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Top 10 Conservative Idiots #14-9: The Man Who Didn't Know Much Edition
Top 10 Conservative Idiots #14-9: The Man Who Didn’t Know Much Edition
Welcome back to the Top 10 Conservative Idiots! Yo!!!!!!!! What’s up, Vancouver? We're here and we're a day early at that! How are you guys doing? Doing fucking good? Great! Well this is our first time in the B.C., how about that? You know, we love our Canadian audience! And we originally had plans to come here in 2020, but those plans quickly fell apart because, you know, COVID. Well, anyway, as you may have guessed we had an accounting error. See, this week was supposed to be our big shindig in France. But someone doing the counting of all the previous Top 10s fucked up, and we had to reschedule. But that’s OK, the people responsible for this screw up have been sacked. Edition #14-12 is going to be our big shindig in France. OK, do we have time for the thing? Of course we do! So everyone knows that Blockbuster Video is a company that has been literally hanging on by a thread for the last few years. There’s that one last location that’s still existing in Bend, Oregon for some reason. Hell, it’s so famous that there’s actually a Netflix series based around it. But Blockbuster is thinking of staging a comeback now. Yeah don’t call it a comeback! Great sound drop, BTW! That’s right – in the form of video game consoles. I’m a PC person, I haven’t played a PS5 yet. But do they still have physical discs anymore? No? Then what kind of games would they rent out? Retro consoles? Does anyone still have those? OK a few of you do! But seriously, is this the comeback we really need right now? No? I thought so! OK that’s enough of the intro. But first Stephen Colbert is back and he takes on Trump’s insane rendition of the National Anthem:
Where do we begin this week? Of course the item that dominated the news last week was of course that guy who we inexplicably used to call president (1) was supposed to be getting arrested and arraigned by a grand jury in New York this week, but since that didn’t happen, the conspiracy theories are flying fast and far, and of course our old friend Marjorie Three Names isn’t helping. In the second slot this week is the conservative GOP (2). Their war on trans conspiracy theories and hatred is becoming law, and they are getting weird, scary and almost Nazi esque, and we will present you with some of the more draconian policies – each more horrifying than the next! In the number 3 slot this week is that guy who we inexplicably used to call president (3) and he had a rally in Waco, Texas (yes, that Waco) on the anniversary of the Waco massacre, and well, the right wing calls for escalating violence aren’t going away any time soon! In the number 4 slot this week is our old buddy, Florida Man Ron DeSantis (4) and Disney is fighting back against his hostile takeover and hosting the largest LGBT rally in the country at Disney World, while we show you how unpopular his Fox News inspired “anti-woke” really are! In the number 5 slot this week is our segment “Good Guys With Guns”, and gun violence isn’t going away, and the latest shooting in Denver proves why we really need red flag laws, but Colorado unfortunately has another idea. And you won’t like it. In the number 6 slot this week is of course our weekly visit to the Holy Church Of The Top 10 in “Holy Shit” (6) and this week our resident pastor is becoming increasingly alarmed that churches are hosting TPUSA events, and well, if Charlie Kirk hosts a talk at your local church, you should definitely be aware of their after hours activities! Taking the number 7 slot this week is a new edition of Beating A Dead Horse (7) – should the embattled social media platform Tik Tok be flat out banned? After their CEO attempts to explain his actions in front of Congress, well, we take a look at both sides of the argument! In the number 8 slot this week is a new edition of Conspiracy Corner (8) and this week our old friend Marjorie Three Names, in what is no doubt a publicity stunt to earn points on echo chamber talk shows, uses Congressional time to visit January 6th prisoners, because, well, reasons. Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time, guys! In the number 9 (NEIN!!!) slot this week is a new “I Need A Drink”, and we’re going to need some pints of Labatt Blue, because the Saskatchewan city of Regina has rebranded, but their rebranding is the absolute stuff of insanity! Just change the menus, you’ll be fine! Finally this week, it’s time for Stupidest State 2023 Round 1 Week 3! This week it’s a Beltway battle for Fiscal Irresponsibility supremacy as #3 Ohio takes on #4 Wisconsin, while over in the Gun Nut Conference, red hot challenger #2 Missouri looks to unseat heavily favored #1 Texas! It’s getting exciting, folks! And to cap things off, we have the legendary metal supergroup Alter Bridge performing! Really, buy their new album “Pawns & Kings” or you are no friend of this program! Enjoy! And as always don’t forget the key!
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[font size="8"]Donald Trump
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Sigh. Another week, another Trump scandal. And it seems like they’re a dime a dozen. If you like spy flicks like I do, you know there was the famous one with James Stewart and Doris Day called “The Man Who Knew Too Much”. And then there was the 1997 Bill Murray spoof flick “The Man Who Knew Too Little”. If this were a spy flick, I would call it… how about… “The Man Who Didn’t Know Much”. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Nice one again! And you know that Mar-A-Lago is currently like some kind of fucked up Studio 54 for insurrectionists and conspiracy theorists. I mean come on, the people who were partying it up at Studio 54 in the 70s have probably retired now and moved to Florida, so it makes sense in a way. But the question on everyone’s mind last week was the one I was pondering literally every day checking my browsers on my various devices – will today be the day he gets arrested? Will he? Could he possibly? And wait for the answer before you boo.
Donald Trump’s lawyer has admitted that the former president based his incendiary and unfounded remarks about his imminent arrest last week on mere speculation prompted by “rumours”.
Trump ignited a week of political, media and law enforcement frenzy when he announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday in the New York criminal investigation relating to hush money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels. Security was stepped up at the Manhattan courthouse and around the district attorney leading the case, Alvin Bragg, amid fears of renewed protests by Trump supporters, some of whom staged the deadly attack at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
Now Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, has admitted that his client ignited the firestorm based on nothing more than conjecture. Speaking on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, he denied that Trump had invented the claim that he was facing imminent arrest only to reveal the flimsy basis of the remarks.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/26/trump-arrest-remarks-based-on-rumors
Trump ignited a week of political, media and law enforcement frenzy when he announced on his social media platform Truth Social that he expected to be arrested on Tuesday in the New York criminal investigation relating to hush money payments to the adult film star Stormy Daniels. Security was stepped up at the Manhattan courthouse and around the district attorney leading the case, Alvin Bragg, amid fears of renewed protests by Trump supporters, some of whom staged the deadly attack at the US Capitol on 6 January 2021.
Now Trump’s lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, has admitted that his client ignited the firestorm based on nothing more than conjecture. Speaking on Sunday on NBC’s Meet the Press, he denied that Trump had invented the claim that he was facing imminent arrest only to reveal the flimsy basis of the remarks.
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/mar/26/trump-arrest-remarks-based-on-rumors
Come on, why do you got to get our hopes up like that? We all know that Trump has committed some unspeakable crimes in his past and present and even since he’s no longer the Commander In Chief. But you really got to wonder every day what batshit crazy thing he’s going to say or do next. Look, I know that we’re all tired of him. I personally have had an assful. And no he not going to get arraigned any time soon. But the thing that pisses me off the most is that no matter how much we don’t want it, he got his name at the top of every news cycle. Cue projectile vomit.
Former President Trump's prediction last weekend that he would be arrested on Tuesday wasn't made up, his lawyer, Joseph Tacopina, told NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday.
Driving the news: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating a hush money payment allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and reports continue to circulate that an indictment in the case could be imminent.
"No, he didn't make it up, he was reacting toward a lot of leaks coming out of the district attorney's office," Tacopina said, adding that Trump "just assumed based on those leaks that that's what was going to happen."
If indicted, Trump would be the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/26/trump-indictment-prediction-bragg
Driving the news: Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg has been investigating a hush money payment allegedly made to adult film star Stormy Daniels, and reports continue to circulate that an indictment in the case could be imminent.
"No, he didn't make it up, he was reacting toward a lot of leaks coming out of the district attorney's office," Tacopina said, adding that Trump "just assumed based on those leaks that that's what was going to happen."
If indicted, Trump would be the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
https://www.axios.com/2023/03/26/trump-indictment-prediction-bragg
Yeah that’s kind of how I felt watching TV last week. I keep thinking at some point we’re going to get him and his enablers and one day we’ll be able to look back on this and laugh. But it hasn’t been easy in the slightest to get rid of this guy. Literally everything he does is bad. And the more bad stuff he does, the more his supporters love him for it! it’s like we’re living in opposite world or something. The Man Who Didn’t Know Much is already out there claiming on Hannity he doesn’t know much. And really what would Trump be without Fox News aiding his every move? Nothing that’s what!
Former President Donald Trump is not expected to face indictment this week in the probe into his then-lawyer’s hush money payment to a porn star before the 2016 election, NBC News reported.
The grand jury is not expected to meet Wednesday, and is set to hear a different matter when it sits on Thursday, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC. If the grand jury sticks to that schedule, the soonest an indictment could come down is Monday.
Trump earlier framed the probe by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office as a new way of “cheating” in elections.
Trump’s latest accusation echoes past, false claims he made leading up to and after the 2020 presidential, when he said there was widespread fraud as a result of mail-in ballots that became more common due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to suppression of his supporters’ vote.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/28/trump-live-updates-ex-president-calls-criminal-probe-way-of-cheating.html
The grand jury is not expected to meet Wednesday, and is set to hear a different matter when it sits on Thursday, three sources familiar with the matter told NBC. If the grand jury sticks to that schedule, the soonest an indictment could come down is Monday.
Trump earlier framed the probe by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office as a new way of “cheating” in elections.
Trump’s latest accusation echoes past, false claims he made leading up to and after the 2020 presidential, when he said there was widespread fraud as a result of mail-in ballots that became more common due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and to suppression of his supporters’ vote.
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/03/28/trump-live-updates-ex-president-calls-criminal-probe-way-of-cheating.html
Come on, mainstream media! Stop getting our hopes up like that! Either he gets arrested or he doesn’t get arrested. Oh and by the way, the bots are already hitting social media hard and fast. If you still use Twitter or any other service like Facebook or Instagram, you may have seen images like this one pop up on your feed. I am here to tell you that’s not real. Hell, even that one of him getting down on his knees praying isn’t real. As if Trump could get down on his knees. But one thing’s for certain – there’s a lot of fake news out there right now and it’s going to take a lot to sort what’s real and what isn’t.
Former President Donald Trump getting gang-tackled by riot-gear-clad New York City police officers. Russian President Vladimir Putin in prison grays behind the bars of a dimly lit concrete cell.
The highly detailed, sensational images have inundated Twitter and other platforms in recent days, amid news that Trump faces possible criminal charges and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
But neither visual is remotely real. The images — and scores of variations littering social media — were produced using increasingly sophisticated and widely accessible image generators powered by artificial intelligence.
Misinformation experts warn the images are harbingers of a new reality: waves of fake photos and videos flooding social media after major news events and further muddying fact and fiction at crucial times for society.
“It does add noise during crisis events. It also increases the cynicism level,” said Jevin West, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle who focuses on the spread of misinformation. “You start to lose trust in the system and the information that you are getting.”
https://apnews.com/article/ai-misinformation-trump-putin-new-york-42ac9c41c5504d05412b492e48bcaded
The highly detailed, sensational images have inundated Twitter and other platforms in recent days, amid news that Trump faces possible criminal charges and the International Criminal Court has issued an arrest warrant for Putin.
But neither visual is remotely real. The images — and scores of variations littering social media — were produced using increasingly sophisticated and widely accessible image generators powered by artificial intelligence.
Misinformation experts warn the images are harbingers of a new reality: waves of fake photos and videos flooding social media after major news events and further muddying fact and fiction at crucial times for society.
“It does add noise during crisis events. It also increases the cynicism level,” said Jevin West, a professor at the University of Washington in Seattle who focuses on the spread of misinformation. “You start to lose trust in the system and the information that you are getting.”
https://apnews.com/article/ai-misinformation-trump-putin-new-york-42ac9c41c5504d05412b492e48bcaded
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[font size="8"]MAGA Conservatives
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Anyone who knows anything about World War II knows the age old Nazi adage “First they came for *insert group here* but I didn’t speak out because I wasn’t a part of that group”. Also if you know anything about history, you know that those who don’t learn from history are doomed to repeat it, and it seems like right now, we might actually be repeating history. And not in a good way at all. In fact one of the worst possible ways you can repeat history. I feel like I’m living in Zelda: The Ocarina Of Time and an evil man has taken hold of the Triforce, and the world is going to shit. In the last few weeks, we’ve talked about conservative book banning measures, anti-LGBT hysteria, and much more. In fact the anti-LGBT hysteria is what we’re here to talk about. It seems like it is getting worse every day. And there’s no end in sight. Well, here’s some of the worst of what is being proposed right now. Hold your boos.
Today in the Kentucky House of Representatives, a new anti-trans bill emerged. HB150, originally a “parents rights in education” bill, was secretly amended and a hearing was announced with the microphone off during the House lunch hour. Democrats only found out about the meeting when somebody tipped them off. The meeting was held within 6 minutes of announcing it and people physically had to run to hear the new bill, which was not given to the general public or announced online. Thanks to local reporter Olivia Krauth’s reporting, we know we know what is in the bill - she took pictures with her phone and posted them onto twitter. The bill, which combines Don’t Say Gay policies, forced outing, pronoun bans, and a gender affirming care ban for trans youth has one last cruel wrinkle: it tells doctors exactly how they are to medically detransition the trans teens under their care. It passed the House and was immediately rushed to the Senate for final passage, where it passed 30-7 on a nearly party line vote.
