Roisin Ni Fiachra
Roisin Ni Fiachra's JournalPeru's Castillo builds election lead but Fujimori says won't concede yet
Source: Reuters
Peruvian socialist Pedro Castillo widened his lead against right-wing rival Keiko Fujimori in the country’s presidential vote on Monday, but she said she will not concede yet and alleged “irregularities,” although without showing much proof.
The official count from Sunday's election showed outsider candidate Castillo with 50.3% and Fujimori on 49.7%, with around 95% of the vote counted. The leftist candidate had trailed overnight, but started to take the lion's share of ballots as the count progressed, on the back of a late surge of rural votes.
"There's a clear intention to boycott the will of the people," Fujimori said at a press conference, in which she showed social media videos to back her claims, and accused supporters of Castillo of stealing votes. She also asked her base to bring forth new allegations, if they exist, on social media.
Castillo's party, Free Peru, responded on Twitter that it "rejected" the allegations.
Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/peru-awakes-uncertain-future-with-polarized-vote-knife-edge-2021-06-07/
Fujimori is already trying out the Orange Fascist's "Big Lie" strategy on the People of Peru.
Charges after US Capitol insurrection roil far-right groups
Source: Associated Press
Former President Donald Trump’s lies about a stolen 2020 election united right-wing supporters, conspiracy theorists and militants on Jan. 6, but the aftermath of the insurrection is roiling two of the most prominent far-right extremist groups at the U.S. Capitol that day.
More than three dozen members and associates across both the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers have been charged with crimes. Some local chapters cut ties with national leadership in the weeks after the deadly siege. The Proud Boys’ chairman called for a pause in the rallies that often have led to clashes with anti-fascist activists. And one Oath Keeper has agreed to cooperate against others charged in the riot.
Some extremism experts see parallels between the fallout from the Capitol riot and the schisms that divided far-right figures and groups after their violent clashes with counter-protesters at the “Unite the Right” white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in August 2017. The white supremacist “alt-right” movement fractured and ultimately faded from public view after the violence erupted that weekend.
“I think something kind of like that is happening right now in the broader far-right movement, where the cohesive tissue that brought them all together — being the 2020 election — it’s kind of dissolved,” said Jared Holt, a resident fellow at the Atlantic Council’s Digital Forensic Research Lab.
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/capitol-insurrection-charges-roil-far-right-groups-1e0560dbd5572944e3435e225f8be616
They're going deeper underground out here in the red rural west. They know the FBI is making them a priority as a terrorist threat.
Lock 'em up!
McConnell returns as Senate 'grim reaper'
McConnell has maintained the loyalty of his fellow GOP senators despite repeated attacks by former President Trump, who has called on Senate Republicans to oust him as their leader.
And it was McConnell’s opposition to a House-passed bill establishing a bipartisan Jan. 6 commission that snuffed out the legislation in the Senate on Friday.
One GOP senator said the measure would have garnered enough votes to pass the chamber and eventually land on Biden’s desk had McConnell not gotten involved.
https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/555877-mcconnell-returns-as-senate-grim-reaper
June 28, 2019
It is a role that can bring a pursed smile to his face. This week, he had many reasons to.
snip----
Rarely has a political figure pinned his fortunes on accomplishing so little. McConnell has made a career out of stopping things — first Barack Obama’s agenda (underscored by his unsuccessful vow to make him a “one-term” president), now Pelosi’s — taking pride in what has come to be known as the Senate graveyard.
snip----
Said Bennet, “Gridlock will not magically disappear as long as Mitch McConnell is there.”
https://apnews.com/article/c842a0bcecc840628a991092da3e7ce3
Sen. Joe Manchin, the West Virginia Democrat who has positioned himself as a fulcrum of power in the evenly divided Senate, expressed disappointment on Friday after Senate Republicans predictably used the filibuster — which he supports — to block a bipartisan commission to investigate the Jan. 6 Capitol riot.
snip----
The defeat was almost inevitable after Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., came out against the commission, reportedly because Republicans are worried it will make them look bad ahead of next year's midterm elections. But the majority support for the resolution left all eyes on the two major defenders of the filibuster in the Senate Democratic caucus: Manchin and Sen. Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona, who did not even show up for Friday's vote.
snip---
But many of Manchin's critics on the left are pointing out that he continues to oppose Democratic calls to eliminate the filibuster so the Senate can pass legislation with a simple majority vote. Just one day before the vote, Manchin vowed that he was "not willing to destroy our government" by eliminating the filibuster.
snip----
"You have it completely backwards, [Sen. Manchin] — the *filibuster* is what's destroying our government," Princeton historian Kevin Kruse wrote on Twitter. "It distorts the founders' vision in which a simple majority would control the Senate and lets a spiteful minority hold the government hostage to its whims. End it now."
https://www.salon.com/2021/05/28/joe-manchin-very-disappointed-after-republicans-use-filibuster-to-kill-capitol-riot-commission/
End it Now.
2022: Republicans win House and Senate. Manchin and Sinema defend stances on filibuster.
In a joint statement, Manchin and Sinema said, "The system worked. The filibuster did exactly what it was designed to do."
