#letters to a maga communist

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

William Faulkner, "Never be afraid" :: [(From a speech delivered May 28, 1951 at Fulton Chapel, University of Mississippi)]

* * * *

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 25, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Sep 26, 2024

In 2004 a senior advisor to President George W. Bush famously told journalist Ron Suskind that people like Suskind lived in “the reality-based community.” They believed people could find solutions to problems through careful study of discernible reality. But, the aide continued, Suskind’s worldview was obsolete. “That’s not the way the world really works anymore,” the aide said. “We are an empire now, and when we act, we create our own reality. And while you’re studying that reality— judiciously, as you will—we’ll act again, creating other new realities, which you can study too, and that’s how things will sort out. We’re history’s actors…and you, all of you, will be left to just study what we do.” 

We appear to be in a moment when the reality-based community is challenging the ability of the MAGA Republicans to create their own reality. 

Central to the worldview of MAGA Republicans is that Democrats are socialists who have destroyed the American economy. Trump calls Harris a “radical-left. Marxist, communist, fascist” and insists the economy is failing. 

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, today, Harris laid out her three-pillar plan for an “opportunity economy.” She explained that she would lower costs by cutting taxes for the middle class, cutting the red tape that stops housing construction, take on corporate landlords who are hiking rental prices, work with builders and developers to construct 3 million new homes and rentals, and help first-time homebuyers with $25,000 down payment assistance. She also promised to enact a federal ban on corporate price gouging on groceries and to cap prescription drug prices by negotiating with pharmaceutical companies. 

Harris said she plans to invest in innovation by raising the deduction for startup businesses from its current $5,000 to $50,000 and providing low- or no-interest loans to small businesses that want to expand. Her goal is to open the way for 25 million new small businesses in her first four years, noting that small businesses create nearly 50% of private sector jobs in the U.S. 

Harris plans to create manufacturing jobs of the future by investing in biomanufacturing and aerospace, remaining “dominant in AI, quantum computing, blockchain, and other emerging technologies, and expand[ing] our lead in clean energy innovation and manufacturing.” She vowed to see that the next generation of breakthroughs—“from advanced batteries to geothermal to advanced nuclear—are not just invented, but built here in America by American workers.” Investing in these industries means strengthening factory towns, retooling existing factories, hiring locally, and working with unions. She vowed to make jobs available for skilled workers without college degrees and to cut red tape to reform permitting for innovation.

“I am a capitalist,” she said. “I believe in free and fair markets. I believe in consistent and transparent rules of the road to create a stable business environment. And I know the power of American innovation.” She said she would be pragmatic in her approach to the economy, seeking practical solutions to problems and taking good ideas from wherever they come. 

“Kamala Harris, Reagan Democrat!” conservative pundit Bill Kristol posted on social media after her speech. 

For his part, Trump has promised an across-the-board tariff of 10% to 20% that billionaire Mark Cuban on the Fox News Channel called “insane” and Quin Hillyer of the Washington Examiner warned “would almost certainly cause immense price hikes domestically, goad other countries into retaliating, and perhaps set off an international trade war” that could “wreck the economy.” Cuban then told Jake Tapper of CNN that Trump’s promise to impose 10% price controls on credit card interest rates and price caps is “Socialism 101.” 

Yesterday, more than 400 economists and high-ranking U.S. policymakers endorsed Harris, and today, the members of former South Carolina governor Nikki Haley’s presidential leadership teams in Michigan, Iowa, and Vermont announced they would be supporting Harris, in part because of Trump’s economic policies.

While Trump insisted yet again today that “the economy is doing really, really badly,” the stock market closed at a record high today for the fourth day in a row. 

In other economic news, for nine years, Trump has said he will find a cheaper and better way to provide healthcare to Americans than the Affordable Care Act, although on September 10 he admitted he has only the “concepts of a plan.” Today the Treasury Department released statistics showing that 4.2 million small business owners have coverage through the ACA. Losing that protection would impact 618,590 small business owners in Florida, 450,010 in California, 423,790 in Texas, and 168,070 in Georgia.

Trump has made a claim that crime has risen dramatically under President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris central to his campaign rhetoric. The opposite is true. Two days ago, on September 23, the Federal Bureau of Investigation released its official report on crime statistics from 2023 compared with 2022. Those statistics showed that murder and non-negligent manslaughter fell by 11.6%. Rape fell by 9.4%. Aggravated assault fell by 2.8%. Robbery fell by 0.3%. Hate crimes fell by 0.6%. 

Central to the worldview of MAGA Republicans is that immigration weakens a nation and that immigrants increase crime and disease. First Republican vice presidential nominee Ohio senator J.D. Vance and then Trump himself repeatedly advanced the lie that Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, are eating their neighbors’ pets and bringing disease. 

Clergy members from multiple faiths have asked politicians to stop their lies about Haitian immigrants, and today the leader of Haitian Bridge Alliance, a nonprofit organization that represents the Haitian community, filed a charges against Trump and Vance for disrupting public services, making false alarms, telecommunications harassment, and aggravated menacing and complicity.  

Immediately, Representative Clay Higgins (R-LA), who in the past supported Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke and filmed a selfie inside a gas chamber at Auschwitz, posted on social media: “Lol. These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters…but damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP. All these thugs better get their mind right and their *ss out of our country before January 20th.” 

After an outcry, Higgins took the post down. According to House speaker and fellow Louisiana Republican Mike Johnson, who called Higgins a “very principled man,” Higgins took it down after he “prayed about it.” Johnson seemed unconcerned about his colleague’s racism, saying, “we believe in redemption around here.” 

But in a statement, House minority leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) called Higgins’s statement “vile, racist and beneath the dignity of the United States House of Representatives. He must be held accountable for dishonorable conduct that is unbecoming of a Member of Congress. Clay Higgins is an election-denying, conspiracy-peddling racial arsonist who is a disgrace to the People’s House. This is who they have become. Republicans are the party of Donald Trump, Mark Robinson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Clay Higgins and Project 2025. The extreme MAGA Republicans in the House are unfit to govern.” 

On Monday, Dan Gooding of Newsweek reported that although Trump said on September 18 he would go to Springfield, he will not. Republican Ohio governor Mike DeWine had warned that the local community would not welcome a visit from the former president. 

Republican politicians and candidates, including Trump, embraced North Carolina gubernatorial candidate and current lieutenant governor Mark Robinson, who trumpeted the extremists’ MAGA narrative. The September 19 revelation by CNN reporters Andrew Kaczynski and Em Steck that Robinson had boasted on a pornography website that he considers himself a “black NAZI!”, would like to reinstate slavery, and would like to own some people himself, and shared the sexual kinks in which he engaged with his wife’s sister prompted most of his campaign staff to resign. 

Andrew Egger of The Bulwark reported today that on a different online forum, Robinson called for a political assassination as well as making racist attacks on entertainer Oprah Winfrey and former president Barack Obama. Robinson has called all the information released about him “false smears” and has said “[n]ow is not the time for intra-party squabbling and nonsense,” but declined help tracking down those he claims falsified his online comments. Today, multiple media outlets reported that top staff in Robinson’s government office are stepping down.  

Reality hit hard this week in Texas, too, where U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez yesterday approved the auctioning off of conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s media business, the aptly-named InfoWars. Jones insisted that the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting  was a “hoax” designed to whip up support for gun restrictions, and that the grieving parents were played by “crisis actors.” Juries found Jones guilty of defaming the families of the murdered children and causing them emotional distress. 

The auction of his property will enable the families to begin to collect on the more than $1 billion the jurors determined Jones owed them for his reprehensible and harmful behavior. 

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[mariacallous]

Republican Congressman Jim Banks sent letters in recent days to a number of high-profile figures in the U.S. far-right, saying that they had been added to a Ukrainian NGO's list of individuals and groups responsible "in the U.S. impeding aid to Ukraine."

The congressman alleged that Texty, the Ukrainian NGO in question, previously worked with the U.S. State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).

Texty released a statement on June 13 that its team was facing "unprecedented pressure, manipulation, slander, demands to strip us of donor funding, and threats of physical violence."

Banks, who is running for Senate in Indiana, had said on June 11 that "other Ukrainian NGOs have published similar lists, which have published the personal information of those named in apparent attempts to intimidate them."

Banks added that he sent an accompanying letter to key congressional committee members, urging them to stop "partnering with any actors overseas who encourage the harassment of Americans."

Banks also posted on his personal X account that he was put on an "enemies list" that was "compiled by the Ukrainian government.

What's really behind the governmental funding allegations?

Inna Gadzynska, a journalist at Texty and one of the authors of the report, told the Kyiv Independent that the outlet has no connection to either the Ukrainian or U.S. governments, does not consider its report to be a "hit list," and did not publish any personal information.

Gadzynska added that Texty did not receive any government funding for the project.

The following day, Banks wrote that Congressional Republicans had moved to "defund" the "Ukrainian NGO that created a 'watch list' that consisted of conservative lawmakers and private American citizens."

The Kyiv Independent reached out to Banks' press office for comment several times, but received no response.  

Elon Musk then commented below the post, saying that the NGO should be "added to the list of sanctioned terrorist organizations."

Rogan O'Handley, a prominent "MAGA influencer" active on X with the handle "DC_Draino," shared the letter he had received from Banks, claiming that "(President Volodymyr) Zelensky has added (him) to his 'enemies' list."

O'Handley then added that a "Ukrainian NGO 'funded with our tax dollars' has labeled me an enemy of their state."

Texty's report has been widely shared on social media, with false claims about the organization, the list's contents, and its connections to the Ukrainian and U.S. governments growing with every retweet.

Far-right conspiracy theorist and Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene wrote that Zelensky's "thug regime has deemed me an enemy of the state" and put "elected members of Congress like me on their state KILL list."

What exactly is Texty's report?

Texty's report, labeled "Roller Coaster: From Trumpists to Communists. The forces in the U.S. impeding aid to Ukraine and how they do it," was released on June 6.

The report contains an in-depth exploration of 388 individuals and 76 organizations involved in the "ecosystem of mutual support" of opponents of aid for Ukraine.

Texty's website states it is a media outlet founded by Anatoliy Bondarenko and Roman Kulchynsky in 2010 and has won several journalism awards, including the European Press Prize in 2024. Texty says its research is "funded exclusively" by its readers.

The claims about the alleged financial support by the U.S. State Department appear to stem from the fact that Bondarenko previously was a volunteer trainer at the TechForum Ukraine almost ten years ago.  

The forum was a program from TechCamps, a "public diplomacy program hosted in the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) at the U.S. State Department."

The program "brought together more than 60 local journalists, civil society, community leaders, and private sector partners in Eastern Europe with local and international technology experts."

"The two-day workshop helped increase digital and media literacy and gave participants the tools to communicate effectively in the 21st century."

Besides the single two-day workshop conducted almost 10 years ago, there is no other evidence to support the claim that the U.S. State Department or any other government entity has supported Texty, financially or otherwise.

In a statement on X on June 9, Texty said that it had "faced an unprecedented wave of hate" after the report was published.

"Claims that the list of U.S. opponents of aid to Ukraine is a 'kill list,' persecution, or doxxing, or that the Texty editorial team is trained or funded by the U.S. government is an outright lie."

Texty reiterated that "Bondarenko was a trainer who taught activists at one of the TechCamps" but said that it was just one of many training sessions it had conducted.

Gadzynska told the Kyiv Independent that Bondarenko was not paid for his work as a trainer. Bondarenko did receive a grant from the U.S. Embassy in 2020 to help "counter disinformation about Coronavirus," she added.

Texty also previously received USAID grants via other organizations, but Gadzynska emphasized that the report in question was not funded by any institutional donor.

In any case, Bondarenko had "no relation" to the report and did not contribute to it, Gadzynska said.

The aim of the report was not to "harass" or "intimidate" the individuals and groups named but rather to "openly and objectively examine issues that are key to our country's survival, such as who the U.S. opponents of aid to Ukraine are and why they oppose it," Texty said.

Gadzynska emphasized that the report did not call the listed individuals and groups "enemies."

Texty "operate(s) as an NGO and never takes money from the Ukrainian government," she said, adding that the outlet has criticized Zelensky "before and after the presidential election in 2019."

Gadzynska also shared with the Kyiv Independent some of the vitriolic and threatening messages that Texty received after the report was published, which insulted Ukraine and claimed that the report was an act of "declaring war" on the U.S.

Which other figures are mentioned by Texty?

As the title suggests, the report is not limited to the far-right politicians and commentators who are often the face of American opposition to Ukraine.

It also includes a number of prominent individuals and organizations from the left, such as the Quincy Institute for Responsible Statecraft (QI) and the "anti-war" organization CodePink, mostly known for its opposition to Israel.

Anatol Lieven, a U.K. journalist and director of QI's Eurasia Program, told the American Conservative media outlet that "it is completely inappropriate that a foreign institution that participates (in) training funded by U.S. taxpayers' money should use that money to try to limit public debate in the U.S. on a matter of vital U.S. interest."