The bill itself contains several provisions and combines many anti-trans bills into a single, all-encompassing piece of legislation that targets many aspects of the lives of trans youth. One provision states that schools cannot adopt policies that “keep information confidential from parents,” a policy which will be used to forcibly out transgender students. Another states that school districts can’t require students to use any pronouns for trans students that do not conform to that student’s “biological sex.” The bill contains teaching bans on LGBTQ+ topics similar to Don’t Say Gay bills, would force schools to turn over student’s answers to private questionnaires and surveys, bans students from bathrooms not matching their gender identities, calls trans students in locker rooms “unsafe,” and bans gender affirming care for trans youth. Borrowing from South Dakota, one provision in particular is incredibly troubling: a forced detransition clause that tells doctors how to detransition teens in their care by “systematically reducing their hormones.”
https://erininthemorn.substack.com/p/mics-off-6-minutes-notice-anti-trans?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
The bill itself contains several provisions and combines many anti-trans bills into a single, all-encompassing piece of legislation that targets many aspects of the lives of trans youth. One provision states that schools cannot adopt policies that “keep information confidential from parents,” a policy which will be used to forcibly out transgender students. Another states that school districts can’t require students to use any pronouns for trans students that do not conform to that student’s “biological sex.” The bill contains teaching bans on LGBTQ+ topics similar to Don’t Say Gay bills, would force schools to turn over student’s answers to private questionnaires and surveys, bans students from bathrooms not matching their gender identities, calls trans students in locker rooms “unsafe,” and bans gender affirming care for trans youth. Borrowing from South Dakota, one provision in particular is incredibly troubling: a forced detransition clause that tells doctors how to detransition teens in their care by “systematically reducing their hormones.”
https://erininthemorn.substack.com/p/mics-off-6-minutes-notice-anti-trans?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
Holy shitballs. That is a stunning level of evil. There’s no line these thugs won’t stoop to, and no subject is too taboo or off limits for them. This is a group that if they got power back in the White House, they would use it to do commit some unspeakable crimes. The party that bans books is about to do some really evil shit. Oh and it gets worse. Check out what’s happening in Missouri. Just when you think the GOP can’t possibly get any more evil, new levels are achieved on an almost daily basis. There really is no bottom with these scumbags.
Missouri has been the site of some of the most vicious battles over transgender rights in recent years. In 2022, a trans healthcare ban and trans sports ban came just short of passing after time ran out over a fight about redistricting. In those debates, transgender people were openly compared to “an infection” by sitting legislators. This year, the pace of anti-trans bills has increased, with sometimes as many as 8 anti-trans bills being heard in a single day. Now, one of the gender affirming care bans for trans youth that passed out of committee was amended with a new provision: the forced medical detransition of incarcerated transgender people.
The new amendment contained carveouts to HB419, which bans gender affirming care for transgender youth. Legislators removed language that involved continuing hormones if withdrawing them meant a threat to the life of the child - explicitly voting through an amendment that removed protections for the life of the kid. Republicans also added a new line that has never been before seen in anti-trans legislation: that any correctional facility would no longer provide gender affirming care to those incarcerated.
The withdrawal of gender affirming care for incarcerated people is especially alarming, considering that Missouri is also considering several bills that target drag artists and transgender performers. In the hearing over those bills, Representative Mazzie Boyd (R), one of the anti-drag bill sponsors, stated that she knew it targeted transgender people and any gender nonconforming person performing regardless of explicit sexualization and seemed to agree with that end goal. When asked later if she considered drag in and of itself sexually explicit, she stated yes. It is conceivable that, should both bills pass, Missouri could legalize arresting transgender people for doing anything considered “performance” and forcing their medical detransition.
https://erininthemorn.substack.com/p/missouri-considers-forcing-detransition
The new amendment contained carveouts to HB419, which bans gender affirming care for transgender youth. Legislators removed language that involved continuing hormones if withdrawing them meant a threat to the life of the child - explicitly voting through an amendment that removed protections for the life of the kid. Republicans also added a new line that has never been before seen in anti-trans legislation: that any correctional facility would no longer provide gender affirming care to those incarcerated.
The withdrawal of gender affirming care for incarcerated people is especially alarming, considering that Missouri is also considering several bills that target drag artists and transgender performers. In the hearing over those bills, Representative Mazzie Boyd (R), one of the anti-drag bill sponsors, stated that she knew it targeted transgender people and any gender nonconforming person performing regardless of explicit sexualization and seemed to agree with that end goal. When asked later if she considered drag in and of itself sexually explicit, she stated yes. It is conceivable that, should both bills pass, Missouri could legalize arresting transgender people for doing anything considered “performance” and forcing their medical detransition.
https://erininthemorn.substack.com/p/missouri-considers-forcing-detransition
This is some straight up Nazi level bullshit. We had one Nazi party already and they nearly burned down half of Europe while killing nearly 16 million people. What’s this one going to do? How much worse is it going to get? Every day I wake up and wonder what fresh new hell conservatives are dragging us into today. It just gets worse whenever you open your browser and see the news. And Florida is even worse than that. This just gets more draconian and worse every single time some new news comes out. Who knows where this is going to end?
A Florida House of Representatives committee on Wednesday advanced an anti-trans bill that is so broad and so extreme that it could also prevent people from getting treated for breast cancer.
The bill passed the Healthcare Regulation Committee by a vote of 12-5 and now heads to the House for a vote. The measure is one of the cruelest in the country to target transgender and LGBTQ rights and care. It bans gender-affirming care for minors and would force them to medically detransition, or stop receiving treatments such as hormone therapy. But the bill’s vague wording has larger repercussions as well.
The text defines gender clinical interventions as “procedures or therapies that alter internal or external physical traits,” including surgeries that change “primary or secondary sexual characteristics.” During the debate, Democratic Representative Christine Hunschofsky pointed out that this could prevent people from getting treatment for breast cancer, as the overly broad language could apply to mastectomies.
Bill sponsor Randy Fine—who prior to being a Republican representative was a gambling industry executive, not a doctor—was surprised to learn that young people can get breast cancer.
https://newrepublic.com/post/171330/florida-gop-anti-trans-bill-extreme-ban-treatment-breast-cancer?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=EB_TNR&utm_source=Twitter
The bill passed the Healthcare Regulation Committee by a vote of 12-5 and now heads to the House for a vote. The measure is one of the cruelest in the country to target transgender and LGBTQ rights and care. It bans gender-affirming care for minors and would force them to medically detransition, or stop receiving treatments such as hormone therapy. But the bill’s vague wording has larger repercussions as well.
The text defines gender clinical interventions as “procedures or therapies that alter internal or external physical traits,” including surgeries that change “primary or secondary sexual characteristics.” During the debate, Democratic Representative Christine Hunschofsky pointed out that this could prevent people from getting treatment for breast cancer, as the overly broad language could apply to mastectomies.
Bill sponsor Randy Fine—who prior to being a Republican representative was a gambling industry executive, not a doctor—was surprised to learn that young people can get breast cancer.
https://newrepublic.com/post/171330/florida-gop-anti-trans-bill-extreme-ban-treatment-breast-cancer?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=EB_TNR&utm_source=Twitter
There is some good news though. I don’t want you, my Canadian friends, to think that this show is all about negativity, no sir or ma’am! Well there is some news that may shock you, but it probably won’t shock you at all. It turns out that one of the original authors of the original piece of legislation at the center of this whole Nazi anti-trans movement is himself in hot water. Gee, I wonder what the real danger to humanity is? Is it trans people and drag queens or is it Nazi conservatives? Well, the answer, my friends, may shock you!
Former Florida state Rep. Joseph Harding, who sponsored the so-called "Don't Say Gay" law banning the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in the state's primary school classrooms, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to fraudulently obtaining tens of thousands of dollars from a federal COVID relief program.
Harding at his hearing in the U.S. District Court for Northern Florida submitted a guilty plea for a single count each of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements stemming from a six-count indictment in December, NBC News reported.
Harding, who resigned from his state House seat after his indictment, admitted to the crimes, reversing his earlier "not guilty" plea. A new court filing obtained by NBC found that the former lawmaker acknowledged that he made false statements when submitting an application for an economic injury disaster loan in December 2020. The company he listed had no business activity and was dormant at the time.
Harding fraudulently obtained $150,000 in COVID relief funds from the Small Business Administration, and then made three transfers, each more than $10,000, to his joint bank account in order to pay off his credit card and into a bank account for a business entity, the court documents showed.
https://www.salon.com/2023/03/22/florida-author-of-dont-say-gay-law-pleads-guilty-to-fraud--faces-up-to-35-years/
Harding at his hearing in the U.S. District Court for Northern Florida submitted a guilty plea for a single count each of wire fraud, money laundering and making false statements stemming from a six-count indictment in December, NBC News reported.
Harding, who resigned from his state House seat after his indictment, admitted to the crimes, reversing his earlier "not guilty" plea. A new court filing obtained by NBC found that the former lawmaker acknowledged that he made false statements when submitting an application for an economic injury disaster loan in December 2020. The company he listed had no business activity and was dormant at the time.
Harding fraudulently obtained $150,000 in COVID relief funds from the Small Business Administration, and then made three transfers, each more than $10,000, to his joint bank account in order to pay off his credit card and into a bank account for a business entity, the court documents showed.
https://www.salon.com/2023/03/22/florida-author-of-dont-say-gay-law-pleads-guilty-to-fraud--faces-up-to-35-years/
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[font size="8"]Saturday’s MAGA Rally Highlights
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It really has been nice not giving Loser 45 a megaphone, hasn’t it? But sadly he seems to be ramping up his calls for violence. Like have you seen his posts on his social media hidey hole Truth Social? He’s stark raving off the rails batshit crazy. So last year we had a policy not to cover his idiotic rallies because they were basically saying the same thing every week and there wasn’t any news to report, other than how much of his supporters have turned into a death cult. The reason why we wanted to report on this rally this week is because of the fact that it’s hitting differently from previous rallies. Mainly because of the location and the date. Last Saturday was the 30th anniversary of the Branch Davidian Waco disaster in which a guy who declared himself a prophet went out in a blaze of glory after the FBI raided his compound. Wait, that sounds strangely familiar. But of course he’ll retreat to Hannity anytime someone says something mean or critical about him. Well, this whole thing was insane and here’s more.
Thousands of people came out Saturday to hear a lengthy campaign speech from former President Donald Trump, who chose Waco as the first stop in his 2024 Make America Great campaign.
The crowd of ardent supporters came out in mass, and after hours of waiting – that Boeing 757 known in the former president's camp as "Trump Force One" appeared overhead before touching down just before 6 p.m.
"A big hello to Texas," the 45th president said to the crowd gathered on a tarmac at Waco Regional Airport. "We have tremendous victories in Texas.”
Former President Trump discussing what you'd expect: the border, President Biden, China, energy, Russia and Ukraine, federal investigations, and more.
https://www.kxxv.com/news/turnout-for-trump-rally-at-waco-airport-exceeds-expectations-by-thousands
The crowd of ardent supporters came out in mass, and after hours of waiting – that Boeing 757 known in the former president's camp as "Trump Force One" appeared overhead before touching down just before 6 p.m.
"A big hello to Texas," the 45th president said to the crowd gathered on a tarmac at Waco Regional Airport. "We have tremendous victories in Texas.”
Former President Trump discussing what you'd expect: the border, President Biden, China, energy, Russia and Ukraine, federal investigations, and more.
https://www.kxxv.com/news/turnout-for-trump-rally-at-waco-airport-exceeds-expectations-by-thousands
I really hate to play devil’s advocate here, but I think that letting Trump pretend that he’s the president is much better than letting him actually *BE* the president. Because let’s think about this here – I’d much rather have him flying around in a fake Air Force One serving Big Macs than him serving Big Macs in the White House. He can go on Hannity and barf his brain all he wants. And his supporters can do… I don’t know, whatever the fuck this is.
Link to tweet
Or this.
Link to tweet
Or this.
Link to tweet
Or destroying works of whatever passes for art in the MAGA world:
Link to tweet
Or this.
Link to tweet
Wow, grilled cheese *AND* a free foot massage for $10? Mmmm…. Sounds like a health inspector’s worst nightmare! And we can’t overlook the fact that his decision to hold the rally in Waco on the anniversary of the massacre was a definite *wink wink nudge nudge* to his supporters.
Some on social media are likening former president Donald Trump's weekend rally in Waco to a cult after a choir made-up of people arrested over the Jan. 6 insurrection sang a retooled version of the national anthem.
The song consisted of lines from the "Star Spangled Banner" sung in a melancholy tone with Trump chiming in at certain intervals to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
During the rendition sung by the Jan. 6 choir, images of the Capitol riot played in the background, according to Austin-based KXAN news broadcaster Ryan Chandler.
Trump's performance of his own cut-and-paste version of the national anthem led some on Twitter to compare the former president and his followers to a cult.
"Traitor Trump and his cult followers," Twitter user @LaraLiberal wrote. "He tried to overthrow a legitimate American election to install himself as dictator. These followers are all traitors to the USA."
https://www.sacurrent.com/news/maga-cult-sings-alternative-version-of-national-anthem-during-trump-rally-in-waco-31358788
The song consisted of lines from the "Star Spangled Banner" sung in a melancholy tone with Trump chiming in at certain intervals to recite the Pledge of Allegiance.
