take our important relationships for granted.  To make sure the ones we love know how we feel.

On Saturday, on the golf course, I received a text from my niece, who took the time to do exactly that:


This made my whole day (even though my golf game was terrible).  Hell, it made my whole week.  

One little text.  Can you imagine the possibilities?

Monday, June 10, 2013

Missing Dan

For well over 10 years now, Mrs. YDP and I celebrate birthdays with two other couples in Minneapolis.  We've done various things, but mostly we've always gone to the same Chinese restaurant in Eden Prairie where we've drunk the same drinks and ordered the same food.  Just about every time.

And a constant in all those visits was Dan, our waiter.  Dan (clearly, not his real name given his strong accent), was an amazing man.  After just a couple of visits, he knew all of our names, and would call us by them upon seeing us and throughout the night.  Likewise, he remembered what each of us traditionally ordered, and would often just tell us what we were about to order before writing it down.

While it never started out that way, it was clear that Dan was one of the main reasons why we went to the restaurant.  And when we'd go when Dan had a night off, well, it just wasn't nearly as fun.

But when he was there, the fun we'd have.  And through it all he smiled and laughed so much.  He'd shake your hand upon greeting us and again at saying goodbye.  He'd remembered that we had moved to Green Bay, and always wanted to be sure that we were still cheering for the Vikings.  

But all of that is gone.  Our friends just found out that Dan is dead.  He took his own life.  A man with such incredible gifts and incredible life was suffering so bad that he felt he had to kill himself.

The heartbreak of this is hard to bear.  I feel so sorry for his family, friends, coworkers, and customers that loved him so.  If he was anything outside of the restaurant like he was inside of it, he had to be deeply admired and loved.

Who knows what demons possessed him?  But in situations like this, ones that survive can't help but wonder what could have been done to prevent this loss.  Perhaps the lesson is that life is fragile, fleeting, and cannot be taken for granted.  And since it's that way, it's incumbent on us, all of us, to not miss opportunities to enjoy each other, and more importantly, tell each other what they mean to us.  

When I'm particularly down, there's a lyric from Kid Rock's song Amen that I play for myself.  It goes as follows:

Somewhere you got a brother, sister, friend
Grandmother, niece or nephew just dying to be with you
You know there's someone out there
Who unconditionally, religiously, loves you
So just hold on 'cause you know it's true

Indeed, when you think about it, you know it's true.  Someone out there who unconditionally, religiously loves you.  And I feel so very sad that Dan didn't feel it or know it.

May your troubled soul finally rest at peace, Dan.  You will be missed far more than you ever thought you would.

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Out of Control Obama Administration

Another week, another scandal involving a massive unconstitutional use of power by the executive branch.  The breaking news (not from a traditional US journalist source, mind you, as they are loathe to criticize the administration) that the PRISM project is culling massive amounts of data from US citizens is just the latest.

Consider the track record of this administration:

  • Ran an illegal operation to smuggle guns into Mexico, likely under the pretext of garnering support for anti-gun legislation.  The guns ended up being used to kill an American law officer.
  • Failed to provide adequate support to an American consulate (which was screaming for it), failed to adequately support the consulate and its personnel when it came under attack, and then proceeded to lie to the American people about the whole enchilada.  All because it was politically expedient to do so.
  • Encouraged an closeness between itself and the IRS, a group that just happened to intimidate, harass, and abuse the political enemies of the president
  • Acquired personal records of reporters that happened to report news which was embarrassing to the administration
  • Is managing a massive "big data" review that is capturing and analyzing a vast majority of  information that is sent via phones and the internet
And in all of this, where are the liberals?  If this were a Republican administration that would have done all of this, there'd be massive protests, calls for impeachment, and demands for justice.    

And where are those that would speak truth to power?  There are only three possible scenarios: 1) they simply don't care 2) they're seen what this administration has done to its enemies and they're intimidated or 3) they actually agree with the actions of the administration.

And despite unconstitutional and downright criminal behavior everywhere, the president wants us to "trust."


     

What is happening in our country, before our very eyes, is frightening.  And very few people care...

Saturday, June 8, 2013

Cover is Final

Despite a lot of back and forth, the new cover is complete.

You'd think at this point, given a completed and fully formatted manuscript and cover, that I'd be able to compile all of the Lulu.com produced files and finally order a copy of my book.

Ah, but that'd be easy.  And Lulu.com is anything but easy.

Sigh...


Friday, June 7, 2013

Bubba Watson's Hovercraft Golf Cart

Now this is a golf cart upgrade!



Hat-tip to my brother

Thursday, June 6, 2013

Yawning Prank

Regardless of language or culture, we human beings definitely share some wiring:



Yawns are definitely contagious.  So much so, in fact, that on a show I was watching about SEAL training, which relies on massive amounts of sleep deprivation, the grunts established a pact that the first guy to yawn would get punched on the arm by every one else on the team.   

So, did you yawn during the video?

Tuesday, June 4, 2013

When does Cabelas Open in Green Bay? July, Baby!

Cabelas latest store is scheduled to open July 25.  Not missing any kind of opportunity to drive  traffic, management just happened to pick a day that's a day after the Green Bay Packers "shareholder's meeting" and a day before training camp starts.

License to print money.  Buy your shares of CAB while they're still cheap.

See you in line for the Grand Opening on 7/25

Monday, June 3, 2013

The IRS Scandal and Government Health Care

The liberal elite howled with disdain at ridicule when Sarah Palin dared utter that Obamacare would usher in government "death panels;" bureaucrats who would ultimately decide who got health care, and who did not.  She's still pilloried about it to this day.