Lieven has written about the need for a ceasefire in Ukraine and says that the war is "Russia's fault," but also regularly references Russian talking points, such as the unfounded assertion that "most Crimeans still appear to want to be part of Russia."

To support his claim, Lieven cited a survey by the independent Russian polling firm the Levada Center conducted in 2019 when Crimea was already under Russian occupation.

Previous polls conducted before the illegal annexation, such as one by the International Republican Institute in May 2013, found that only 23% of respondents wanted to be part of Russia, compared to 67% who wanted some form of autonomy within Ukraine.

In a co-written article with George Beebe published by QI in January 2024, Lieven wrote that the U.S. "will have to offer some serious incentives" to Putin to end the war.

"If we want a prosperous Ukraine with a viable path toward liberal governance and European Union membership, we will have to concede that it cannot be a NATO or U.S. ally, and that this neutral Ukraine must have verifiable limits on the types and quantities of weapons it may hold."

Lieven's comments were indicative of the wide range of narratives harmful to Ukraine that come from across the political spectrum.

CodePink, an ostensible left-wing "pro-peace" organization, also mentioned Texty's report, reiterating claims that Bondarenko "trains foreign journalists and media companies in the State Department's TechCamp."

While regularly calling for an end to the conflict, CodePink also says that "expansion of NATO and the aggressive approach of Western nations have helped cause the crisis, and we demand an end to NATO expansion." CodePink is also opposed to sanctions that "harm ordinary Russians."

Medea Benjamin, one of the co-founders of CodePink, has also repeated Russian propaganda talking points. In a November 2022 interview with Chris Hedges, a political commentator who has a show on the Russian state-owned media outlet RT, Benjamin falsely claimed that Crimea is a part of Russia and that Russian speakers are being discriminated against in Ukraine.

CodePink takes a "leftist position," Texty said, but "uses every Russian propaganda thesis to support its beliefs."

Tucker Carlson's allegations of Ukraine's 'hit list'

It is not the first time that far-right figures in the U.S. have falsely claimed that the Ukrainian government has created a public "hit list" of opponents of Ukraine.

After far-right political commentator Tucker Carlson interviewed Russian President Vladimir Putin in February 2024, a widely distributed post on X claimed that Carlson had been placed on a "kill list" by the Ukrainian government.

Carlson traveled to Moscow to record the two-hour and seven-minute interview, during which he seldomly interrupts Putin as he echoes Russian propaganda and shares false narratives on a wide variety of topics, including his justification for Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

In fact, Carlson had been added to a list compiled by the Ukrainian NGO Myrotvorets, which studies threats to Ukraine's national security, and has been in the Myrotvorets database since 2023.

[acronymking4tdp]

Letters from an American

August 16, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson Aug 17, 2024

There is just too much in this letter to try to select bits and pieces. To US voters: Please take this seriously and inform yourself. We are where we are because good people started doing nothing, and now we are fighting battles that haven't even been an issue for many of the users of this platform. To non-US citizens, inform yourselves so that the hard right can't get as far in your countries as they have here. A widespread belief that "it can't happen here" is the first sign that it can. "

The complaint of Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) last weekend on CNN that Democrats are bullying him by calling him weird has stuck with me. As I wrote at the time, Republicans have made punching down their stock in trade for decades, and Vance’s complaint suggests that the Democrats are finally pushing back. It strikes me that behind this shifting power dynamic is a huge story about American politics.

Since the 1950s, those determined to get rid of business regulation, social welfare programs, government infrastructure spending, and federal protection of civil rights have relied on a rhetorical structure that centers “real” Americans who allegedly want nothing from government and warns that un-American forces who want government handouts are undermining the country by bringing socialism or racial, gender, or religious equality. 

In 2024, that rhetoric is all the MAGA Republicans have left to attract voters, as their actual policies are unpopular. Yesterday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told reporters at his Bedminster availability that to win the 2024 election: “All we have to do is define our opponent as being a communist or a socialist or somebody that's gonna destroy our country." 

But it is not just Trump. A MAGA pundit has called Vice President Harris “Hitler and Stalin combined but times 200,” and on Wednesday, Republicans in Minnesota nominated Royce White as their candidate for the U.S. Senate. “We face an enemy that intends to bastardize our citizenship through an idea called globalism,” White has said. “We must begin to understand how the global affects the local and take a stand for God, Family, and Country.” White has also said that “women have become too mouthy,” and that “Donald Trump could get up on stage, pull his pants down, take a sh*t up at the podium, and I still would never vote for you f*cking Democrats again.”

The rhetorical strategy setting up Republicans against a dangerous “other” was behind Trump’s demand that Republicans in Congress kill a bipartisan border bill so that Trump could continue to demonize immigrants. You could see that demonization of immigrants today in Vance’s straight-up lie that Vice President Kamala Harris “wants to give $25,000 to illegal aliens to buy American homes.” In fact, Harris today called for Congress to expand plans already in place in the Biden administration, and none of those plans call for giving money to undocumented migrants.

Also in that vein today was the announcement of Representative James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight Committee, that he is opening an investigation into Minnesota governor Tim Walz’s work in China. Walz is the Democratic vice presidential nominee. He went to China in 1989 as part of a teach-abroad program and went on to coordinate trips for students in China, becoming a vocal advocate for human rights in that country as leaders cracked down on opposition. But by suggesting this cultural exchange is nefarious, Comer can seed the idea that Walz is somehow operating against the interests of the United States.

This longstanding rhetoric that positions Republicans as true Americans defending the country against those who would destroy it has metastasized into the determination of MAGA Republicans to replace American democracy with a Christian nationalism that cements the power of white patriarchy. Vance has been in hot water for his derogatory remarks about “childless cat ladies”; interviews have resurfaced in the past few days in which he embraced the idea that the role of “the postmenopausal female” is to take care of grandchildren. 

The New College of Florida is in the news today for illustrating the logical progression of the idea that Republicans must protect the nation from those who would destroy it. The New College of Florida was at the center of Republican governor Ron DeSantis’s program to get rid of traditional academic freedom. He stripped the New College of its independence and replaced officials with Christian loyalists who tried to build a school modeled after those that Viktor Orbán’s loyalists took over in Hungary. New College officials painted over student murals celebrating diversity, suppressed student support for civil rights, and voted to eliminate the diversity, equity, and inclusion office and the gender studies program. Faculty fled the New College, and more than a quarter of the students dropped out. To keep its numbers up, the school dropped its admission standards. 

Yesterday, Steven Walker of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that the school cleared out the Gender and Diversity Center, throwing the books it had accumulated into a dumpster. Officials said the books are no longer serving the needs of the college: “gender studies has been discontinued as an area of concentration at New College and the books are not part of any official college collection or inventory.” 

The image of piles of books in a dumpster in the United States of America is not easily forgettable. 

But the dominance rhetoric of the MAGA Republicans was never just about political power. Political power always went hand in hand with corruption. A new book by Joe Conason called The Longest Con notes that the modern right-wing movement has its roots in the promise of grifters after World War II to protect America against the communists they insisted were infiltrating the country. Their promises to defend true Americans against an enemy was always about getting cash out of the deal. 

Conason emphasizes how drumming up fears of an “other” was a deliberate grift to put money into the pockets of those who told small donors that their dollars were vital for defending the United States. The biggest prize for the extremists, though, was the control of government purse strings that allowed them to turn federal and state largesse toward their own cronies. Conason notes that under President Ronald Reagan, Republicans’ cuts to government oversight and reliance on the private sector to regulate itself, along with their belief that unfettered capitalism was a form of resistance to communism, led to a boom in corruption. 

That corruption has continued in the Republican Party, largely unaddressed as politicians insisted that those calling it out were simply un-American malcontents engaging in political hits against good, patriotic Americans. In contrast, as any corruption on the Democratic side can be expected to be sliced and diced in public, the Democrats have stayed relatively clean. 

And this is why Vance’s comment about Democrats bullying him jumped out at me. Republican dominance is cracking as Trump struggles and Vance offends people, and as that dominance falls away, the many things it covered are starting to get attention—among them, stories of Republican corruption. And they’re doozies.  

On Sunday, for example, Garrett Shanley of the Independent Florida Alligator, the student newspaper of the University of Florida, reported that when former senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) took over the presidency of the University of Florida, he “channeled millions” to his Republican allies and to secretive contracts. In 17 months he more than tripled spending from his office, with most of the money going to his former aides and political friends, most of whom continued to live and work outside the state. Sasse was appointed in November 2022 in an opaque hiring process and stepped down unexpectedly in July, citing family issues, although Vivienne Serret of The Independent Alligator reported that DeSantis allies on the Board of Trustees forced him out.

One of the biggest stories in the country these days is the corruption scandal in Ohio, in which dark money groups led by the FirstEnergy utility company worked with former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder to put into office politicians who, thanks to about $61 million in bribes, backed a $1.3 billion bailout for FirstEnergy paid for with tax dollars. 

On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost agreed to settle the scandal. FirstEnergy will pay a $20 million fine, an amount that Marty Schladen of the Ohio Capital Journal notes is less than one-third the amount FirstEnergy spent to bribe legislators, and a fraction of the money ratepayers have had to pay because of the corrupt legislation the bribes paid for. 

Nothing better illustrates the grift at the center of today’s MAGA Republicans than Donald Trump’s Big Lie that he actually won the 2020 election and that it was stolen from him by those dangerous “others,” the Democrats. The Big Lie enabled the Trump team to continue soliciting donations in order to fight for the White House. According to Conason, Trump and his fellow election deniers pocketed $255.4 million between the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop the counting of the electoral votes that would make Democratic candidate Joe Biden president. 

On Monday, jurors found former Colorado election clerk Tina Peters guilty on seven counts in relation to her compromising of her county’s election system. Peters was determined to get voter information to My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell, a key Trump ally, in order to prove the Big Lie. She is facing more than 22 years in prison. Link to the Letter.

[odinsblog]

Something I need to get off my chest, for old followers and new:

I do not give a single solitary fuck about communism

If communism blew up and died tomorrow, I would not give one shit about it 🥱

If “communism” is your end all be all about what’s right and what’s wrong in the world, then do us both a favor and block me right now. No hard feelings, okay?

And for anyone wondering: no, I don’t give a shit about capitalism, and definitely not neoliberalism either

Look, sooner or later you have GOT to understand something: some people (neoliberals) get all bent out shape if you aren’t constantly falling over yourself to kiss the ass of whoever the current Democratic president is. That ain’t me. When Biden or Clinton or whoever is wrong, I will hold their feet to the fire and at least try to them accountable (see: Biden Title 42)

And when capitalism fucks up (lol, that’s any day of the week that ends in the letter Y), then I will call that shit out too

Sooner or later, ALL of that shit fucks up. All of it. All of it

None of it is beyond critique

If you think your special little rhubarb (communism, capitalism, religion, libertarianism, etc etc etc) is magically the only one that is perfect and good and right all the time, then you’re just like a little baby who still believes that Santa lives on the North Pole. Please grow tf up

But I am very specifically calling out communism today because several long time mutuals lose their shit whenever I don’t kiss Putin’s ass, or when I don’t blame NATO for Putin invading a sovereign nation that wasn’t attacking Russia, wasn’t in NATO, and wasn’t even applying for membership into NATO when Putin decided to attack them

Is America wrong for all the dirt its done all around the planet? Fuck. yes. Does America bad = Russia good? FUCK NO

Look, everyone has their own personal coda; their guiding principles; their “religion,” their rhubarb. For some, it’s a blind, sycophantic inability to understand or acknowledge that simply being marginally better than Trump doesn’t automatically make centrist Democrats above being held accountable (it’s our job as citizens to always demand better from whoever our elected representatives are—they work for us goddammit)

For other sycophants, it’s a rabid inability to call out capitalism and/or Christianity

And for others still, it’s communism

I guess my problem is, EYE don’t measure how “good” something is by how “communist” it is—I measure it by how much good it does without burying poor people, without harming Black & Brown people, without hurting women (trans or otherwise), without vilifying foreigners, and without burning LGBTQ people (the way Russia and America do)

If you can’t understand that, then your particular brand of blind fanaticism (your rhubarb) is communism, and you are no different from the VBNMW, Blue MAGA sycophants who go completely ape shit whenever you say something even slightly unflattering about politicians who happen to wear the letter “D” behind their name—see where that got us??

You’re no different. You just have a slightly different rhubarb

Communism is NOT my fucking measuring stick. I don’t have communism on the brain, and I sure as fuck don’t have capitalism on the brain either

I love Black people, Brown people , poor people, immigrants, asylum seekers, women, the LGBTQ community, democracy, equality, justice and freedom

And dassit ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I’m on the side of the little guy and the underdog

So anyway, fuck communism, fuck capitalism, fuck “Christianity” and fuck all the other little bullshit unimportant distinctions you far too rigidly use to decide if someone is “good” instead of just looking to see if they’re actually doing good or not

Some of you good little “communists” couldn’t even be bothered to speak up about Brittney Griner because you didn’t want to look bad or say anything bad about Vladimir Putin’s raggedy ass. Lol. You guys suck!