During the rendition sung by the Jan. 6 choir, images of the Capitol riot played in the background, according to Austin-based KXAN news broadcaster Ryan Chandler.
Trump's performance of his own cut-and-paste version of the national anthem led some on Twitter to compare the former president and his followers to a cult.
"Traitor Trump and his cult followers," Twitter user @LaraLiberal wrote. "He tried to overthrow a legitimate American election to install himself as dictator. These followers are all traitors to the USA."
https://www.sacurrent.com/news/maga-cult-sings-alternative-version-of-national-anthem-during-trump-rally-in-waco-31358788
Seriously, what the actual fuck??? He’s literally using his rallies to not only normalize what happened on January 6th, but to incite future violence. That is a stunning level of evil. And there’s no doubt that Fox News will instruct the MAGA base to get in line if he somehow winds up being the nominee. And if he’s not the nominee, we can handily expect that he’s going to burn this motherfucker down. He’s getting crazier and crazier and no doubt that if he’s arrested for anything, his supporters are going to go full Branch Davidian on whoever winds up making him take the perp walk.
In his first public appearance since speculating a week ago that he would soon be arrested, Donald Trump lashed out against the multiple criminal inquiries that have bedevilled him since he left office in January 2021.
At an airfield rally in Waco, Texas, in front of thousands of supporters, the former president called the New York City investigation into hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels an expletive.
"The district attorney of New York under the auspices and direction of the 'department of injustice' in Washington, DC, is investigating me for something that is not a crime, not a misdemeanour, not an affair," he said, before belittling Ms Daniels' personal appearance.
Every piece of his personal, financial and business life, he said, has been "turned upside down and dissected" - but professed that he was "the most innocent man in the history of our country".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65078418
At an airfield rally in Waco, Texas, in front of thousands of supporters, the former president called the New York City investigation into hush-money payments to adult film star Stormy Daniels an expletive.
"The district attorney of New York under the auspices and direction of the 'department of injustice' in Washington, DC, is investigating me for something that is not a crime, not a misdemeanour, not an affair," he said, before belittling Ms Daniels' personal appearance.
Every piece of his personal, financial and business life, he said, has been "turned upside down and dissected" - but professed that he was "the most innocent man in the history of our country".
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65078418
Yes, no matter what happens, Trump is prepared to burn this mother down and he is not going quietly at all. In fact if you’ve been paying attention to the messages he’s been posting on Truth Social, he’s getting progressively angrier and crazier. I’m really surprised that he hasn’t had a stroke or a massive coronary at this point. There is no way someone can be that angry and be that big of a jackass and a violent lunatic and not have it affect him both mentally and physically. Lewis Black was right – good people die young and pricks live forever. But while this rally is the first for 2024, it’s not the last. And the Trumpers really are the “fuck you, I won’t do what you tell me” party.
Former President Donald Trump’s supporters, including the leader of the infamous Branch Davidian sect, say they’re undeterred by his myriad and looming legal issues.
If anything, the troubles make them like Trump more.
That much was clear from the reaction to Saturday’s rally in Waco, during which Trump extolled himself as the last thing standing between his followers and the “demonic” forces he claims have taken over the country. Speaking to throngs of fans waving “witch hunt” signs, he decried the legal investigations he faces as political theater and vowed retribution on supporters’ behalf.
The speech came as Trump continues to warn about potential violence by his supporters if he is arrested.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/25/donald-trump-waco-rally-indictment/
If anything, the troubles make them like Trump more.
That much was clear from the reaction to Saturday’s rally in Waco, during which Trump extolled himself as the last thing standing between his followers and the “demonic” forces he claims have taken over the country. Speaking to throngs of fans waving “witch hunt” signs, he decried the legal investigations he faces as political theater and vowed retribution on supporters’ behalf.
The speech came as Trump continues to warn about potential violence by his supporters if he is arrested.
https://www.texastribune.org/2023/03/25/donald-trump-waco-rally-indictment/
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[font size="8"]Ron DeSantis
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You know last week we talked about how Ron DeSantis’ insane, heavily Rupert Murdoch inspired “anti-woke” agenda is costing Florida big time. His book banning policies and war on free speech are grossly unpopular. But the question remains – will it cost him votes in the 2024 primaries? That is something that remains to be seen. In the last couple of weeks we’ve talked about how insane this whole thing is, and that he wouldn’t exist without Fox News. But now people are fighting back against the Murdoch Nazi agenda. There’s no mistake that Disney owns Northern Florida. And ever since DeSantis’ hostile takeover of the Reedy Creek district that controls and operates the land that Walt Disney World and Epcot Center are on, they’re ready to fight back. There’s a saying in Orlando that you don’t mess with the Mouse. Well, so with DeSantis’ hostile takeover of Reedy Creek in response to Disney’s response to the controversial “Don’t Say Gay” bill, and Disney being one of the largest employers of LGBT people in the entire country, they’re doing this.
In September, The Walt Disney World Resort will host a summit promoting LGBTQ+ rights in the workplace in partnership with Out & Equal, an organization that The Walt Disney Company is currently listed as being a "titanium" level supporter of.
As highlighted by The Miami Herald, "Disney's decision to host the conference this fall comes amid a yearlong dispute between the company and [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis], who signed a law that ended decades of autonomy at the Disney resort."
The very pro-"Say Gay" event is expected to gather over 5,000 people with big name companies such as Apple, McDonald's, Uber, Walmart, Hilton, Amazon, Boeing, Cracker Barrel and John Deere signed on as sponsors, which would seem to be a sure-fire way to bend the mouse ears of DeSantis' newly appointed Disney oversight board committee, but they're playing it cool so far.
In a quote to The Miami Herald, Rep. Randy Fine, a Palm Bay Republican who sponsored the bill to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District in 2022, said, "I'm not willing to interpret it as some grand conspiracy to stick it in the eye of the state of Florida. Disney is part of the fabric of the Florida economy . . . If they weren't holding any conferences at Disney World, that would be news because that would be a big problem."
https://www.salon.com/2023/03/22/disney-world-to-host-out-and-equal-event-in-support-of-lgbtq-rights-in-the-workplace/
As highlighted by The Miami Herald, "Disney's decision to host the conference this fall comes amid a yearlong dispute between the company and [Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis], who signed a law that ended decades of autonomy at the Disney resort."
The very pro-"Say Gay" event is expected to gather over 5,000 people with big name companies such as Apple, McDonald's, Uber, Walmart, Hilton, Amazon, Boeing, Cracker Barrel and John Deere signed on as sponsors, which would seem to be a sure-fire way to bend the mouse ears of DeSantis' newly appointed Disney oversight board committee, but they're playing it cool so far.
In a quote to The Miami Herald, Rep. Randy Fine, a Palm Bay Republican who sponsored the bill to dissolve the Reedy Creek Improvement District in 2022, said, "I'm not willing to interpret it as some grand conspiracy to stick it in the eye of the state of Florida. Disney is part of the fabric of the Florida economy . . . If they weren't holding any conferences at Disney World, that would be news because that would be a big problem."
https://www.salon.com/2023/03/22/disney-world-to-host-out-and-equal-event-in-support-of-lgbtq-rights-in-the-workplace/
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! I love the South Park Mickey Mouse. But the latest round in the war between DeSantis and Disney is definitely advantaging Disney. In fact, I want to switch gears now and for the rest of this entry we’re going to talk about just how unpopular Ron DeSantis and the Fox News “anti-woke” agenda are. But the underlying problem here is that these megalomaniacs wouldn’t exist without Fox News dictating their every move. It’s truly insane how low they’ve sunk this country. One thing we’re learning about what to expect in the 2024 election is that without Trump, they don’t have a candidate to run, or a clue.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis may face tough prospects in the 2024 general election even if he won the Republican presidential nomination due to the unpopularity of some of his signature policies, a new Yahoo/YouGov poll finds.
Americans oppose seven of eight of the policy initiatives DeSantis spearheaded in Florida, including the six-week abortion ban and prohibiting public colleges and universities from funding programs that promote equity and inclusion, according to the poll.
The survey of 1,582 adults, taken March 16-20 online has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7%.
DeSantis' effort to ban transgender female students from competing on women's and girls' sports teams, instead requiring athletes to compete according to the sex they were assigned at birth, was the one policy deemed favorable, the poll finds.
Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they favor the initiative while only 31% oppose it. Seventeen percent said they weren’t sure. Of registered voters, 57% said they supported the policy compared to 30% who said they didn’t.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/23/desantis-odds-public-over-policies-amid-possible-2024-run/11528674002/
Americans oppose seven of eight of the policy initiatives DeSantis spearheaded in Florida, including the six-week abortion ban and prohibiting public colleges and universities from funding programs that promote equity and inclusion, according to the poll.
The survey of 1,582 adults, taken March 16-20 online has a margin of error of plus or minus 2.7%.
DeSantis' effort to ban transgender female students from competing on women's and girls' sports teams, instead requiring athletes to compete according to the sex they were assigned at birth, was the one policy deemed favorable, the poll finds.
Fifty-two percent of those surveyed said they favor the initiative while only 31% oppose it. Seventeen percent said they weren’t sure. Of registered voters, 57% said they supported the policy compared to 30% who said they didn’t.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/23/desantis-odds-public-over-policies-amid-possible-2024-run/11528674002/
Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. But again therein lies the problem is Fox News. These policies exist because Tucker Carlson feeds terrible ideas into the people that watch that shit every night and they act on it, much like that scene from Full Metal Jacket. Only difference is that in real life, these people voluntarily watch Fox. And right wing bullshit is everywhere! But it’s no mistake that Trump is turning the GOP into a monopolistically competitive enterprise. And I really thought these were people who were morally opposed to tyranny. Nobody tell them what happens to tyrants!
When Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis pushed the Florida legislature to join his crusade against “wokeness” in public schools, First Amendment experts warned that like many of the anti-“critical race theory” laws around the country, the bills were written so broadly that they could be reasonably interpreted as de facto prohibition on anything other than specifically state-sanctioned speech.
Even critics of “wokeness” have argued that prohibitions on “divisive concepts” and definitions of “truth” are subjective, vague, and destined to sweep up far more content than was originally intended.
And wouldn’t you know it, now that schools across Florida are removing innocuous books because they bump up against certain “divisive” interpretations of gender, sexuality, and racism that could conceivably run afoul of Florida law—DeSantis is crying, “Hoax!”
The governor and his gaggle of sycophantic right-wing media influencers insist the book bans were only meant to go after the “porn” in books like Gender Queer or the “racism” in books like How to Be an Antiracist—and that most of the hundreds of other books facing state censorship were mistakenly included in the purge, or deliberately removed by educators to make DeSantis look bad.
Team DeSantis wants to have it both ways. They deny book bans are even happening, but the erstwhile small government, free marketplace of ideas-supporting conservatives are also openly contemptuous of the free inquiry and open debate trappings of liberal democracy. Better to ban the “bad” ideas than debate them, defeat them, or teach them in a larger context. (But don’t call it a ban, which they contend in the face of all evidence is a “hoax.”)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ron-desantis-anti-free-speech-crusade-would-cancel-fox-news
Even critics of “wokeness” have argued that prohibitions on “divisive concepts” and definitions of “truth” are subjective, vague, and destined to sweep up far more content than was originally intended.
And wouldn’t you know it, now that schools across Florida are removing innocuous books because they bump up against certain “divisive” interpretations of gender, sexuality, and racism that could conceivably run afoul of Florida law—DeSantis is crying, “Hoax!”
The governor and his gaggle of sycophantic right-wing media influencers insist the book bans were only meant to go after the “porn” in books like Gender Queer or the “racism” in books like How to Be an Antiracist—and that most of the hundreds of other books facing state censorship were mistakenly included in the purge, or deliberately removed by educators to make DeSantis look bad.
Team DeSantis wants to have it both ways. They deny book bans are even happening, but the erstwhile small government, free marketplace of ideas-supporting conservatives are also openly contemptuous of the free inquiry and open debate trappings of liberal democracy. Better to ban the “bad” ideas than debate them, defeat them, or teach them in a larger context. (But don’t call it a ban, which they contend in the face of all evidence is a “hoax.”)
https://www.thedailybeast.com/ron-desantis-anti-free-speech-crusade-would-cancel-fox-news
Boy that escalated quickly! But this whole “anti-wokism” agenda that DeSantis has forced on the people of Florida is the stuff of nightmares. And it could backfire on them quickly. See, you in Canada, you don’t have the equivalent of Fox News or any of the crap we’re going through in this country. Look, I know toxic patriotism is everywhere and it ruins everything that it touches. But DeSantis could literally destroy the one thing that’s keeping his career alive – Fox News. That’s right, the right wing is becoming so “anti-woke” that it could cause them to destroy their own. Maybe this is what they mean when they say “go woke go broke”? I don’t know.
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[font size="8"]Good Guys With Guns
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“No matter what the situation, a guy with a gun is a guy with a gun.” – Michael Weston in Burn Notice
Top 10 Conservative Idiots Presents:
The NRA always says that the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun. But you know, as long as America keeps having mass shootings, we’ll keep covering them. Because whenever a mass shooting happens, conservatives will literally use any excuse to not do the thing that will actually save lives, which is to ban guns. They’ll make any excuse – whether it’s that doors need to be locked, or there’s too many windows, or someone could hide in the air ducts. You don’t know, you don’t know! Or the conspiracy theorists will make excuses, like cars kill more people, or swimming pools kill more people, so why aren’t we regulating cars or pools? A, not everybody can afford a pool, and B, cars are regulated. You need things like licenses and testing in order to drive a car. You don’t need those things to buy a gun in this country. That’s where last week’s shooting in Colorado comes in. Because had there been any kind of regulation, at all, we would have had red flag laws, which would prevent things like this from happening.