Anne Frank's Stepsister Eva Schloss on Holocaust Horrors and How Trump Reminds Her of Hitler
“I heard in America that Asian people are being attacked now suddenly,” she tells me. “We need to teach people that we’re all human beings. It doesn’t matter what color or what religion we are. We are all human beings, and we have to be treated equal."
In honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, I spoke with Eva Schloss about her incredible story of survival, Trump’s neo-Nazi dog-whistles, and more.
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Trump wasn’t just against the Jews—he was against the Mexicans, and many others. He was a racist. Full-stop, he was a racist. His son-in-law is a Jew, and his daughter converted to Judaism. You know, he’s said so many silly things. I’ve compared him to Hitler. I even heard that he studied Hitler’s speeches and things like that, so he obviously admired Hitler and just copied him with his anti-Semitism. The Muslims are hated as well. This is what’s so wrong in our society—white supremacy. We should all treat each other as equal. We’re just one human race—different colors, different religions, different opinions, but all human beings who should have the same opportunities and should be measured equally.
https://www.thedailybeast.com/anne-franks-stepsister-eva-schloss-on-holocaust-horrors-and-how-trump-reminds-her-of-hitler
Yes.
Looks like most of the fascist insurrectionists are getting off with a little slap on the wrist.
According to Politico:
Americans outraged by the storming of Capitol Hill are in for a jarring reality check: Many of those who invaded the halls of Congress on Jan. 6 are likely to get little or no jail time.
While public and media attention in recent weeks has been focused on high-profile conspiracy cases against right-wing, paramilitary groups like the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys, the most urgent decisions for prosecutors involve resolving scores of lower-level cases that have clogged D.C.’s federal district court.
A POLITICO analysis of the Capitol riot-related cases shows that almost a quarter of the more than 230 defendants formally and publicly charged so far face only misdemeanors. Dozens of those arrested are awaiting formal charges, even as new cases are being unsealed nearly every day.
In recent days, judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys have all indicated that they expect few of these “MAGA tourists” to face harsh sentences.
https://www.politico.com/news/2021/03/30/jan-6-capitol-riot-jail-time-478440
Want to commit a crime with impunity? Want to commit sedition by storming the Capitol with the intention of ending democracy, overthrowing the government, and installing a dictator, in an act of insurrection, and walk away without jail time?
Just become a Trump supporting Right Wing Extremist, and all your sins will be pardoned.
Hang on to that COVID-19 vaccination card -- it's important
Proof of vaccination may allow us to begin resuming our normal activities in the near future.
Photos that display the COVID-19 vaccination card like a badge of honor have been making the rounds on social media for months, but the card is more than fodder for selfies, it could be your ticket to freedom in the coming months -- so it should be protected as such.
The precious paper card contains vital information including the brand of vaccine you received and the dates you were immunized. According to public health experts, it's crucial to keep that information handy in case you need it to prove your vaccination status, or to streamline possible future booster shots.
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"What these little cards have the potential to do is to make something like international travel easier by avoiding requirements for quarantine or testing," Amesh Adalja, M.D., FIDSA, an infectious disease specialist and senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security, told ABC News.
https://abcnews.go.com/Health/hang-covid-19-vaccination-card-important/story?id=76606459
IRS says more stimulus checks will land on March 24
Source: CBS News
The IRS has an update for people who are eager to receive their third federal stimulus check: More payments will land on March 24.
The tax agency didn't say how many payments it plans to issue on Wednesday. Last week, the IRS deposited about 90 million checks via direct deposit and mailed another 150,000 checks to people for whom it didn't have banking information. Earlier this month, IRS and Treasury officials said they planned to send about 100 million payments within the first 10 days of distribution for the third round of stimulus payments, which were authorized under the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan.
The latest round of checks will provide relief to millions of people who continue to struggle with income losses a year after the coronavirus pandemic shuttered the U.S. economy. Some people, including those on Social Security or disability, have expressed concern to CBS MoneyWatch that they haven't yet received their stimulus payments, which amount to $1,400 for each eligible adult and dependent.
The IRS said it is "working directly" with the Social Security Administration, Railroad Retirement Board and Veterans Administration to get updated information for people who receive benefits from those agencies, but it didn't provide details on when the payments might arrive.
Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stimulus-checks-march-24-payments-irs/
Businesses tied to Noem family got $600,000 in virus grants
PIERRE, S.D. — Family members of South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem received more than $600,000 in funds from a state grant program pushed by the governor that directed federal coronavirus relief funds to small businesses.
A ranch belonging to Noem’s family, Racota Valley Ranch Partnership, received one payment of $500,000, and a business operated by her brothers, Rock and Robb Arnold, received payments of just over $100,000, according to records on the grant program.
The Legislature approved the grant plan in October, but the family businesses benefitted from adjustments the Republican governor made. The plan initially capped grants at $100,000, but later in the month, with plentiful federal funds at their disposal, Noem’s administration adjusted the grant cap to $500,000. The governor also later opened up a second round of grant applications to businesses hurt by the pandemic from September to November.