And no, this isn’t me taking a right wing turn like Cenk and TYT (or like Jimmy Dore, or Glenn Greenwald, or any number of the other “previously” progressive media types who are re-aligning themselves with conservatives)

In 2016 I had to break ties with people and bloggers who turned out to be dogged Blue MAGA sycophants, and today I’m fed up with people who can’t go more than two minutes without signaling how “communist” they are 🙄

Sorry, but that shit don’t get my dick hard

(And for added clarity: Republicans and Libertarians, go fuck yourselves with a rusty chainsaw)

If this post makes you mad, then here ya go

</end rant>

[thegalievthought]

The Rot Affecting Marxism

Some believe this false notion in Marxism and perhaps even political economics as a whole. That the Marxist position is an international one is only an optional caveat. That the natural position of socialism is that of the sole liberation of a singular nation from capitalism and perhaps even to send a nice party stamped letter that is a tantamount gesture of ‘thoughts and prayers’. Though this notion seems alive most prevalently in the backwards imperialist nations but in particular the four superpowers (The United Kingdom, The United States, The People's Republic of China and The Russian Federation). In these nations, many socialists and so-called socialists alike have either been indoctrinated so or tell lies so that many think that the international aspect of proletarian struggle is non-important like the revisionists in China have proposed focusing on bourgeois statesmanship and nationalism over real proletarian struggle. On the other hand, like in the USA, socialism has been infected with a disease of bourgeois nationalism thinking that patriotism for the imperialist state and socialism are somehow compatible. 

Britain and Russia have had their own experiences with the matter. From the Duginist rot that is the National Bolshevik party in Russia to British Marxist Leninist's opposition to Irish Republicanism. There seems a firm split between socialism in the real sense and the bourgeois lies that infect our thoughts. Lenin says in Corrupting the Workers “with Refined Nationalism that bourgeois parties and groups have been more and more often resorting to the method of dividing the workers by advocating different bourgeois ideas and doctrines designed to weaken the struggle of the working class. One such idea is refined nationalism, which advocates the division and splitting up of the proletariat on the most plausible and specious pretexts, for example, that of protecting the interests of “national culture”, “national autonomy, or independence”, and so on, and so forth.” Lenin further explains that “The class-conscious workers fight hard against every kind of nationalism, both the crude, violent, Black-Hundred nationalism and that most refined nationalism which preaches the equality of nations together”. So I take this to mean that workers of the world must be united against nationalism of all kinds whether it be the lowest rate of fascism or the purest lie such as Stalin's “proletarian nationalism”. Furthermore, we can see the logical conclusions of proletarian nationalism in Russia be it a corruption of Stalin or not, Dugin has only furthered an idea invented by the Stalinist line by forming the National Bolshevik party, So at least in Russia, we can draw a clear line the corruption of the workers and working-class movements there in the acceptance of nationalism. In the United States, you need not look further than the CPUSA and bourgeois traitors like Max Schatman to see that the many failures of the establishment of a firm arm of the American proletariat in some part lines with the failure of the American Marxist parties to divorce themselves with American patriotism. We see this in the modern day with a so-called “MAGA Communist” faction of the CPUSA which argues for no more than a National Bolshevik united states. While no doubt funded by people no more reactionary than the most devout Hitlerites it is still worrying that what is a movement funded by the US government is allowed to grow to the size of a sizable faction of the party. 

And in the United Kingdom you would be hard-pressed to find a Marxist that would dare trend away from the party line of the Labour party and in that nation are firmly committed to social democracy and fascism at worst depending on whatever political poll the labour party has decided that year. And those parties that dare away from the national statements of Labour oft find themselves simply irrelevant and doing nothing relevant or worse actively opposing the rank and file worker like the Trotskyists of the Spartacus League of Britain with their damned near suicidal insistence of opposing age of consent laws. Which recently led the rail unions to cease working with the party. If this is a point of needed education Marx has failed. If the workers are actively against you because you are not progressive enough then you have failed and leadership of the party must be seized from conservatives. Much like what needs to be done with the Socialist Equality Party and David North which takes the position of anti-feminism particularly anti-MeToo which in British Trotskyism is hardly a stance to be taken given Gerry Healy is one of the most known Trotkyists in all of Britain.  

So it stands as no small surprise that these “Marxist” parties which many claims to be so-called bulwarks of anti-reactionism either due to incompetence, bourgeois interference, or downright corruption by reactionary infiltration. Have entered into a position of the reactionary bourgeois party. Either nationalism or the whims of opportunists have made these parties ineffective and disarmed and at worst have made them actively at odds with the workers and active servants of the bourgeoisie. So then what is to be done? The third world alone cannot and should not be expected to carry the banners of socialism alone. A radical shift is needed in the imperial core away from reactionist rot and away from the shattering hands of the bourgeoisie. Radical I know. Firstly as I quoted earlier Lenin was against any and all kinds of nationalism. He saw it clearly and concisely as a corrupting rot, a disease of the bourgeoisie that has been forcefully spread to the working class to divide us and drive us ultimately to the reaction. So it is of the utmost importance that we ask why? And I see no better place to start than with the Marxist-Leninist line of soviet or ‘proletarian nationalism”.

The idea of Soviet Nationalism came to be around the Stalinist period in the years before the second world war. Thought of as a way to fight against the petty-bourgeois nationalism that remained in resistance to the Soviet government. This ultimately had the effect of reviving a Tsarist tool of Russian nationalism. This has directly led to the modern Fascist and National Bolshevik movements in Russia many of which hold Stalin as a great leader of the Russian Nation and not as a leader of the working class. Soviet Patriotism as all nationalism and patriotism will do eventually if not used properly backfired and only breed reactionism and anti-worker movements. That's why I find it imperative to challenge some ideas that were created and conclusions from Soviet Nationalism. Firstly soviet nationalism comes in no small part from Lenin's writings of what came to be known as the national question which we saw an example of earlier where he refused nationalism of all kinds. But there is a grey area in this question. That of national liberation and a question that has split Marxists in Britain for over one hundred years. The question of national liberation is one of fighting off foreign capitalists and imperialists. For example the wars in Ireland. Many Irish Marxists such as James Connolly argue that national liberation against foreign capitalists is an apparent first step in founding socialism in a colonised country and followed by the overthrowing of the national capital. Ultimately I and Lenin agree that for colonised nations this is a necessity but what we established is different and separate from Nationalism because it is simply fighting off of feign capital not an establishment of national importance or greatness. But many Marxists are sceptical, rightly so, that this is a thin line that can lead to fascism just as easily as a Marxist victory as shown with the Irish Free State in 1921. However, Soviet Patriotism ultimately suffers from the latter. It is a revival of nationalism after the revolution which ultimately only serves to revive any nationalism eradicated by the revolution or if not eradicated serves to strengthen it like in Russia. This is why left-wing nationalism does not strive for nationalism in the long term if they are of course properly educated in Marx and Lenin. But rather strives to evict and throw off international and then national capital. And are thus internationalists and this is something that Soviet patriotism does not. 

American soviet nationalism follows much the same line. However, it doesn't need to revive or strengthen its institution of nationalism but only convince the ultranationalist factions of America of socialism a much greater but still dangerous task than that of Russia. In the United States, so-called maga-communists seem to want to mix the ideas of Marxism-Leninism with that of American patriotism which besides the fact this is a genocidal mission. It serves to not only harm the many minorities of the United State but the entire proletarian struggle there is put in jeopardy by these reactionary actors. Soviet Patriotism is undoubtedly not the only cause, however. One other major cause is at play and that is the cause of the bourgeois reaction. 

In the United States and China while nationalism has played its surefire role in destroying the worker's movements there. One factor in both cases is opportunists and reactionary infiltration. In China after the Civil War in a vain attempt to maintain stability, he allowed many fascists and opportunists into the party as well as many former landlords. In the short term, this effect did not have much effect due to Mao's control as well as the cultural revolution. However, after his death, the cultural revolution proved ineffective in preventing reactionaries and opportunists like Deng and Xi Jinping from taking control of the party. Which first led to a clear turn to social democracy and now a turn toward Han Supremacy and fascism in China. In the United States, parties like the CPUSA which split from the SPA in 1919 suffered from quickly becoming an outcast in the socialist movements there. Until the 40s and 50s when many other organisations were disbanded or split and Marxism-Leninism and Stalinism took a clearer hold over other ideologies like Trotskyism which was dominant in the 30s But with their popularity increased so did the amount of so-called socialist patriots which led to seeds of reactionaries in the party though this would be tackled by the party leadership at the time and only emerge in our modern day and have a lack of action from party leaders and no members expelled for reactionary fascist rhetoric in their party. And if a socialist revolution were to be with this party at the lead it would be the worst disaster for socialism since the 2nd International. To put it simply, The CPUSA is incompetent with leadership with no backbone I would question if they have read Marx or even Lenin. The reactionism in these parties often comes with either an acceptance of nationalism or an acceptance of capital. Or with concessions and compromises with conservatives on issues like feminism, and sexual and gender rights. But that is the fool's game because if we sacrifice the rights of some workers for those of privileged workers we fall into a pit of reaction. Just like the SEP and its concession to conservative workers on issues of feminism this hurts our women comrades for the sake of reactionaries and is a move wholly unaligned with Marx. 

In short, I think it's imperative to state that this is not only a critique of the parties and states mentioned it is ultimately a critique of the reactionary cultures and ideas many socialists have allowed in our movement from people like David North and Haz Al-Din to seed reactionism and nationalism in the working class these people need to be expelled from the working class movement by the workers. 

Nextly returning to an earlier question. What is to be done? The answer is to me very clearly the only answer is to fight and expel reactionaries and to always endorse and further internationalism. The international proletariat is one united force against capital and it is clear to me that dividing workers into arbitrary lines only serves to gut the movement and weaken it. As Roman Rosdolsky said “The working man has no country” this is one we must stand by evermore. We the working class movement belong to no country and our liberation our revolution belongs to no nation. The Marxists and the internationalist are the same and any petty nationalism is bourgeois corruption and useless to the worker. So in the final closing, I recommend you address my further writings on the matter of how to combat inter-party reactionary conflicts and on internationalism. Because this is the problem of every modern Marxist and one that cannot be addressed with compromise or concession but with only the utmost hostility and hate toward bourgeois and reactionary agents. 

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The Completely Unnecessary News Analysis

By Christopher Smart

August 6, 2024

GOP TO SAVE EMBRYOS — GOD TO SAVE GREAT SALT LAKE

Our wonderful Republican lawmakers here in the Beehive State want to save zygotes. Bless their hearts. They don't care that the Utah Supreme Court ruled that their legislation calling for a total ban on abortion flies in the face of the state Constitution. Nah, they're just gonna work around that, 'cause saving embryos is God's work. So, they'll pass another bill with different language and hope to get a different ruling, which, as we know, is the definition of wisdom. Can't let a little thing like the Constitution get in the way. You know Wilson, it's amazing how our blessed GOP brethren spring into action when it comes to abortion, DEI, critical race theory or trans access to public restrooms. But for some reason when it comes to the desiccation of the Great Salt Lake and air pollution... well it's just another matter. As the lake dries up poisons from the exposed lakebed blow right into Salt Lake County, adding PM 10 particles to the smaller PM 2.5 respiratory challenges that make our air some of the worst in the nation. But what's the hurry. Maybe it'll snow a lot in coming years adding lots of runoff to the Bear River so that all the water sucked up by alfalfa farmers won't affect lake level. Our GOP lawmakers will save the embryos and God will save the lake. Yeah, that's it. Good plan.

TOP 10 THINGS AMERICANS FEAR

We live in fear. So says a nine-year study from Chapman University. Americans on the left fear MAGA will get even meaner. Folks on the right fear that Hollywood and progressives will take away their liberties. We've been terrorizing each other since Sen. Joseph McCarthy went on communist witch hunts in the '50s with his committee on UnAmerican Activities. For 2024, the staff here at Smart Bomb has updated Americans Top 10 fears:

10 – That Bitcoin might be a mirage

9 – Real Housewives will get cancelled

8 – Kid Rock will perform at Super Bowl halftime

7 – Inflation could push up beer prices

6 – Victoria's Secret will go out of business

5 – J.D. Vance is a bot

4 – Mountain Dew is fascist soda

3 – Elon Musk will buy Disneyland

2 – American Idol gets axed

1 – And the #1 fear Americans have is that Donald Trump will never go away

MOUNTAIN DEW IS RACIST — WHO KNEW

Hey Wilson, did you know that Mountain Dew is racist? J.D. Vance, the weird dude running with Donald Trump, told a campaign rally that white people are always being accused of racism. “I had a Diet Mountain Dew yesterday and one today, and I’m sure they’re going to call that racist, too.” And you thought Mountain Dew was just caffein-loaded soda. That brings us to DEI that used to stand for diversity, equity and inclusion. DEI programs in colleges, corporations and government agencies sought to help make room for minorities in a white majority society. But now we find that it makes white men feel bad and is actually racist against them. DEI is the right's new four-letter word. You might have heard, Wilson, that Kamala Harris is a DEI hire — roughly translated: she was only selected to be vice president because she is a woman and a minority. You might also have heard that Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., is actually an African. You may have heard that the husband of Rep. Cori Bush, D-Mo., who is black, is a “thug.” And you may have heard that Homeland Security Sec. Alejandro Mayorkas is a “reptile with no balls.” As we now know from Chief Justice John Roberts, racism is no longer a problem in this country — so for goodness sakes hide the Mountain Dew.