A student who was required to be patted down at the start of each school day allegedly shot and wounded two school administrators at East High School in Denver, authorities said.
The suspect, Austin Lyle, 17, fled the school after the Wednesday morning shooting, Denver police said. His body was discovered in nearby Park County on Wednesday night after an hours-long manhunt, officials said.
"We're going to connect with the parents of Austin this evening," Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero told reporters during a press briefing Thursday afternoon. "I can acknowledge that we failed Austin as a district."
Lyle allegedly shot the school administrators as they patted him down in the school's office area, which officials said is away from other students and staff.
The injured faculty members were both hospitalized. Eric Sinclair remains in serious condition and Jerald Mason has since been released from the hospital, according to the hospital and school district. https://abcnews.go.com/US/shooting-reported-denver-high-school-2-adults-hospitalized/story?id=98045110
The suspect, Austin Lyle, 17, fled the school after the Wednesday morning shooting, Denver police said. His body was discovered in nearby Park County on Wednesday night after an hours-long manhunt, officials said.
"We're going to connect with the parents of Austin this evening," Denver Public Schools Superintendent Alex Marrero told reporters during a press briefing Thursday afternoon. "I can acknowledge that we failed Austin as a district."
Lyle allegedly shot the school administrators as they patted him down in the school's office area, which officials said is away from other students and staff.
The injured faculty members were both hospitalized. Eric Sinclair remains in serious condition and Jerald Mason has since been released from the hospital, according to the hospital and school district. https://abcnews.go.com/US/shooting-reported-denver-high-school-2-adults-hospitalized/story?id=98045110
Yes, what the fuck indeed! Now here’s where it gets weird. Because you knew that it was going to, and that is that you know that the NRA is against red flag laws. This kid was already considered a huge risk because of his past violent behavior. You thought that six year old who brought a gun to school and shot his teacher was fucked up? Well this is just about on that level. This kid was 17. And he already had a history of violent and abusive behavior. And red flag laws would have prevented him from buying a gun, but because we don’t have that sort of thing in this country, we have shit like this happening.
The daily searches of an East High School student who shot two administrators inside the school this week were prompted by a report, just last week, that he had been spotted with a gun.
But because authorities couldn’t prove that he brought the gun to school, and because his father declined to allow a search of their home, the student was allowed to continue going to classes as long as he submitted to a daily pat down by administrators to ensure he didn’t have a firearm.
For several days, the searches were inconsequential and drama-free. But on Wednesday, two administrators found a gun and the student, 17-year-old Austin Lyle, opened fire before running. The administrators were wounded by gunfire, but both are expected to recover.
It was the latest confounding incident for family members, law enforcement and school officials on what to do about Lyle, a bright, 17-year-old and passionate advocate for the Second Amendment right to bear arms who felt he had the right to possess firearms — perhaps even on a high school campus. And law enforcement sources say that attitude, at least partly, led him on a tortured 16-month path from a promising future as a potential engineering major to the woods outside of Bailey where he took his own life earlier this week.
https://denverite.com/2023/03/24/east-high-school-shooter-history/
But because authorities couldn’t prove that he brought the gun to school, and because his father declined to allow a search of their home, the student was allowed to continue going to classes as long as he submitted to a daily pat down by administrators to ensure he didn’t have a firearm.
For several days, the searches were inconsequential and drama-free. But on Wednesday, two administrators found a gun and the student, 17-year-old Austin Lyle, opened fire before running. The administrators were wounded by gunfire, but both are expected to recover.
It was the latest confounding incident for family members, law enforcement and school officials on what to do about Lyle, a bright, 17-year-old and passionate advocate for the Second Amendment right to bear arms who felt he had the right to possess firearms — perhaps even on a high school campus. And law enforcement sources say that attitude, at least partly, led him on a tortured 16-month path from a promising future as a potential engineering major to the woods outside of Bailey where he took his own life earlier this week.
https://denverite.com/2023/03/24/east-high-school-shooter-history/
Yeah that’s the fucked up thing! This kid was being patted down on a daily basis and he still got a gun through and was able to do some damage! And as we saw in last year’s horrifying Uvalde shooting, the problem isn’t that we need more police. The problem is the guns! So where are these proverbial “good guys with guns” you might ask? They’re nowhere to be found. As Uvalde taught us, you can have all the police officers you want. But they won’t stop the guy with the gun. You can imagine, the teachers and school staffers in Colorado are naturally scared and pissed off.
Colorado teachers flooded into the state Capitol Friday to press for better protections for students and school staff after a 17-year-old Denver student shot two administrators, fled to the mountains and killed himself.
Roughly 1,500 teachers and their supporters called for improved school security, more mental health support and tighter gun control measures, adding to pressure on lawmakers a day after students and parents converged at the Capitol to make similar demands.
School shootings are becoming increasingly frequent in the U.S., and teachers at the rally voiced the fears they feel during safety lockdowns that are now regular occurrences.
They also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Wednesday’s shooting at East High School, which came as the boy was being patted down for weapons, a daily requirement because of his behavioral issues including a pending firearm charge, according to school officials.
Some East High School teachers at Friday’s rally said they did not know any students at the school were being regularly patted down until the shooting.
https://apnews.com/article/school-shooting-denver-teachers-rally-b75f151f7c3cb8fddc9b431361335367
Roughly 1,500 teachers and their supporters called for improved school security, more mental health support and tighter gun control measures, adding to pressure on lawmakers a day after students and parents converged at the Capitol to make similar demands.
School shootings are becoming increasingly frequent in the U.S., and teachers at the rally voiced the fears they feel during safety lockdowns that are now regular occurrences.
They also raised questions about the circumstances surrounding Wednesday’s shooting at East High School, which came as the boy was being patted down for weapons, a daily requirement because of his behavioral issues including a pending firearm charge, according to school officials.
Some East High School teachers at Friday’s rally said they did not know any students at the school were being regularly patted down until the shooting.
https://apnews.com/article/school-shooting-denver-teachers-rally-b75f151f7c3cb8fddc9b431361335367
Yeah BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! The teachers here make a good point. We need these things. But the right wing won’t allow it because the “shall not be infringed” message is way too powerful. The right wing has gone so far off the deep end that they’re currently circulating the bottom of the Marianus Trench! So guess what? America is so addicted to the firearm that this is what we’re going to have to deal with from now on. That’s right – they want armed guards at all of the schools in Colorad. I mean just… god damn it. This kind of shit should not be happening in the land of the free. I guess this is now the land where everyone is free… to get shot. SMDH. It’s the fucking guns!!!
“Teachers are real big part of this because they’re doing the work of the police department now,” he added. “These are teachers; they aren’t police officers. So, there’s a lot of things that need to change.”
The latest shooting – in which two staff members were wounded – unfolded Wednesday morning at East High as 17-year-old Austin Lyle was undergoing a required pat down search, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said. Lyle had been under a school safety plan that mandated he be searched upon entering the building, he said.
It was at least the 18th US school shooting this year at K-12 schools, colleges and universities, according to a CNN tally.
Lyle fled after the shooting and later fatally shot himself, police said. His body and car were found in the mountains about 50 miles southeast of Denver after a manhunt.
The district’s Board of Education on Thursday suspended at least temporarily its ban on placing armed school resource officers or other armed security in schools.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/24/us/denver-colorado-school-shooting-friday/index.html
The latest shooting – in which two staff members were wounded – unfolded Wednesday morning at East High as 17-year-old Austin Lyle was undergoing a required pat down search, Denver Police Chief Ron Thomas said. Lyle had been under a school safety plan that mandated he be searched upon entering the building, he said.
It was at least the 18th US school shooting this year at K-12 schools, colleges and universities, according to a CNN tally.
Lyle fled after the shooting and later fatally shot himself, police said. His body and car were found in the mountains about 50 miles southeast of Denver after a manhunt.
The district’s Board of Education on Thursday suspended at least temporarily its ban on placing armed school resource officers or other armed security in schools.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/24/us/denver-colorado-school-shooting-friday/index.html
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[font size="8"]Holy Shit: TPUSA Goes To Church
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Gather around my fair brothers and sisters! It’s time to take a seat in the pew and pass the collection plate, for the Holy Church Of The Top 10 has convened and it’s time to remind you that the holiest among us are the most full of:
My fair congregation! Please be seated! Now look, I’m aware of what country I live in. I know that America has been enabling the religious right for decades and they have only got weirder and crazier with each passing generation. We have some of the largest churches in the world. And I’m not sure if that’s something that we should really be proud of, and I say this as a man of GAWD. But when your churches own stadiums, then that’s a huge problem. And I’ve often said that you should be aware of your church’s after hours activities. There’s a group going around college campuses attempting to convert people to the side of the unholy, ungodly Dark One. They’re called TPUSA. And yes, they support the Dark One. I of course speak of a man so foul, so profane and disgusting that his name dare NOT be spoken in my church! If TPUSA comes to your local church, then you should probably aware of what they are doing when there’s nobody in the pews. And as you can probably imagine, most of what they are doing is not what one would call good, even though they think it probably is.
Church musician turned political activist Sean Feucht has teamed up with the religious arm of right-wing youth organizing group Turning Point USA for a two-year, 50-state road trip designed to bring Feucht’s mix of worship and hard-right politics to every state capitol.
After a kickoff event attended by seven members of Congress in the U.S. Capitol rotunda March 9, the “Kingdom to the Capitol” tour headed south with a swing through Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, and Montgomery, Alabama this past weekend. In Alabama, Chief Justice Tom Parker, a longtime ally of the disgraced former Chief Justice Roy Moore, participated in the tour and invited Feucht to pray in the Supreme Court chamber.
Rep. Lauren Boebert was among the members of Congress who joined a small crowd in the U.S. Capitol March 9 to sing along with Feucht as he strummed his guitar. Afterwards, Feucht tweeted, “The Capitol became an Altar…There is ONE KING over America…”
Feucht, a missionary musician associated with controversial Northern California megachurch Bethel, ran for Congress in 2020 in what he said was obedience to a call from God. Despite playing up a Dec. 2019 visit to the Oval Office where he prayed over former President Donald Trump, Feucht did not make it through the primary. But the failed run hooked him on politics, and he formed a political group called Hold the Line in 2020 and ramped up his activism in opposition to public health restrictions on church gatherings that were designed to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Since then, Feucht has held “Let Us Worship” rallies on the National Mall featuring appearances by Sen. Josh Hawley, New Apostolic Reformation leader Ché Ahn, and dominionist Lou Engle, as well as video remarks from Trump. He also started a podcast; when Boebert was a guest, Feucht praised her as a “gangster for Jesus.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/sean-feucht-and-tpusa-faith-launch-50-state-kingdom-to-the-capitol-tour/
After a kickoff event attended by seven members of Congress in the U.S. Capitol rotunda March 9, the “Kingdom to the Capitol” tour headed south with a swing through Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Jackson, Mississippi, and Montgomery, Alabama this past weekend. In Alabama, Chief Justice Tom Parker, a longtime ally of the disgraced former Chief Justice Roy Moore, participated in the tour and invited Feucht to pray in the Supreme Court chamber.
Rep. Lauren Boebert was among the members of Congress who joined a small crowd in the U.S. Capitol March 9 to sing along with Feucht as he strummed his guitar. Afterwards, Feucht tweeted, “The Capitol became an Altar…There is ONE KING over America…”
Feucht, a missionary musician associated with controversial Northern California megachurch Bethel, ran for Congress in 2020 in what he said was obedience to a call from God. Despite playing up a Dec. 2019 visit to the Oval Office where he prayed over former President Donald Trump, Feucht did not make it through the primary. But the failed run hooked him on politics, and he formed a political group called Hold the Line in 2020 and ramped up his activism in opposition to public health restrictions on church gatherings that were designed to slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Since then, Feucht has held “Let Us Worship” rallies on the National Mall featuring appearances by Sen. Josh Hawley, New Apostolic Reformation leader Ché Ahn, and dominionist Lou Engle, as well as video remarks from Trump. He also started a podcast; when Boebert was a guest, Feucht praised her as a “gangster for Jesus.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/sean-feucht-and-tpusa-faith-launch-50-state-kingdom-to-the-capitol-tour/
Yes, do we really need Sean Feucht and his fascist authoritarian nonsense coming back? We’ve talked about him before in previous installments (see: Idiots #9-17 and [link: https://upload.democraticunderground.com/100215887800 | Idiots #11-9] ). And this is one comeback we didn’t ask for, and certainly don’t want. Because he is also a tool of the Dark One and internet conspiracy theorists. But when you peel back the layers, TPUSA has an almost certainly evil agenda afoot, my friends! And that agenda is of course racism and white supremacy, both things that the Dark One exploits!
Turning Point USA has a “groyper” problem.
The right-wing get out the vote youth organization TPUSA, led by Charlie Kirk, has long had to fend off the followers of white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who call themselves groypers, from infiltrating their ranks. But they haven’t always been successful at keeping racists and groypers at arm’s length and have at times have even employed them.
