All purpose news and politics thread part VI: This Is Not The Time For Posing

[Tami]

I feel bad fro anyone born on Aug 8, 1988.

[AnakinFlair]

They’re getting more brazen with their white nationalist/Nazi messages.

For any of those not in the know, 88 is a white nationalist code meaning “heil Hitler” as H is the eighth letter in the alphabet. It’s a popular tattoo with knuckle dragging morons.

Attachment 97994

The Trump campaign recently commissioned 88 ads that featured the Nazi triangle symbols. The ones that were eventually taken down from Facebook.

Thank you. I knew it meant something, but I couldn't remember what. But I knew it had to be racist.

Speaking of racists, the Aurora PD decided the thing they wanted to do today was to march in force to break up... a peaceful violin vigil for Elijah Mclain. You know, the kid they murdered.

[maninthemacintosh1606]

Communism was hardly spreading freedom and democracy. They're one party states, and have histories imprisoning and torturing LGBT for being "defiants" and think killing off political rivals is acceptable. Marginalised people are hardly safe in Communist countries, even today.

States with communist parties in power in the 20th century (there were / are no 'communist countries/states') can be said to have spread freedom and democracy, though, in a way that is significantly counter to the actions of US imperialism and European powers. The anticolonial movement of the 20th century could never have had any real success if it wasn't backed by the USSR, for example. The 'cold war' so-called proxy wars were for the most part the people of those countries fighting for autonomy and for democratically elected governments and getting rid of the domination and severely non-democratic rule of foreign powers and their puppets - and then, in some cases, fighting the US invasion that followed (Vietnam being a pretty obvious example). The reason these colonised countries could successfully liberate themselves from colonial powers was that the second world existed - which also functioned to balance global power. Cuba, after overthrowing a brutal dictator, who was a puppet of US interests and who kept the majority of the population extremely poor and illiterate and ensured that it was a backwards country, was overwhelmingly better off and its people had greater freedom and democracy than ever before following the revolution; if Cuba did not ally itself with the USSR and strategically place itself as a party in relation to US-USSR relations, whilst also maintaining its own relative autonomy as a nation state, it almost certainly would have been subject to even greater interference and invasion from the USA (more than it actually was, that is) and been 'reclaimed' as a US territory in all but official documentation. (And I haven't even mentioned the CIA's interference with other nations' elections and political parties in order to prevent democracy existing in other countries...) A good example of real existing socialism and it spreading freedom and democracy is Burkina Faso under Thomas Sankara, who is rightly considered a hero of African peoples by those with a little awareness. But just to address the one-party state notion - the existence of multiple parties is not a condition of democracy. In liberal, bourgeois parliamentarianism, a two-party system represents - to put it simply - different interests of the ruling class. In the US, for instance, certain corporate lobbying can be directed at the Republican party, and certain corporate lobbying interests can be directed at the Democratic party. But the USA is no a democracy for all that. In fact, it isn't a democracy, despite the fact that it is a two party parliamentary system. On the other hand, the USSR following the Bolsheviks seizure of power set up soviets, or councils, for citizens to actively participate democratically in decisions that actually mattered to the council areas they were apart of, and a constitution was enacted that guaranteed basic and fundamental rights that most Americans can only ever dream of - and later, collectivisation imposed democratic participation on farmers in their areas of collectivised farmer. Not to go into the theory of the 'dictatorship of the proletariat' or anything, but the CCCP maintaing a one-party state was necessary, and if you are struggling to exist as a socialist state or union of states, allowing pro-capitalist or pro-monarchist reactionary parties to co-exist with you is like inviting the White Army in and offering to share power with them. . . . And if the USSR is too tricky for you, the primary form of democracy for which all democratic institutions have evolved from and is the standard would be Athenian democracy, which was a single βουλή ('boule') or council composed of 400 members (100 from each of Athen's four 'tribes') who collectively made political decisions, set the political agenda and ran daily affairs. It is senseless to say this is a one-party system and not a two-party system since that would be anachronistic and misleading as a description of the political structure of Athenian democracy - but if we were to make an analogy it would be a one-party state as opposed to a two-party state - but yeah, the whole question of a two-party system falls within the prism of representative parliamentary systems and the divisions in political representative structure of left, right, and centre are inherited from the French revolution and the development of the bourgeois parliament. I could say something about the treatment of 'LGBT' people in socialist countries in the 20th Century if you like but I will leave it for now.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Thank you. I knew it meant something, but I couldn't remember what. But I knew it had to be racist.