Post script — That's going to do it for another enchanted week here in Zion where the state motto is, “Don't Worry Be Happy.” The Republican-dominated Utah Legislature came up with the new slogan for more insurance that GOP lawmakers won't have to pay a political price for their white male Mormon views on everything from open government to women's healthcare. The journey from the priesthood to the legislature is a short one — but you can always count on a free lunch. The priesthood makes its decisions behind closed doors for good reason. What the people don't know can't hurt them. The runner-up for the new state motto was, “Ignorance Is Bliss.” Nice. Speaking of mottos, the Trump campaign has apparently adopted a new one, too: “Don't Worry Be Angry.” Donald Trump and J.D. Vance are tearing it up on the campaign trail. Man, are they pissed off — and you should be, too. Kamala Harris is not only a “bitch,” according to Trump, but she uses AI (artificial intelligence) to make her campaign rally crowds look big. It's bologna because no one has bigger crowds than Trump — not Martin Luther King, Jr., not Gandhi, not even Jesus. That's what Trump said and he almost never lies... Well, OK, only when he has to.

So Wilson, it wasn't too long ago that folks were describing Kamala Harris as the invisible vice president. But now she's like the Phoenix risen from the ashes of the Biden campaign. She's on fire, kindling hope wherever she goes. Truth is, she was always there waiting for her time. You and the guys in the band know the theme song, Wilson, so hit it:

You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try, try and try You'll succeed at last Persecution you must fear Win or lose you got to get your share You've got your mind set on a dream You can get it though hard it may seem now You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try, try and try You'll succeed at last Rome was not built in a day Opposition will come your way But the hotter the battle you see Is the sweeter the victory now You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want You can get it if you really want But you must try, try and try, try and try You'll succeed at last

(You Can Get It If You Really Want — Jimmy Cliff)

[stephenjaymorrisblog]

Censorship of Words

Stephen Jay Morris

02/11/21

©Scientific Morality

It’s those nattering potentates of conservatism that are always the first to whine, “We are victims of Left wing censorship!” Truth be known, Right wing McCarthyism was the originator of so-called “Cancel Culture.” It is similar to Nazis complaining about International Jews persecuting the Aryan race. Any Right winger would love the so-called Left to be d-platformed. Conservatives are not absolutists when it comes to protecting First Amendment rights.  Just so long as they aren’t affected.

Tumblr has been a stand-up company and has never censored me. Other social media platforms have. On February 21, I was suspended, for unknown reasons, by a platform who shall remain nameless. A dialog box popped up, stating that I had violated their community standards.  It included a short list of violations:  “Advocating Violence, Racist Language, Obscenity.”  I had not committed any such acts. I did call Conservatives stupid. Whoa! That’s worse, I gather, than calling a Black person the N.-Word. Sarcasm aside, they deleted my post and suspended me for 24 hours.

This is nothing new for me. I have been censored occasionally, on the Internet, since 1999. I have used violent hyperbole, but not because I actually meant it. I did so to be emphatic and edgy. I’ve used four-letter words, as well as dirty sex terms. Tumblr is the only place where I can post honestly.

There is a more terrifying reason for censorship: to suppress my Leftist sentiments. The authorities are playing down the middle. I assume you are familiar with the phrase: “All sides do it.” They think that they're being magnanimous by censoring the extreme Right and the ultra Left. They see themselves as solomonic. But, no—it’s not about that.  It’s not about some algorithm. Actually, it’s all about money.  You think FaceBook or YouTube cares about social justice? Social media wants you to post photos of your pets, or what you ate last night, or videos about friendships and family.  Now, when you do a speech about Capitalist exploitation, an ad for toilet paper abruptly pops up in mid-rant! On the other hand, there is some Conservative raving about the “Evils of Communism” on Tik Toc, a web site run by Communist China! What’s a pseudo intellectual to do?

Brilliant talk radio host, Randi Rhodes, used to be on AM radio, representing the Progressive point of view. She was no fire brand revolutionary; she could have had tea with your mother. Now, she has a TV show streamed over the Internet via Free Speech TV.  Well, I couldn’t stand watching her show on that station because of their New Age, doggy poo-poo played during her breaks, so I caught it on YouTube—over the last two years. Well, yesterday, YouTube suspended her account because she had shown previously unseen footage of the January 6 Capitol attacks and riots, which C‑Span had aired. So what the FUCK, Donald Duck!? If they can suspend a nice Jewish girl like like Randi Rhodes, what are they going to do with folks like you and me?

If the Leftist community was smart, they would start their own platform. That way, no one could censor anybody. But, that would be a problem in itself for me, because I incorporate racist words and sexist language in my writing style to prove points I am making. I mock racists and other villains of the world by using their own language. As such, I would not fit in with an Authoritarian Left format. Using street language removes any elitist façade from my writing.

I was considering starting my own political Vlog. However, I don’t know if now is a good time for that. The political environment is poisonous piousness. You see, I am becoming alienated with the live streams by Zoomers who are gamers; they view debating as a contact sport.

A lot of Zoomers and Millennials have written off Baby Boomers as senile old farts. On the other hand, were I to present my case, they might see me slightly differently. I have held great respect for people from older generations. In 1974, I was in the back seat of a car going to Isla Vista for a Peace & Freedom Party conference. Seated next to me was a 90-year-old Wobbly—a member of The I.W.W. Man, was that an interesting encounter!

But, I digress.  After some careful thought, I’ve decided to wait until everything cools down.  I’ll continue to do my video show about music and culture. Until then?  “Forget about it!”  

Update 02/13/21: Well, the unnamed platform ultimately gave me a three-day suspension. They have millions of users and, for years, they ignored me. Upon further investigation, I learned that complaints were made against me.  I think someone specifically informed on me. After the January 6 attacks on the Capitol, social media has been clamping down hard on hate speech. They even showed me posts I had made way back in April, when I called the MAGA crowd rude words.

So, I took a new vow:  I will no longer post any opinions on social media platforms. I will continue to maintain my music group, “Adventures in Garage Land,” and will post my political views on Tumblr only.

So, as for the rat who snitched on me:  I don’t really care.  I will struggle upward until I am satisfied.

[theironrepository]

So. Farewell Then Jussie Smollett

(originally written 22 ‎February ‎2019)

This January, Justin ‘Jussie’ Smollett – an actor-singer who cut his onscreen teeth as a child in The Mighty Ducks, now best known as a main character in Fox’s Empire – received a letter reading ‘Smollett, Jussie you will die’ in red crayon, accompanied by a crude drawing of a hanged man. A week later, two men attacked him in the small hours of the morning. Smollet claimed they declared ‘this is MAGA country’, used a series of hurtful slurs, and put a noose around his neck. What he didn’t say was that he had paid them some $3,500 to do so – and no, it wasn’t a sex thing.

As Smollett’s now been charged with wasting police time, it’s fairly safe legally to say that his version of events is a steaming load, especially since his lawyers now have bigger problems. Indeed, it was shaky from the start – the stolidly Democratic Chicago is about as far from being ‘MAGA country’ as it’s possible to imagine, and the inclusion of the noose, invoking the dark history of lynching (usually more associated with the rural south), is a little too on the nose.

This last summarises Smollett’s whole story, in that it proves too much. The threatening letter included a quantity of white powder, although this turned out to be as far from anthrax as it could get, and was in fact paracetamol. The attack itself was supposedly provoked by Smollett being both black and gay (intersectionality!), and the latter-day Klansmen meant to have committed it apparently recognised him from his role on Empire, vindicating the idea that even a deep-blue urban area is full of secret Trump-voting bigots – who, it seems, are avid consumers of black media. It’s reminiscent of a cartoon villain who has no motivations other than being awful, and who wants to destroy the world they’ll still have to live in.

However, the affair has reached further than one man lying to the police. A great number of figures from the entertainment world were quick to defend one of their own – but that’s just self-preservation. What really kicked things off were empty-suit Democratic Presidential candidates Kamala Harris and Cory Booker throwing their weight fully behind Smollett, and proposing an ‘anti-lynching bill’ - a fundamentally useless legislative proposal, seemingly purpose-built to waste time given that most people agree with the underlying principle, but its aims are already covered by the existing law against murder.

There’s plenty to say about the culture which birthed this mess – in particular the forever-woke twitter bluechecks who wanted sight unseen to believe it and clamped down on the dissent, desperate to find some – any – enemy deserving of their eternal scorn, and their bastard cousins, the politicians who sought to make hay from the whole affair but who have now, in a drastically mixed metaphor, ended up with egg on their faces. But to take this a level deeper, both these groups, and Smollett himself, are all products of the same perverse incentive. If one can gain status by defiantly battling prejudice, one does so, and if one has no prejudice around to fight – well, one creates some. Or goes to seek it out, as we saw in Sacha Baron Cohen’s Who Is America?, where half of Cohen’s victims were unknown private citizens who’d said something awful on social media.

(There’s the rub – even in these enlightened times, there’s still enough hatefulness around without needing to create any of your own.)

Prejudice, in the formulation above, is just the hot-button issue du jour. Think back a couple of decades to McCarthyism and the Red Scare, in which plenty of people – including future Presidents Richard ‘Dick’ Nixon and Ronald Reagan – made their bones as proud, principled anti-communists by bravely facing up to terrifying bolshevik revolutionaries like, um, Charlie Chaplin. To hear them tell it, the Soviet Union had cleverly installed communist spies in a place they would never be found – incredibly prominent roles in the media. “Why would they lie? What would they have to gain?” A whole lot, evidently.

The Chicago PD have formally claimed that Smollett staged the hoax in order to boost his profile – and you must admit, it’s worked. Had he whipped up a story that withstood a sniff test, it might not even have worked quite so well, as now there’s a plot to thicken – a cut-and-dried hate crime vs. this twisting tale of deception and deceit, which has propelled him from b-list actor to household name. You may have expected the phrase ‘post-truth age’ to bubble up in this article, but in a case like this truth is basically tangential – it’s all about attention, about clicks, that vulgar new currency and modern-day refiguring of putting arses on seats.

‘Currency’ is the key word here. What’s an abstract concept like the truth against keeping the lights on and a roof over your head? In this dog-eat-dog economy everyone needs an edge, and so many people live and breath based on the selling of insane lies – including all those outlets who faithfully repeated Smollett’s story, who don’t even have to suffer the indignity of criminal charges for it. Smollett has become the new public face of this, but in the current climate, you can hardly hold him up as some unique evil. To say his only crime was getting caught is only inaccurate in that he did, in fact, commit an offence – although quite a serious one if the threatening letter turns out to have been his doing too, as the feds really don’t like mail fraud.

The real criticism to be made of Smollett is that, far from being some right-on social justice crusader, he’s done more for racists and homophobes than any number of street lynchings. Indeed, if a street lynching happens tomorrow, the usual dead-eyed right-wing commentariat will be there to pour doubt upon it – and now, that’ll be as simple as them saying “it’s another Jussie Smollett”.

I remember, of course, another minor celebrity who had a stagnant media career, and attempted to breath life into it by putting about racially charged lies, which ended up being taken remarkably seriously by prominent politicians despite being obviously false, and propelled that figure’s profile to levels most of us couldn’t have imagined. Their name? Donald J. Trump. This is MAGA country, indeed.

[manuquialex120683]

rise in Hate Crime?

The daily caller makes a interesting point, from 11 months to the point where president Trump was elected, there has been some harsh things that happened that specific leftist media would not acknowledge. Hate groups (actual facist group) like Antifa, rise up in various colleges in mask with weapons attacking anyone on the right with their justification if they are for Hitler/Nazi you can strike them just for that and then associating anyone being Christian, Conservative, Republican, for MAGA or likes the president as a Nazi, as a racist, bigoted, homophobic, xenophobic and Islam phobic. Theres no counter debate no evidence just a moral attack, which, then for them justifies refusal to hear the other side. Here some scary events that occurred during those months (information obtained by the Daily Caller News foundation, article by Dave Brooks entitled "This list of attacks against conservative is mind blowing "):

June 2016: protesters jumped on cars, stole hates, fought with and threw eggs at Trumps supporters outside of Trump rally in San Jose, California (unprovoked)

July 2016: Hilly Clinton supporter lights a flag on fire and attacks a Trump supporter in Pittsburgh

August 2016: Trump supports were spat on, harassed, forced to leave a Trump fundraisers in Minneapolis, also they beat an elderly man, a Tennessee man was assaulted at a garage sale for being a Trump supporter, in New Jersey trumps supports were attacked with crowbars.

September 2016: North Carolina was fire bombed and spray painted with "Nazi Republican" get out of town or else.

