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

[worstblogever]

I have a hard time thinking of anyone is the enemy based on their thoughts alone. Thoughts dont make someone an enemy. ANot everyone is going to agree that is life. Some one wants to not like blacks gays and other minorities thats on them. Its dumb but I am not going to waste time with morons.

I am a gay man. I know there are people in life who are not okay with that. Fine. I was not even upset at the baker who did not want to make a cake for the gay wedding. Thats his choice he didnt attack them, threaten violence or anything, he just said no and if it was me I would not have sued and forced him to accept my way of life. My dad does not agree with gay marriage. That is fine that is his right. He has said he will not attend a wedding if I get married to a man. It sucks but that is his choice. he is not saying I cant get married. He does not agree with laws trying to restrict gay marriage. He just does not agree with it. The more important thing to me is when ever I have brought a man home he has been very respectful, gotten to know them and made them feel at home. My mom went the other way. She has always believed in gay rights but was never active. But when I came out She got into gay rights and donates money when she can to gay causes has a rainbow flag. She over does it at times with being supportive but I would rather her go over board with support then hate. She is like the light weight version of the mom from the American version of Queer as Folk.

Actions make someone the enemy so when they say blacks and gays and other groups need to be killed or rights restricted that is another thing. They become the enemy because they are making themselves the foe of another group. They became the enemy when they try to control who lives and who dies.

If Trumpers want to go on social media and bitch about the election being stolen fine. its a dumbass thing to do but fine what ever. my aunt still bitches about. I am not going to try and change her mind. They can bitch all they want. Trump can bitch all he wants. But when he tells people to storm the capital, when these people do storm the capital they become the enemy through their actions.

When someone puts their hateful thoughts into action that is when they become the enemy.

Just my two cents. I know not everyone will agree.

I try to think of things like the Waco Kid in Blazing Saddles does. With some of the folks on the right, the blue collar ones? It's this:



The people who know better, though? Your equivalents to Hedley Lamarr? They're the ones I'm fine with thinking of as an enemy. The ones who know what they're doing, know it's wrong, and don't care.

[Hellion]

I think what they are going for is hey idiots trying to kiss Trumps ass. He sent these nutjobs here to kill you, to destroy you, his own VP also. Why are you helping him?

Yeah, literally everyone in the chamber right now was a victim of 1/6. It was bad enough five civilians and police officers were killed, but I wonder how differently Republicans would think if some of their own members and some Democrat colleagues had been killed in the riot?

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2015, "Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day" ran a profile of Jacob Dorsey, who was a 19 year old candidate for a seat in the Wisconsin House of Representatives in 2014, who was obliterated in the election for his seat not because of his age, and surely not because the Wisconsin GOP didn’t support him (he was given $1,000 by the party for his campaign from them directly, and even got a photo-op with Gov. Scott Walker)… but it was more of his Twitter account that destroyed his chances. He probably should have went back and deleted all the posts where he casually used gay and/or racial slurs, declared his hatred of President Obama and other “urban bastards”, wished for another Civil War, and declared “f*** Abe Lincoln”, which indicated he hadn’t checked who founded the party he was a member of. Anyway, all signs point towards Dorsey having slinked back into college at BYU-Idaho, and has yet to make another attempt at joining the world of politics.

In both 2016, and in 2017, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” published profiles of South Carolina State Senator Lee Bright, a two-term South Carolina State Senator from District 12 in in the Palmetto State who got into office by running unopposed for his seat after serving many years as a school board member trying to get Creationism taught in South Carolina schools. He galvanized his support base of Tea Partiers over the next several years with increasingly inflammatory rhetoric, winning re-election in 2012, and finishing second in the GOP primary race to try and unseat sitting U.S. Senator Lindsay Graham in the 2014 elections. Bright’s voting record, that featured support for defunding Planned Parenthood as well as Personhood legislation, stricter Voter ID laws to combat the mythical threat of “in person voter fraud” at the cost of disenfranchising tens of thousands of voters, a love of guns that saw him co-sponsor a bill to legalize carrying firearms in bars (because alcohol does wonders for impulse control of people packing heat), the time he submitted a completely unconstitutional bill to that would see South Carolina begin printing its own currency, and a bill he created to try to give a five year jail sentence to anyone who worked on implementing the Affordable Care Act in South Carolina… it was Lee Bright's rhetoric that truly got our attention.