A groyper appears to have slipped through the cracks most recently at the University of Alabama. Brandt Wiggins is a follower of Fuentes’ white nationalist America First movement, and this January, the TPUSA chapter at University of Alabama announced that Wiggins had assumed the role of vice president.
Wiggins has peddled the great replacement theory and urged white people to “HAVE WHITE BABIES!!!” He’s advocated for men to beat their wives if they try to obtain a divorce. And he has joined white nationalists as a guest on their show and used antisemitic language.
Right Wing Watch reached out to Wiggins, TPUSA, TPUSA chapter president Judson Christopher, and the chapter’s academic adviser Tuesday. A spokesman for TPUSA responded Tuesday that “Brandt Wiggins is no longer affiliated with TPUSA.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/turning-point-usa-has-a-groyper-problem/
The right-wing get out the vote youth organization TPUSA, led by Charlie Kirk, has long had to fend off the followers of white nationalist Nick Fuentes, who call themselves groypers, from infiltrating their ranks. But they haven’t always been successful at keeping racists and groypers at arm’s length and have at times have even employed them.
A groyper appears to have slipped through the cracks most recently at the University of Alabama. Brandt Wiggins is a follower of Fuentes’ white nationalist America First movement, and this January, the TPUSA chapter at University of Alabama announced that Wiggins had assumed the role of vice president.
Wiggins has peddled the great replacement theory and urged white people to “HAVE WHITE BABIES!!!” He’s advocated for men to beat their wives if they try to obtain a divorce. And he has joined white nationalists as a guest on their show and used antisemitic language.
Right Wing Watch reached out to Wiggins, TPUSA, TPUSA chapter president Judson Christopher, and the chapter’s academic adviser Tuesday. A spokesman for TPUSA responded Tuesday that “Brandt Wiggins is no longer affiliated with TPUSA.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/turning-point-usa-has-a-groyper-problem/
Yes, that devil is of course the Dark One. And like all DEMONS, he has enablers. TPUSA is one of those enablers in question! And this isn’t the first time that TPUSA has been caught with their white supremacist pants down. They have a long, long, ridiculously long history of flaunting their racism out in the open. And look, we’ve been talking about white nationalism and particularly Christian nationalism lately because that seems to be where the church is heading. But what bothers me is that the right wing is touting their extremism as “common sense”. There’s nothing common sense about any of the things they’re saying and doing!
On Friday, Rapert interviewed Bentley on his “Save The Nation” program, where she celebrated the NACL’s efforts “to get our biblical worldview spread across the nation.”
“Thank goodness we’ve got some common sense left here in Arkansas,” Bentley said. “[It was because of the NACL] that we were able to get that passed as model policy and bring it forth. I just love seeing grassroots come together and school board members coming to the capitol and going to the governor’s desk and just seeing it all work and flow just exactly how we want to. So, for the folks that are supporting NACL and what we’re doing, this is what we want to do across the country.”
“This is an example of the power of the NACL’s ability with model legislation,” Rapert replied. “This was brought by one of our members, and this policy actually could be immediately adopted by school boards in every school district across this country. If the school board wanted to adopt it, this is the model that they can utilize. And in addition to that, just like you did, go and pass it for the state so that this is going to apply to all the school boards in your state.”
Rapert and Bentley agreed that Arkansas has now blazed the trail on this issue, thereby making it easier for legislatures in other states to enact the same law.
“That’s what happens when you can be a leader,” Bentley asserted. “Once you make a trail, it’s a lot easier for people to follow once you get that trail made.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/the-national-association-of-christian-lawmakers-seeks-to-get-its-biblical-worldview-spread-across-the-nation/
“Thank goodness we’ve got some common sense left here in Arkansas,” Bentley said. “[It was because of the NACL] that we were able to get that passed as model policy and bring it forth. I just love seeing grassroots come together and school board members coming to the capitol and going to the governor’s desk and just seeing it all work and flow just exactly how we want to. So, for the folks that are supporting NACL and what we’re doing, this is what we want to do across the country.”
“This is an example of the power of the NACL’s ability with model legislation,” Rapert replied. “This was brought by one of our members, and this policy actually could be immediately adopted by school boards in every school district across this country. If the school board wanted to adopt it, this is the model that they can utilize. And in addition to that, just like you did, go and pass it for the state so that this is going to apply to all the school boards in your state.”
Rapert and Bentley agreed that Arkansas has now blazed the trail on this issue, thereby making it easier for legislatures in other states to enact the same law.
“That’s what happens when you can be a leader,” Bentley asserted. “Once you make a trail, it’s a lot easier for people to follow once you get that trail made.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/the-national-association-of-christian-lawmakers-seeks-to-get-its-biblical-worldview-spread-across-the-nation/
You mean Flanders? Ha! Now my fair congregation, I say that it’s important to keep tabs on what your local church’s after hours activities are. Because if they support the unholy Dark One, and they have white nationalist speakers come to their church, they are embracing fascist authoritarianism and all of the evils that the Dark One stands for! Which for that may or may not include SAYTAN, er, Putin. But my point is that it seems to be all connected. And that connection seems to be their infatuation with the Unholy Dark One himself! But this is why I say it’s important to keep tabs on what your church is up to when the pews are empty. Because they are most certainly up to no good!
In response to reports that former President Donald Trump may soon be indicted on criminal charges stemming from his efforts to conceal his extramarital affair with a pornographic actress, the leaders of the far-right America First movement put their fascist agenda on full display.
Last Friday, Nick Fuentes, the racist, misogynistic, America-hating, Christian fascist founder of the white nationalist America First movement, did a livestream in which he responded to Trump’s statement that he might soon be arrested. Fuentes used the program to fault Trump for not being sufficiently “brutal” during his term in office, declaring that if Trump gets back into office, he must refuse to leave.
“I’ll never forget when Trump was asked during the transition, ‘Are you really going to arrest Hillary Clinton?’ and he was like, ‘No, I don’t think I need to do that,'” Fuentes said. “You should have. You should have dragged Obama by his nappy hair—no, I’m kidding—but you should have dragged Obama by his basketball jersey through the courts. You should have dragged Hillary Clinton and the Podestas. It should have been Pizzagate on trial. It should have been ‘Fast and Furious,’ and [Burisma]. It should have been all those things playing out in court.”
“It should have been Hillary Clinton and Obama in an orange jumpsuit and a paddy wagon. That’s what it should have been,” Fuentes continued. “It should have been brutal and unforgiving and unrelenting and intense and unstoppable. That’s what it should have been. Deportations, depriving people of the vote, building a wall, disregarding the courts, disregarding Congress, arresting the opposition; it should have been that.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/there-can-be-no-mercy-america-first-leaders-put-the-movements-fascism-on-full-display/
Last Friday, Nick Fuentes, the racist, misogynistic, America-hating, Christian fascist founder of the white nationalist America First movement, did a livestream in which he responded to Trump’s statement that he might soon be arrested. Fuentes used the program to fault Trump for not being sufficiently “brutal” during his term in office, declaring that if Trump gets back into office, he must refuse to leave.
“I’ll never forget when Trump was asked during the transition, ‘Are you really going to arrest Hillary Clinton?’ and he was like, ‘No, I don’t think I need to do that,'” Fuentes said. “You should have. You should have dragged Obama by his nappy hair—no, I’m kidding—but you should have dragged Obama by his basketball jersey through the courts. You should have dragged Hillary Clinton and the Podestas. It should have been Pizzagate on trial. It should have been ‘Fast and Furious,’ and [Burisma]. It should have been all those things playing out in court.”
“It should have been Hillary Clinton and Obama in an orange jumpsuit and a paddy wagon. That’s what it should have been,” Fuentes continued. “It should have been brutal and unforgiving and unrelenting and intense and unstoppable. That’s what it should have been. Deportations, depriving people of the vote, building a wall, disregarding the courts, disregarding Congress, arresting the opposition; it should have been that.”
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/there-can-be-no-mercy-america-first-leaders-put-the-movements-fascism-on-full-display/
Yes, folks, if your church invites white nationalists over for dinner, you can be certain that they’re not there to hold hands and sing Kumbaya! They are there to stir shit up and embrace the Dark One and all that he stands for! Mass has ended, may you go in peace! That’s it this week for:
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[font size="8"]Beating A Dead Horse: Should Tik Tok be banned?
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Look when it comes to the internet, I’ve been around. I’ve been there and done that, so I’m at the point where nothing really surprises me anymore. Since the advent of programs like Facebook, Youtube, Instagram, and Twitter, it’s shown me that there’s no shortage of terrible people in this world. But then along comes a little program called Tik Tok, which has proven to me that there’s no shortage of awful and stupid people in this world. Which if you were to draw a ven diagram of the two, they’d easily overlap. Yeah, like that. So Tik Tok has been in the news a lot for various reasons, and none of them are exactly what one would call “particularly good”. Instead there’s been lots of talk of people just wanting to flat out ban Tik Tok. But believe it or not, this is one thing that both sides – democrat and conservative - are talking about. Conservative conspiracy theorists want it banned because it has ties to the “Chinese Communist Party”. Meanwhile, Democrats, those of us who live in reality, want Tik Tok banned because it poses a national security risk. But what’s the risk? What could both sides gain or lose from this ban? And does it really matter? Well it could matter a whole lot in the upcoming election.
Last week's testimony from TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew "increased the likelihood that Congress will take some action" on the hugely popular and controversial social media app after his remarks on Capitol Hill failed to allay bipartisan worries over potential data privacy issues and Chinese government intrusion, Rep. Mike Gallagher said Sunday.
"They've actually united Republicans and Democrats out of the concern of allowing the [Chinese Communist Party] to control the most dominant media platform in America," he told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz of TikTok, which has 150 million monthly active American users.
Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House select committee on U.S. competition with China, touted legislation he and his committee's ranking member, Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, co-sponsored to either ban the app or force its sale to an American firm from Chinese parent company ByteDance.
Chinese officials have called such proposals overreach and unfair -- though China heavily restricts the use of the internet in its country -- and said they would resist a sale. Critics of the scrutiny say it hasn't applied to similar social media platforms.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tiktok-ceos-testimony-increased-possibility-congress-passes-ban/story?id=98127912
"They've actually united Republicans and Democrats out of the concern of allowing the [Chinese Communist Party] to control the most dominant media platform in America," he told ABC "This Week" co-anchor Martha Raddatz of TikTok, which has 150 million monthly active American users.
Gallagher, a Wisconsin Republican who chairs the House select committee on U.S. competition with China, touted legislation he and his committee's ranking member, Illinois Democrat Raja Krishnamoorthi, co-sponsored to either ban the app or force its sale to an American firm from Chinese parent company ByteDance.
Chinese officials have called such proposals overreach and unfair -- though China heavily restricts the use of the internet in its country -- and said they would resist a sale. Critics of the scrutiny say it hasn't applied to similar social media platforms.
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/tiktok-ceos-testimony-increased-possibility-congress-passes-ban/story?id=98127912
Yes, that is a good question! What kind of shit is that indeed! But the question that nobody’s asking besides “should Tik Tok be banned” is “could Tik Tok be banned?”. It’s no doubt a freedom of speech issue and could be challenged in SCOTUS if the ban was upheld. And there’s no mistaking that since COVID, and also thanks to Alex Jones and other right wing sources going off the rails on anti-Chinese and anti-Asian hate speech, that hate crimes against Asian Americans are on the rise. So would banning Tik Tok just add more fuel to the fire? Well, there’s a definite possibility for that. But if we’re going to scrutinize Tik Tok for stealing users’ private data, well they’re not the only ones who engage in that sort of thing.
TikTok is under fire on the heels of its CEO Shou Zi Chew’s testimony before Congress this week. And for good reason. It’s undeniable that TikTok is more than just an innocuous dancing app.
As Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, perfectly summed up in Thursday’s hearing: “We do not trust TikTok will ever embrace American values — values for freedom, human rights and innovation. TikTok has repeatedly chosen the path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation. [It] should be banned.”
Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) in the same hearing asked Chew to clarify the role that Project Texas, the app’s restructuring plan aimed at instilling American confidence in TikTok’s operations and security, has in protecting against China’s influence over the company. Pallone was not convinced, saying, “I still believe that the Beijing communist government will still control and have the ability to influence what you do.”
This is very troubling given that TikTok collects information about users’ voices and faces and tracks their location. It reportedly ignores privacy settings to listen in even when people aren’t using it. It is a sophisticated tool designed to monitor users and collect their physical characteristics much like other social media companies do.
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/3916413-banning-tiktok-and-the-path-forward/
As Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.), chairwoman of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce, perfectly summed up in Thursday’s hearing: “We do not trust TikTok will ever embrace American values — values for freedom, human rights and innovation. TikTok has repeatedly chosen the path for more control, more surveillance and more manipulation. [It] should be banned.”
Ranking Member Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) in the same hearing asked Chew to clarify the role that Project Texas, the app’s restructuring plan aimed at instilling American confidence in TikTok’s operations and security, has in protecting against China’s influence over the company. Pallone was not convinced, saying, “I still believe that the Beijing communist government will still control and have the ability to influence what you do.”