November 2016: High school student was attacked, they ripped her glasses and punched her in the face.

month after month the violence and attacks kept increasing.  It was contrary to the information I obtained from the Hill in a article entitled Hate crimes up for the third year in a row: FBI. they were citing FBI statistics, saying there was a 17 percent in crease from 2016 to 2017 (7,175 hate crimes to be exact) and also stating that 23 percent are religious based, 58.1 percent of crimes were against Jewish people (anti-Semitic).

Heres the real data, I got from wiki but you can copy their source to validate (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism_in_the_United_States#Right-wing_extremism_and_anti-government) NOTE: A lot of the ones labeled as right wing terrorist are not. Some are blatant socialist, others communist. KKK for example targeted all Republican. Its almost as if it were meant to characterize Republicans are evil people.The only exception I would say would be the attack on abortion clinics.

2010–present[edit]

Date Type Dead Injured Location(s) Details Perpetrator February 18, 2010 Suicide attack 1 (+1) 13 Austin, Texas Austin suicide attack: Andrew Joseph Stack III flying his single engine plane flew into the Austin Texas IRS building killing himself and one IRS employee and injuring 13 others. Stack left a suicide note online, comparing the IRS to Big Brother from the novel 1984. Joe Stack March 4, 2010 Shooting 0 (+1) 2 Arlington County, Virginia 2010 Pentagon shooting: John Patrick Bedell shot and wounded two Pentagon police officers at a security checkpoint in the Pentagon station of the Washington Metro rapid transit system in Arlington County, Virginia. John Patrick Bedell May 1, 2010 Bombing 0 0 New York City 2010 Times Square car bombing attempt: Faisal Shahzad ignited an explosive in Times Square. The bomb failed to go off, and he was later arrested on a flight leaving for Dubai.[99] Sentenced to life in prison on October 5, 2010 after pleading guilty to a 10-count indictment in June, including attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction.[100] Faisal Shahzad May 20, 2010 Shooting 2 (+2) 2 West Memphis, Arkansas 2010 West Memphis police shootings: Two West Memphis police officers were killed by a father and son who supported the sovereign citizen movement during a traffic stop. The suspects were later killed by other officers. Jerry and Joseph Kane September 1, 2010 Hostage taking 0 (+1) 0 Silver Spring, Maryland Discovery Communications headquarters hostage crisis: James J. Lee, armed with two starter pistols and an explosive device, takes three people hostage in the lobby of the Discovery Communications headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland before being killed by police. After nearly four hours, Lee was shot dead by police and all the hostages were freed without injury. Lee had earlier posted a manifesto railing against population growth and immigration.[101][102] James J. Lee October 2010 Bombing 0 0  Virginia Farooque Ahmed conspired with law enforcement officials posing as al-Qaeda to bomb Arlington Cemetery, the Pentagon City subway station, Crystal City subway station, and Court House subway station.[103] Farooque Ahmed October 29, 2010 Bombing 0 0 Chicago, Illinois Cargo planes bomb plot: Two plastic explosive bombs were discovered on two cargo planes destined for two synagogues in Chicago. They were discovered at East Midlands Airport and Dubai International Airport while en route.[104] al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula October 17, 2010 – November 2, 2010 Bombing and Shooting 0 0  Virginia Northern Virginia military shootings: A series of shootings took place at the five military buildings including the National Museum of the Marine Corps and the Pentagon. He also attempted to bomb and damage Arlington National Cemetery.[105] Yonathan Melaku November 25, 2010 Bombing 0 0 Portland, Oregon 2010 Portland car bomb plot: Mohamed Osman Mohamud attempted to detonate what he thought was a car bomb at a Christmas tree lighting ceremony.[106] Mohamed Osman Mohamud January 17, 2011 Attempted Bombing 0 0 Spokane, Washington Spokane bombing attempt: A radio-controlled-shaped pipe bomb was found and defused in Spokane, Washington along the route of that year's Martin Luther King Jr. memorial march.

On March 9, 2011, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Kevin William Harpham, 36, of Addy, Washington. On December 20, 2011 he was sentenced to 32 years in prison for the attempted bombing.[107]

Kevin William Harpham May 25, 2011 Bombing 0 0 Bowling Green, Kentucky Two Iraqi immigrants were arrested for sending money and weapons to Iraq while residing in Bowling Green, Kentucky, as well as participating in attacks while in Iraq and plotting to kill American soldiers on their return.[108] Mohanad Shareef Hammadi and Waad Ramadan Alwan December 6, 2011 Shooting 2 0 Fort Stewart, Georgia Killing of Michael Roark and Tiffany York: 19-year-old Michael Roark and his girlfriend, 17-year-old Tiffany York, were found by two fishermen near a rural road in southeastern Georgia. It was believed that Roark was killed for his part in giving information to Fort Bliss authorities in El Paso.[109] FEAR August 5, 2012 Shooting 6 (+1) 4 Oak Creek, Wisconsin Wisconsin Sikh temple shooting: Six people were killed and three others were injured, including a police officer who was tending to victims at a Sikh temple in Oak Creek, Wisconsin. The gunman, 40-year-old Wade Michael Page, killed himself after being shot by police.[110] The shooting is being treated by authorities as an act of domestic terrorism.[111][112] While a motive has not been clearly defined, Page had been active in white supremacist groups.[110] Wade Page February 3–12, 2013 Shootings 4 (+1) 6  California Christopher Dorner shootings and manhunt: Former LAPD officer Chris Dorner goes on a killing spree targeting police officers and their families throughout Southern California. Dorner was eventually killed in a shootout and fire in Big Bear Lake, California. Dorner stated he committed the shootings in response to police brutality. Chris Dorner April 15, 2013 Bombings, shootout 5 (+1) 280 (+1) Boston, Massachusetts Boston Marathon bombing: Two bombs detonated within seconds of each other near the finish line of the Boston Marathon, killing 3 and injuring more than 180 people.[113][114] On the evening of April 18 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, an MIT campus police officer was shot and killed while sitting in his squad car. Two suspects then carjacked an SUV and fled to nearby Watertown, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. A massive police chase ensued, resulting in a shootout during which several IED's were thrown by the suspects. A Boston transit police officer was critically wounded and suspect Tamerlan Tsarnaev, a Russian immigrant of Chechen ethnicity, was killed. The second suspect, Tsarnaev's younger brother Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, escaped. A "Shelter in place" order was given for Boston, Watertown, and surrounding areas while house-to-house searches were conducted, but the suspect remained at large. Shortly after the search was called off Tsarnaev was discovered hiding inside a boat parked near the scene of the shootout. He was taken into custody after another exchange of gunfire, treated for injuries received during his pursuit and capture, and arraigned on federal terrorism charges.[115][116][117][118] Preliminary questioning indicated the Tsarnaev brothers had no ties to terrorist organizations.[119] A note written by Dzhokhar Tsarnaev on the boat where he was captured said the bombings were retaliation for US actions in Iraq and Afghanistan against Muslims.[120] On April 8, 2015, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev was found guilty on all 30 counts related to the bombing and shootout with police.[121] On May 15, 2015, Tsarnaev was sentenced to death.[122]

Boston Marathon bombings on April 15, 2013

Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev April 16, 2013 Bioterrorism 0 0  Washington, D.C. April 2013 ricin letters: Two letters, sent to Mississippi Republican Senator Roger Wicker and president Barack Obama, were tested positive for ricin. Each letter contained the message "I am KC and I approve this message". On April 27, 2013, a man named Everett Dutschke was arrested. Evertt Dutschke November 1, 2013 Shooting 1 6 (+1) Los Angeles, California 2013 Los Angeles International Airport shooting: Paul Anthony Ciancia entered the checkpoint at the Los Angeles International Airport and fired his rifle, killing one Transportation Security Administration officer and injuring six others. The motivation behind the attack was Paul's inspiration of the anti-government agenda, such as believing in the New World Order conspiracy theory, and stating that he "wanted to kill TSA" and described them as "pigs". Paul Anthony Ciancia December 13, 2013 Bombing attempt 0 0 Wichita, Kansas 2013 Wichita bomb attempt: 58-year-old avionics technician, identified as Terry Lee Loewen, was arrested on December 13, 2013, for attempting a suicide bombing at Wichita Mid-Continent Airport, where he was employed. Loewen became radicalized after reading extremist Islamic material on the Internet. He was arrested while driving a vehicle into the airport with what he believed to be an active explosive device. Later sentenced to 20 years in Federal prison.[123] Terry Lee Loewen April 13, 2014 Shootings 3 0 Overland Park, Kansas Overland Park Jewish Community Center shooting: A pair of shootings committed by a lone gunman occurred at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City and Village Shalom, a Jewish retirement community, in Overland Park, Kansas. A total of three people died in the shootings. One suspect, identified as Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr., a neo-Nazi neo-Pagan, was arrested and charged with capital murder, first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, and aggravated assault. Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr. April 27, 2014 Shootings 1 0 Seattle, Washington Ali Muhammad Brown shot and killed a man who was walking home from a store. This killing was part of a series of terrorism related killings in the states of Washington and New Jersey.[124] Ali Muhammad Brown June 1, 2014 Shootings 2 0 Seattle, Washington Ali Muhammad Brown shot and killed two men outside a Seattle gay nightclub. These killings were part of a series of terrorism related killings in the states of Washington and New Jersey.[124] Ali Muhammad Brown June 8, 2014 Shooting 3 (+2) 0 Las Vegas, Nevada 2014 Las Vegas shootings: Two police officers and one civilian died in a shooting spree in the Las Vegas Valley committed by a couple, identified as Jerad and Amanda Miller, who espoused anti-government views and were reportedly inspired by the outcome of the Bundy standoff. The Millers both died during a gunfight with responding police; Jerad Miller was fatally shot by officers, while Amanda Miller committed suicide after being wounded. Jerad and Amanda Miller June 25, 2014 Shootings 1 0 West Orange, New Jersey Ali Muhammad Brown shot and killed a man who was driving home from college while stopped at a traffic light. This killing was part of a series of terrorism related killings in the states of Washington and New Jersey.[124] Ali Muhammad Brown September 12, 2014 Shooting 1 1 Blooming Grove, Pennsylvania 2014 Pennsylvania State Police barracks attack: Two Pennsylvania State Policeman are shot in a sniper attack nearby a police barracks, one dies. Eric Frein is arrested for the shooting after a 48-day manhunt. Eric Frein September 24, 2014 Stabbing 1 1 (+1) Moore, Oklahoma Vaughan Foods beheading incident: Alton Alexander Nolen aka "Jah'Keem Yisrael" attacked two employees at Vaughan Foods, beheading one and stabbing the other before being shot and injured by Vaughan Foods' Chief Operating Officer.[125] Alton Alexander Nolen

"Jah'Keem Yisrael"