In January 2010, Lee Bright was quoted by a local journalist in South Carolina as saying, “If at first you don’t secede, try again,” in a discussion about states’ rights. In August 2013 Bright gave a speech where he warned against “IRS Brownshirts enforcing Obamacare”, as well as claiming that “FEMA is training a militia” while warning against “terrorist nations” sending people to execute a “Southern border invasion”, specifically mentioning the Muslim Brotherhood of perpetrating such an action. In December 2013, Bright argued that able-bodied food stamp recipients “shouldn’t eat”, claiming that many of them “have the nicest nails, and the nicest pocketbook and the nicest car”, and that the United States should completely eliminate its social safety net because it’s “the role of the church”. He finished that discussion by comparing the IRS to Nazi Germany and stated his belief that South Carolina troops will turn against President Obama, advising his allies that "If the Tenth Amendment won’t protect the Second, we might have to use the Second to protect the Tenth.” Shortly after the Newtown Massacre, Bright made the classy decision to campaign for U.S. Senate by auctioning off an AR-15 assault rifle, the weapon that Adam Lanza used to murder 26 people in the Newtown Massacre. In April 2014 Bright was interviewed by Josh Duggar saying that Republicans need to have the courage of Bashir al-Assad and Vladimir Putin in dealing with gays, and not allow an “indoctrination” of the “homosexual agenda”.

In June 2015, days after the tragic shooting at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina that was perpetrated by Dylann Roof, a white nationalist motivated by Confederate iconography… the one positive that came out of the tragedy was that a majority in the South Carolina state legislature were willing to discuss removing the Confederate flag from state property, such as the state capitol. Almost immediately upon hearing that news, however, Lee Bright lost his damned mind, and comparing removing the flag to a “Stalinist purge” and gave a rambling defense of the Stars & Bars on the floor of the South Carolina legislature where he added “the Confederate flag is a proud symbol of freedom”, before soon raving wildly about “the devil taking control of his land”, abortion clinics in black neighborhoods “committing genocide”, how “gay marriage is a national sin” and how President Obama and the White House displayed the “abomination colors” when it was legalized.

Lee Bright impotently worked towards getting Ted Cruz elected president in the 2016 presidential campaign, and as it turned out, he probably should have spent his time watching his own back. We are relieved to report. In a runoff election against Scott Talley, Lee Bright was defeated by a total of 299 votes, and will now presumably spend some time alternating between sulking about his own political fortunes and furiously wanking to the fact that there are White Nationalists in the highest echelons of our government currently.)

[worstblogever]

On this date in 2018, 2019, as well as 2020, “Crazy/Stupid Republican of the Day” profiled North Carolina Lieutenant Governor Dan Forest, who was first elected to office back in 2012 by a little less than seven thousand votes. Forest is a political legacy, as the son of former Congresswoman and rubber room candidate Sue Myrick (the gal who palled around with Islamic hate groups in the wake of 9/11, tried to get rock music banned in her hometown, and claimed God spoke to her through her toaster to tell her to run for office), who spent four years serving under former Gov. Pat McCrory during his administration, during some of the more dismal policy failures the Tar Heel State has seen in several years (that are a lot of the reason why McCrory was only a one-term governor). Perhaps the biggest political disaster of the McCrory regime was North Carolina’s HB 2, a transphobic bathroom ban that allowed for the discrimination of LGBTQ citizens whose passage ended up costing the people of North Carolina over $3.7 billion in lost revenue due to several groups boycotting the state as a result and even some corporations choosing to move their operations elsewhere. And as the economic fallout from passing such a socially conservative law began to take its toll, a few more moderate members of the GOP around North Carolina started to admit that maybe… maybe they went too far. Dan Forest is most certainly not one of those reasonable souls.

You see, Dan Forest is a true Fundamentalist believer to his core. And he sat down with Tony Perkins, yes THAT Tony Perkins from the Family Research Council (which is still an anti-gay hate group) to tout the importance of HB 2, insisting that “if it protects one child or one woman "from being molested or assaulted, then it was worth it." Note the wording… IF. Because, and I know this might be shocking, there were no transgender attacks upon women or children in restrooms. There never were. But that didn’t stop Forest from lying his *** off about what the bill was meant to do:

"Well, our bill does not discriminate against anybody. In fact, the Charlotte ordinance was amazingly discriminatory against especially women and girls who no longer had the freedom to walk into a restroom and know that they would be safe and secure in that restroom without a man walking in or a pedophile or a predator walking into that bathroom."

Now that we’ve established that Dan Forest has some issues with the LGBTQ community, in particular the “T”, what with hanging out with anti-gay hate groups and defending an anti-gay discrimination law…. Let’s talk about why this is going to matter going forward… one of the worst kept secrets right now in North Carolina politics is that when Forest is term-limited in 2020, he’s going to take a shot at preventing Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper from getting a second term in office. GOP Congressman Mark Meadows already let the cat out of the bag, and Forest is already attacking his sitting Governor for wanting to repeal the widely unpopular HB 2, and claiming that Roy Cooper, intends to we quote, “a 'Look But Don't Touch' policy in our bathrooms.” That doesn’t sound like someone who is backing off of his bad move, does it?