This is very troubling given that TikTok collects information about users’ voices and faces and tracks their location. It reportedly ignores privacy settings to listen in even when people aren’t using it. It is a sophisticated tool designed to monitor users and collect their physical characteristics much like other social media companies do.
https://thehill.com/opinion/national-security/3916413-banning-tiktok-and-the-path-forward/
Now you might be asking yourself, if France can ban Tik Tok for recreational purposes, why can’t the United States? Well, in France they actually make a pretty good argument as to why Tik Tok should be banned and that’s their lack of cyber security. And come on if you’re going to do that, why not add Twitter to the list? That’s pretty much where Elon’s going with it. But this brings up another point that social media can be a powerful tool if used correctly. But as we have seen time and time again, people use and abuse it all the time. Just check Marjorie Greene’s Telegram account and you’ll see what I mean.
A string of governments and institutions have banned TikTok in recent weeks, including the White House, the UK parliament, the Dutch and Belgian administrations, the New Zealand parliament, and the governments of Canada, India, Pakistan, Taiwan and Jordan.
Concerns regarding alleged security risks posed by TikTok have most prominently been raised by US lawmakers and national security officials who say that user data gathered by the app could be accessed by the Chinese government.
Calls to ban TikTok from government devices gained momentum after FBI Director Christopher Wray said in November it poses national security risks.
Late last month, the European Union’s two biggest policy-making institutions – the Commission and the Council – banned TikTok from staff phones for cybersecurity reasons.
Concerns have mounted globally about the potential for the Chinese government to access users’ location and contact data through ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/25/france-bans-tiktok-on-work-phones-of-civil-servants
Concerns regarding alleged security risks posed by TikTok have most prominently been raised by US lawmakers and national security officials who say that user data gathered by the app could be accessed by the Chinese government.
Calls to ban TikTok from government devices gained momentum after FBI Director Christopher Wray said in November it poses national security risks.
Late last month, the European Union’s two biggest policy-making institutions – the Commission and the Council – banned TikTok from staff phones for cybersecurity reasons.
Concerns have mounted globally about the potential for the Chinese government to access users’ location and contact data through ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/3/25/france-bans-tiktok-on-work-phones-of-civil-servants
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Yeah just go about your daily business while you’re aware that Tik Tok may be privately stealing your data. But here’s the thing, MAGAs, if you use the phrase “Chinese Communist Party”, it’s pretty clear that it’s easy to tell that you watch Alex Jones without telling us that you watch Alex Jones. But the one thing that’s perfectly clear in all of this is that if you ban Tik Tok, you’re going to have a lot of pissed off Millenials and Gen Z’ers coming after you. Because like it or not, Tik Tok is just as much a part of the social media culture now as literally any other social media site. You can ban Tik Tok when you pry it from our cold, dead smart phones!
Any potential ban of the app wouldn't just be a regulatory or legal battle. It would have to reckon with how American culture has become significantly altered and intertwined with the foreign-owned app.
Like it or not, TikTok is setting the discourse on beauty standards, cultural appropriation, finances, privacy and parenting, and impacting consumption habits from books to music, boosting small businesses and keeping users privy to avian illness drama.
Pew research found a small but growing number of U.S. adults are also now getting their news on TikTok, even as news consumption on other social media platforms stagnates or declines.
It's that very reach that appears to have the Biden administration worried. It has cited national security concerns over TikTok being owned by the Beijing-based company, ByteDance, which is subject to Chinese laws that would compel it to comply with requests to hand over information to the government about its customers. White House officials have told TikTok that it must divest from ByteDance or face the possibility of a ban.
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1165375400/tiktok-ban-app-us-china-bytedance-biden-security
Like it or not, TikTok is setting the discourse on beauty standards, cultural appropriation, finances, privacy and parenting, and impacting consumption habits from books to music, boosting small businesses and keeping users privy to avian illness drama.
Pew research found a small but growing number of U.S. adults are also now getting their news on TikTok, even as news consumption on other social media platforms stagnates or declines.
It's that very reach that appears to have the Biden administration worried. It has cited national security concerns over TikTok being owned by the Beijing-based company, ByteDance, which is subject to Chinese laws that would compel it to comply with requests to hand over information to the government about its customers. White House officials have told TikTok that it must divest from ByteDance or face the possibility of a ban.
https://www.npr.org/2023/03/22/1165375400/tiktok-ban-app-us-china-bytedance-biden-security
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[font size="8"]Conspiracy Corner
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Welcome back to our segment that attempts to explain the unexplainable, Conspiracy Corner! Of course conspiracies exist when people simply don’t want to read the article past the headlines and just flat out make shit up. We of course are coming to you live from our underground doomsday shelter from deep within the New Mexico badlands. Undisclosed location, of course! Let me just adjust my trusty tin foil hat for maximum government interference. They are trying to read yours and my thoughts after all! Ah there we go! So folks, this week we’ve got a conundrum on our hands. Our old friend and frequent contributor to this program, Marjorie Greene (Q – Batshit) just never knows when to shut up. And if you’re unaware, that guy who we inexplicably used to call president also has been in the news a lot for calling attention to the terrible conditions our prisons are in. First off, here’s me not giving a flying fuck about this. But if we must continue, conservatives are currently having their underwear in a wad over the condition that American prisons are in, but really it’s their own doing. Because shocker – they don’t regulate anything. And when you don’t believe in rules, these things happen.
Members of the House Oversight Committee on Friday toured a Washington, D.C., jail where some Jan. 6 defendants are being held and offered contrasting descriptions of conditions inside the facility.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who spearheaded the visit, painted a picture of constitutional violations and overall mistreatment, while her Democratic counterparts said the defendants were being treated fairly with nothing out of the ordinary.
"Their due process rights are being violated. And they have been mistreated and treated as political prisoners," Greene, R-Ga., told reporters after the tour, flanked by fellow Republicans on the committee, including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Mike Collins of Georgia.
Greene, who previously visited the jail in November 2021, had worked with House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., to organize the trip for members of Congress. Comer's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Friday's tour.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-lawmakers-tour-dc-jail-holding-jan-6-defendants-rcna76628
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who spearheaded the visit, painted a picture of constitutional violations and overall mistreatment, while her Democratic counterparts said the defendants were being treated fairly with nothing out of the ordinary.
"Their due process rights are being violated. And they have been mistreated and treated as political prisoners," Greene, R-Ga., told reporters after the tour, flanked by fellow Republicans on the committee, including Reps. Byron Donalds of Florida, Anna Paulina Luna of Florida and Mike Collins of Georgia.
Greene, who previously visited the jail in November 2021, had worked with House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer, R-Ky., to organize the trip for members of Congress. Comer's office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Friday's tour.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/house-lawmakers-tour-dc-jail-holding-jan-6-defendants-rcna76628
Yeah no, unfortunately as much as we’d love to see Boebert, Greene, and Gaetz take the perp walk in orange jumpsuits that they so richly deserve, it’s going to be a while before we see that. And of course you know that guy has to ruin everything. Even something as scared as our National Anthem. That’s right – he even managed to ruin our National Anthem. How you might ask? Well, it’s about as shitty as you might expect from him. Just a poorly recorded version of the National Anthem with a talking sound bite over it. Think of it like signing your name with a sharpie over a professionally painted oil on canvas painting. Oh wait, he did that too? Is there anything this guy won’t ruin?
A new single released by a choir of men who are in prison for their participation in the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021, features a recording by former President Donald Trump as the backtrack.
The song, "Justice for All," features the incarcerated men, referred to as the "J6 Prison Choir," singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" from a jail in Washington, DC, mixed with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Trump recorded his part recently at his Mar-a-Lago home at the request of a group that supports the families of those incarcerated for their actions on January 6, according to two sources familiar with the song's production.
Forbes was first to report some of the details about the song, which was released on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube on Friday -- one day before Trump is slated to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in the DC area.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/04/politics/january-6-prisoners-choir-trump/index.html
The song, "Justice for All," features the incarcerated men, referred to as the "J6 Prison Choir," singing "The Star-Spangled Banner" from a jail in Washington, DC, mixed with Trump reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.
Trump recorded his part recently at his Mar-a-Lago home at the request of a group that supports the families of those incarcerated for their actions on January 6, according to two sources familiar with the song's production.
Forbes was first to report some of the details about the song, which was released on Apple Music, Spotify and YouTube on Friday -- one day before Trump is slated to speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference in the DC area.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/04/politics/january-6-prisoners-choir-trump/index.html
Yeah thanks everyone, but who you really should be blaming through all of this is conservative republicans, who have enabled violent police and security guards,, for profit prisons, and given those people way too much power. It really is a classic cause and effect type of thing, but for people like Marjorie Greene and Lauren Boebert, who don’t believe in quality education, or education in general, they wouldn’t know that. But it appears that there’s a cult within the cult brewing in regards to the January 6th prisoners. Like it’s OK when it happens to other people, but not to them.
The January 6 vigil gathers every evening at the end of E Street, next to the cemetery. They have pie. There are homemade skewers of meat and olives and a bowl of strawberries on hand. A man wearing a tricorn hat beats the hell out of a slung snare drum–cowbell combo while his companion’s guitar screeches, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” by Twisted Sister. A woman a little ways away from the band dances ecstatically with an American flag, eyes closed and face upturned—perhaps to God; definitely to the brutalist bulk of the D.C. Central Detention Facility that looms just down the road. Inside, approximately 40 January 6 prisoners await trial. Many have waited for over two years.
Eventually, the music dies down and this crowd of perhaps 35 grows quiet. “Today is day number 783 of the Jan. 6 political hostage crisis,” a man intones. “Every single night we say their names. Bear with me: This list is pretty long.” It takes him over three minutes to get through everyone. The crowd somberly intones “hero” in the space between each name. They are mostly middle-aged, mostly white or Asian, and many wear identical white T-shirts with a portrait of a smiling woman in a beanie on the back.
“So let’s say her name,” the man says once he’s finished with the list. The crowd roars to life and chants in unison the name above the woman on their T-shirts, over and over: “Ashli Babbitt! Ashli Babbitt!”
https://newrepublic.com/article/170991/cpac-january-6-riot-prisoners
Eventually, the music dies down and this crowd of perhaps 35 grows quiet. “Today is day number 783 of the Jan. 6 political hostage crisis,” a man intones. “Every single night we say their names. Bear with me: This list is pretty long.” It takes him over three minutes to get through everyone. The crowd somberly intones “hero” in the space between each name. They are mostly middle-aged, mostly white or Asian, and many wear identical white T-shirts with a portrait of a smiling woman in a beanie on the back.
“So let’s say her name,” the man says once he’s finished with the list. The crowd roars to life and chants in unison the name above the woman on their T-shirts, over and over: “Ashli Babbitt! Ashli Babbitt!”
https://newrepublic.com/article/170991/cpac-january-6-riot-prisoners
Yeah probably. I mean it’s like a broken freaking record with these people. But that’s what happens when you live in a bubble and an echo chamber, is that you only hear what you want to hear and everything else goes through one ear and out the other. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! It really is like Lloyd Bridges in Hot Shots isn’t it? With the MAGA cult, no matter how many times you point out that Ashlii Babbitt was illegally breaking and entering with attempt to murder, or Kyle Rittenhouse deliberately murdered protestors, they will never turn on their own. But really before they go to jail, they should realize that these wounds are entirely self-inflicted, and the real danger is them. But make no mistake that this was a publicity stunt designed to win points with the echo chamber and that’s it.
A congressional tour of the Jan. 6th defendants' wing of the Washington, D.C. jail ended with contradictory accounts of how the accused Capitol rioters are being treated behind bars.
In a post-tour news conference disrupted by protesters, hecklers and some physical confrontations among those in the audience, GOP House members claimed that Jan. 6 defendants are being deprived of due process, some medical care and services afforded to other jail inmates.
But Democratic House members who joined the tour argued the Jan. 6 defendants are receiving uniquely favorable conditions — with access to entertainment equipment, freedom of movement and 24-hour medical care access.
The two-hour Friday afternoon tour for the bipartisan group of House members included a lengthy visit with some of the Jan. 6 defendants who are being held in pretrial detention in the D.C. jail. The House Republicans who joined the tour, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, said the defendants have been held for unacceptably long durations awaiting trial.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-defendants-d-c-jail/
In a post-tour news conference disrupted by protesters, hecklers and some physical confrontations among those in the audience, GOP House members claimed that Jan. 6 defendants are being deprived of due process, some medical care and services afforded to other jail inmates.
But Democratic House members who joined the tour argued the Jan. 6 defendants are receiving uniquely favorable conditions — with access to entertainment equipment, freedom of movement and 24-hour medical care access.
The two-hour Friday afternoon tour for the bipartisan group of House members included a lengthy visit with some of the Jan. 6 defendants who are being held in pretrial detention in the D.C. jail. The House Republicans who joined the tour, including Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republican of Georgia, said the defendants have been held for unacceptably long durations awaiting trial.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jan-6-defendants-d-c-jail/
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[font size="8"]I Need A Drink
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Hey everyone, I don’t know about you, but I could really use a drink!
So of course you know by now that the idea behind this segment is that we have some drinks, and while we are drinking, we talk about literally anything in the news as long as it doesn’t relate to politics. Which we make that rule, because there’s a lot of really dark shit in the news right now, and it’s best not to mix politics and alcohol, they go together like olive oil and vinegar. Well this week, since we’re in Canada, we thought we’d drink Canadian, because we need to talk about the Saskatchewan city of Regina. And their attempts to rebrand the city’s image and tourism prospects. So tell me, bartender, what goes well with a story about Regina? Some Labatt Blue? Do you have anything stronger? Oh OK, some Crown Royal, I’ll have some of that! Maybe a pint or two of Labatt Blue for a chaser. Can’t be too picky these days! So here's the story is that the city of Regina attempted to do some branding of its’ tourism bureau and it didn’t exactly go over well.