October 23, 2014 Melee attack 0 (+1) 3 New York City 2014 New York City hatchet attack: Zale Thompson injured two New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers, once critically at a Queens, New York City shopping district by striking them with a hatchet. Four officers were posing for a photograph when Thompson charged them. The police opened fire killing Thompson and injuring a civilian. Thompson, who converted to Islam 2 years before the attack, posted "anti-government, anti-Western, anti-white" messages online.[126] Zale Thompson December 2014 Cyberattack 0 0  United States "The Guardians of Peace" linked by the United States to North Korea launched a cyber attack against SONY pictures. Embarrassing private emails were published and the organization threatened attacks against theaters that showed The Interview, a satire which depicted the assassination of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Following the refusal of theater chains to show the movie, SONY Pictures withdrew release of the movie, a decision that was criticized by President Obama and others. Obama said the USA will respond. North Korea denied responsibility for the attack and proposed a joint investigation with the U.S.[127][128][129] North Korea May 3, 2015 Shooting 0 (+2) 1 Garland, Texas Curtis Culwell Center attack: Two gunmen opened fire outside the Curtis Culwell Center during an art exhibit hosted by an anti-Muslim group called the American Freedom Defense Initiative in Garland, Texas. The center was hosting a contest for cartoons depicting the Muslim prophet Muhammad. Both gunmen were killed by police. A Garland Independent School District (ISD) police officer was injured by a shot to the ankle but survived. The attackers, Elton Simpson and Nadir Soofi, were motivated by the Charlie Hebdo shooting in France and the 2015 Copenhagen shooting in Denmark earlier in the year. The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant claimed responsibility for the attack through a Twitter post.[130] Elton Simpson, Nadir Hamid Soofi, and Abdul Malik Abdul Kareem June 2, 2015 Stabbing 0 (+1) 0 Boston, Massachusetts Police investigating a planned Islamic terrorist attack on police confronted Usaama Rahim to question him. He pulled out a military knife, and was eventually shot and killed by police as he approached them with the knife. David Wright was later arrested and charged with planning a terrorist attack with Usaama Rahim.[131] Usaama Rahim and David Wright July 16, 2015 Shootings 5 (+1) 2 Chattanooga, Tennessee 2015 Chattanooga shootings: Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez opened fire on two military installations in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He first committed a drive-by shooting at a recruiting center, then traveled to a naval reserve center and continued firing. He was killed by police in a gunfight. Four Marines were killed immediately, and another Marine, a Navy sailor, and a police officer were wounded; the sailor died from his injuries two days later. The motive of the shootings is currently under investigation.[132] Muhammad Youssef Abdulazeez November 4, 2015 Stabbing 0 (+1) 4 Merced, California University of California, Merced stabbing attack: Faisal Mohammad, armed with a hunting knife, stabbed four people at the University of California before being shot and killed by police.[133] Faisal Mohammad November 27, 2015 Shooting 3 9 Colorado Springs, Colorado Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood shooting: Robert L. Dear, armed with a semi-automatic rifle opened fire at a Colorado Springs Planned Parenthood clinic. Two civilians and one police officer were killed, while four civilians and five police officers were wounded before the suspect surrendered. Dear told police "No more baby parts" after being taken into custody.[134] Robert Dear December 2, 2015 Shooting 14 (+2) 24 San Bernardino, California 2015 San Bernardino attack: A mass shooting occurred at the Inland Regional Center in San Bernardino, California, with 14 dead and 22 injured. Two suspects, Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik, fled in an SUV, but were later killed.[135][136][137][138] Rizwan Farook and Tashfeen Malik January 7, 2016 Shooting 0 1 (+1) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania A man shot at a police officer in his cruiser multiple times, injuring him in the process. The officer returned fire injuring the assailant. The assailant later pledged allegiance to ISIL, citing it as his reason for the attack.[139] Edward Archer February 11, 2016 Melee attack 0 (+1) 4 Columbus, Ohio Ohio restaurant machete attack: Four people were injured in a restaurant when a man with a machete attacked them at random. After a car chase, the assailant, who was from the West African nation of Guinea, was killed by police.[140] Mohamed Barry June 12, 2016 Shooting, hostage taking 49 (+1) 58 Orlando, Florida Orlando nightclub shooting: 49 people were killed and 53 were injured in a terrorist attack at a gay nightclub in Orlando, Florida. The sole suspect behind the slaughter was identified as Omar Mateen, an American-born citizen with Afghan immigrant parents who was later killed.[141][142][143] The FBI asserted his possible link to radical Islam.[144] Despite assertions to the contrary, the FBI could not find evidence to suggest Mateen was gay or targeted Pulse because it was a gay club, according to The Washington Post[145] Omar Mateen August 20, 2016 Stabbings 0 2 Roanoke, Virginia On August 20, 2016, Wasil Farooqui stabbed a man and a woman in a random attack at an apartment complex.[146] Wasil Farooqui September 17, 2016 Stabbings 0 (+1) 10 St. Cloud, Minnesota St. Cloud, Minnesota mall stabbing: On September 17, 2016, a mass stabbing occurred at the Crossroads Center shopping mall in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Ten people were injured, and the attacker was shot dead inside the mall by an off-duty law enforcement officer.[147] ISIL claimed responsibility for the attack through its Amaq media agency, claiming Adan "was a soldier of the Islamic State".[148] Dahir A. Adan September 17–19, 2016 Bombings 0 34 (+1) New Jersey and New York City 2016 New York and New Jersey bombings: Four bombings or bombing attempts occurred in the New York metropolitan area, specifically in Seaside Park, New Jersey; Manhattan, New York; and Elizabeth, New Jersey. Thirty-one civilians were injured in one of the bombings. Ahmad Khan Rahimi was identified as a suspect in all of the incidents and apprehended on September 19 in Linden, New Jersey, after a shootout that injured three police officers.[149] According to authorities, Rahimi was not part of a terrorist cell, but was motivated and inspired by the extremist Islamic ideology espoused by al-Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda chief propagandist Anwar al-Awlaki.[150] Ahmad Khan Rahimi November 28, 2016 Vehicle attack, stabbing 0 (+1) 13 Columbus, Ohio Ohio State University attack: A car ramming attack and mass stabbing occurred at 9:52 a.m. EST at Ohio State University (OSU)'s Watts Hall in Columbus, Ohio. The attacker, Somali refugee Abdul Razak Ali Artan, was shot and killed by the first responding OSU police officer, and 11 people were hospitalized for injuries. According to authorities, Artan was inspired by terrorist propaganda from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant and radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki.[151] Abdul Razak Ali Artan March 20, 2017 Stabbing by sword 1 0 New York City Stabbing of Timothy Caughman: James Harris Jackson, 28, traveled from his home state of Maryland to New York City with the "sole purpose of stalking and killing black men for a statement-making media spectacle" according to police. On March 20 he allegedly attacked Timothy Caughman, 66, in Midtown Manhattan with a sword, killing him. Police allege ties to White Supremacist hate groups.[152] James Harris Jackson August 12, 2017 Vehicle-ramming attack 1 28 Charlottesville, Virginia Charlottesville car attack: On August 12, 2017, James Alex Fields Jr. intentionally drove his car into a group of counter-demonstrators at the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The Charlottesville mayor called it "an act of domestic terrorism". The suspect is described as a white supremacist.[153] James Alex Fields Jr. August 5, 2017 Bombing 0 0 Bloomington, Minnesota On August 5, 2017, an explosive device shattered windows and damaged an office at the mosque, which primarily serves people from the area's large Somali community. October 31, 2017 Vehicle-ramming attack 8 11 (+1) New York City 2017 New York City truck attack: On October 31, 2017, an ISIS-inspired man drove a rented Home Depot flatbed pickup truck in a vehicle-ramming attack on cyclists and runners along 1 mile (1.6 km) of a bike path alongside West Street in Lower Manhattan, killing eight people and injuring at least 11 others. The attack took place several blocks north of the National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Authorities found a note near the truck used in the incident which claimed that the attack by the 29-year-old was made in the name of ISIS.[154] Sayfullo Saipov February 16, 2018 Assault with vehicle 0 3 East Orange,

New Jersey

A man crashed a stolen truck into a Planned Parenthood clinic, injuring a pregnant woman and two others.[155] Marckles Alcius October 22–, 2018 Bombing 0 0 Several states October 2018 United States mail bombing attempts: In late October 2018, at least 12 packages containing pipe bombs were mailed within the U.S. Postal Service system to several prominent critics of U.S. President Donald Trump, including various Democratic Party politicians (Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Eric Holder, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Maxine Waters, Cory Booker), actor Robert De Niro, billionaire investor George Soros, former CIA Director John O. Brennan, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper. Cesar Sayoc Jr.

  Terrorist incidents in the United States[5][6] YearNumber of incidentsDeathsInjuries 20176595932 20166468139 2015385458 2014292619 20132023436 20122077 20111002

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

August 16, 2024

Heather Cox Richardson

Aug 17, 2024

The complaint of Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance (R-OH) last weekend on CNN that Democrats are bullying him by calling him weird has stuck with me. As I wrote at the time, Republicans have made punching down their stock in trade for decades, and Vance’s complaint suggests that the Democrats are finally pushing back. It strikes me that behind this shifting power dynamic is a huge story about American politics.

Since the 1950s, those determined to get rid of business regulation, social welfare programs, government infrastructure spending, and federal protection of civil rights have relied on a rhetorical structure that centers “real” Americans who allegedly want nothing from government and warns that un-American forces who want government handouts are undermining the country by bringing socialism or racial, gender, or religious equality. 

In 2024, that rhetoric is all the MAGA Republicans have left to attract voters, as their actual policies are unpopular. Yesterday, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump told reporters at his Bedminster availability that to win the 2024 election: “All we have to do is define our opponent as being a communist or a socialist or somebody that's gonna destroy our country." 

But it is not just Trump. A MAGA pundit has called Vice President Harris “Hitler and Stalin combined but times 200,” and on Wednesday, Republicans in Minnesota nominated Royce White as their candidate for the U.S. Senate. “We face an enemy that intends to bastardize our citizenship through an idea called globalism,” White has said. “We must begin to understand how the global affects the local and take a stand for God, Family, and Country.” White has also said that “women have become too mouthy,” and that “Donald Trump could get up on stage, pull his pants down, take a sh*t up at the podium, and I still would never vote for you f*cking Democrats again.”

The rhetorical strategy setting up Republicans against a dangerous “other” was behind Trump’s demand that Republicans in Congress kill a bipartisan border bill so that Trump could continue to demonize immigrants. You could see that demonization of immigrants today in Vance’s straight-up lie that Vice President Kamala Harris “wants to give $25,000 to illegal aliens to buy American homes.” In fact, Harris today called for Congress to expand plans already in place in the Biden administration, and none of those plans call for giving money to undocumented migrants.

Also in that vein today was the announcement of Representative James Comer (R-KY), chair of the House Oversight Committee, that he is opening an investigation into Minnesota governor Tim Walz’s work in China. Walz is the Democratic vice presidential nominee. He went to China in 1989 as part of a teach-abroad program and went on to coordinate trips for students in China, becoming a vocal advocate for human rights in that country as leaders cracked down on opposition. But by suggesting this cultural exchange is nefarious, Comer can seed the idea that Walz is somehow operating against the interests of the United States.

This longstanding rhetoric that positions Republicans as true Americans defending the country against those who would destroy it has metastasized into the determination of MAGA Republicans to replace American democracy with a Christian nationalism that cements the power of white patriarchy. Vance has been in hot water for his derogatory remarks about “childless cat ladies”; interviews have resurfaced in the past few days in which he embraced the idea that the role of “the postmenopausal female” is to take care of grandchildren. 

The New College of Florida is in the news today for illustrating the logical progression of the idea that Republicans must protect the nation from those who would destroy it. The New College of Florida was at the center of Republican governor Ron DeSantis’s program to get rid of traditional academic freedom. He stripped the New College of its independence and replaced officials with Christian loyalists who tried to build a school modeled after those that Viktor Orbán’s loyalists took over in Hungary. New College officials painted over student murals celebrating diversity, suppressed student support for civil rights, and voted to eliminate the diversity, equity, and inclusion office and the gender studies program. Faculty fled the New College, and more than a quarter of the students dropped out. To keep its numbers up, the school dropped its admission standards. 

Yesterday, Steven Walker of the Sarasota Herald-Tribune reported that the school cleared out the Gender and Diversity Center, throwing the books it had accumulated into a dumpster. Officials said the books are no longer serving the needs of the college: “gender studies has been discontinued as an area of concentration at New College and the books are not part of any official college collection or inventory.” 

The image of piles of books in a dumpster in the United States of America is not easily forgettable. 

But the dominance rhetoric of the MAGA Republicans was never just about political power. Political power always went hand in hand with corruption. A new book by Joe Conason called The Longest Con notes that the modern right-wing movement has its roots in the promise of grifters after World War II to protect America against the communists they insisted were infiltrating the country. Their promises to defend true Americans against an enemy was always about getting cash out of the deal. 

Conason emphasizes how drumming up fears of an “other” was a deliberate grift to put money into the pockets of those who told small donors that their dollars were vital for defending the United States. The biggest prize for the extremists, though, was the control of government purse strings that allowed them to turn federal and state largesse toward their own cronies. Conason notes that under President Ronald Reagan, Republicans’ cuts to government oversight and reliance on the private sector to regulate itself, along with their belief that unfettered capitalism was a form of resistance to communism, led to a boom in corruption. 

That corruption has continued in the Republican Party, largely unaddressed as politicians insisted that those calling it out were simply un-American malcontents engaging in political hits against good, patriotic Americans. In contrast, as any corruption on the Democratic side can be expected to be sliced and diced in public, the Democrats have stayed relatively clean. 

And this is why Vance’s comment about Democrats bullying him jumped out at me. Republican dominance is cracking as Trump struggles and Vance offends people, and as that dominance falls away, the many things it covered are starting to get attention—among them, stories of Republican corruption. And they’re doozies.  

On Sunday, for example, Garrett Shanley of the Independent Florida Alligator, the student newspaper of the University of Florida, reported that when former senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) took over the presidency of the University of Florida, he “channeled millions” to his Republican allies and to secretive contracts. In 17 months he more than tripled spending from his office, with most of the money going to his former aides and political friends, most of whom continued to live and work outside the state. Sasse was appointed in November 2022 in an opaque hiring process and stepped down unexpectedly in July, citing family issues, although Vivienne Serret of The Independent Alligator reported that DeSantis allies on the Board of Trustees forced him out.

One of the biggest stories in the country these days is the corruption scandal in Ohio, in which dark money groups led by the FirstEnergy utility company worked with former Ohio House speaker Larry Householder to put into office politicians who, thanks to about $61 million in bribes, backed a $1.3 billion bailout for FirstEnergy paid for with tax dollars. 

On Monday, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost agreed to settle the scandal. FirstEnergy will pay a $20 million fine, an amount that Marty Schladen of the Ohio Capital Journal notes is less than one-third the amount FirstEnergy spent to bribe legislators, and a fraction of the money ratepayers have had to pay because of the corrupt legislation the bribes paid for. 

Nothing better illustrates the grift at the center of today’s MAGA Republicans than Donald Trump’s Big Lie that he actually won the 2020 election and that it was stolen from him by those dangerous “others,” the Democrats. The Big Lie enabled the Trump team to continue soliciting donations in order to fight for the White House. According to Conason, Trump and his fellow election deniers pocketed $255.4 million between the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol to stop the counting of the electoral votes that would make Democratic candidate Joe Biden president. 