Yet, what have we learned from the IRS scandal?  Government bureaucrats ultimately decided who got audited, denied tax-exempt status, and harassed, and who did not.  And their decision making was based solely on political ideology.

It is said that absolute power corrupts absolutely.  Is there a more absolute power than ceding to the government the decision of who gets health care (e.g. life) and who does not (e.g. death)?  Sounds like death panels to me.

And woe be to the person fighting against such an institution when their request for cancer treatment hits the desk of a bureaucrat with an agenda. 

Sunday, June 2, 2013

B.B. King Concert Review Appleton PAC

This is going to be a hard one to write.

For the B.B. King concert, the Fox Valley came out and supported a music act in spades tonight.  While not a full house, we were a far cry from the 10% sold for Lyle Lovette at the PAC two years ago.  Good job, Wisconsin:


Unfortunately, we were not witness to a concert.  We were witness to a train wreck, and a long "thank you" session from the audience.  B.B. King is 87 years old.  He's not in good health from a physical standpoint, and given his interactions last night, appeared to be suffering from more than a moderate case of dementia.  From a purely performance standpoint, he should not have been on stage.  He's not well, and it was difficult to watch.

The eight-piece backing band was extremely talented, and tight as hell, which made up for a lot of sins.  They worked their rear ends off, and it was very interesting to see their interplay and the physical and musical cues they'd pass to determine where the song should go.  With B.B. forgetting words, sections, and even entire songs, it was tough duty, and they performed remarkably.

B.B. himself had flashes of greatness.  His voice was much stronger than I expected, but with his failing memory, he'd held back on a lot of singing.  Ditto much of the story-telling that was such a big part of his concerts for decades.  But his guitar playing was still very sound, and there were a couple notes that he needed to drop into sections that were nailed so perfect that they actually gave me chills.  The man, for some instances, still had it.

But the pace, flow, and execution was brutal.  It just was.  The most obvious example?  It took his handlers 20 minutes of really awkward time to get him off the stage at the end, and their body language belied a group that is doing their best with someone that is not well.


This was my fifth time seeing B.B. King live.  The fist time was in 1984 - nearly 30 years ago.  Think about that for a second.  In some ways I regret going to see him tonight.  I hated to see someone I admire so much struggling like he did.  But, if you got a last chance to see Arnold Palmer tee off, or see Gene Hackman act, wouldn't you do it?

And for B.B. King, I'd still do it.  I clearly remember sitting in a buddy's dorm room freshman year and listening to Indianola Mississippi Seeds for the very first time and thinking "where in the hell has this been my whole life?"  That and Sgt. Pepper were the two albums that freaked me out and completely changed the way I'd view and listen to music.  More directly, it changed my life and started a love affair with the blues that continues to this day.

I paid $200 for our two seats tonight.  Any other similar performance would have had me at the ticket window demanding my money back.  But this was B.B. King.  This was the King.  For the five concerts, untold albums, countless listens, and musical epiphany he provided me, it was worth it.  In fact, it was the least I could do.

Thanks, B.B.  Thanks for coming out and playing - I know it is hard on you.  And more than that, thank you for changing my life the way you did.  

Be well, and rest.  You've earned it.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

IRS Terrorizes Citizens and Liberals Don't Care

There is clear evidence that the IRS profiled and targeted conservative groups and individuals. These were not minor, isolated incidences.  The breadth and depth of this activity shows that 1) it was an organized operation; coordinated in some fashion and 2) it was not limited to a couple of rogue agents in an office or two.  

And nobody on the liberal side of the aisle cares.

Think about that for a minute: A government arm, one that can imprison people and ruin lives, was unleashed for the simple punishment and control of political enemies.  

And nobody on the liberal side of the aisle cares.

A Senate Finance committee is investigating the issue, and asked the IRS to provide documents relevant to the investigation.  The deadline was yesterday, and the IRS coughed up nothing.  Try that same tactic the next time the IRS wants some documentation from you.  But right now they don't care, because this isn't a major issue.  

And it's not a major issue because nobody on the liberal side of the aisle cares.

They don't care that the IRS commissioner Doug Shulman visited the White House over 150 times, when his predecessor visited once.  Once.

They don't care that nobody will accept any kind of responsibility or accountability.

They don't care that the IRS asked groups to turn over the content of their prayers.

They don't care the the IRS demanded groups give up their first amendment rights of protest

They don't care that the IRS demanded the names on right wing groups' donor lists

And on and on.  They don't care.  They don't because they see the ends (the crushing of their political opponents) justifying the means (unleashing an illegal government reign of terror via threat, intimidation, bully tactics, and harassment).  That is who their party is.  That is what liberalism has become.   Activity so illegal, so egregious, that it should unify citizens in outrage is now instead either swept under the rug, dismissed as being overblown, or even defended.  

And unless they start to care, we can expect to see much more of this in the future.  Think about it - as an IRS agent, one whose entire source of living is funded by the taxpayer, who are you going to choose to audit?  It's not going to be the tax filer with the donations to liberal groups, is it?  No, that person is protecting your existence.  No, instead the audit and harassment will likely fall to those taxpayers that have a profile of a conservative.  Those are the people looking to take away your livelihood.   Those are your enemies.  Those are the ones that need to be punished.

In the height of the gun control debate a common liberal talking point was to scoff at and belittle gun owners' concerns of wanting a arm to defend themselves from potential government tyranny.  What paranoid, loony, imbeciles!  The "government tyranny" bogeyman!  How rich!

Now, just months later, we have prima facie evidence of government tyranny on a grand scale.

And nobody on the liberal side of the aisle cares.