Speaking of racists, the Aurora PD decided the thing they wanted to do today was to march in force to break up... a peaceful violin vigil for Elijah Mclain. You know, the kid they murdered.

What the hell? So, AR-15 toting, right wing loons storming the state capitol building in Michigan was okay, but violinists were a threat to the peace. Unbelievable! And people wonder why cops aren't liked these days.

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Confirmed Coronavirus Cases Hit 10 Million Worldwide

The U.S. handling of the outbreak has drawn concern from abroad. As well it should, America's response has been absolutely criminal in it's ineffectiveness.

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Trump Campaign Peeled Off Social Distancing Stickers In Arena Before Tulsa Rally: Reports

Some 12,000 “Do Not Sit Here” stickers to help protect people attending from COVID-19 were removed by the campaign, according to arena management. Why DOESN'T that surprise me?

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Former CDC Head: Surge In Coronavirus Cases Due To New Spread, Not Increased Testing

“The numbers you’re seeing are just a tip of the iceberg of even more spread,” warned Dr. Tom Frieden.

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In non-coronavirus news:

Trump Says ‘Nobody Briefed Or Told Me’ About Russian Bounties To Kill U.S. Soldiers

White House officials have neither confirmed nor denied the alleged Russian plot to pay Afghan militants to attack American troops. Ignorance is bliss, Donnie? Is that your excuse?

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Mississippi Lawmakers Vote To Remove Confederate Symbol From State Flag

The state House and Senate voted to remove the Confederate battle emblem from the state’s flag — the last in the country to include the hate symbol.

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Stevie Wonder Slams Trump, Racism: ‘Sad’ When ‘I Can See Better Than Your 20/20 Vision’

“Black lives do matter, and this is not another digital, viral trend, moment or hashtag,” the music icon said.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Armed St. Louis couple comes out waving AR-15 at Black Lives Matter protesters



I'm guessing those loons weren't arrested for waving guns at innocent people because they were white. But, if they had been black....!

[JackDaw]

Armed St. Louis couple comes out waving AR-15 at Black Lives Matter protesters



I'm guessing those loons weren't arrested for waving guns at innocent people because they were white. But, if they had been black....!

Jeez.

Do reporters ever ask police chiefs, mayors, etc something along the lines “You’ve seen this picture, can you explain to me why this couple were not arrested?”

[Tami]

Iran issues arrest warrant for Trump, asks Interpol to help

An Iranian prosecutor said the country had issued an Interpol arrest warrant for United States Donald Trump for his role in the assassination of a leading military commander earlier this year.

The Tehran prosecutor, Ali Alghasimehr said the international “red alert” warrant included Trump and 35 others allegedly involved in the 3 January drone strike that killed General Qassem Soleimani, commander of Iran’s clandestine overseas paramilitary force, the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA) reported on Monday.

“Thirty-six people who were involved in the assassination of Hajj Qassem were identified, including political and military officials from the United States and other governments, have been ordered by the judiciary to be given a red alert to Interpol,” he was quoted as saying by IRNA.

[Steel Inquisitor]

Iran issues arrest warrant for Trump, asks Interpol to help

They can have him.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Iran issues arrest warrant for Trump, asks Interpol to help

Good Lord. You just can't make up crazy **** like this, no matter how hard you try.

[Tami]

I accidentally started a Twitter 'war' over wearing masks. The Non-mask crowd are very stubborn.