On Monday, jurors found former Colorado election clerk Tina Peters guilty on seven counts in relation to her compromising of her county’s election system. Peters was determined to get voter information to My Pillow chief executive Mike Lindell, a key Trump ally, in order to prove the Big Lie. She is facing more than 22 years in prison.

—

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[theliterateape]

I Could Be Wrong, But…

by Don Hall

For some reason I like to use the name “Carl” to act as a neutral placeholder for my straw man points. “Jack” is too overused and “Carl” seems racially ambiguous enough.

This guy was actually Carl.

Carl is a truck driver from Washington State, parking in the truck plaza daily lot across the street and attached to the casino I manage. After checking in on the plaza staff (it is considered essential in Nevada), Carl asks me if there is anything to do in Vegas. I respond that, no, we’re still in shutdown but it’s looking like June 4th will be our re-open date. There are a few dine-in restaurants around but no casinos or bars. No movie theaters.

“Unbelievable,” he barks. “I’ve just about had it with these Communist Governors.”

FULL STOP. RECORD SCRATCH.

I’ve been struggling with my ability to openly communicate with the Other Side of Things. The realization that I tend toward debate and trying to win the argument isn’t serving any pragmatic purpose, I’m looking to truly communicate with people whom I disagree. Carl is an opportunity to practice.

Instead of stating my opinion on his comment, I ask “Which governors are communist?”

“Cuomo for one.”

“What makes you say that Cuomo is communist?”

He pulls out his phone. He scrolls through a series of screens.

“Cuomo stated — and I can show you the video — when asked what people who have businesses not considered ‘essential’ should do to feed their families and, you know, pay their bills — he said — ‘there are plenty of essential jobs available for them.’”

“How is that communist?”

“Deciding what is essential and what is not makes him a dictator!”

“Hmmmm,” I muse. I land upon a verbal placeholder that for the next forty-five minutes served as both a self deprecation and an opportunity for Carl to fully explore his own perspective for me. “I could be wrong, but I’m not sure that’s what communism is. I mean, I don’t really know but that doesn’t sound right.”

He dives back into his phone, looks up ‘Communism’ and reads for a bit.

“Huh. Well, I guess he isn’t communist but it’s still tyranny.”

“Interesting. Good clarification. How is it tyranny?”

And the game, as it were, was afoot. I refused to argue my point. I wasn’t trying to win. I simply asked him questions and looked for clarifications. About ten minutes into the back and forth, Carl sussed up that he and I were on very different sides of the partisan fence. His game then became to test me, to see if he could get the argument he was now looking for.

I decided to only offer my own opinion on something if first asked. For those who know me well you understand how almost supernatural is this feat. I also decided to be as blunt and plain spoken about my answers. No quotes of facts I had read. No references to expertise. He was looking for those to dismiss so the less I provided the more chance we wouldn’t be formulating arguments while pretending to listen.

We landed on whether churches could be shut down during the pandemic. He was furious that any pastor would close down worship because of the government. He quoted the Old Testament from his phone and revealed that he was a fundamentalist Baptist. He asked me if I was atheist. 

“No. I’d say I’m agnostic. I don’t believe there is a higher power but, given I’m not really in a position to know, I’m not arrogant enough to dismiss the idea altogether.”

This answer leaves him visibly disappointed. “Oh. If you’d said atheist, I had a joke.”

“What’s the joke?”

“What’s the best atheist holiday? April Fools Day. Because the Bible says that he who denies the existence of God is a fool. Get it?”

I smile. “Yeah. I get it.”

“I bet we totally don’t agree about abortion.”

This was a fishing expedition on Carl’s part.

“You think? What do you suppose my position is?”

“You’re probably pro-abortion.”

“Hmmm. I could be wrong but I’m not sure anyone is pro-abortion. I mean, maybe it’s just that I’ve never met anyone that is, like, ‘YEAH! ABORTION IS AWESOME!’”

“Then what are you?”

“Oh. I’m pro-choice but I’m pro-choice pretty much across the board.”

“So you think killing babies is OK?”

“Yup. I am in favor of killing babies.”

Carl isn’t sure what to make of this answer. He stops moving for a moment, taking it in. “Wait...what?”

“Oh, I get the scientific debate between the fetus and the baby, and when does human life really start and all that. I’m not a scientist so it’s just more honest to acknowledge that, yes, we are killing babies and I’m OK with that.

It’s sort of like looking at how we deal with real people versus abstract people, you know?”

“Abstract...?”

“If you tell me your mother contracted COVID at a Wal Mart because she thought masks were a part of the hoax and she might die, for you she’s a real person. For me, she’s an abstract person — don’t know her, never met her, just met you. Abstract. If your mom dies, it doesn’t affect me in any way.

It’s like the COVID deaths in general. 100,000 Americans have died from it but that number allows me to see them all as abstract. They’re real to somebody but not to me. I don’t know anyone who has died from it.

Same with abortion. Unless my wife or my niece or a friend of mine gets one, all those babies are abstract. I mean, do you care about the 300 or so Indonesians killed in the tsunami in December?”

“What? No. I didn’t even know about that.”

“Exactly. They are abstract so we don’t care. Humans are quite good at finding ways to make others abstract. Aborted babies aren’t even interesting enough to remember so who cares? I mean, All Lives Matter, my ass, right?”

He wanted to talk about the Second Amendment and gun control. I agreed with him that the Second Amendment was sacrosanct and should be followed to the letter. “Are you a member of a militia?”

“No.”

“And you own guns?”

“Yeah.”

“I could be wrong but, according to the Second Amendment, you have to be in a militia to follow the Constitution and own guns. So, the government has every right to take your guns, right? That’s the letter of the Second Amendment?”

He kept bouncing from gays (“Homosexuality is wrong” but “I have a gay friend.”) to Obamacare to why he ignores his GPS (“It’s a woman’s voice and I’ve been trained to ignore that sound!”).

At around forty minutes in, I was exhausted. This was fucking hard. I told him I really needed to get back to work which was a lie — with the casino closed my work at this point is that of a night watchman. I really just wanted to escape this conversation.

As we parted, I offered my only unrequested opinion.

“You know,” he said. “This is how all people should talk to each other. We don’t agree on much but we’re walking away as friends.”

“I don’t think we’re friends, Carl. I could be wrong but at least we’re parting friendly.”

I don’t know if I accomplished anything. I doubt I convinced him of anything but it wasn’t the typical ranting at one another. As I’m trying to get better at this communicating with the enemy sort of thing, the act of not treating him as an enemy might be the first step.

In fact, the most startling thing about this entire encounter was that I simply did not notice until thirty-five minutes into it that he was proudly wearing a red MAGA cap.

[sheminecrafts]

TikTok taps corporate law firm K&L Gates to advise on its US content moderation policies

As TikTok continues its rapid U.S. growth, the company is being challenged to better explain its content moderation choices. Why, for example, is the short-form video app censoring the Hong Kong protests but not U.S. political content? Why is it banning political ads, but supports hashtags like #trump2020 and #maga, each with millions, or even hundreds of millions, of views? TikTok so far has struggled to answer these questions. Now, it’s hoping to change that with the formation of a new committee of experts who will help TikTok craft its content moderation policies and increase transparency around these topics and others that afflict popular social media platforms.

That is to say, the committee’s focus won’t only be on political censorship — that’s just the most important, hot-button issue facing TikTok in the U.S. today.

However, TikTok says the new committee will advise across a wider range of issues beyond censorship, including also child safety, hate speech, misinformation, bullying and other potential issues, both existing and those yet to come.

To aid in this, the company is working with a group from corporate law firm K&L Gates, including former Congressmen Bart Gordon and former U.S. House Rep., now government affairs counselor, Jeff Denham, who bring to the initiative their expertise in the technology sector.

K&L Gates was chosen for this initiative after TikTok talked to several firms for some time. It says that K&L Gates made the cut because it was considered to be a top-five public affairs firm with an outstanding reputation, and because Bart Gordon’s previous role as chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, in particular, offered TikTok strong expertise in the space.

TikTok says its committee, which has not yet been formed, will look to include outside and independent voices to help it better craft its policies. It couldn’t identify who else would be on the committee as those people haven’t been selected.

The committee will focus on helping TikTok strengthen its own internal moderation teams, moderation and content policies, and overall transparency, the company says.

“TikTok is beloved because it provides an outlet for creative expression and a uniquely genuine and inspiring app experience. It’s amazingly rewarding to know that we’re bringing joy to so many — but it also brings great responsibility on our part,” said TikTok U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas, in a statement. “We are committed to meeting this responsibility fully,” she added.

Initially, TikTok will create the committee of outside experts with the help of its new advisors at K&L Gates. It will then work to increase its transparency around content moderation and continue to build out a deeper bench of internal leaders in order to tackle the challenges caused by its rapid expansion.

Asked if an entirely new set of policies would be the result of this activity, a spokesperson couldn’t say, noting that a decision on that front will be the role of the committee.

This effort has been in the works for some time, and is not a result of the increasing amount of bad press about the censorship on TikTok’s platform.

Bytedance says that it’s censorship of HK protest content on #TikTok is simply consistent with their broader policy of censoring all political content.

And yet:#Trump2020: 115.1m views#maga: 83.4m views#blacklivesmatter: 16.4m views#antielab: 4735 views

I smell bullshit pic.twitter.com/TBTkFPcOUT

— Elliott Zaagman (@ElliottZaagman) October 14, 2019

But the decision to announce the news of a committee formation is an attempt by TikTok to help manipulate the narrative here. The reality, however, is that TikTok isn’t censoring all political content or just the “non-fun” stuff, as it would have you believe.

If that were true, then there would be no TikTok hashtags focused on U.S. politics — like #dumptrump or #trumptrain, for example. Nor would the app offer hashtags for causes like #blacklivesmatter or its controversial counterslogan with racist undertones, #alllivesmatter. All these and more are in the app today, with hundreds of millions of combined views.

TikTok’s announcement comes at a time when the company is again coming under the eye of the U.S. government and regulators. The app was already fined $5.7 million for children’s privacy law (COPPA) violations. And now, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Wednesday requesting that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States look into ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, for its 2017 acquisition of Musical.ly. The letter claims that there is “growing evidence” that TikTok’s U.S. platform is engaging in censorship.

TikTok, before today, had admitted its content guidelines were outdated and no longer used, and said it took a localized approach to its moderation choices. But a hashtag like #hongkong in TikTok shows “barely a hint of unrest,” The Washington Post recently reported.

With legal — and soon, independent — advice and strategic consulting in the works, TikTok hopes to figure out how a Chinese-owned app can participate in the democratic U.S. social media market, without becoming another mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party.

None of the controversies around TikTok seem to be impacting its growth in the U.S., however. TikTok in September was the No. 3 most-downloaded (non-game) app in the U.S., ahead of Facebook and Messenger, according to Sensor Tower. It was also the No. 1 social media app worldwide at that time.

from iraidajzsmmwtv https://ift.tt/35FNGMC via IFTTT

[technicalsolutions88]

As TikTok continues its rapid U.S. growth, the company is being challenged to better explain its content moderation choices. Why, for example, is the short-form video app censoring the Hong Kong protests but not U.S. political content? Why is it banning political ads, but supports hashtags like #trump2020 and #maga, each with millions, or even hundreds of millions, of views? TikTok so far has struggled to answer these questions. Now, it’s hoping to change that with the formation of a new committee of experts who will help TikTok craft its content moderation policies and increase transparency around these topics and others that afflict popular social media platforms.

That is to say, the committee’s focus won’t only be on political censorship — that’s just the most important, hot-button issue facing TikTok in the U.S. today.

However, TikTok says the new committee will advise across a wider range of issues beyond censorship, including also child safety, hate speech, misinformation, bullying and other potential issues, both existing and those yet to come.

To aid in this, the company is working with a group from corporate law firm K&L Gates, including former Congressmen Bart Gordon and former U.S. House Rep., now government affairs counselor, Jeff Denham, who bring to the initiative their expertise in the technology sector.

K&L Gates was chosen for this initiative after TikTok talked to several firms for some time. It says that K&L Gates made the cut because it was considered to be a top-five public affairs firm with an outstanding reputation, and because Bart Gordon’s previous role as chairman of the House Committee on Science and Technology, in particular, offered TikTok strong expertise in the space.

TikTok says its committee, which has not yet been formed, will look to include outside and independent voices to help it better craft its policies. It couldn’t identify who else would be on the committee as those people haven’t been selected.

The committee will focus on helping TikTok strengthen its own internal moderation teams, moderation and content policies, and overall transparency, the company says.

“TikTok is beloved because it provides an outlet for creative expression and a uniquely genuine and inspiring app experience. It’s amazingly rewarding to know that we’re bringing joy to so many — but it also brings great responsibility on our part,” said TikTok U.S. General Manager Vanessa Pappas, in a statement. “We are committed to meeting this responsibility fully,” she added.

Initially, TikTok will create the committee of outside experts with the help of its new advisors at K&L Gates. It will then work to increase its transparency around content moderation and continue to build out a deeper bench of internal leaders in order to tackle the challenges caused by its rapid expansion.