The tourism organisation for Regina, Canada, has apologised after critics claimed its new advertising campaign "sexualised" the city.
A series of new slogans leaned into the city's double-entendre name - with taglines such as "show us your Regina" and "the city that rhymes with fun".
Some residents said it was immature and belittling to women.
Experience Regina apologised on Sunday, saying the rebrand crossed a line and created "negative impact".
"I want to start by apologising, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch," said Tim Reid, of Experience Regina, in a statement.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65027558
A series of new slogans leaned into the city's double-entendre name - with taglines such as "show us your Regina" and "the city that rhymes with fun".
Some residents said it was immature and belittling to women.
Experience Regina apologised on Sunday, saying the rebrand crossed a line and created "negative impact".
"I want to start by apologising, on behalf of myself and our team, for the negative impact we created with elements of our recent brand launch," said Tim Reid, of Experience Regina, in a statement.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65027558
Now there’s a dude who can drink some beer! But yeah you know, if you’re going to rebrand in that way, maybe you should, I don’t know, at least have a test audience before you go live with that product because otherwise it will come back to haunt you! Come on, even Deadpool made a joke about how Regina rhymes with Vagina. So what does the mayor think of this new rebranding attempt? Well, it didn’t exactly go over, what one would call, well. Because yeah, this is the kind of thing that could be grossly misinterpreted in the wrong context.
Regina’s mayor says no decision has been made on whether the city will keep the name of its tourism agency after a controversial rebranding rollout.
Experience Regina apologized on the weekend and removed phrases online that seemed to make light of the Saskatchewan capital's name rhyming with vagina.
"Not all can get past it," Sandra Masters said Wednesday.
"But, by and large, people make mistakes. We are human beings. It’s human beings running all these things.”
Masters said council will need to be briefed on what went wrong. She said the intention of the campaign was to promote the city and its people, but that wasn't what happened.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/regina-mayor-says-tourism-campaign-165211082.html
Experience Regina apologized on the weekend and removed phrases online that seemed to make light of the Saskatchewan capital's name rhyming with vagina.
"Not all can get past it," Sandra Masters said Wednesday.
"But, by and large, people make mistakes. We are human beings. It’s human beings running all these things.”
Masters said council will need to be briefed on what went wrong. She said the intention of the campaign was to promote the city and its people, but that wasn't what happened.
https://ca.news.yahoo.com/regina-mayor-says-tourism-campaign-165211082.html
And yet somehow I don’t think that’s enough beer! But in all seriousness, how did you not see this one coming? I mean even Deadpool made a joke about Regina rhyming with vagina. And I love that they’re attempting to backtrack and call this a “misstep”. That’s absolutely hilarious. There’s no other way to take “show us your Regina” than what it means. It’s like those “don’t mess with Texas” bumper stickers you see next to a “Let’s Go Brandon” sign on your neighbor’s comically oversized F-350. Like they don’t know it’s a trash slogan. But eh, don’t tell them that.
Regina Mayor Sandra Masters has responded to criticism of slogans used as part of a tourism rebrand for the city, saying they were a mistake.
Last week Tourism Regina rebranded to Experience Regina. The launch included two slogans— "Show us your Regina" and "The city that rhymes with fun" — that drew a lot of criticism online for sexualizing the city.
"They [slogans] were sexist and wrong. They hurt and impacted people," Masters told reporters Wednesday evening. "It's just bad for the city."
Experience Regina's CEO Tim Reid issued an apology for the slogans on Sunday and the organization scrubbed them from its website.
Masters told reporters Wednesday that the backlash came as a surprise to her, as city council previewed parts of the campaign launch but the controversial slogans weren't included.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/it-was-a-misstep-or-the-experience-regina-brand-launch-to-use-sexist-slogans-regina-mayor-1.6788387
Last week Tourism Regina rebranded to Experience Regina. The launch included two slogans— "Show us your Regina" and "The city that rhymes with fun" — that drew a lot of criticism online for sexualizing the city.
"They [slogans] were sexist and wrong. They hurt and impacted people," Masters told reporters Wednesday evening. "It's just bad for the city."
Experience Regina's CEO Tim Reid issued an apology for the slogans on Sunday and the organization scrubbed them from its website.
Masters told reporters Wednesday that the backlash came as a surprise to her, as city council previewed parts of the campaign launch but the controversial slogans weren't included.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/it-was-a-misstep-or-the-experience-regina-brand-launch-to-use-sexist-slogans-regina-mayor-1.6788387
Ah now there’s the good stuff! But what I love about this story is that even a week later it’s still being talked about. And come on, this is the internet and social media era, there’s no such thing as a take back these days. You can’t say something stupid and then expect to scrub it from memory. It’s not like we’re living in Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind. Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! Nice one! And of course with something as stupid as this, we may never hear the end of it. And they’ll probably keep apologizing again and again and again. And then again, like Jerry Seinfeld said – who are the ad wizards that thought of this one?
No one seems sure how slogans deemed “sexist,” “awful” and “bad for Regina” made it to print as part of a rebrand of Regina’s tourism marketing organization.
Experience Regina, formerly Tourism Regina, will spend a “long time” apologizing for the scandal it brought to the city with slogans criticized as “sexist” and “gross,” says Tim Reid, president and CEO of Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (REAL) and CEO of Experience Regina.
Stewardship of Tourism Regina, now Experience Regina, was transferred to REAL from Economic Development Regina in June 2022.
Experience Regina launched a rebrand last week, posting across social media: “We are the city that rhymes with fun.” A page on the tourism organization’s website also had a page titled “show us your Regina” written above a block of Instagram posts and images.
Still present on the website is the slogan “while the land may be flat, we’re anything but” above a series of Instagram posts. When searching for the Experience Regina website on a search engine, a small logo — known as a favicon — appears next to the URL with the words “do it in” written in orange on a white background.
https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/mayor-says-experience-regina-slogans-were-sexist-and-wrong
Experience Regina, formerly Tourism Regina, will spend a “long time” apologizing for the scandal it brought to the city with slogans criticized as “sexist” and “gross,” says Tim Reid, president and CEO of Regina Exhibition Association Ltd. (REAL) and CEO of Experience Regina.
Stewardship of Tourism Regina, now Experience Regina, was transferred to REAL from Economic Development Regina in June 2022.
Experience Regina launched a rebrand last week, posting across social media: “We are the city that rhymes with fun.” A page on the tourism organization’s website also had a page titled “show us your Regina” written above a block of Instagram posts and images.
Still present on the website is the slogan “while the land may be flat, we’re anything but” above a series of Instagram posts. When searching for the Experience Regina website on a search engine, a small logo — known as a favicon — appears next to the URL with the words “do it in” written in orange on a white background.
https://leaderpost.com/news/local-news/mayor-says-experience-regina-slogans-were-sexist-and-wrong
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[font size="8"]Stupidest State 2022
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16 states will enter and only one state will become the new Top 10 Conservative Idiots Stupidest State!
Folks, last week was one for the ages as Florida utterly destroyed #2 Kentucky to the point where they were showing off their skills like the Harlem Globetrotters. Meanwhile, over in the Family Values Conference, #3 Utah’s last second 3 pointer was enough to sink #4 Oklahoma! This week it’s going to be a good one, as it’s a Beltway battle between #3 Ohio and #4 Wisconsin for Fiscal Irresponsibility Conference supremacy, while over in the Gun Nut Conference, heavily favored #1 Texas looks to take out red hot challenger #2 Missouri in a chance to play Montana to take the crown! We’re live at the home of the Phoenix Coyotes, the Talking Stick Resort Arena in Phoenix, for all the exciting action! Let’s go to the floor, shall we?
[font size="4"]Gun Nut Conference Round 1: Texas Vs Missouri [/font]
[font size="2"]Texas [/font]
The Lone Star State is a long, heavily favored contestant in the NFFSA contest for some time now. They have a very storied history of owning the Gun Nut Conference. They of course are home to many sports teams like the Houston Astros and Rockets, the Dallas Stars, the Texas Rangers, and the Dallas Mavericks. They’re home to such universities as Texas Tech, University Of Texas, Baylor University, and Texas A&M, among others. But what else is Texas the home of? Well, for starters, Texas is the state with the highest concentration of school related shootings in the country, like no other state even comes remotely close!
One student was killed and a second injured when a student at a high school outside Dallas opened fire Monday morning, police in Arlington, Texas, confirmed Monday afternoon, in the latest school shooting in recent months and the second this year in Texas, a state with some of the loosest gun control laws in the U.S.
The suspected gunman, whose name and age have not been made public, opened fire outside the school and never made his way inside, according to police.
The shooting marks the second in Texas in less than a month and the 88th incident of gunfire on school grounds since 2013 —the most of any state, according to Everytown Research — including one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history in Uvalde last year.
Crucial Quote
“We need our community’s help to ensure that guns do not end up on school campuses,” Jones said in a press conference about the shooting, which he called a “senseless act of violence.” Jones also expressed the need for “gun owners to step up to be responsible and to ensure that they properly are securing their firearms so that kids don’t have access to them.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/03/20/texas-school-shooting-leaves-one-student-dead---state-has-seen-more-school-gunfire-incidents-than-any-other/?sh=32d6ea6c533a
The suspected gunman, whose name and age have not been made public, opened fire outside the school and never made his way inside, according to police.
The shooting marks the second in Texas in less than a month and the 88th incident of gunfire on school grounds since 2013 —the most of any state, according to Everytown Research — including one of the deadliest school shootings in U.S. history in Uvalde last year.
Crucial Quote
“We need our community’s help to ensure that guns do not end up on school campuses,” Jones said in a press conference about the shooting, which he called a “senseless act of violence.” Jones also expressed the need for “gun owners to step up to be responsible and to ensure that they properly are securing their firearms so that kids don’t have access to them.”
https://www.forbes.com/sites/brianbushard/2023/03/20/texas-school-shooting-leaves-one-student-dead---state-has-seen-more-school-gunfire-incidents-than-any-other/?sh=32d6ea6c533a
So the question is – what can be done about it? Well obviously we have a long, uphill battle and Texas isn’t disarming any time soon. In fact, Texas is actively making things worse. You would have thought that with Uvalde last year and Texas’ no frills, anything goes policy towards guns, that shooting was dangerous. Shit, they had 400 cops on the scene and no one dared to do anything because the gun was too scary. The problem isn’t the police! The problem is the guns! It’s always been the guns! What does Texas do to combat gun violence? They reject gun control measures.
In the past six decades, the state has experienced at least 19 mass shootings that have killed a total of nearly 200 people and wounded more than 230 others. Yet state leaders have repeatedly batted away measures that would limit access to guns, opting instead to ease restrictions on publicly carrying them while making it harder for local governments to regulate them.
As the state Legislature convenes for the first time since the Uvalde school shooting last May, lawmakers have once again filed a slate of gun control bills. If history is an indicator, and top legislative leaders predict it will be, they are unlikely to pass.
An analysis by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune of hundreds of bills filed in the Texas Legislature over nearly the past six decades found that at least two dozen measures would have prevented people from legally obtaining the weapons, including assault rifles and large-capacity magazines, used in seven of the state’s mass shootings.
At least five bills would have required that people seeking to obtain a gun undergo a background check. Such a check would have kept the man involved in a 2019 shooting spree in Midland and Odessa from legally purchasing the weapon because he had been deemed to have a mental illness.
https://www.propublica.org/article/mass-shootings-texas-gun-control
As the state Legislature convenes for the first time since the Uvalde school shooting last May, lawmakers have once again filed a slate of gun control bills. If history is an indicator, and top legislative leaders predict it will be, they are unlikely to pass.
An analysis by ProPublica and The Texas Tribune of hundreds of bills filed in the Texas Legislature over nearly the past six decades found that at least two dozen measures would have prevented people from legally obtaining the weapons, including assault rifles and large-capacity magazines, used in seven of the state’s mass shootings.
At least five bills would have required that people seeking to obtain a gun undergo a background check. Such a check would have kept the man involved in a 2019 shooting spree in Midland and Odessa from legally purchasing the weapon because he had been deemed to have a mental illness.
https://www.propublica.org/article/mass-shootings-texas-gun-control
[font size="2"]Missouri [/font]
The Show Me State is another favorite in the Gun Nut Conference. Missouri is of course the state that’s been at the center of the Black Lives Matter movement since its’ inception. But it is the home to the janky Las Vegas, Branson. It’s also home to the St. Louis Cardinals and the St. Louis Blues. It’s home to such universities as Mizzou University. But what else is Missouri the home of? Well Missouri is also the home of a bill that would allow guns in places of worship! That’s right – guns in places of worship! Wait, aren’t the right wing always telling us that god should be allowed in schools that way mass shootings won’t happen? SMH.
Under Missouri law, firearms are not allowed in churches or other places of worship. And for good reason. Allowing guns everywhere is bad public policy. But could churchgoers in Missouri legally pack heat in the near future? We hope not.
On Wednesday, the Missouri House hears testimony on a bill that would lift the state’s restrictions on firearms in places of worship. If approved, House Bill 485 would allow anyone who has a concealed carry permit to take firearms into churches, according to legislation filed by Republican state Rep. Ben Baker of Neosho.