[MiddleMan]

SCOTUS has killed that BS Lousisiana law restrictiong abortions

also rules that other abortion access laws can be challenged

Judge Roberts was the deciding vote it seems

[Tami]

SCOTUS has killed that BS Lousisiana law restrictiong abortions

also rules that other abortion access laws can be challenged

Judge Roberts was the deciding vote it seems

I heard also that it supports that idea that people like Doctors, clinics, and pro-abortion groups can challenge those anti-abortion laws. You don'[t have to be a pregnant woman to go to court over it.

[Tendrin]

https://www.thedailybeast.com/china-...en-says-report

The Chinese government is subjecting hundreds of thousands of Uighur women to forced birth-control measures—including sterilization and abortion—to drive down the country’s Muslim population, according to a shocking Associated Press investigation. Women are reportedly forced to undergo regular pregnancy checks and some have undergone forced insertions of intrauterine devices to prevent them from getting pregnant. Having too many children is often reason enough to be sent to a detention camp, according to AP. One woman, After Gulnar Omirzakh, said the government ordered her to have an IUD inserted after her third child. Two years later, officials turned up at her house and told her she had three days to pay a $2,685 fine for having more than two children. She said: “God bequeaths children on you. To prevent people from having children is wrong... They want to destroy us as a people.”

[worstblogever]

It was on this date in 2015 that "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" profiled of Charlotte O’Hara, a member of the Kansas House of Representatives who once filed pro-life legislation that would requite a woman seeking an abortion to sign a document that they were "terminating the life of a whole living being". She also tried starting a Tea Party mutiny against Gov. Sam Brownback, telling supporters "peasants with pitchforks are needed to get the attention of the Topkea elite". O'Hara also warned against the threat of the Agenda 21 Conspiracy Theory, and tried comparing a rival State Senator's support of state bonds as "communism", leading to her downfall in elections in both 2012 and 2014.


In both 2016, 2017, 2018, as well as 2019, that “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” presented profiles of the sitting U.S. House Representative from Georgia’s 12th Congressional District, Rick Allen, who after being elected for the first time in the 2014 elections, quickly made himself infamous in Washington for an outburst he made that pissed off even his fellow Republicans back in May of this year, when a week after Democrats cried foul after Republicans flipped their votes in support of an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act that would have prevented government contractors from discriminating against employees based on their sexual orientation and gender identity, a second version passed with 43 Republicans actually supporting the idea. In the wake of that vote, Speaker Paul Ryan tried to gather many members of the GOP House, where Rick Allen pulled out his Bible, and read Scripture to those present, specifically passages from Romans 1:18-32, and Revelations 22:18-19, that in effect read that gays are sinners “worthy of death”. At that point, several of his colleagues stormed out, disgusted (and they should be).

Well, Rick Allen went viral because after the tragic shooting in Orlando just days later, as some were calling for some action, ANY action on gun control, the GOP offered their usual support to victims… their thoughts and prayers. In this instance, that came off as a lot of hollow bulls*** in particular because Rick Allen was one such person who got on social media to let those mourning know he was thinking and praying about it. To which, some of the victims had to wonder, “So what, are you praying that more of us die, then?” Allen was asked if he regretted or wanted to apologize for his remarks about the gays being “worthy of death”, and surprise… he didn’t regret them at all and stood by his decision to read them at that Republican meeting.