A total of 126 businesses across the state — less than 4% of grant applicants — received grants of $500,000. Some received even more because they applied in both rounds of applications. There is no indication that Noem played a part in the allocation of funds.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/businesses-tied-to-noem-family-got-600000-in-virus-grants/2021/03/03/604456d2-7c7d-11eb-8c5e-32e47b42b51b_story.html
With a little more practice at swindling taxpayers, she may someday outgrift Trump.
Nazi SS Race and Resettlement Sleeve Diamond
This is an ultra rare piece of SS regalia. The SS Race and Resettlement Sleeve Diamond was an organizational assignment insignia for members of the “Rasse- und Siedlungshauptamt der SS” (SS Race and Settlement Main Office). This organization was responsible for safeguarding the racial purity of the SS, and was an advisory and executive office for matters of racial selection. It features an Odal runic emblem, machine embroidered in light gray thread on a black wool backing. The Odal rune was used by the Nazis to refer to racial heritage. The embroidery shows only minor age toning. There is no mothing or other damage; it is in excellent condition. This SS Race and Resettlement Sleeve Diamond measures about 3 inches tall by 2 inches wide. It has traces of glue on the back, which is typical for these. These are seldom encountered and extremely desirable; they are missing from most SS insignia collections.
https://epicartifacts.com/product/ss-race-and-resettlement-sleeve-diamond/
Runic insignia of the Schutzstaffel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Runic_insignia_of_the_Schutzstaffel
It's Time to Talk About Violent Christian Extremism
Now, after the dangerous QAnon conspiracy theory helped to motivate the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, with many participants touting their Christian faith — and as evangelical pastors throughout the country ache over the spread of the conspiracy theory among their flocks, and its very real human toll — it’s worth asking whether the time has come for a new wave of outreach to religious communities, this time aimed at evangelical Christians.
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She sees QAnon’s popularity among certain segments of Christendom not as an aberration, but as the troubling-but-natural outgrowth of a strain of American Christianity. In this tradition, one’s belief is based less on scripture than on conservative culture, some political disagreements are seen as having nigh-apocalyptic stakes and “a strong authoritarian streak” runs through the faith. For this type of believer, love of God and love of country are sometimes seen as one and the same.
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“[Christian nationalists] see it in cataclysmic terms: This is the moment, and God’s going to judge us,” she says. “When you paint it in existential terms like that, a lot of people feel justified to carry out acts of violence in the name of their faith.”
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/02/04/qanon-christian-extremism-nationalism-violence-466034
The whitewashing of fascism, in all its manifestations needs to stop. It's not Christian Nationalism, it is Christo-Fascism. Fascism, by any other name, still stinks like fascism. This is not a new phenomenon, but it has grown to the point where it has become an immediate threat and clear and present danger to democracy, Freedom of Religion, and objective government of the US.
Real Freedom of Religion means freedom from legally mandated Religion, the right to practice the faith and belief of our choosing, as well as to not practice any faith or belief at all if we choose. Freedom of Religion means living under laws that are not based in, and on, subjective religious dogma. Authoritarian psycho puritan Qhristo-Fascists like Marjorie Taylor Greene and her Qpublican party have become a threat to democracy, the US government, and the lives of innocent people, as their attack on our nation's Capitol and both houses of Congress have clearly illustrated.
I, for one, welcome our new authoritarian Qhristo-fascist Qpublican overlords!
Prayer time begins at 8:00
Christian fascism denotes the intersection between fascism and Christianity and it also encompasses the fascistic, totalitarian, and imperialistic aspects of the Christian church. It is sometimes referred to as "Christofascism", a neologism coined by liberation theologist Dorothee Sölle in 1970.
George Hunsinger, director of the Centre for Barth Studies at Princeton Theological Seminary, regards the conception of Christofascism as being an attack, at a very sophisticated level of theological discourse, on the biblical depiction of Jesus. He equates what is viewed as Christofascism with "Jesus Christ as depicted in Scripture" and contrasts it with the "nonnormative Christology" that is offered as an alternative by some theologians, which he characterizes as extreme relativism that reduces Jesus Christ to "an object of mere personal preference and cultural location" and that he finds difficult to see as not contributing to the same problems encountered by the Christian church in Germany that were noted by theologian Karl Barth.
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Chris Hedges and David Neiwert contend that the origins of American Christofascism date back to the Great Depression, when Americans first espoused forms of fascism that were "explicitly 'Christian' in nature".[11]:88 Hedges writes that "fundamentalist preachers such as Gerald B. Winrod and Gerald L. K. Smith fused national and Christian symbols to advocate the country's first crude form of Christo-fascism".[12] Smith's Christian Nationalist Crusade stated that a "Christian character is the basis of all real Americanism".[12] Hedges also believes that William Dudley Pelley was another prominent advocate of Christofascism.
By the late 1950s, adherents of these philosophies founded the John Birch Society, whose policy positions and rhetoric have greatly influenced modern dominionists.[12] Likewise, the Posse Comitatus movement was founded by former associates of Pelley and Smith. The 1980s saw the founding of the Council for National Policy[12] and the Moral Majority[13][14] carry on the tradition, while the patriot and militia movements represented efforts to mainstream the philosophy in the 1990s.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_fascism
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