But the levels of fanaticism already look to be well ingrained farther than even that. For years now, Forest organizes a “Christian retreat” for political donors and allies known as “Black Mountain Weekend” where political players from North Carolina who cut their teeth working for monsters like Jesse Helms get together, hopefully without wearing hoods while they discuss a “Christian worldview”. And while Forest seems more than thrilled to discriminate against the LGBTQ community, he doesn’t discriminate nearly as much with the kind of company he keeps with fellow people at his retreat. Like Robin Webster, a Faith preacher who believes that you can help turn a gay person straight by beating it out of them. Every legal method of exploiting 501 (c3) law is being pushed, and apparently the bounds of the law aren’t enough for Forest’s backers, who went far enough to donate an entire TV studio’s worth of equipment to Forest… illegally. He's more than willing to collect all the donor money from the heads of charter schools at the cost of selling out North Carolina’s education system to them later on.

Not shockingly, Dan Forest has made some speeches of late that sound a wee bit like something a God-fearing white nationalist would say, including his June 28th, 2019 barn burner where he began ranting about how “no nation has survived the diversity and multiculturism that the United States faces today.” Here’s a hint for spotting bigots, everyone… when they speak about diversity as if it’s a contagious disease upon the populace, that’s a huge tell. Another one? When you’re spreading lies about immigrants attacking “tens of thousands of kids" in your state, and when you get called out for that disgusting lie, claiming that you “heard it from one lady” as if that’s a valid excuse to say something so irresponsible and hateful.

Dan Forest did make the inevitable run for Governor of North Carolina in 2020 as we were dreading, but then we were relieved when he lost to Roy Cooper, earning only 47% of the vote in the effort. We hope this is the last we hear from this Evangelical, bigoted twit.

[kidfresh512]

Yeah, literally everyone in the chamber right now was a victim of 1/6. It was bad enough five civilians and police officers were killed, but I wonder how differently Republicans would think if some of their own members and some Democrat colleagues had been killed in the riot?

Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal made this same point this morning on MSNBC i believe. She says she doesn't think even if they as in Senators and Reps in congress had actually been killed it would have changed these Senators minds. They are purely making political calculations on needing to keep this base. And not having trump "mad at them".

Look at how Bill Cassidy was treated for changing his vote and saying moving forward was constitutional. His state GOP immediately responded pressuring him. The problem is so much of the GOP in general backs trumpers still especially the political side in state parties.

[MajorHoy]

Trump would have been a terrible military leader of a junta because you shouldn't start a civil war from a position as weak militarily as *Checks Notes* having Head-Quarters in a blue city (Washington DC), surrounded by blue states like Virginia and Maryland, outer orbited by Delaware and Philadelphia.

Dude would have been finished quickly.

A little history to consider, however.

Back in the U.S. Civil War, the Union was still based in Washington, D.C.
The Commonwealth of Virginia was part of the Confederacy.

DC_locator_map_with_state_names.jpg

[babyblob]

Yeah, literally everyone in the chamber right now was a victim of 1/6. It was bad enough five civilians and police officers were killed, but I wonder how differently Republicans would think if some of their own members and some Democrat colleagues had been killed in the riot?

I have very little doubt that had this second part happened they would shed too many tears.

That is what Trump wanted and he put them in danger as well and they are falling all over themselves to kiss his ass and defend him. A couple dead Dems? They would not care.

[kidfresh512]

This house manager presentation is very compelling so far. The security footage interspersed with the story of their incited hatred and anger by Trump. This is succinct and clear.

I mean GOP can ignore it but this looks bad to vote against this. I don't even see how Trump's team can defend this other than say trump wasn't there himself. I'm surprised Fox and Oan are still showing any of this.

[inisideguy]

This house manager is a very impressive women.

[Kirby101]

Chris Pratt's brother, a Bay Area officer, may support a far-right extremist group

[Revolutionary_Jack]

A little history to consider, however.

Was waiting for someone to bring this up. Thanks.

Back in the U.S. Civil War, the Union was still based in Washington, D.C.
The Commonwealth of Virginia was part of the Confederacy.

DC_locator_map_with_state_names.jpg

Is Trump a military genius commander-in-chief like Abe Lincoln? People talk about Lincoln the statesman but as a war leader, that guy was a genius too.

I mean yeah when the American Civil War broke out, you had the issue of Lincoln being surrounded by Virginia which was the capital of the Confederacy and Maryland (a slave-state that stayed loyal to the Union which meant Lincoln had to do all he could to ensure that it stayed in the union hence why he hesitated to abolish slavery out of the gate).

But again that wouldn't be similar in a hypothetical scenario where Trump for real triggered a second civil war on the 6th. And in the case of Lincoln, he wasn't the guy who started the war and the fact that Jefferson Davis somehow failed to take DC despite bordering him and having another slave state on the other side...is a testament to how terrible a leader he was.

[BeastieRunner]

Am I hearing correctly that the Dems have Pence testifying for them!?

Or is that merely speculation?

[Kirby101]

Am I hearing correctly that the Dems have Pence testifying for them!?

Or is that merely speculation?

No witnesses announced yet.

[Amadeus Arkham]

Twitter CFO says Trump's ban is permanent, even if he runs for office again

I do wonder how much things would different if Trump never had his twitter account. Would he even be President?

[BeastieRunner]

Twitter CFO says Trump's ban is permanent, even if he runs for office again

4 years too late.