So it should come as little surprise that Rep. Allen spent his first term in office voting for anti-choice legislation without exceptions for rape and incest, attempts to defund Planned Parenthood, attempts to repeal the Affordable Care Act, and the bill to attempt to halt the resettling of Syrian refugees in the United States. But when you come from a conservative district in Georgia, the voters won’t pay attention to any of that or sweat that or the fact that you quoted Bible verses about gays being worthy of death, and they’ll re-elect you with 59% of the vote. His third term in office, is already starting to look like the first two:

• January 22nd, 2019: Allen votes against HR 676, which would prevent Donald Trump from doing the unthinkable and walking away from our allies in NATO to appease the Russians.
• January 23rd, 2019: Rep. Allen voted against HR 648, because he was gleefully enjoying the longest government shutdown in history.
• January 27th, 2019: Rick Allen voted against HJR 30, which was meant to express disapproval of Donald Trump not acting against Russian Federation for attacking our democracy. You see, he’s fine with our nation being sublet to Vladimir Putin.
• February 28th, 2019: Rick Allen votes against HR 1112, a bill which would have required universal background checks on all firearm purchases, and close the gun show loophole.
• March 14th, 2019: Rep. Allen votes against HJR 46, which sane members of Congress voted for to reject Donald Trump’s “national emergency” regarding the U.S. border and his attempts to reallocate funds for a border wall without Congressional approval.
• April 4th, 2019: Rick Allen is one of 158 Republicans who choose to vote against the re-authorization of the Violence Against Women Act, likely because they feel the 2nd Amendment remaining absolute is more important than preventing people with a history of domestic abuse from owning a firearm (which statistics show, makes them more likely to use those firearms against women in their lives).
• June 4th, 2019: Allen votes against the Dreamers Act, because he’s too xenophobic and partisan to care about immigration reform.
• July 16th, 2019: Rick Allen votes against a resolution to condemn Donald Trump for his racist statements that four people of color in Congress should “go back where they came from”.
• October 17th, 2019: Rep. Allen is one of 60 Republicans who vote against HJ Res 77, which opposed Donald Trump’s disastrous decision to abandon Syrian Kurdish forces in Northeast Syria to the mercies of a Turkish invasion.
• December 3rd, 2019: Rick Allen is one of 71 Republicans who votes against a resolution to disallow Russia from re-entering the G7 and makes it the G8 until it leaves Ukraine.
• December 18th, 2019: Rep. Allen ignores his Congressional duty to hold a president who has been proven to commit high crimes and misdemeanors accountable and votes against the impeachment of Donald Trump.

So the question remains in November, will Rick Allen hold onto his seat in Georgia’s 12th, a district that leans +9 Republican? Well, Georgia is hardly a state with a pleasant status quo. It’s been hit terribly hard by Covid-19, and even past the casualties Georgia and Florida are the top two increases in states with jobless claims due to coronavirus.

They’re also seeing some of the biggest civil rights protests due to police violence against African Americans right now. So a +9 might not be safe enough as he faces off against Liz Johnson, a retired insurance representative who has been campaigning since October. Generic Democratic candidates have about a +9 advantage again in 2020, like they did in 2018, and we’re hoping Johnson can flip this district and sent this homophobic twit packing.

[Tami]

Supreme Court Lifts Limits on Trump’s Power to Fire Consumer Watchdog

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court ruled Monday that the president is free to fire the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau without cause. The decision, rejecting a federal law that sought to place limits on presidential oversight of independent agencies, was a victory for the conservative movement to curb the administrative state.

The vote was 5 to 4, with the court’s five more conservative justices in the majority.

The bureau, the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, then a law professor at Harvard and now a senator and former presidential candidate, was created as part of the Dodd-Frank Act, which was passed in 2010 after the financial crisis. In an effort to protect the bureau’s independence, the statute said the president could remove its director only for cause, defined as “inefficiency, neglect of duty or malfeasance.”

President Trump targeted the agency, appointing Mick Mulvaney, the former South Carolina congressman, as interim director after the agency’s original director, Richard Cordray resigned in late 2017. Mr. Mulvaney, who was also the budget director, saw it as a an opportunity to dismantle an agency vilified by Republicans since its inception as an example of government overreach.

Business groups, which shared that view, challenged the law’s limit on presidential power in court, saying that it violated the separation of powers. The Trump administration agreed with the challengers. The bureau once took the opposite position, but it changed its stance last year, agreeing that its director could be fired at will.