Asked if an entirely new set of policies would be the result of this activity, a spokesperson couldn’t say, noting that a decision on that front will be the role of the committee.

This effort has been in the works for some time, and is not a result of the increasing amount of bad press about the censorship on TikTok’s platform.

Bytedance says that it’s censorship of HK protest content on #TikTok is simply consistent with their broader policy of censoring all political content.

And yet:#Trump2020: 115.1m views#maga: 83.4m views#blacklivesmatter: 16.4m views#antielab: 4735 views

I smell bullshit pic.twitter.com/TBTkFPcOUT

— Elliott Zaagman (@ElliottZaagman) October 14, 2019

But the decision to announce the news of a committee formation is an attempt by TikTok to help manipulate the narrative here. The reality, however, is that TikTok isn’t censoring all political content or just the “non-fun” stuff, as it would have you believe.

If that were true, then there would be no TikTok hashtags focused on U.S. politics — like #dumptrump or #trumptrain, for example. Nor would the app offer hashtags for causes like #blacklivesmatter or its controversial counterslogan with racist undertones, #alllivesmatter. All these and more are in the app today, with hundreds of millions of combined views.

TikTok’s announcement comes at a time when the company is again coming under the eye of the U.S. government and regulators. The app was already fined $5.7 million for children’s privacy law (COPPA) violations. And now, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin Wednesday requesting that the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States look into ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns TikTok, for its 2017 acquisition of Musical.ly. The letter claims that there is “growing evidence” that TikTok’s U.S. platform is engaging in censorship.

TikTok, before today, had admitted its content guidelines were outdated and no longer used, and said it took a localized approach to its moderation choices. But a hashtag like #hongkong in TikTok shows “barely a hint of unrest,” The Washington Post recently reported.

With legal — and soon, independent — advice and strategic consulting in the works, TikTok hopes to figure out how a Chinese-owned app can participate in the democratic U.S. social media market, without becoming another mouthpiece for the Chinese Communist Party.

None of the controversies around TikTok seem to be impacting its growth in the U.S., however. TikTok in September was the No. 3 most-downloaded (non-game) app in the U.S., ahead of Facebook and Messenger, according to Sensor Tower. It was also the No. 1 social media app worldwide at that time.

from Social – TechCrunch https://ift.tt/35FNGMC Original Content From: https://techcrunch.com

[cksmart-world]

SMART BOMB

The completely unnecessary news analysis

by Christopher Smart

August 10, 2021

10 GOOD EXCUSES NOT TO GET VACCINATED

1 – It could turn you into a communist.

2 – It will mess with your DNA until you look like Bill Barr

3 – You won't be welcome at the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.

4 – People will think you're a Democrat.

5 – Police Dogs can sniff you out after a burglary.

6 – The Proud Boys will turn on you.

7 – You could be charged with a hate crime in Garfield County.

8 – Majorie Taylor Greene will yell at you through a mail slot.

9 – You could lose your Temple Recommend.

10 – And getting vaccinated would require cognitive analysis.

GOP: INVEST IN AMERICA? NAH, WE CAN'T AFFORD IT

America is the greatest. We have the world's biggest military and economy. We are rich — unless you are a college student or the average worker. The Iraq War cost $2 trillion. The Afghanistan War cost $2.26 trillion and counting. We love to invest in war, but in our people, not so much. Republicans are balking at Biden proposals that would spend $1trillion on infrastructure, such as roads and bridges etc.; and another $3.5 trillion for climate change, education, elder care and child care — to be paid for by the wealthy and corporations. For some, like Utah Republicans Blake Moore and Chris Stewart, it's all too much. We can't afford that, they say. Our infrastructure is failing. In healthcare, the  U.S. is ranked 37th by the World Health Organization. Sixty two percent of bankruptcies are from medical costs. In education, 24 countries offer free college tuition and 13 of them are free to international students. Meanwhile, 44.7 million American college students and grads owe a total of $1.71 trillion in student debt. In 2017, Trump and Republicans passed tax cuts of $1.125 trillion that went mostly to the rich and corporations. All of Utah's Republican delegation voted for it. But investing in this country and it's people, well, how can we afford that?

TRUMP & CABINET STILL FORGING GREATNESS

Mark Meadows, the real president's chief of staff, told Fox News that El Presidente and his cabinet continue to meet at the Florida White House and are “moving forward.” He didn't elaborate, but anonymous sources tipped Smart Bomb to the skinny:

Trump: We've raised more than $100 million since I left Washington. Remember, I never left office, I'm still president. I'm great.

Meadows: You are the greatest leader in history, Mr. President. And by the way, is that a new suit. It looks awfully good on you, sir.

Trump: Who is the sonofabitch who leaked that letter saying I told the acting Attorney General to order Georgia to change the election results. They're saying I'm worse than Nixon.

Meadows: Well, Mr. President, did I mention your beautiful tie. Very nice.

Trump: I hate that sniveling wimp Biden. I hate infrastructure, too. And I'm the one who invented the vaccines for Covid and I don't get any credit. It was me. I'm the one.

Meadows: Yes, Mr. President, you are single-handedly saving America. Maybe we could do one of your fantastic rallies and call it the “Trump Vaccine” and tell all your MAGA people to get the shot.

Trump: We can't do that, stupid. People have to keep dying until I get back in the White House. Then we'll tell them.

Meadows: Great plan, sir. Say, are those new shoes?

Post script — That's about a wrap for another week here at Smart Bomb, where we keep track of airborne particulates so you don't have to. Fact is, we're all smokers now. More than 100 fires are burning in the West and Salt Lake City continues to be in the top 10 of worst air quality in the world. But for reasons unknown, the Utah Office of Tourism continues to ignore it. “Greatest Bad Air On Earth.” Of course, it's not all our fault: California, Oregon, Washington and Montana just keep on burning. And speaking of breathing, public schools in Utah, including universities and colleges, cannot impose mask mandates on account of it's a communist plot to steal our freedom, according to Republican legislators. In Utah, we are free to spread Covid-19 as part of our God-given rights. The slogan, “Live free or die,” may have to be changed to, “Live free and die.” Again, the Utah Office of Tourism is taking a pass. Before Covid, an annual rite was for kids to start school and get colds and bring them home to their parents. Legislators say not to worry — just because the common cold and Covid are both viruses does't mean a thing. Well, maybe it does but Republicans aren't allowed to say that. And anyway, only a small percentage of children will die.

OK Wilson, what a week: the Delta variant, smoke, global warming. But it could be a lot worse — there could be a housing crunch. You and the guys in the band know that life goes on and we just have to roll with the punches, wildfires or no wildfires, so pick it, Wilson:

You know that it would be untrue You know that I would be a liar If I was to say to you Girl, we couldn't get much higher Come on baby, light my fire Come on baby, light my fire Try to set the night on fire The time to hesitate is through No time to wallow in the mire Try now we can only lose And our love become a funeral pyre Come on baby, light my fire Come on baby, light my fire Try to set the night on fire, yeah (Light My Fire — The Doors)

[stopkingobama]

This is Sebastian Gorka's White House blistering resignation letter. It rips the head off of...

Image Credit: Gage Skidmore CC by SA 3.0

Here, in full, is the letter of resignation offered by now-former Deputy Assistant to President Donald Trump.

All we have to say is…wow.

—

Dear Mr. President,

It has been my high honor to serve in the White House as one of your Deputy Assistants and Strategists.

In the last thirty years our great nation, and especially our political, media, and educational elites, have strayed so far from the principles of our Republic’s Founding that we faced a grim and godless future.

Your victory last November was truly a “Hail Mary pass” on the way to re-stablishing America upon the eternal values enshrined in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

It is, therefore, all the more difficult for me to tender my resignation with this letter.

Your presidency will prove to be one of the most significant events in modern American politics. November the 8th was the result of decades during which the political and media elites felt that they knew better than the people who elect them into office. They do not, and the MAGA platform allowed their voices finally to be heard.

Regrettably, outside of yourself, the individuals who most embodied and represented the policies that will “Make America Great Again,” have been internally countered, systematically removed, or undermined in recent months. This was made patently obvious as I read the text of your speech on Afghanistan this week.

The fact that those who drafted and approved the speech removed any mention of “radical Islam” or “radical Islamic terrorism” proves that a crucial element of your presidential campaign has been lost.

Just as worrying, when discussing our future actions in the region, the speech listed operational objectives without ever defining the strategic victory conditions we are fighting for. This omission should seriously disturb any national security professional, and any American who is unsatisfied with the last 16 years of disastrous policy decisions which have led to thousands of Americans killed and trillions of taxpayer dollars spent in ways that have not brought security or victory.

America is an incredibly resilient nation, the greatest on God’s Earth. If it were not so, we could not have survived through the unbelievably divisive years of the Obama Administration, nor witness your message to roundly defeat a candidate who significantly outspent you and had the Fakenews Industrial Complex 100% on her side.

Nevertheless, given recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House.

As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People’s House.

Millions of Americans believe in the vision of Making America Great Again. They will help eventually rebalance this unfortunate temporary reality.

Despite the historically unprecedented and scandalous treatment you have received at the hands of those within the Establishment and mainstream media who perennially see America as the problem and who wish to re-engineer our nation in their own ideological image, I know you will stay the course for the sake of all America’s citizens.

When we first met in your offices in New York, in the Summer of 2015, it was instantly clear that you love the Republic and will never give up once you have committed yourself to victory.

When it comes to our vital National Security interests, your leadership guarantees that radical Islamic terrorism will be obliterated, that the threat of a nuclear Iran will be neutralized, and that the hegemonic ambitions of Communist China will be robustly countered.

I and like-minded compatriots will be working on the outside to support you and your official team as we return America to its rightful and glorious place as the shining “city upon a hill.”

God Bless America.

In Gratitude,

Sebastian Gorka

—

He doesn’t name names, but it’s clear he’s referring to the likes of Jared Kushner and Rex Tillerson, both of whom are globalists publicly loyal to the United Nations.

[americanlibertypac]

This is Sebastian Gorka's White House blistering resignation letter. It rips the head off of...

Image Credit: Gage Skidmore CC by SA 3.0

Here, in full, is the letter of resignation offered by now-former Deputy Assistant to President Donald Trump.

All we have to say is…wow.

—

Dear Mr. President,

It has been my high honor to serve in the White House as one of your Deputy Assistants and Strategists.

In the last thirty years our great nation, and especially our political, media, and educational elites, have strayed so far from the principles of our Republic’s Founding that we faced a grim and godless future.

Your victory last November was truly a “Hail Mary pass” on the way to re-stablishing America upon the eternal values enshrined in our Constitution and Declaration of Independence.

It is, therefore, all the more difficult for me to tender my resignation with this letter.

Your presidency will prove to be one of the most significant events in modern American politics. November the 8th was the result of decades during which the political and media elites felt that they knew better than the people who elect them into office. They do not, and the MAGA platform allowed their voices finally to be heard.

Regrettably, outside of yourself, the individuals who most embodied and represented the policies that will “Make America Great Again,” have been internally countered, systematically removed, or undermined in recent months. This was made patently obvious as I read the text of your speech on Afghanistan this week.

The fact that those who drafted and approved the speech removed any mention of “radical Islam” or “radical Islamic terrorism” proves that a crucial element of your presidential campaign has been lost.

Just as worrying, when discussing our future actions in the region, the speech listed operational objectives without ever defining the strategic victory conditions we are fighting for. This omission should seriously disturb any national security professional, and any American who is unsatisfied with the last 16 years of disastrous policy decisions which have led to thousands of Americans killed and trillions of taxpayer dollars spent in ways that have not brought security or victory.

America is an incredibly resilient nation, the greatest on God’s Earth. If it were not so, we could not have survived through the unbelievably divisive years of the Obama Administration, nor witness your message to roundly defeat a candidate who significantly outspent you and had the Fakenews Industrial Complex 100% on her side.

Nevertheless, given recent events, it is clear to me that forces that do not support the MAGA promise are – for now – ascendant within the White House.

As a result, the best and most effective way I can support you, Mr. President, is from outside the People’s House.

Millions of Americans believe in the vision of Making America Great Again. They will help eventually rebalance this unfortunate temporary reality.

Despite the historically unprecedented and scandalous treatment you have received at the hands of those within the Establishment and mainstream media who perennially see America as the problem and who wish to re-engineer our nation in their own ideological image, I know you will stay the course for the sake of all America’s citizens.

When we first met in your offices in New York, in the Summer of 2015, it was instantly clear that you love the Republic and will never give up once you have committed yourself to victory.

When it comes to our vital National Security interests, your leadership guarantees that radical Islamic terrorism will be obliterated, that the threat of a nuclear Iran will be neutralized, and that the hegemonic ambitions of Communist China will be robustly countered.

I and like-minded compatriots will be working on the outside to support you and your official team as we return America to its rightful and glorious place as the shining “city upon a hill.”

God Bless America.

In Gratitude,

Sebastian Gorka

—

He doesn’t name names, but it’s clear he’s referring to the likes of Jared Kushner and Rex Tillerson, both of whom are globalists publicly loyal to the United Nations.