We reached out to Baker’s office for comment but didn’t hear back. The proposed measure is misguided and potentially dangerous. Allowing concealed carry inside churches only puts more people at risk, gun safety advocates say. The Missouri Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic Church in the state, opposes the measure. Other local faith leaders are opposed as well.
Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article273449360.html#storylink=cpy
On Wednesday, the Missouri House hears testimony on a bill that would lift the state’s restrictions on firearms in places of worship. If approved, House Bill 485 would allow anyone who has a concealed carry permit to take firearms into churches, according to legislation filed by Republican state Rep. Ben Baker of Neosho.
We reached out to Baker’s office for comment but didn’t hear back. The proposed measure is misguided and potentially dangerous. Allowing concealed carry inside churches only puts more people at risk, gun safety advocates say. The Missouri Catholic Conference, the public policy arm of the Catholic Church in the state, opposes the measure. Other local faith leaders are opposed as well.
Read more at: https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/editorials/article273449360.html#storylink=cpy
Yeah that’s probably where it is going! But yeah this idea is so unpopular that even priests are against it, and they’re the ones most likely to vote conservative! I mean come on, guys. We live in the “shall not be infringed” age. You knew this was going to happen. You knew the job was dangerous when you took it, so don’t act surprised. Oh and if you live in Missouri and you want to know which of your neighbors have a safe full of guns? Well too bad! Because apparently some republican lawmakers want to make background checks and identification illegal. Because, you know, shall not be infringed. I mean really, the reason why we can’t have nice things!
Freshman State Rep. Craig Haggard’s first bill is heading to the governor’s desk.
Haggard, a Republican from Mooresville, authored House Bill 1323, which would limit what information the federal government can request on lawful Hoosiers with handgun carry permits.
The bill passed out of the Indiana Senate by a 47-0 vote on March 14 and is now heading to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk. It had passed the House in February by a vote of 81-13.
HB 1323 shields Indiana handgun permit holders’ background check information from being provided to the federal government upon request, unless an individual is arrested for a crime or part of an active criminal investigation. Haggard said he authored the bill after learning about a letter the FBI sent to all county sheriffs’ offices in Missouri last year seeking to randomly audit their records on concealed carry handgun permit holders. Missouri already had a law on the books restricting what confidential information can be shared with the federal government. The sheriffs there ultimately declined the FBI’s requests.
https://dailyjournal.net/2023/03/28/haggard-gun-privacy-bill-heads-to-governor/
Haggard, a Republican from Mooresville, authored House Bill 1323, which would limit what information the federal government can request on lawful Hoosiers with handgun carry permits.
The bill passed out of the Indiana Senate by a 47-0 vote on March 14 and is now heading to Gov. Eric Holcomb’s desk. It had passed the House in February by a vote of 81-13.
HB 1323 shields Indiana handgun permit holders’ background check information from being provided to the federal government upon request, unless an individual is arrested for a crime or part of an active criminal investigation. Haggard said he authored the bill after learning about a letter the FBI sent to all county sheriffs’ offices in Missouri last year seeking to randomly audit their records on concealed carry handgun permit holders. Missouri already had a law on the books restricting what confidential information can be shared with the federal government. The sheriffs there ultimately declined the FBI’s requests.
https://dailyjournal.net/2023/03/28/haggard-gun-privacy-bill-heads-to-governor/
[font size="2"]And The Winner Is: [/font]
Well folks this is no contest here! Missouri has the ball with 1 minute left. Up by 10. Missouri for three… it’s good! Now a foul has been called! 35 seconds left… for one! It’s good! Two… also good! And that’s all she wrote, folks! Missouri is moving onto the next round, Texas goes home! Missouri has unseated the number 1 state in the Gun Nut Conference! Texas looks stunned! Missouri is celebrating on the court!
[font size="4"]Fiscal Irresponsibility Conference Round 1: Ohio Vs Wisconsin [/font]
[font size="4"]Ohio [/font]
The Buckeye State is back for another go round! Ohio is of course home to such legendary sports franchises as the Cleveland Guardians and Browns, Cincinnati Reds, and the Columbus Blue Jackets. They are home to such cities as Dayton, Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati. But let’s face it, the real sports star of Ohio is THE Ohio State University, a university that is so associated with its’ sports teams that it actually attempted to trademark the word “THE” as a joke. We shit you not. But despite the fact that Ohio is home to some of America’s elite universities, thanks to reckless conservative “anti-woke” policies, they may soon be experiencing what’s called a “brain drain”, where smart people are fleeing the state in droves.
Our state's senate has been active lately — taking after other states, introducing bills that would make Ohio a harder place to live and thrive for marginalized people.
In the latest attack on education, Sen. Jerry C. Cirino introduced Senate Bill 83, a comprehensive attack on higher education.
From prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings for university employees and students, to prohibiting collective bargaining, Senate Bill 83 is an attempt to radically skew oversight of higher education, truncate the self-leadership of Ohio’s universities and colleges, and shortchange the university experience.
-snip-
Universities are where people go to explore ideas, ideologies, and have a free flow of thought and dialogue. Students enter university for the purpose of education and to gain a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. Higher education is often an economic driver, a catalyst for innovation, and propels the values of free speech, free thought, and active dialogue.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ohios-chilling-pro-ignorance-bill-090253522.html
In the latest attack on education, Sen. Jerry C. Cirino introduced Senate Bill 83, a comprehensive attack on higher education.
From prohibiting diversity, equity, and inclusion trainings for university employees and students, to prohibiting collective bargaining, Senate Bill 83 is an attempt to radically skew oversight of higher education, truncate the self-leadership of Ohio’s universities and colleges, and shortchange the university experience.
-snip-
Universities are where people go to explore ideas, ideologies, and have a free flow of thought and dialogue. Students enter university for the purpose of education and to gain a better understanding of themselves and the world around them. Higher education is often an economic driver, a catalyst for innovation, and propels the values of free speech, free thought, and active dialogue.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/ohios-chilling-pro-ignorance-bill-090253522.html
Yeah that’s unfortunately what it’s going to be like as long as MAGA lunatic conspiracy theorists keep this shit up. But southern Ohio has been in the news a lot lately. Mainly because of a rail transportation company called Norfolk Southern. You may have heard of them. They’ve been in the news a lot lately, and none of it is good. Particularly surrounding the devastating environmental disaster as a result of the train derailment in East Palestine. Yeah we’re really surprised these things don’t happen more often.
Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw assured a U.S. Senate panel Thursday that he'll stick by East Palestine as the company faces scrutiny over a train derailment there last month.
Shaw testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works over one month after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials went off the tracks in East Palestine. An initial report from the National Transportation Safety Board found the train derailed after the crew was alerted to an overheated wheel bearing.
"Norfolk Southern will clean the site safely, thoroughly and with urgency," Shaw told senators. "You have my personal commitment: Norfolk Southern will get the job done and help East Palestine thrive."
But Shaw faced pointed questions from the panel about the company's response and whether they'll support efforts to increase rail safety in the wake of the incident. Senators also questioned whether Norfolk Southern and the federal government adequately communicated with people about the safety of their air and water.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/08/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-alan-shaw-testifies-before-senate-panel/69977666007/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot
Shaw testified before the U.S. Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works over one month after a Norfolk Southern train carrying hazardous materials went off the tracks in East Palestine. An initial report from the National Transportation Safety Board found the train derailed after the crew was alerted to an overheated wheel bearing.
"Norfolk Southern will clean the site safely, thoroughly and with urgency," Shaw told senators. "You have my personal commitment: Norfolk Southern will get the job done and help East Palestine thrive."
But Shaw faced pointed questions from the panel about the company's response and whether they'll support efforts to increase rail safety in the wake of the incident. Senators also questioned whether Norfolk Southern and the federal government adequately communicated with people about the safety of their air and water.
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/08/ohio-train-derailment-norfolk-southern-alan-shaw-testifies-before-senate-panel/69977666007/?utm_campaign=snd-autopilot
[font size="4"]Wisconsin [/font]
The Badger State is back for another go round in the Fiscal Irresponsibility Conference! The Badger State is of course home to America’s dairy farms, and there’s plenty of farm land out there. It’s also home to such cities as Green Bay, Madison and Milwaukee. And is home to such sports franchises as the Milwaukee Brewers, the only baseball team that’s closely related to drinking! They’re also the home to Milwaukee Bucks. But let’s face it, the real reason you’re in Wisconsin is to see the Green Bay Packers, and unless you’re a Packers supporter, you really want to see Aaron Rodgers fail because he’s a terrible person who regularly spouts racist conspiracy theories. But what else is Wisconsin the home of? Well it’s the home of senator Ron Johnson, a man who received $1 million in campaign contributions from the NRA to overturn gun reform:
A United States senator who has taken more than $1m in donations from the National Rifle Association ran into a locked door as he tried to dodge gun control questions.
Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, has received $1,269,486 from the gun rights group, according to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Mr Johnson was asked about gun control by a CNN reporter the day after 19 students and two teachers were killed in a massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
The elected official stayed silent and tried tunsuccessfully to get into an office on Capitol Hill as he was questioned by CNN.
The NRA itself has called the mass shooting “the act of a lone, deranged criminal”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/texas-shooter-nra-johnson-door-b2087544.html
Senator Ron Johnson, a Republican from Wisconsin, has received $1,269,486 from the gun rights group, according to the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence.
Mr Johnson was asked about gun control by a CNN reporter the day after 19 students and two teachers were killed in a massacre at an elementary school in Uvalde, Texas.
The elected official stayed silent and tried tunsuccessfully to get into an office on Capitol Hill as he was questioned by CNN.
The NRA itself has called the mass shooting “the act of a lone, deranged criminal”.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/texas-shooter-nra-johnson-door-b2087544.html
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!!! There’s a Simpsons GIF for everything! But Ron Johnson really is a piece of shit. Like he’s everything crazy and vile about Marjorie Taylor Greene, but somehow even more evil. Apparently he’s part of the right wing nut job conspiracy theory caucus, that thinks that somehow the people who were being invaded in Ukraine were the actual Nazis. Like seriously, they must sit around and try to come up with the worst possible answer to everything, then the go on idiotic right wing talk shows and convince everyone that they have the right answer.
U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson this week expressed doubts over the impact of continued U.S. assistance to Ukraine in its fight against Russia, calling the war unwinnable for either side and suggesting the warring nations need to negotiate an end to the conflict.
“At some point people are going to have to understand the reality of the situation,” the Wisconsin Republican told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday. “I don’t see a scenario, and I’ve asked — I mean, where is there a path to victory from our standpoint? All I see is a grinding stalemate that day-by-day more people get killed and more of Ukraine gets destroyed.”
Johnson said the war is a “lose-lose-lose for everybody” and added: “Nobody can win at this point. They should start negotiating.”
The comments come as Republicans have become increasingly divided on whether to continue providing financial aid and military equipment to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion. Much of the dissent has spawned from a far-right faction of House Republicans who have derided Washington’s spending on the war and called for a “peace agreement.”
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/29/ron-johnson-casts-doubts-on-u-s-help-for-ukraines-war-with-russia/70057302007/
“At some point people are going to have to understand the reality of the situation,” the Wisconsin Republican told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on Tuesday. “I don’t see a scenario, and I’ve asked — I mean, where is there a path to victory from our standpoint? All I see is a grinding stalemate that day-by-day more people get killed and more of Ukraine gets destroyed.”
Johnson said the war is a “lose-lose-lose for everybody” and added: “Nobody can win at this point. They should start negotiating.”
The comments come as Republicans have become increasingly divided on whether to continue providing financial aid and military equipment to help Ukraine defend itself against the Russian invasion. Much of the dissent has spawned from a far-right faction of House Republicans who have derided Washington’s spending on the war and called for a “peace agreement.”
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2023/03/29/ron-johnson-casts-doubts-on-u-s-help-for-ukraines-war-with-russia/70057302007/
[font size="2"]And The Winner Is: [/font]
Here we go folks! It’s tied going into the last 2 minutes. Ohio has the ball… for three! YES! Now there’s less than 90 seconds left… Ohio again for three! Yes! Oh a foul has been called on Ohio! First shot is in… it’s good! Second…. Oh and it’s a miss! But Ohio is up by 7 with less than 45 seconds to go… and that’s all she wrote, folks! Ohio will be advancing to the Elite 8, Wisconsin goes home!
[font size="4"]Next Week: [/font]
We come to the end of Round 1! Next week is Round 1 Week 4 and in the Batshit Conference, #3 South Dakota looks to unseat challenger #4 Arizona, while over in the Family Values Conference, last year’s champion #1 Tennessee looks to take out red hot #2 Arkansas! We’re live at the home of the Sacramento Kings, the Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, for all the exciting action! Be sure to follow the Top 10 on Mastodon at Top10ConIdiots @mstdn.party for updated brackets and line information!
[font size="4"]And Now This: [/font]
[font size="4"]Alter Bridge[/font]
Ladies and gentlemen, my next guest is one of the best hard rock bands out there. Their latest album is called “Pawns & Kings”. You can see them live through April 15th. Playing their song “Silver Tongue”, give it up for Alter Bridge!
Thank you Vancouver! This was a great time, we’ll be back again soon! So next week’s edition is going to be a Best Of, but will feature Stupidest State Round 1 Week 4. We’ll be back to our regular schedule on April 13th with edition #299 and April 20th with edition #300! See you in two weeks!
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Initech Productions: Yes, We Got The Memo
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